A beautifully brined turkey is a must, but let’s be real…Thanksgiving is all about those sides!

When loading up my plate on Thanksgiving, it’s all eyes on the sides! The starches are an all time favorite (looking at you Hash Brown Casserole, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn Casserole), but if you’re coming up a little short on the spread and looking for an easy side to add to the mix, these thyme roasted carrots are where it’s at! The perfect dish to balance out the carb to veggie ratio, these simple roasted carrots are paired with fresh thyme, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Rainbow carrots are a vibrant version of the standard root vegetable, with each shade packing its own nutrient rich punch. You can usually find them in the produce section of most grocery stores, wrapped in a little bundle, showing off their luxurious green stems. They make for a colorful side dish, but if you can’t find the rainbow variety, there’s nothing wrong with the classic orange carrots.

Trim the long, flowing stems from the carrots, leaving about an inch or two behind as a built in handle! I like the look and texture that you get when you peel the carrots, but it’s not a crucial step, as long you wash away any dirt and debris. If you’re in a turkey day time crunch, you can skip it, but if you have a couple extra hands or minutes, peeling makes for a nice presentation.

A quick bath in some olive oil, fresh thyme and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper is all these colorful carrots need before roasting in the oven. Adding aromatic thyme to the carrots gives big flavor with little effort.

Roasted in the oven, the carrots develop a natural sweetness that balances perfectly with the earthiness of fresh thyme and olive oil. If you like them extra sweet, a drizzle of maple syrup would be a nice touch, but this version of nature’s candy is perfectly sweet without it!