Simple Cooked Carrots Recipe for Any Meal Plan | The Simple Parent (2024)

FAQs

What is the most nutritious way to cook carrots? ›

Another study showed both boiling and steaming increased levels of beta carotene. But try to cook carrots whole, as cutting can reduce nutrients by 25%. Wait and wash veggies just before cooking to preserve nutrients. In fact, cooking veggies whole is often the best choice to preserve nutrients.

Recommend steaming if you wish to cook without fat and want to preserve nutritional value as much as possible. For flavour I like to roast until tender with a little oil, thyme and honey. This gives a really nice earthy and sweet flavour. I love oven roasted carrots, cooked through and slightly charred.

Cooking instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the carrots and parsnips and toss to coat in the oil. Add the thyme, cinnamon, star anise and some seasoning. Cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables frequently, until golden brown and almost cooked through.

Cooking breaks down the vegetable's cell walls, making its nutrients more available. Of course, how you cook them matters—boiling vegetables can leach out nutrients, so it's better to steam, sauté, or roast. If you still prefer boiling your carrots, throw them in the water whole—you'll keep the most nutrients.

Boiling and cooking vegetables in high temperatures or in water can also decrease their nutrient level. Water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins are often lost during these cooking methods. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc may be reduced by up to 60-70%.

Carrots - To preserve beta-carotene, a substance that helps the body obtain vitamin A, carrots should be cooked for about five minutes over medium to high heat. Grab a pot and add enough water to cover all the carrots. Try slicing them not so thinly.

No matter which way you cook them, carrots are a healthy choice. Steaming is a slightly better pick since the carrots don't lose as many of their nutrients to the water. (Steaming is also more environmentally friendly since it uses less water.)

It works best if you add the carrots along with the food you're frying. Otherwise, the carrots might shrivel up and burn before whatever you're frying is finished. You might have to switch out the carrots in between batches of food—again, to avoid burning the carrots and thus defeating the purpose of the tip.

For example, carrots are said to pair exceptionally well with butter, ginger, lemon, maple syrup, orange, parsley, and sugar. Other ingredients that are said to pair well with carrots include cinnamon, coriander, dill, lime, spearmint, olive oil, parsnips, salt, tarragon, thyme, etc.

What seasonings go well with carrots? ›

I use fresh thyme and Italian parsley on these carrots, but oregano, rosemary, and dill are some other good options. I also drizzle them with olive oil and season them with salt, pepper, and minced garlic for the best flavor.

Carrot also contains dietary fiber, which might improve stomach and intestine conditions such as diarrhea or constipation. Carrot contains a chemical called beta-carotene. Beta-carotene might act as an antioxidant and help to prevent cancer.

Foods which are healthier cooked

These include carrots, asparagus and even tomatoes, because cooking makes it easier for our bodies to benefit from some of their protective antioxidants, specifically ferulic acid from asparagus, and beta-carotene, which we convert to vitamin A, from carrots.

“Steaming allows you to retain more of the nutrients compared with boiling,” Jenna Hope confirms, because leaching, whereby some nutrients draw out into the water, doesn't occur as much. “Naturally, it may not provide as much flavour as, for example, roasting, so serve with a pesto or tahini.”

To retain the maximum amount of nutrients in boiled carrots, use a small amount of water and a tight-fitting lid. Shorten the cooking time and lower the cooking temperature. Add the nutrient-rich water to soups or sauces.

Steaming is a gentle cooking method that helps vegetables retain their nutrients, including water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B-complex vitamins.