“I was looking for a simple roasted carrot recipe on your site and couldn’t find one,” a friend told me a month ago and I immediately put “simple roasted carrot recipe” on my sprawling, decades-long To Cook list because sometimes I forget myself, too. Spoiler: I was never going to write a simple recipe for roasted carrots.
I mean, sure, there’s one within this recipe. My carrot-roasting philosophy [moment of pause for my gratitude that I have a little corner of the internet where I get to write about things like a carrot roasting “philosophy” and only a few of you will roll your eyes] is that they’re within the category of vegetables that need to be steam-roasted (see also: artichokes) because roasting them doesn’t necessarily soften the centers before they burn. So, we start cooking the carrots in a steamy environment until tender, then roast the rest of the way uncovered until browned and crisp. You could stop there.
But I want dinner, not something limited to being a side dish. And for that, we add lentils and yogurt. A sharp vinaigrette with lemon, garlic, cumin, oregano, and olive oil is used to dress lentils and then roasted carrots are rolled in a splash of this. The lentils are spooned over on a puddle of plain Greek yogurt on a plate, the carrots go on top, more lentils and dressing and a big fistful of herbs go over that and you will try this and entirely forget about the concept of a serving size. It is 4? 2? If you decide it’s just one, I do not judge, only encourage, a kindness I ask you to pay forward when I tell you that the leftovers, should there be any, are shockingly good mixed un-aesthetically and eaten cold from the fridge.
Something new! I¡¯m so excited to announce the special audiobook edition of Smitten Kitchen Keepers, Smitten Kitchen Keepers: A Kitchen Counter Conversation! Available on November 12th and read by me, I hope it feels exactly like you’ve pulled up a chair and I’m hanging out in the kitchen with you, discussing techniques, substitutions, and chatting about what I think makes each recipe special. Bonus recipe: When you purchase the audiobook, you will receive a signed holiday card from me with a bonus recipe! To receive your card and recipe, complete the form with your purchase order number right here. [US Residents, 18+. Ends December 13, 2024.]
Podcast! A new episode of my podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, is out and it’s all about Baked Ziti. You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts and catch up on any episodes you’ve missed right here. New episodes drop every other Monday. I hope you enjoy listening as much as we’re enjoying the conversation.
Video
Roasted Carrots with Lentils and Yogurt
- 2 pounds (905 grams) carrots, peeled and trimmed
- 1 cup (235 ml) water
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cooked or 3/4 cup (135 grams) dried lentils de puy
- 1/3 cup (or a big handful) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup (235 grams) plain Greek yogurt
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Carrots and assembly
Dressing
Meanwhile, cook your lentils: Cook dried lentils in salted water according to the package directions, then drain and set aside.
Make the vinaigrette: Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. I’m aiming for a sharp, lemony vinaigrette here that will wake up the cooked lentils.
Assemble right before eating: Pour all but last two tablespoons of vinaigrette over lentils and mix. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Stir in all but last two tablespoons of parsley. Spoon yogurt directly onto a serving plate and use the back of a spoon to swirl it to coat the bottom. Spoon 3/4 of lentil salad over yogurt. When carrots come out of the oven, pour remaining dressing over carrots in the pan, rolling them in it, and then lay the cooked carrots on top of the lentils. Spoon remaining lentils around the carrots and sprinkle platter with remaining parsley.
Eat right away.
Do ahead: I’d keep the elements separate until serving so each element tastes distinct. However, for unglamorous leftovers, everything mixed in a container is surprisingly delicious.
Previously
6 months ago: New York Crumb Cake
1 year ago: Chicken Rice with Buttered Onions
2 years ago: Focaccia Onion Board
3 years ago: Big Apple Crumb Cake
4 years ago: Whole Wheat Chocolate Oat Cookies and Simple Cauliflower Tacos
5 years ago: Chickpea and Kale Shakshuka
6 years ago: Crispy Spinach Pizza
7 years ago: Pizza Beans and Chocolate Tahini Challah Buns
8 years ago: Homemade Merguez with Herby Yogurt and Magic Apple Plum Cobbler
9 years ago: The Perfect Manhattan, Broccoli Cheddar Soup and S’more Cupcakes
10 years ago: Latke Waffles and The Crispy Egg
11 years ago: Frico Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
12 years ago: Crackly Banana Bread and Spaghetti with Broccoli Cream Pesto
13 years ago: Apple Pie Cookies
14 years ago: Single-Crust Apple and Plum Pie
15 years ago: Date Spice Loaf and Lebanese-Style Stuffed Eggplant
16 years ago: Summer’s Last Hurrah Panzanella, Sweet and Sour Glazed Cippoline, Majestic and Moist Honey Cake, and Best Challah (Egg Bread)
17 years ago: Red Velvet Cake, Noodle Kugel, Spaghetti Fideos with Chorizo and Almonds and Couscous and Feta-Stuffed Peppers
18 years ago: Acorn Squash with Chile-Lime Vinaigrette
LOL, you wrote “drain any water left in pain” right after you wrote about being careful when taking the foil off the pan.
