If you're looking for a delicious way to serve oven-roasted vegetables, you'll love these sweet potatoes and broccoli! Tossed with smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and fresh thyme, they are flavorful and packed with nutrients. Add toasted pecans and dried cranberries - and you have a perfect side dish that will go with anything. It's a one-pan 30-minute recipe that is perfect for an everyday dinner or for the holidays!
30-Minute One-Pan Side Dish - Roasted Vegetables
Roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli are a delicious side dish that is healthy and nutrient-dense. There is no cream and no cheese. This recipe is meatless, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, and paleo. You will only need one baking sheet to roast the veggies for 20 or 30 minutes.
How to serve it
Sweet potatoes and broccoli pair well with pretty much any main course: grilled chicken, steak, pork, and seafood. It is a perfect holiday side that would make a great addition to the Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve menu. It will make a great pairing with Thanksgiving duck, Christmas ham, prime rib, beef tenderloin, and other festive main courses. I use dried cranberries here - but you can skip them and have a savory version of this recipe that includes only sweet potatoes, broccoli, and pecans. If you love roasted vegetables, you might also like this Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Maple Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, and Cranberries.
Why make it
- Quick and easy. The whole recipe takes only 30 minutes! And, you only need one cooking pan - a baking sheet to roast the veggies! There are pretty much only 4 ingredients (not including the seasoning and olive oil).
- Healthier side dish. Many side dishes (especially around the holidays) tend to be creamy, cheesy, or feature a lot of starch! This recipe is free from all of that and is as flavorful as your favorite comfort food recipes!
- Holiday side dish! Serve roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli with pecans and dried cranberries as a festive side alongside Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, prime rib, beef tenderloin, or any other holiday main course that you love! Make it for a New Year's Eve celebration to kick off the year with a healthy recipe!
Main ingredients
- Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious root vegetables packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. I used orange sweet potatoes (rich in antioxidants) in this recipe. I like to peel the potatoes that I use in recipes.
- Broccoli is an edible green plant and is part of the cabbage family. It's a great source of Vitamin C and Vitamin K. It's packed with fiber!
- Pecans add crunch and texture. They are also highly nutritious and a great source of fiber!
- Dried cranberries. They add sweetness. You can also use dried figs, blueberries, or cherries. Or, skip them! The recipe would be just as delicious and pretty!
- Fresh thyme is perfect for roasting veggies. If you don't have fresh herbs, you can also use Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provance instead.
- Seasonings that I used to make this dish really flavorful include smoked paprika, fresh thyme (or Italian seasoning), salt, and pepper.
- Olive oil is used for roasting the veggies.
Cooking tips
- Small chunks. Cut veggies into small (about 1-inch) chunks to make sure they roast quickly.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper keeps roasted veggies nice and crispy. It also minimized the cleanup.
- Avoid overcrowding when roasting. When adding cubed sweet potatoes and chopped broccoli to the parchment-lined baking sheet, do not overcrowd the veggies. Overcrowding will result in steaming vs roasting. Spread them out to ensure they get crispy and crunchy. Or, use 2 baking sheets.
- Serve it hot or cold? Serve this side dish warm or at room temperature (not refrigerator cold).
Substitution and variations
- Broccoli. Other veggies that you can use instead of broccoli are Brussels sprouts or asparagus.
- Sweet potatoes can be replaced with cubed butternut squash. Sometimes you can find pre-cut butternut squash in the grocery store - that's a great time-saving substitution.
- Nuts. You can use toasted pecans or walnuts in this recipe. Candied nuts would work great too. Or, skip the nuts and use toasted pumpkin seeds, instead.
- Dried fruit. You can use dried cranberries, blueberries, figs, or cherries. You can also skip the dried fruit for a more savory version of this dish. You might even like it better without the dried cranberries - and it still makes a beautiful presentation, even without dried fruit, as you see in this photo:
Make-Ahead Tips
- Sweet potatoes and broccoli can be roasted up to 2 days in advance. They keep well refrigerated.
- If making this in advance, add the pecans right before serving to preserve their crunch.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerate the leftover veggies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For best results, don't mix the pecans with the roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli, and add them only right before serving to prevent them from getting soggy.
- I do not recommend freezing this dish.
Other side dishes that include sweet potatoes and/or broccoli
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach, Apples, Dried Cranberries, Pecans, Pumpkin Seeds, and Feta Cheese
- Sweet Potato Hash with Bell Peppers, Portobello Mushrooms, and Green Onions
- Broccoli Cashew Salad with Apples, Pears, and Cranberries
- Asiago Roasted Broccoli
- Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with Corn, Bacon, Carrots, and Cheddar Cheese
Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
If you're looking for a delicious way to serve oven-roasted vegetables, you'll love these sweet potatoes and broccoli! Tossed with smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and fresh thyme, they are flavorful and packed with nutrients. Add toasted pecans and dried cranberries - and you have a perfect side dish that will go with anything. It's a one-pan 30-minute recipe that is perfect for an everyday dinner or for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch dice (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
- 5 cups broccoli florets (1 large broccoli head)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (no sprigs, just leaves) or use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup pecan halves
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Roast sweet potatoes and broccoli
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- In a large bowl, toss cubed sweet potatoes and broccoli florets with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (just leaves, no sprigs). You can also use 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning instead of fresh thyme.
- Spread the veggies on a large, parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding. You might have to use 2 baking sheets.
- Roast in the preheated oven on the bottom or middle rack at 400 F for 20 or 30 minutes. Mine were done in 20 minutes. This is especially true for a convection oven. Remove from oven.
Toast pecans
- While you roast the veggies, toast the pecans in the same oven for about 5 or 10 minutes - separately from the veggies. Watch them carefully to make sure they don't burn.
Assembly
- Add roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli to a large serving bowl together with all the juices from roasting. Add toasted pecan halves and dried cranberries. Toss to combine. The spices, herbs, and olive oil from roasting the veggies should add enough flavor to this side dish.
- There is really no need for any additional dressing. But, if you'd like to add some holiday flavors, combine 1 tablespoon of maple syrup + 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice and drizzle over the veggies!
Notes
- Small chunks. Cut veggies into small (about 1-inch) chunks to make sure they roast quickly.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper keeps roasted veggies nice and crispy. It also minimized the cleanup.
- Avoid overcrowding when roasting. When adding cubed sweet potatoes and chopped broccoli to the parchment-lined baking sheet, do not overcrowd the veggies. Overcrowding will result in steaming vs roasting. Spread them out to ensure they get crispy and crunchy. Or, use 2 baking sheets.
- Serve it hot or cold? Serve this side dish warm or at room temperature (not refrigerator cold).
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
Amount per Serving
Calories
279
% Daily Value*
Fat
17
g
26
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
10
g
Sodium
67
mg
3
%
Potassium
578
mg
17
%
Carbohydrates
31
g
10
%
Fiber
7
g
29
%
Sugar
12
g
13
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
11344
IU
227
%
Vitamin C
72
mg
87
%
Calcium
76
mg
8
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
My broccoli over cooked while my sweet potatoes still weren't done. Any tips?
Michelle, next time I would slice broccoli into bigger chunks and sweet potatoes into smaller chunks.
This dish was just delish! Everyone at my Holiday get together raved! I used honey and lime rather than maple syrup and it hit a nice note as well! Thank you!
Kathleen, thank you for trying this recipe and providing the feedback! 🙂 So glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! 🙂