I know roasted vegetables sound like one of those dishes where you’ll need to make an exception if you’ve been limiting olive oil, and that’s fine – but it’s not necessary when you can make them just as good, if not better, with my Oil-Free Roasted Veggies. Featuring an oil-free dressing of tahini, white miso paste, balsamic vinegar, lemon, maple syrup, tamari sauce and mixed herbs, you’ll get veggies that are tender, flavorful, and anything but greasy. Get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about roasting vegetables.

Whole Food Plant-Based, Vegan, Oil Free, Refined Sugar Free, Gluten Free.

If you thought that you couldn’t make good roasted vegetables without olive oil, I have some great news for you: my oil-free roasted veggies capture everything that makes this classic side so beloved while still fitting in with a whole food, plant-based diet.

I’ve tried a lot of the popular variations of roasting veggies without oil. Some people dry roast them, and this works fine if the vegetables are an ingredient in another recipe, but it doesn’t have enough flavor to stand on its own. Some people just sub vinegar for oil, and this tastes good but doesn’t quite have the same effect.

So I did what I usually do in these situations and came up with my own.

I’m not going to pretend like perfecting this was an easy feat – quite the opposite. It took me a LONG time to get the perfect combo of ingredients to make the dressing, but it was so worth it. One of my secrets? The miso gives it the kind of deep flavor you’d get if there really was oil in the dressing without that greasy mouthfeel and film on your lips oil leaves behind.

I make this every other weekend to keep in the fridge so I have a quick side ready to reheat throughout the week. It pairs so well with so many lunches and dinners, and it’s also great for those days when you just want something simple.

So, what can you do with these veggies? They go with nearly every main dish imaginable, especially my Mushroom & Tofu Wellington, Baked Mushroom Burger, and Vegan Mac and Cheese. They’d be great as part of a Buddha bowl, too, and the mix of colors makes for a pretty presentation to boot.

Wondering about the veggies I use? Here’s the deal: I like to keep it simple and use a classic mix of colorful peppers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and onion. The flavors work perfectly with the oil-free dressing – trust me. But I know that the beauty of roasted vegetables is using up whatever you have in your fridge, so let me just say that if you’re gonna use root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or turnips, you should raise the cooking time and make some extra dressing. I’ll be fine-tuning this recipe for other veggies and will share it with you once I’ve perfected it.

And if you’re curious about the nuts, I just use them to give it a nice crunch and some texture. You can absolutely leave them out, but if you do like the idea of adding them, please remember to do it just before serving or they’ll be soggy and uninspired.

Ingredients:

Serves 3

-1 large zucchini (200 g / 7 oz), chopped into half-inch cubes

-1/2 cup (120 g) cherry tomatoes, halved

-1 large (200 g) sweet red pepper, chopped into half-inch pieces

-1 large (200 g) sweet yellow pepper, chopped into half-inch pieces

-1 large (200 g) sweet orange pepper, chopped into half-inch pieces

-1 medium (80 g) onion, sliced

-4 garlic cloves, chopped finely

Oil-Free Dressing:

-1 teaspoon tahini (100% sesame seed paste) (gluten-free, if necessary)

-1 tablespoon white miso paste (gluten-free, if necessary)

-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (gluten-free, if necessary)

-2 tablespoons tamari sauce (gluten-free, if necessary)

-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

-juice of 1 lemon

-1 teaspoon mixed herbs

-1/2 teaspoon rosemary

-1/2 teaspoon turmeric

-pinch of black pepper

-pinch of Himalayan salt

Optional topping:

-Halved walnuts or pine nuts for texture

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 C / 425 F and line a baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the oil-free dressing. If you store the tahini in the fridge, you may need to heat it up for a minute in the microwave so it melds better with the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything well with a small whisk or a fork and set aside.

3. Place all the chopped veggies in a large bowl.

4. Add the oil-free dressing to the veggies and mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands.

5. Once all the veggies are well-coated, pour them evenly onto the baking dish. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 220 C / 425 F, then lower the temperature to 200 C / 390 F for 10 more minutes. (Your total roasting time should be 30 minutes.)

6. Take it out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes.

7. Top with halved walnuts or whole pine nuts for extra crunch. Do not add the nuts until right before serving because they will get soft in the fridge.

8. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container once cooled completely and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. This makes a great side dish with many plant-based recipes.

Nutritional Facts per serving:

Calories: 166

Carbs: 31.2 g

Protein: 6.1 g

Fat: 3 g

Fiber: 5.1 g