If you’re after a super delicious vegetable side that requires very minimal effort, these glazed carrots are an excellent option. Tossed in spicy harissa pasta and some brown sugar, they’re roasted in a hot oven and develop a thick, sweet-salty-spicy glaze that is super flavourful.
The great news is that there is only about 5 minutes of prep time and the carrots only cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, so it’s a quick and easy side dish to make – and something you can throw in the oven while a main dish like a roast chicken is resting!
How to Make Harissa Glazed Carrots
As mentioned, this recipe requires very limited effort and it’s not too dissimilar to my roasted sweet potatoes with harissa. First off, you need to prep your carrots.
Peel the carrots and cut them into 5-centimetre (or 2-inch) pieces. Try to make sure that they’re all around the same size so that they cook evenly.
Also, avoid cutting them any smaller than 5 centimetres as this ensures that the glaze has enough time to caramelise in the oven without risking overcooking the carrots themselves. Keeping them at this size ensures that they retain a little bit of bite when they’re done – the optimal texture in my opinion.
Add your prepped carrots to a mixing bowl and also pour over a bit of brown sugar. The brown sugar caramelises beautifully over the carrots and gives it a really complex flavour. I like the results better than using something like honey.
To the brown sugar, also add a bit of harissa. You can use whatever kind of harissa you’d like or whatever brand, just note that the heat level can vary so make sure you taste the paste before adding the full amount called for in the recipe to ensure that you’re happy with how spicy it is.
Season the carrots with salt and drizzle over a bit of olive oil. Toss everything so that it’s evenly coated in the mixture and then spread the carrots over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Move the carrots to a 220°C/425°F oven and cook until they’re golden, the glaze is thickened and caramelised around the carrots and they are tender but offer some resistance when pricked with a fork – about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to give the carrots a good stir halfway through cooking.
Remove the carrots from the oven and serve immediately, making sure to spoon any excess glaze over the veggies.
Roasted Harissa Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) carrots peeled and cut into 5cm (2in) pieces
- 30 g (2 tbsp) brown sugar
- 1 tbsp harissa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the carrots to a large mixing bowl along with the brown sugar, harissa, ¼ tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Stir until the carrots are evenly coated.
- Spread the carrots over the baking sheet and move to the oven. Cook until the sugars are thickened and caramelised and the carrots are tender but offer some resistance when prodded – about 15-20 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
These easy roasted carrots with a harissa glaze are absolutely delicious and insanely simple to make. They’re sure to elevate any main dish.
Are you after a great roasted or glazed carrot recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!