Baharat is a blend of spices used across North Africa and the Middle Eastern World. The unique blend of warming spices found in baharat adds a deep earthy and just slightly spicy flavor to this carrot recipe. That earthiness is balanced with a drizzle of honey, and last but not least salty feta is added to the mix.
We love this dish hot or at room temperature making it the perfect addition to a holiday menu, a potluck, or –our favorite– as part of an outdoor meal enjoyed during the summer. This roasted carrot dish truly is a versatile side dish!
Vegan Adjustments.
With two easy adjustments, this oven roasted carrot recipe is easy to prepare as a vegan side dish.
- Use a tablespoon of brown sugar instead of honey. Sprinkle the brown sugar across the carrots in the same way the recipe calls for the honey. Proceed as the recipe is written.
- Use a plant-based cheese or skip the cheese all together. Roasted salted pistachios would be a good substitute for cheese. If not adding anything as a garnish, you will need to double the amount of salt in the recipe.
Make Ahead Instructions
This is an easy recipe to make ahead of time as well as an easy side dish to transport for a potluck or picnic.
To make ahead:
- Prep all of the ingredients.
- Store the cheese and fresh herbs properly wrapped in the refrigerator.
- Follow the recipe through step 5.
- After allowing the carrots to cool down for about 15 minutes. Wrap them up and store in the refrigerator.
- When time to serve, allow carrots to come to room temperature or gently reheat in the oven before topping with the cheese and herbs.
Ingredients
Carrots. Any carrots will work in this recipe. We used trimmed small multi-colored carrots from the farmer’s market, because they are pretty – and taste fresh and sweet. But truly, any carrots will work. Do make sure all your carrots are the same size (or cut to the same size), so they will roast in the oven evenly.
Spices. Baharat is the star of the show in this roast carrot recipe and we add 1 1/2 teaspoons for 12 – 16 ounces of carrots. We were first introduced to Baharat by AJ, a customer, who came into SpiceTopia with his personal recipe to be blended. Eliah tried it and fell in love with this distinct spice blend! He’s tweaked the recipe just a bit to make it our own, and we are now happy to offer it as one of our regular organic blends. Our Baharat Spice recipe is also gluten-free, salt-free, fat-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
Like so many spice blends, baharat’s recipe varies from region to region or even household to household, but usually includes black pepper, cloves, cumin, paprika, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom. SpiceTopia’s Baharat recipe also includes a smoked paprika, rose petals, turmeric, and allspice.
Pacific Flake Sea Salt. SpiceTopia’s Baharat recipe does not include any salt, so this recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of salt in addition to the Baharat blend.
Minced Garlic. The garlic in this recipe could be easily skipped, but we are in the “always add garlic camp”. SpiceTopia’s Minced Organic Garlic is handy for when you don’t have fresh garlic available. If using fresh garlic, use 1 clove.
Olive Oil. Roasting vegetables with oil helps the veggies brown and adds a rich toasty flavor. At SpiceTopia, we love our Estate Blend Olive Oil for cooking and baking.
Honey. A few tablespoons of honey added at the end of the roasting process, adds a delicious sweetness which helps to balance out the spices. At SpiceTopia, we love Blue Ridge honey as it is a raw local honey. If you aren’t local to Ventura county, we encourage you to find a local honey you love.
Feta. We love cheese! And the feta in this recipe adds a sharp salty note to this side dish recipe. It is also delicious with goat’s cheese. If you need a dairy-free side dish, then leave the cheese out, but increase the salt by ½ teaspoon.
Parsley or Mint. Just a touch of freshness elevates this dish. Of course, if fresh herbs aren’t available, skip it!
Technique
Roasting Carrots
What temperature should you roast carrots? And for how long should you roast carrots?
This recipe calls for roasting carrots at 425°F for 25 – 30 minutes. We like the higher temperature as it brings out the sweetness of the carrots. If you are using the oven for something else and need to cook your carrots at a lower temperature, that will work – just add on cooking time.
In fact, as carrots can vary so much in size, we suggest checking after roasting for 15 minutes. And then every five minutes there after.
Do not add the honey at the beginning of the roasting process as it will burn at this high heat. Take just a few minutes at the end to broil the carrots with the honey.
And that’s it – it is a simple process to end up with an amazingly delicious side dish!
Baharat Roasted Carrots with Honey and Feta
Description
Baharat Oven Roasted Carrots with Honey and Feta are flavored with lots of warming spices ,just a hint of honey, and a bit of feta cheese. Enjoy this dish as part of a holiday menu, summertime, or anytime you need a side dish to impress.
Ingredients:
Directions
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Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper (for easy clean-up).
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Toss carrots with oil, baharat, salt, and garlic.
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Arrange carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet.
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Bake for 15 - 30 minutes or until fork tender.
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Remove from the oven. Turn on broiler. Drizzle carrots with honey. Broil for 1 - 2 minutes.
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Remove from the oven. Arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with feta and fresh herbs. Drizzle with oil remaining on baking sheet.
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Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note
If you enjoy learning about and cooking with new spices like Baharat, then
SpiceScription may be for you!
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