This sounds delicious! I’m thinking we will be having this soon. I’ve never thought to steam the carrots before roasting them (we usually quarter the carrots so the insides can cook quickly), so I’ll have to give this a try.
Oh my gosh! This looks SO good and I have ALL of it in my fridge!!!! Dinner sorted! (the great thing about the pork shoulder in my oven right now – came to your site to check the mop recipe again – is that it will be even better crisped up tomorrow and the rest of the week). Thank you so much for all you do!
Wow, that is a stunning photo!
I need lentils to pull this together. I¡¯m going to grab my backpack, and walk on over to the market.
I made pesto for the freezer last weekend, and have pine nuts, so I think I¡¯ll sprinkle a handful on top.
I bet a riff on this with labneh and za’atar vinaigrette would be SOOOOO good. I can’t wait to try your version and more!
If you have two sheet pans, you can use one as a cover in place of foil – place it upside down on top of the other sheet pan, rims to rims. Easier to remove and nothing to add to a landfill.
Now why didn’t I think of that?
Thanks for thinking about NOT using foil – possibly the most abuse kitchen resource. Thank you!
I have been roasting carrots for years without the steam bath. Just use convection roast and the carrots will get close to dangerously burned (but not quite) and be creamy/soft in the middle.
This blog is old enough to vote! Feeling personally victimized as I started reading near the beginning…that can’t have been 18 years ago…can it?!
I make something very similar to this, but I add a few squeezes of harissa and some spritzes of lemon juice to the yogurt.
I don’t have to feed little people on the regular so the spice is very welcome.
This is very close to something I learned to make (well, reverse engineered) from a trip to Turkey. The dressing there starts by heating the olive oil over low heat and adding Aleppo pepper to the oil, so that it gets infused with the color and flavor of the pepper. Also, grate a clove of garlic into the yogurt. It’s very much like the process used to make cilbur, a Turkish breakfast dish with poached egg over garlic yogurt dressed with pepper-infused oil.
I love everything here: warming the Aleppo flakes, grating garlic into the yogurt, the very idea of cilbur. I may need a trip to Turkey.
Good morning, thank you for sharing this how-to-steam-first- tip. Your’re a pro!
Deb’s right, those Trader Joes are terrific! I’m sure I would never have bought pre- cooked lentils except for the fact that they were sampling them in the store that day. It was a salad of sorts, and they were seasoned with TJ’s 21-Seasoning Salute, which I also bought. I still have a jar of that seasoning so I’ll make this dish with that blend in the vinaigrette instead of cumin.
I have lentils braised with onion in my fridge right now. I have carrots fresh from the farmers’ market. I have yogurt. I am ready to riff!
Thank you, Deb!
This is a great and easy recipe. My hubby liked it and he can be picky. Enough for two with leftovers for lunch. Thank you!
I made this recipe with the lentils I get from my bean club. I popped a garlic in with the lentils while it was boiling. My husband isn’t a fan of carrots but I made it anyway- OMG!
He loved this recipe. I’m going to definitely make this again- especially for my vegetarian friends! (For vegan friends I will just put the yogurt on the side:)
I would love to know more about the bean club !
https://www.ranchogordo.com/products/the-rancho-gordo-bean-club?_pos=1&_sid=b0ffbe985&_ss=r&selling_plan=732495968
Rancho Gordo!
I made braised lamb shanks and roasted potatoes to go with this. Normally the lamb would be the highlight. Both the potatoes (cooked in lamb fat per Marcella Hazan) and the lamb shanks were excellent, but this dish stood out as somehow the highlight for me, brightness in a world of bass notes. It held it’s own and was spectacular.
I’m confused, what’s the yogurt for?
It’s part of the assembly step:
Your older recipe for lentil-zucchini salad with basil vinaigrette and burrata (which we often sub with mozzarella) is one of my favourites off your site, and this has a similar, familiar ring. I love, love, love roasted veggies (never had any trouble roasting carrots without steaming though, they turn out perfect every time). This is going on the must-cook list!
I made a version of this last night, and it was wonderful! I often roast carrots, so I mostly did it my usual way, but I did steam them for a few minutes, and then roasted at a lower temperature, because of the other item I was cooking. I cut the carrots into smaller pieces, and then roasted with TJ’s kabobs for about 20 minutes total. I made my standard shallot/mustard vinegrette, and added some black pepper, grated garlic, vinegar, and harissa paste to the yogurt. Otherwise, I made it as instructed (lol, I never follow a recipe exactly)! The yogurt got all soft and runny from the hot carrots, and my husband and I practically inhaled it all
This dish is easy and delicious. I’m thinking of making it as a Thanksgiving veg dish maybe with some flavoring changes.
This was so good! My favorite recipe on the site in a long time. Simple, easy, delicious, nutritious. Will go in the regular rotation for sure.
We have made this twice, once for a trial and a second time for guests. It is delicious, unique, gorgeous, easy, and inexpensive! What else could you wish for?
