Philly: Potato and Vegetable Bake

Happy Daylight Savings Time! Hope you took the extra hour to sleep in! I know I did.

I love comfort food because it is so hearty and filling. Unfortunately, it can often be incredibly fattening such as fried chicken or macaroni and cheese. But when it is deliciously crispy, baked vegetables you can get the best of both worlds: comfort and a smaller butt.

On the night I made this meal I was unsure exactly what I was hungry for and after a “mental-scan” of the pantry I was able to come up with something good.

I was so excited that the 5lb. bags of potatoes at the grocery store were buy-one-get-one-free this week! That’s what makes me happy. And finally I finished the bag of sweet potatoes we have had for what seems like forever.

This recipe is by no means difficult or even terribly creative, but man is it good. There is nothing better than crispy oven baked potatoes and with carrots, sweet potatoes, and zucchini. You can also use any type of root vegetable or squash that you have for this recipe. Be creative!

I paired this with grilled chicken breasts but this is definitely a full vegetarian meal without it. This would also be a great dish for a roast chicken or even Thanksgiving.

Potato and Vegetable Bake: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 large white potatoes

2-3 small sweet potatoes

2-3 large carrots

2 zucchinis

1 Onion soup packet (low sodium is good too)

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Wash, peel and chop all the vegetables (chop carrots into smaller pieces than the rest and do not peel all of skin off the zucchini.)

Arrange chopped vegetables in a large baking dish.

In a separate bowl mix soup mix, oil, and pepper together.

Pour oil mixture over the vegetables and mix the vegetables so they are coated evenly.

Place baking dish in the oven for about 45 minutes-1 hour or until vegetables are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Serve with a roast chicken (or if you are a poor college student like me, a grilled chicken breast) or with a salad for a vegetarian meal.

Note: These leftover vegetables would be perfect to make for breakfast in a frittata or even mixed together with scrambled eggs. Just warm up the leftovers beforehand.  

For the special occassion I hope you enjoy my "Time" Playlist:

Take Your Time- Al Green and Corinne Bailey Rae

Time- Ben Folds (Check out the a cappella version by the Princeton Nassons)

Anytime at All- The Beatles

For the Longest Time- Billy Joel

By the Time- Imogen Heap and Mika

Wasting Time- Jack Johnson

She Has No Time- Keane

This Time is the Last Time- Mae

Sometimes- Nine Days

Time After Time- Cyndi Lauper

This playlist could go on forever since my iTunes pulled up over 300 songs with “time” in them.

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner

What is your favorite way to cook a medley of vegetables? Have you even tried it for breakfast?