roasted carrots with whipped goat cheese and matbucha

Most vegetables are perfect treated simply: roasted with a bit of oil and salt. But adding a few extra ingredients every now and then adds variety and makes eating veggies fun! Experimenting with new-to-me (and maybe to you, too!) ingredients makes it even more fun. The star in this dish: matbucha!

what is matbucha?

Matbucha is a North African sauce or salad made of tomato, peppers, spices, and olive oil. It’s often served as a mezze, or appetizer, and is so versatile! You can use it as a base for stews, shakshuka, or as a dip with pita. Whatever you use it for, it’ll bring plenty of flavor and warmth to your meal. If you don’t feel like purchasing a jar or can’t find one, try making a batch of your own! You can freeze it in small portions and keep it on hand as an easy flavor enhancer.

ingredients

• Carrots are the main element of this dish. We blanch them first to ensure they stay moist and sweet after roasting them.
• We roast the carrots with olive oil and a little salt to keep them simple and let the flavors of the carrots and other elements of the dish harmonize.
• Goat cheese tames the heat from the matbucha.
• Greek yogurt helps make the whipped goat cheese spreadable and tangy.
• Matbucha adds warmth and complexity to balance out the dish.
• Lemon juice is the hit of acid we need to finish this dish and make the flavors really pop!
• I garnished with thinly sliced serrano and a few leaves of thyme. You can garnish with whatever you’d like! Dill or mint would be lovely.

how to make roasted carrots with whipped goat cheese and matbucha

step one

Preheat the oven to 400. While it’s preheating, boil the carrots in a pot of salted, boiling water for about 5 minutes. The carrots should be a little soft around the edges, but still crisp in the center. Remove the carrots from the water and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle some salt over them.

step two

Roast the carrots for 12-15 minutes, until they’re soft and getting brown at the edges.

step three

While the carrots are roasting, make the whipped goat cheese. Add the goat cheese and yogurt to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.

step four

Remove the carrots from the oven. Using a large spoon, spread the whipped goat cheese on a serving plate. Dollop the matbucha on top and spread it around a little bit. Lay the carrots on top. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top, and garnish with dollops of whipped goat cheese, serrano slices, and thyme.

tasting notes

1. I used Saturday Sauce matbucha. NY Shuk also makes a great one. If you can’t find matbucha near you, substitute harissa or make your own!
2. You can use whatever garnish you’d like. I used what I had on hand. Cilantro, mint, and parsley would be lovely with this!
3. You’ll likely have some whipped goat cheese leftover. Try it on toast, spread on crackers, in a salad, or with strawberries!

roasted carrots with whipped goat cheese and matbucha

This is my new go-to side dish! Roasted carrots take kindly to the creamy goat cheese and heat from the matbucha. Boiling the carrots before roasting them prevents them from shriveling. Play around with the plating! Whether you try this on a random weeknight or bring it to a dinner party, you’re going to love these showstopping carrots.

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Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

For the carrots

• 1 pound carrots about 7 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
• 1 tsp olive oil extra virgin
• Salt to taste

For the whipped goat cheese

• 10½ ounces goat cheese one large log
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt any fat content works, but I used nonfat!

For serving

• ¼ cup matbucha*
• Juice of ¼ lemon
• 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 sprig thyme leaves removed (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once it’s boiling, add the carrots and boil for about 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender-crisp. They should be a bit soft around the edges but still crisp in the center. They shouldn’t be mushy!
• Remove the carrots from the water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place the carrots in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with the oil and salt to taste. Use your hands or tongs to move the carrots around, making sure all carrots are coated in the oil and evenly salted.
• Roast the carrots for 12-15 minutes, until they are soft and starting to get brown and crispy at the edges.
• While the carrots are roasting, prepare the whipped goat cheese. Add the goat cheese and yogurt to a food processor and process until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, you can beat everything together with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Just place the goat cheese and yogurt into a bowl or your stand mixer bowl, and mix on medium speed until smooth.
• Remove the carrots from the oven. Using a large spoon, spread the whipped goat cheese on a serving plate. Dollop the matbucha on top, and spread it around a little bit. Lay the carrots on top. Give a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with more whipped goat cheese, serrano, and thyme.

Notes

1. I used Saturday Sauce matbucha. NY Shuk also makes a great one. If you can’t find matbucha near you, substitute harissa or make your own!
2. You can use whatever garnish you’d like. I used what I had on hand. Cilantro, mint, and parsley would be lovely with this!
3. You’ll likely have some whipped goat cheese leftover. Try it on toast, spread on crackers, in a salad, or with strawberries!

Keyword 30 minute sides, roasted carrots