My only recommendation is that you not mix together what you want to save until the next day. The yogurt makes the lentils too soggy and pasty.
Thinking of trying a sprinkling of pistachio pieces for a little bit of crunch next time.
We made this exactly as per the recipe for dinner tonight and loved it. Fall carrots are the best and this was delish!!!
I made this twice this week. We just love it! What a delicious blend of flavors and textures!
Great recipe! Easy to pull together, and the steaming/roasting technique worked really well. I didn¡¯t have yogurt but had farmers cheese that worked well. I didn¡¯t have herbs so I subbed in pesto! Delicious and adaptable
I’ve been on a carrot kick lately, but raw carrots, so a little more flavor is definitely welcome and this goes way beyond, love the lentils, since legumes as something I’m supposed to eat and these also – much more flavor, so all around, much appreciated, thank you!
Tasty, healthy and easy, what more could you wish for! Would never have thought to steam the carrots before roasting but they were super tasty like this. Found that one bunch of carrots was too little (didn’t weigh), instead added some green salad leaves and some roasted pumpkin for second round, was also good. Next time two bunches of carrots.
I have garden-fresh carrots and omg-for-once-in-my-life all the other ingredients too, right down to the Greek-not-just-any-ol-yogurt! There is nothing sweeter than a roasted fresh carrot, they become sweet potato-esque. I do love your recipes and made-up words and hyphens…and elipses… Carry on!
As others have said, this was really good. One of my favorite recipes in a while, and SO easy. Because I am lazy and irrationally thrifty, I did not cover the carrots with foil, but still put water in the pan first to get them a bit softer. Also subbed aleppo pepper for the chili flakes and skipped the parsley, but otherwise followed the recipe. Delicious!
This is a keeper. Instant pot carrots 12 minutes, then broiled. Had leftovers with lettuce, sardines, strawberries. Will be eating for a couple more days/variations!
Made this last night and loved it. Ended up steaming the carrots in a pan before throwing them in the oven to roast. Thinking this would be a good potluck dish with the carrots sliced into bitesize pieces after roasting.
I cannot overstate how much I loved this recipe! It seems emblematic of everything I adore about Deb’s work. It’s delicious, simple, unique, creative, and just phenomenal. Can’t wait to make it again!
Your cooking skills are great.keep inspiring everyone, who wants to be on your field.
This was great!! Next time I will make sure the yogurt is at room temperature – my yogurt was straight out of the fridge and it cooled down the carrots too much. Otherwise, awesome recipe!
This was excellent and very satisfying (for me, vegetarian dishes sometimes lack the “heft” of chicken/fish/meat entrees).
I added some ground coriander to the carrots as they roasted and I used some Aleppo pepper in the dressing instead of the chili flakes.
I also think that mint or dill would work well in place of the parsley.
I can’t wait to make this! Are there any other recommendations for fresh herbs if you don’t have parsley?
I topped it with dill for leftovers since I had some I didn¡¯t want to waste. I think cilantro would also be good
This turned the carrots to mush.
Long time follower, first time commenter. This was unreasonably delicious, and I normally pass on carrots. Thanks, Deb.
(Thank you also for the 2-hour cinnamon rolls, green bean breadcrumbs, blueberry muffins, and perfect white bean basil tomato summer-in-a-pan)
We made this last night–so good, so easy! We cook lentils frequently, but this was a nice change of pace. Usually we eat lentils with some sort of grain, and the spices are cooked in with it; I loved the lemony dressing here that was just mixed into the cooked lentils. Refreshingly different and very tasty. The yogurt was wonderful with it, and I liked how protein-rich this dish is. I only used 7 carrots, and they were relatively small. I checked them after 20 minutes of steaming and they were perfect. I then roasted them for about 20 minutes. We kept the parsley separate so people could garnish their own plates with it (some of us are more ambivalent about parsley than others). The one change I might make next time is to wait until we’re actually ready to eat before putting the lentils and carrots on the yogurt; I think it would stay warmer that way.
Another Smitten Kitchen win! Flavorful, beautiful, and easy–I did the last few steps in between turns of a Scrabble game.
This was freaking delicious and really healthy. In three days I have made it twice. Made as directed. Feel like it needs a nut or something else for some crunch but it’s great.
I¡¯ve made this a few times and it so good. One of my favorites out of hundred of SK recipes I¡¯ve made over the years. I made it last night again and added some pistachios for crunch + a little extra protein. I imagine this would be good with feta too (but it¡¯s perfect as written). For leftovers, I store the lentils and carrots together, but keep the yogurt separate and just plate individual servings with the yogurt.
Yes, this was SO GOOD. But maybe even more importantly, you have provided another fantastic framework for substitution with whatever roasting vegetable I have on hand – carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips, etc – or even subbing with fresh tomatoes and/or cucumber. And thank goodness you have recommended the TJs vacuumed packed lentils more than once – finally it took root in my mind. They are fantastic, so good with your dressing, the yogurt, the vegetable. Perfect dinner, perfect reheat for lunch. Thank you!