My strongest opinion on Thanksgiving sides is that whenever possible, they should come in a casserole dish (or its chic French cousin, a gratin). I don’t mean that your sides should be limited to things that swim in cream, cheese, butter, or a happy combination of all three — although one dish in this category is highly welcome on my table — I simply mean that sides like this, that is baked in dishes with walls, tend to excel at holding up to resting times, reheat well, and stay warm longer.
Plus, if you’re feeling a little fearless, dishes like this are also a friend to those with one oven (hi!) and many things to reheat at once. My approach? I Jenga them. I stack rectangular and oval dishes two or three high in the oven, turning each so it steadies on the one below. Just don’t bump anything, okay?
These crunchy baked carrots are a perfect example of a side dish that keeps and reheats well. But it’s also so much more. While it’s a gratin (in the browned and breadcrumb-ed sense), the base is a brown buttery brothy sauce that’s rich but still allows the carrots to taste like carrots. The baked carrots get tender but not mushy. Some capers stirred in near the end keep it bright. A topping of grated cheese and brown butter toasted breadcrumbs gives it a resounding crunch and exactly the correct level of decadence. Together, this dish is spectacular.
But this has another cool thing up its sleeve: We make this with baby carrots. I’ve been trying lately to consider more dishes through the lens of inexpensive, readily available ingredients that are often dismissed. [See: Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi (made with frozen spinach) and The Best Baked Spinach (now with frozen spinach updates).] If using a bag of baby carrots allows us to skip peeling and cutting into exacting batons, which absolutely nobody wants to do, we’d be crazy not to.
More pan-baked vegetable sides for your consideration:
– The Best Baked Spinach
– Crispy Sweet Potato Roast
– Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions
– Balsamic Braised Brussels with Pancetta
– Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms
– Unstuffed Mushroom Casserole
– Potato and Leek Gratin
– Simple Potato Gratin
– Crusty Baked Cauliflower and Farro
Salads that hold up:
– Green Beans with Almond Pesto
– Date, Feta, and Red Cabbage Salad
– Brussels Sprouts, Apple, and Pomegranate Salad
– Cauliflower Slaw
– Broccoli Slaw
– Shaved Fennel and Crushed Olive Salad
Crunchy Brown Butter Baked Carrots
- 1 pound (455 grams) baby carrots, the peeled and bagged kind
- 5 tablespoons (75 grams) unsalted butter, divided
- ¾ cup panko-style plain breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (235 ml) vegetable broth
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley, or a mix of herbs you like with carrots such as chives and dill, divided
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 cup (85 grams) grated gruyere or comte cheese
Prepare the carrots: Our biggest enemy here is how water-logged baby carrots come in bags. But, it’s worth the trouble for the ease! Drain the carrots (there’s a puddle at the bottom of the bag just waiting to splash you) and put them in a bowl lined with a few layers of paper towels for 10 minutes before starting. Quarter the carrots lengthwise and return them to the towel-lined bowl while you work on the other elements.
Make the brown butter crumbs: In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of the butter over medium heat and keep cooking it, stirring here and there, until the butter has brown flecks all over and smells dreamy. Add the breadcrumbs and two pinches of salt to the pan and toast, stirring, until they’re golden brown all over. Scoop the crumbs out and set them aside.
Make the sauce: Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of butter and brown it, too. Once browned, increase the heat to medium-high and add the shallots. Cook the shallots until tender and beginning to brown at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Add the flour and cook until it disappears; it will look like a chunky paste. Add the broth, stirring until the flour mixture disperses. Bring the sauce to a simmer and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I’m using Diamond brand; start with half of other brands) and many grinds of black pepper. The sauce is going to seem too thick but that’s intentional; more water will come out of the carrots as they bake. Add carrots and stir to combine, cooking them together for one minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the herbs.
Assemble and bake: Transfer the carrots and their sauce to a 1-quart baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until carrots are tender (spear with a knife or toothpick to check for no resistance). Increase oven temperature to 400°F (205°C). Transfer dish briefly to a heatsafe surface. Remove foil, stir in capers. Combine cheese and toasted crumbs and sprinkle on top. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. For more color on top, run the pan briefly under your oven’s broiler.
Serve: Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon herbs and dig in.
Do ahead: You can prepare the dish up to the point when it goes in the oven and pause for a few hours, or overnight in the fridge. You could also pause right before adding the cheese and crumbs for the final bake; this would be ideal to do right before serving. Leftovers can be reheated in a 350-degree oven.
