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

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Glaze

With cookies flying everywhere lately, I almost forgot to post this recipe for Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Glaze. That would have been a shame because this dish, which I created a couple of months ago, has skyrocketed to the top of my go-to recipe list.

Creamy, sweet, red-fleshed Garnet sweet potatoes are roasted until caramelized then drizzled with a tangy honey and pomegranate glaze. Then they're dotted with ruby red pomegranate arils, toasted walnuts, and savory thyme for a highly textured, flavorful, and aromatic side dish.



Pomegranates are easy to find now due to their popularity at Christmas time. But don't delay, since their season usually runs from late October through January.

I'm telling you, this is one side dish that can steal the show from an entree any night of the week.

So, tell me, how do you use pomegranates in savory dishes?



Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Glaze
Makes 4 servings
Print recipe only here.

Potatoes:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
2 sprigs thyme, plus 1 extra for garnish
salt and black pepper

Pomegranate Glaze:
mix 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice with 1 tablespoon honey OR
mix 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice with 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

If you prefer, you could substitute 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses* for the glaze.

1/4 cup lightly toasted chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons pomegranate arils


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking dish or sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up.

In a large bowl toss diced potatoes with olive oil, honey, thyme, and salt and pepper, until well coated.

Roast potatoes for 45-50 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium high heat, add pomegranate juice with honey or brown sugar; bring to a boil, then reduce until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. If you are using pomegranate molasses, then simply make sure it is at room temperature or warm before drizzling it over the potatoes.

Place potatoes in a serving dish, drizzle with pomegranate glaze and lightly toss until well coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and pomegranate arils.

*Pomegranate molasses (also called pomegranate syrup or paste) is a thick sweet and sour syrup used in many Middle Eastern recipes. It can be found in Middle Eastern specialty markets. Or you can make your own. Elise of Simply Recipes tells you how here.

You might also like these pomegranate recipes:

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salsa




Winter Jewel Fruit Salad




Low-Fat Lemony Medjool Date and Pomegranate Scones




Looking for more pomegranate recipes? Then check out my latest Foodie View article, Impossibly Appealing Pomegranates, which includes over a dozen pomegranate recipes for everything from breakfast to appetizers to desserts.

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