There are just some recipes that you go to over and over again. They are usually the easiest to master, memorable (meaning, you never have to look them up in a cookbook or online) and are generally just “feel-good” dishes which are healthy and family-friendly. These baked carrots are just all that.
Carrots plus two pats of butter. Only two tablespoons of butter for two whole pounds of carrots. Just enough for the buttery flavor without much fat. Bake them in the oven for 45 minutes and you are done. Done. The carrots roast/braise/bake until all of their sweetness intensifies.
The carrots must be completely dry when they go into the dish. They bake in their own juices with just that small amount of butter and the result is perfectly cooked, non-mushy, sweet, delicious good-for-you vegetables that even kids love. They do not need salt or any other seasoning but if you want to add maple syrup, chopped cilantro and/or orange peel you can do that at the end after they come out of the oven.
So have at it. I promise this will be on a regular rotation at your house as it has been in mine for nearly 30 years. Funny thing. Even the Corning Ware dish I use to make this is referred to in my house as the “carrot dish” and is over 30 years old as well!
If you are looking for a healthy side dish–remember what your mother said about carrots and your eyesight???–that couldn’t be simpler, this is your new go-to fave.
Simply Carrots--One Plus One
Two ingredients are all it takes to make the most flavorful carrot dish you have ever tasted. No muss. No fuss. Just carrots.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots peeled and cut into sticks
- 2 tablespoons butter in two pats
- maple syrup, chopped cilantro, and/or orange peel optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
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Put all of the carrot sticks in a dry 3 quart ceramic baking dish or a heavy cast iron pot. Put two pats of butter on the top and cover tightly with the lid (not aluminum foil or plastic wrap).
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Bake for 45 minutes undisturbed and remove from the oven. If you want to add maple syrup, chopped cilantro and/or orange peel feel free to stir those in right before serving.
Jane, you’ve never looked better– happy, healthy, and centered. I need to try that retirement thing someday.
thank you very much