Previously
6 months ago: Eggs Florentine
1 year ago: Skillet-Baked Macaroni and Cheese
2 years ago: Chicken Rice with Buttered Onions
3 year ago: Apple Dumplings
4 years ago: Big Apple Crumb Cake
5 years ago: Whole Wheat Chocolate Oat Cookies and Simple Cauliflower Tacos
6 years ago: Chickpea and Kale Shakshuka
7 years ago: Crispy Spinach Pizza
8 years ago: Pizza Beans and Chocolate Tahini Challah Buns
9 years ago: Homemade Merguez with Herby Yogurt and Magic Apple Plum Cobbler
10 years ago: The Perfect Manhattan, Broccoli Cheddar Soup and S’more Cupcakes
11 years ago: Latke Waffles and The Crispy Egg
12 years ago: Frico Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
13 years ago: Crackly Banana Bread and Spaghetti with Broccoli Cream Pesto
14 years ago: Apple Pie Cookies
15 years ago: Single-Crust Apple and Plum Pie
16 years ago: Date Spice Loaf and Lebanese-Style Stuffed Eggplant
17 years ago: Summer’s Last Hurrah Panzanella, Sweet and Sour Glazed Cippoline, Majestic and Moist Honey Cake, and Best Challah (Egg Bread)
18 years ago: Red Velvet Cake, Noodle Kugel, Spaghetti Fideos with Chorizo and Almonds and Couscous and Feta-Stuffed Peppers
19 years ago: Acorn Squash with Chile-Lime Vinaigrette
This is out of this world!! I’ll add carrots to my table this year because of you! Thank you and happy Thanksgiving!
For those of us who have regular carrots languishing in crisper drawer, this looks like just the thing, too! Thanks!
Deb, this sounds delicious! Going on my to-make-someday list for sure.
And I know many Americans always have baby carrots in their fridge and don’t always have regular carrots. So good job giving them options.
Are baby carrots actually cheaper in the US?
How is quartering baby carrots individually easier than peeling slicing nice big carrots though?
I too would like an answer to this question! I always have regular carrots and never have baby carrots.
this looks yummy and a great way to use up languishing carrots, but do i have to quarter them? any thoughts on cooking time adjustments for whole baby carrots?
Less mess and commitment having baby carrots – plus, readily available for a snack! Haven’t bought large carrots in years but we always have at least 2 pounds of baby carrots in the fridge. Love this!
I need you to write a post dedicated to your casserole Jenga method. This concept is blowing my mind, I must know more!!! E.G. do you try to leave a certain amount of space around the tops of the dishes, or just go nuts? Please include pictures lol.
Baby carrots are everywhere in bags here, and I’ve regularly seen them on sale for less than $1/bag. If you only have full-sized, I’d cut them into 2-inch segments then quarter them. Or you can do it the other way (quartered then segmented) but that can be annoying when the carrot is longer than the knife. ;)
Deb, I want to make this for Thanksgiving, but I’m wondering if you slice baby carrots into 4ths, then cook them for an hour, how are they Not Mushy???
Please advise, because I really love the ingredients!!
Thank you💗
I promise that they’re not mushy. At 30, mine were still firm. In one test (the dish shown here which is 3/4-sized) they were done at 45. When it was a full pound, it took an hour. You’re welcome to check sooner if you’re nervous.
Made this for the family thanksgiving and it got rave reviews! It was unique and delicious. Thank you!
How about making this using regular size carrots cut into coins? I’m assuming the baking time would be the same? I have 2lbs of regular to large carrots languishing in my vegetable drawer, and I actually love peeling!
Yes, you could use 1/4- to 1/2-inch coins here.
This looks amazing – I love the addition of capers and a savory cheese to tone down the sweetness of the carrots.
I appreciate that you’re making the effort to accommodate things like frozen spinach and baby carrots – both of which I’m likely to pick up on impulse, but then need a plan for!
Another of your salads that lasts well is the kale salad with pecorino and walnuts – I bothered with all the fussy bits this week and it’s been delicious – I add the walnuts & breadcrumbs when I make my lunch so they don’t get soggy.
I second the request for a behind-the-scenes post to see your oven jenga because that sounds VERY useful and quite scary.
Lastly: kudos to you & your team for your comprehensive recipe index on this site. Yet another reason you’re my favorite go-to!
If (and I know it’s a big if) I wanted to make this minus the cheese, would it still work, albeit less decadent? Would I just brown the breadcrumb layer for less time?
Wondering the same thing. Have a dairy-allergic kid and there’s not good substitute for cheese!
