Tri-color carrots are glazed with honey and maple syrup, wrapped in bacon and roasted until the bacon is crisp and the carrots are fork tender.

As I was sitting and thinking about Easter and all of the wonderful foods we usually prepare, it occurred to me that I prepare pretty much the same thing every year. Ham, cheesy potatoes, dinner rolls, cute little treats and snacks and all of the Spring decor any household could manage.  What struck me odd was I don’t serve carrots. Not that it’s a huge deal however how could I not serve the Easter Bunny’s preferential food? Okay, so that is a little silly but it did get me thinking about carrots.  Then my mind went to roasted carrots, then honey.…ohhhh maple syrup! Which then had me thinking of the bacon wrapped Jalapeno poppers we do on the grill and I always add maple syrup to them….ultimately it led me to wrap the carrots in bacon.

You know my love for bacon and veggies if you’ve made my 15 Minute Asparagus Mushroom and Bacon dish.  Another great side where you can pair vegetables with bacon!

Let me be the first to inform you that adding bacon to these roasted carrots was not a mistake. Oh, my heaven’s were they delicious!  Roasting vegetables of any sort, roasted carrots as in this dish, will naturally bring out the true flavor that can not be denied.  Probably why it is my most favorite way to prepare them.

Food History Moment:

Carrots are an interesting vegetable.  I remember reading an article way back in the day as to why carrots are orange.  Do you know why most carrots in the supermarkets are orange? Well, let’s say 80% of them are now as it has become more popular to display the tri-color carrots for purchase.  These colorful carrots are the original carrots… who knew they were so O.G.?

If you read this blog at all you know I’m a sucker for food history.  I find it very interesting that even as early as the 17th-century carrot farmers were experimenting with altering our food.  The Dutch, who were the carrot farmers of the day, had carrots growing in natural colors. White, purple, red and yellow.  It all started with a man from Nassau who became the ruler of a small town in Southern France. Taking on the name of Orange from the French town Arausio which was pronounced (Aurenja) …..you see where that is going, right? Orange.

Farmers began growing carrots with high amounts of beta carotene (cross breeding yellow and red carrots) which gives us the bright orange color to honor their leader, William the Orange in the House of Orange.  He also did some other cool things like lead the Dutch to revolt against the Spanish……that’s a whole other lesson.  Another fun fact? The word orange came from the actual fruit before it was a color!

Share this with the children as they munch on their sweet tasty carrot snacks and let them know it’s all politics and a little bit of food manipulation. Maybe they will eat their veggies!

Okay, let’s make these roasted carrots sing!

The first thing I did was select a handful of colorful carrots.  I was a bit amiss as I couldn’t find any red carrots, however, look at these babies.  They are absolutely gorgeous! That purple? When you cut into a purple carrot there is this beautiful ring of purple, orange and sometimes yellow.  Somewhat reminds me of a tree trunk.

Wash and peel your carrots to prepare them for their blanket-o-bacon.

I purchased thick cut bacon from the butcher.  You could use packaged bacon and that would work just as well.  If you do decide to use packaged bacon, adjust the roasting time.  Packaged bacon is usually not as thick and will crisp and/or burn if you’re not keeping an eye on it.

Wrap each carrot in bacon gently pulling the bacon strip as you twist it around the carrot so it will adhere.  You won’t need any toothpicks or fasteners, everything will stay in place.

Once they are wrapped, lay them side by side on a sheet pan.

Next, drizzle honey over each bacon wrapped carrot.  You will not need to turn them over to drizzle….as they roast, the honey and maple syrup will envelop the entire carrot.  Also, you will turn these half way to make sure the bacon is crisp.  I don’t know about you but I do not enjoy soggy or undercooked bacon so we are flipping them.

Next, perform the same step with your maple syrup. Drizzle maple syrup over the top of each bacon wrapped carrot.

Place in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes.  Once the 20 minutes is up, turn each carrot and continue roasting for another 20 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the carrots are fork tender.

Put them on a platter and watch them disappear.  These are so good.  We had them with braised chicken thighs and even the children approved.

What are your favorite dishes to serve during Easter or in the Springtime in general?  I’d love to hear your dishes and traditions….let me know in the comments.  Hearing from you guys totally makes my day!

So, as always, what are we waiting for?  Let’s get cooking!

xoxo

Print Recipe

4 Ingredient Maple Honey Roasted Carrots In Bacon

Tri-color carrots are glazed with honey and maple syrup, wrapped in bacon and roasted until the bacon is crisp and the carrots are fork tender.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Sides

Servings: 4

Author: Oven Struck

Ingredients

• 12 whole carrots - washed and peeled
• 12 pieces of thick cut bacon
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• 4 tablespoons of maple syrup

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 425 Degrees
• Wash and peel your carrots to prepare them for roasting
• Starting at the top of your carrot, wrap one strip of bacon around each carrot and place onto a sheet pan.
• Drizzle honey over each carrot followed by drizzling maple syrup over each carrot.
• Roast in your oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn each carrot over.
• Roast an additional 20 minutes until bacon is cooked to your preference.
• Place on a platter and serve!