Simple Cooked Carrots Recipe for Any Meal Plan | The Simple Parent (2024)

ThisCooked Carrots Recipe is a basic carrot side dish that you can tweak to make it more savory or sweeter. With this foundation recipe, you will always have a vegetable side dish you can count on. It’s perfect served with chicken, steak, pork, and even family staples like chicken tenders and hamburger patties!

EASY COOKED CARROTS RECIPE

If you find that bag of baby carrots you bought to have around as a healthy snack still waiting in the refrigerator, making buttered cooked carrots is the perfect way to get them on the dinner table. This carrot dish works well with almost every main dish, so it’s easy to whip up and pair with whatever is already on the menu!

This is your basic roasted carrots recipe. Learn this one and you’ll always have a go-to side dish to depend on!

HOW TO COOK CARROTS IN THE OVEN

Cooking carrots in the oven is one of my favorites ways to cook them for two reasons. The first is the convenience factor. It’s easy to put them on the baking sheet and pop them in the oven while you make other parts of the meal. The second is that roasted carrots don’t get too mushy when you roast them in the oven.

MORE OVEN ROASTED CARROTS RECIPES: Easy Maple Glazed Carrots, Brown Sugar Cinnamon Baby Carrots

You can glaze or season the carrots in any way that you want and the cooking process is the same. I always recommend lining a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper to make cleaning up easier. Then you spread the carrots out in a single layer before baking in the oven.

HOW LONG TO COOK CARROTS

The size of your carrots can have an impact on how long you need to cook them. On average, cooking baby carrots in the oven takes about 30 minutes if you roast them at 425°F. If you’re cooking larger, whole carrots, you may need a bit more cook time.

Another thing that has an effect on carrot cooking time is how equal the size of your carrots are. If you’re chopping or slicing carrots, try to make the pieces as equal in size as possible. That will help them cook more evenly.

If you want an even quicker way to make cooked carrots, try our Pressure Cooker Carrots that use honey and butter in the recipe too.

HOW TO COOK CARROTS IN MICROWAVE

If you’re in a bigger hurry and can’t wait the 30 minutes it takes to roast carrots in the oven, you can cook carrots in the microwave!

Put the carrots in a microwave-safe bowl and add 1/4 cup of water. Cover the bowl and put it in the microwave. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the carrots reach the desired tenderness.

Toss the cooked carrots in melted butter, then season with salt and pepper. You’ll have a simple carrot side dish in under 10 minutes.

BUTTERED CARROTS RECIPE

I like to use baby carrots when I make them for my family because it saves on prep time. But you can also use whole carrots for this recipe. You’ll also need a few other basic ingredients.

• Baby Carrots
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Parsley Flakes, if desired

If you’re using whole carrots, I recommend chopping or slicing them into smaller pieces. If you’re using baby carrots that are all similar in size then you can get them seasoned and you’ll be ready to roast them in the oven.

Preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet. Either spray the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or line it with foil. Then spread the carrots out in a single layer.

Combine the butter and oil in a bowl and then pour it over the carrots. Season them with salt and pepper then mix the carrots around to make sure they’re all well-coated.

Roast them in the oven until they reach the desired softness and tenderness. Sprinkle with parsley flakes to garnish and serve them with your favorite main dish!

MAIN DISH IDEAS TO PAIR WITH CARROTS:Air Fryer Chicken Legs, Buffalo Chicken Strips, Air Fryer Chicken Strips, Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

COOKED CARROTS RECIPE VIDEO