I’m thinking about that for Christmas Eve, as we’re also having Martha’s mac & cheese and I don’t want to go overboard with cheese. If you try, please report back!
Is it okay to skip the shallots and capers? Or are there alternatives I could consider?
I’m thinking maybe garlic powder in place of the shallots, but have no idea what capers taste like so I’m not sure about those. My family isn’t very adventurous so I don’t want to buy something new just for this one dish. But the rest of the recipe sounds great so I want to try making it! :)
I’d use red onion instead of shallots, although the shallots are truly not a “new” flavor if your family is okay with onions!
I’ve got a kid with ARFID so nothing onion, unfortunately
April, capers are little berries (balls) that add a pop of saltiness to the food. It helps to balance the sweetness. If your family likes salt maybe try a little flaky Maldon on top as a finish when it’s out of the oven, or add a little more salt or just leave it out if you want!
Thank you!
I don’t like capers at all and am definitely skipping them. Shallots are just a milder onion so if your family is ok with onion flavor that should be fine! But I’d probably skip the capers if they aren’t adventurous. I’m a very adventurous eater and those are a no for me lol
I have had really bad luck with baby carrots. They either dry out quickly or get slimy, and they often don’t have much taste. I also worry about the chlorine solution they are rinsed with before packing. So if you have time to slice fresh carrots, that puts this recipe over the top in deliciousness!
This sounds delicious! I’d love to make it using regular carrots but am wondering if water will come out of them the same way as the baby carrots or if I need to adjust the sauce to be a little thinner?
I say give it a shot. Bagged “baby” carrots are mechanically cut and formed from “adult” carrots. They aren’t actually immature carrots or hybrids grown to be smaller. Can’t see how they’d cook any differntly than just cutting up “adult” carrots.
https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-carrots-not-baby-sized-carrots-2015-12?op=1
Thanks for acknowledging that people buy these bagged carrots. No shame!! And- going to be making this ASAP!
I, too, was concerned that quartered baby carrots would be mushy after 45 minutes – but they are not. Even my cooked-carrot-hating husband liked this dish! The bread crumbs and Gruyère made a lovely crunchy topping with just a few minutes of broiling. I used parsley, and next time will try dill and/or chives. Very good!!!
I made this for Thanksgiving! I overestimated how much real estate we had in the oven, so I went ahead and assembled the fish and did the first bake the night before. The next day I warmed them for a bit in the oven and then did the final bake with the breadcrumbs and cheese (made that morning). It was perfect.
Great to know we can do that!
Very meh. A good way to get people to eat their veg but not something I would make again.
Same here. Did you double or, as my sister did, triple this? It got pretty watery. Wondering whether that was a factor.
This was fantastic! I made it as a thanksgiving side dish and it was loved by all. I tripled the recipe and cooked it in a casserole dish, which increased the cooking time by about 30 minutes. Will definitely make it again!
I won thanksgiving with this recipe. I tripled it for a crowd. Absolutely delicious, everyone raved.
After the first bake with the foil on, there was a LOT of brothy liquid in the casserole. Not sure why – maybe because I used cut up full carrots instead of babies? I scooped quite a bit of the liquid out before finishing with the breadcrumbs and cheese. I also skipped the capers for the group and still great.
I was so excited about this but it was very average and didn’t excite anyone.
I followed the recipe exactly – carrots were VERY crunchy – it didn’t feel fresh or indulgent. Won’t be making again.
I ran out of time to make these on Thanksgiving, but made them last night to go with the rest of the leftovers. They were awesome! Used regular carrots cut up.
I usually follow a recipe to the letter the first time around, but I was concerned about how brothy/watery the dish looked in the pictures, so I thickened the base with even more butter and flour, and swapped out half of the stock for cream. I needed a full hour at 400 degrees and it was just finished. Chopping all of those carrots was labor intensive. It was fine, but I am not sure I would make it again.
Would this be good using finely chopped (food processor style) nuts instead of the breadcrumbs? And to thicken the sauce, a corn starch slurry? Trying to make it gluten free for a friend with celiac’s. Thank you!!
Made it for Thanksgiving, using large rainbow carrots bias cut. Worked great, tasty side dish. Was able to scale it up to 5lbs of carrots, no problem.
Made exactly as written. Turned out way too “soupy”. Someone else mentioned that she had to scoop out some broth. Will try one more time using less broth, substitute some olive oil here and there and add zestier herbs than parsley….. but basically this is sort of “meh”.
I checked comments first, but I made this as directed and the carrots were so overcooked. Disappointing. But the flavor was good, as was the topping!