Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipe: Roasted Root Vegetables with Pomegranate Molasses and Rosemary

Does anyone at your Thanksgiving dinner table get visibly excited over root vegetables? I've eaten a lot of Thanksgiving dinners, and I've never heard anyone exclaim, "Ooh, look! Roasted rutabagas! My favorite!"

We know potatoes and usually love them. We know beets and usually hate them. But many of other root vegetables remain a mystery. Do you know the difference between rutabagas and turnips? (If you don't, read this post.) How about parsnips? Are you familiar with those?

Here's what I want you to do for this Thanksgiving dinner: Buy an assortment of root vegetables, including the enigmatic turnips and rutabagas. Roast them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until they release their sugars and caramelize. Then drizzle them with pomegranate molasses, a uniquely tangy syrup made from pomegranate juice and sugar.  Serve them to your guests, but don't tell them about the pomegranate molasses. Then wait for someone to say, "Wow! These are delicious. May I have some more?"



Pomegranate molasses is most commonly found in Middle Eastern specialty stores. You can also buy it online. If you can't find any, then you can make your own pomegranate molasses. Elise of Simply Recipes shows you how.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Pomegranate Molasses and Rosemary
Serves 6-8
Printable recipe.

1 rutagaba, peeled and diced, about 2 cups
2 turnips, peeled and diced, about 2 cups
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced, about 2 cups
4 parsnips, peeled and diced, about 2 cups
4 carrots, peeled and diced, about 2 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
4 tablespoons pomegranate arils, divided

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, toss diced vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer on an aluminum lined baking sheet (for easy clean up). Roast for 20 minutes. Stir and continue roasting for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

2. Drizzle pomegranate molasses over the vegetables, and stir until well coated. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons rosemary and stir gently. Roast for another 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Taste. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Toss in 3 tablespoons pomegranate arils and stir gently. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with remaining teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary and remaining 1 tablespoon pomegranate arils before serving.

You might also like these root vegetable recipes:
Pureed Roasted Parsnips recipe from Simply Recipes
Potato Root Vegetable Mash Up recipe from Blue Kitchen
Slow Roasted Root Vegetables recipe from Sarah's Cucina Bella
Saffron and Honey Glazed Root Vegetables recipe from ecurry
Baked Yams with Citrus Glaze and Toasted Pecans recipe from Food Blogga
Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Sage Glaze recipe from Food Blogga