Roasted Holiday Vegetable Medley with Cranberries & Pecans

This recipe is designed to closely match the dish in your photo: golden roasted potatoes and carrots with Brussels sprouts, broccoli, sweet potato, dried cranberries and toasted pecans, finished with a sweet-savory maple glaze.

Serves: 6–8
Prep: 20 minutes
Roasting: 35–45 minutes
Total: ~1 hour

 Ingredients

Vegetables

• 500 g (1.1 lb) baby potatoes, halved

• 2 medium carrots, cut into thick sticks

• 400 g (14 oz) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2–3 cm cubes

• 300 g (10 oz) Brussels sprouts, halved

• 250 g (9 oz) broccoli florets

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• ½ tsp dried rosemary

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• ¾ tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

Sweet & crunchy additions

• ¾ cup pecan halves

• ½ cup dried cranberries

Maple-butter glaze

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp melted butter

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of black pepper

 Detailed Method

1. Heat the oven

Preheat to 425°F / 220°C.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment or lightly oil it.

2. Start with the firm vegetables

Place the potatoes, carrots and sweet potato in a large bowl.

Add:

• olive oil

• garlic powder

• thyme

• rosemary

• paprika

• salt

• pepper

Toss thoroughly until everything is coated.

Spread into a single layer on the baking sheet.

Roast for 20 minutes.

3. Add Brussels sprouts & broccoli

Remove the tray and add the Brussels sprouts and broccoli.

Toss everything together and return to the oven.

Roast for another 12–15 minutes.

The vegetables should be browned around the edges while remaining slightly firm inside.

4. Toast the pecans

Add the pecans during the last 5–7 minutes of roasting.

Keep an eye on them because pecans can burn quickly.

Tip: For an even more pronounced toasted flavor, toast them separately in a dry skillet for 3–4 minutes instead.

5. Make the glaze

Whisk together:

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp melted butter

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• garlic powder

• salt

• pepper

You want a glossy, sweet-tangy glaze.

6. Finish

Transfer the roasted vegetables and pecans to a large serving dish.

Drizzle with the maple-balsamic glaze and gently toss.

Finally, scatter ½ cup dried cranberries over the top.

Serve warm.

 For the Look in Your Photo

For that colorful, glossy holiday presentation:

• Don’t overcrowd the baking tray.

• Roast at 425°F/220°C rather than a lower temperature.

• Put the Brussels sprouts cut-side down for deeper browning.

• Keep the broccoli florets fairly large.

• Add cranberries after roasting so they stay chewy rather than burning.

• Add pecans near the end.

• Drizzle the glaze immediately before serving.

For extra shine, add 1 teaspoon of maple syrup to the vegetables immediately after they come out of the oven.

 Nut Information

The recipe contains pecans, so it is not nut-free.

Other possible nuts

There aren’t any other nuts required, but the dish can be made with:

• Walnuts

• Almonds

• Hazelnuts

• Cashews

If you’re cooking for someone with a tree-nut allergy, omit the pecans completely rather than substituting another tree nut.

Peanut-free: The recipe contains no peanuts as written, but check packaged dried cranberries, seasonings and other ingredients for cross-contact warnings if the allergy is severe.

Nut-free crunchy alternative

For a nut-free version, use:

• roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), or

• sunflower seeds.

 Dietary Information

Vegetarian: Yes
Vegan: Easily—replace butter with olive oil or vegan butter.
Gluten-free: Naturally gluten-free, assuming all packaged ingredients are certified/labelled appropriately.
Dairy-free: Use olive oil or vegan butter instead of butter.
Nut-free: Yes, if pecans are omitted and a nut-free alternative is used.

 Approximate Nutrition

Assuming 8 servings and the ingredients above:

Actual nutrition will vary with the size of the vegetables, amount of pecans and specific cranberry/maple products used.

 Recipe Q&A

Can I make this ahead?
Yes. Roast the vegetables several hours ahead and refrigerate. Reheat at 400°F/200°C for 10–15 minutes, then add the glaze and cranberries.

Can I make it the day before?
Yes, although the vegetables will have the best texture when roasted the same day. Prepare and chop everything the night before, then roast shortly before serving.

Why are my vegetables soggy?
Usually because the pan is overcrowded. Use two baking sheets if necessary. The vegetables need space for hot air to circulate.

Can I use frozen vegetables?
Yes, but roast them directly from frozen and expect less browning. Fresh vegetables give the closest result to the photograph.

Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes. Use 2 tbsp honey. It will be slightly sweeter and less maple-flavored.

Can I make it less sweet?
Absolutely. Reduce the maple syrup to 1 tbsp and increase the balsamic vinegar slightly.

What if I don’t have Brussels sprouts?
Use cauliflower, green beans or additional broccoli.

Can I add onions?
Yes. Red onion or shallots are particularly good. Add them with the Brussels sprouts and broccoli rather than at the beginning.

Can I add protein?
For a complete meal, roasted chickpeas work particularly well. You can also serve the vegetables alongside roast chicken, turkey or pork.

How do I store leftovers?
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3–4 days. Reheat in an oven or air fryer rather than microwaving if you want to retain the roasted texture.

Can I freeze it?
You can, but the Brussels sprouts and broccoli will soften considerably after thawing. For best quality, freeze the roasted potatoes/sweet potatoes separately and make the fresh green vegetables later.

 Best serving combination

For a holiday-style platter, arrange the roasted vegetables first, scatter pecans and cranberries generously over the top, then drizzle the maple-balsamic glaze in thin lines.