Sticky Hot Honey Buttered Carrots with Ricotta

Boy are these Sticky Hot Honey Buttered Carrots with Ricotta something else. You’re going to love them – and I’m super excited for you guys to give this recipe a try. Finger. Licking. Good. That’s what these roasted carrots are.

I’ve had some readers ask recently if I could share more side dish recipes, and I absolutely appreciate that request. I share tons of one-pan and main course recipes – it’s sort of the sweet spot I’ve found over here. But there is something to be said about developing a well-curated selection of tried and true side dishes, and while I certainly have those here on My Kitchen Little as well, I think I can stand to post more.

So with that, I give you carrots. The best sticky-salty-sweet-spicy-caramelized carrots. What’s great about this recipe is that the spicy balsamic honey that we toss the carrots in before roasting will also basically double as the butter sauce that we’ll drizzle down over everything just before serving.

How to make the best roasted carrots

You could simply toss a few handfuls of rough-chopped carrots onto a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, shower with S & P and roast them until done. You COULD do that and call it good. That is something I do regularly, and it’s the roasting way: veggie + olive oil + S&P = perfect every time.

But.

To make something truly extraordinary, you just need to kick things up like, a notch and a half. Nothing crazy – just by incorporating a simple roasting sauce of honey, spices, salt, and balsamic vinegar, a tray of otherwise ordinary carrots become something incredible. They’re going to char and crisp around the edges better for you. They’re going to sweeten better for you. They’re going to come out looking almost like some sort of sticky, sweet candy fit for a boardwalk fudge shop.

But you get to eat them for dinner. And THIS my friends, is the wonderful truth of it all. I’ll roadmap it all for you now …

What you’ll need to make these hot honey roasted carrots

10 to 12 large carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces (an inch-or so; I use enough to fill about half to 2/3 of a sheet pan)

Olive oil, for coating

1 tsp salt, plus more as needed

Cracked black pepper, to taste

⅓ cup honey

1 tsp salt 

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (you can sub ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne or 1/2 TBSP Sriracha)

2 TBSP butter

8 oz ricotta

The trick to this recipe is the fact that we’ll create a “roasting sauce” out of warm honey, balsamic vinegar, and a spicy element (crushed red pepper, cayenne, or Sriracha) and use * some of * that to sweeten and caramelize the carrots during the last half of the roast time.

Then, we’ll add some butter to the remaining honey mixture, turning it into a hot honey butter sauce (see what we did there?) and we’ll then drizzle that all over the sticky carrots just before serving. It’s truly delicious and also perfect when piled onto of some fluffy ricotta.

Yes, just store-bought ricotta. It needs nothing here, other than a spoon with which to smear it all over a string plate. The honey butter and carrots will flavor the ricotta, making every single bite something to remember.

Sticky Hot Honey Buttered Carrots with Ricotta: the step-by-step

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

Put the carrot pieces on a large baking sheet and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 15 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through and giving them a stir.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the honey, 1 tsp salt, balsamic vinegar, red pepper (or Sriracha or cayenne), and some cracked black pepper. Stir to combine and allow this to warm through; turn off the heat. 

After the carrots have roasted for 15 minutes, take them out of the oven and drizzle with about ⅓ to ½ of the hot honey mixture – just enough to coat the carrots well. Stir them to coat and then roast for another 12 to 15 minutes, tossing halfway through, until sticky, very tender and browned. 

Add the butter to the remaining hot honey and allow it to melt over low heat. 

To serve spread the ricotta onto a plate or platter and pile the caramelized carrots on top. Drizzle with the honey butter and finish with a sprinkle of salt. Serve warm. (Sprinkle with optional sesame seeds and chopped parsley, if you like.)

If you like the looks of these Hot Honey Buttered Carrots with Ricotta, you might also enjoy:

Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad with Crushed Olives

Garlicky Orange Chili Squash with Sage

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