Tender glazed carrots with honey & balsamic vinegar pan-roasted along with fresh thyme. An easy one-pan side dish that only takes 20 minutes. Easy enough for a weeknight dinner and fancy enough to serve for a dinner party. Pairs perfectly with turkey, chicken and lamb and duck.
Sometimes you just need to be fancy so I used heirloom carrots for this recipe but your regular orange carrot will do just the same. I love to pan-roast vegetables when I can over roasting in the oven simply because by the time my oven warmed up I could have been done.
Time is precious and as a mom, with two kids I am always on the go so when I can make something easier, faster and with less mess. Well, that is going to be my mission Operandi! This recipe is done all in one pan, less time, less mess….a winner in my mind!
How to make glazed carrots with honey & Balsamic
Carrots are sweet on their own but the honey gives them a nice glaze and the balsamic evens out the intensity of the sweetness perfectly. To make this recipe simply wash and cut the carrots into even pieces or if they are thin like what I had on hand you don’t need to do anything more than cut off the tops. Some of the carrots were a bit thicker so I cut them in half lengthwise.
When cooking you always want things to be as close to the same size as possible so that everything cooks at the same time roughly. So if you prefer to cut your carrots into pieces go ahead just try and make the bits as uniform as possible. If you end up with smaller pieces than what I have shown in the picture than adjust the cooking time. Smaller pieces will cook faster.
Once the carrots are washed and all as uniform in size as possible simply throw all the ingredients in the pan over medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer for about 10 minutes and then lift the lid and let simmer for another 10 or so minutes or until the carrots are fork-tender. Serve immediately.
Can you freeze glazed carrots?
Cooked carrots don’t freeze well and tend to get mushy when thawed. But the good news is that this recipe is so quick to make there really is no reason to batch cook and freeze these. You can, however, store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days and reheat.
how do heirloom carrots taste?
There isn’t much difference between heirloom carrots and regular carrots other than the fact that they look pretty. According to The Spruce Eats there are a few subtle flavour differences:
- Purple carrots are a little sweeter and sometimes have a slight peppery taste
- Red Carrots taste the same as orange carrots
- Yellow or white carrots are much sweeter than the other carrots and are less earthy in flavour
Glazed Carrots With Honey & Balsamic
Equipment
- Stove
- Large pan with a lid
- Wooden Spoon
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots washed and trimmed
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme stems removed
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Wash and trim the carrots and ensure all pieces are similar in size. If some pieces are bigger simply slice thicker carrots in half lengthwise.
- In a large pan over medium heat add the carrots, honey, thyme, water and balsamic vinegar. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid add a pinch of salt and stir. Let simmer for another 10 minutes or until carrots are fork-tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Amy Wineinger says
yummm beautiful photos – what a lovely simple way to dress up those carrots
Kay says
Amazing! Love the sweetness the honey brings, loved by the whole family today!
The Delicious Spoon says
So happy you and your family liked this recipe!