Maple-Roasted Carrots with Onions and Thyme

How to make a bag of frozen carrots taste delicious.

So what happens to those bags of frozen vegetables in the back of the freezer?

I can't bring myself to throw them out without making an effort to do something with them: my frugal French genes makes in hard for me to waste things.

I found a bag of carrots the other day.  I couldn't bear to throw it out, even if the contents tasted like freezer. (Freezer is not a taste. It is not sweet, sour, salty, savory, bitter, freezer, etc.)

I saved those carrots. And then savored them. It was like eating dessert.

Here's what you need to make Maple-Roasted Carrots with Onions and Thyme from a bag of frozen carrots. Of course, fresh would be better.

  • 1 13-ounce bag of frozen carrots
  • 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 large or 2 small sweet onions (I used cipollini onions, of course)
  • 2 Tablespoons, fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • dash sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 400.

If there is any ice on the carrots, rinse them in cold water and allow to dry in a colander or on a paper towel. Once they are dry, place them in a large saucepan and cover with broth; allow them to partially cook (bring to a boil, then remove from heat). I used vegetable broth and tossed in a stick of cinnamon. (Refrigerate or freeze the broth for another use.)

Drain the carrots, and toss with olive oil, maple syrup and chopped thyme. Add salt. Place on a lined cookie sheet or in a shallow baking dish on an upper - but not the top - oven shelf. Allow carrots to further cook and brown - at least 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them: All ovens cook differently.

While carrots are browning, caramelize onions in a small sauté pan with butter. When both carrots and onions are browned, toss and serve.

Simple and fast, this side dish taste is also sweet and salty - and I love that. Pair it with pork or chicken and a green salad.

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Comments

Penny said…
I love carrots with a sweet glaze and roasting in the oven is my preference for most vegies. Your carrots look beautiful Mimi.
Unknown said…
Thank you, Penny. It was hard for me to believe they were from a bag. It was my last bag of frozen carrots, I think, probably from last winter! But why throw them out?
Christine said…
I love what you've done with the carrots here. The caramelized onions put them over the top!
Unknown said…
I really liked them, Christine. And I just bought two pounds of a variety of onions today at the farm market. I should just call this blog The Onion. Oh, wait, that's taken...
Sharon said…
I hate throwing them out, as well, but other than using them as ice packs for my bad back, I never know what to do with those elderly bags of vegetables that suddenly seem to appear in my freezer. But these carrots look--and sound--marvelous, Mimi. I think we've got a keeper!
Unknown said…
LOL. I have a two-year-old bag of frozen edamame use for my back.
Unknown said…
Thanks for posting, Sharon!

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