Turn Roast Vegetables Into A Side Dish Your Family Will Beg For With One Store-Bought Dressing

Roasted vegetables have a place at just about every meal. Roasted tomatoes go great alongside egg dishes, while roasted sweet potatoes might be exactly what your sandwiches are missing. But just because they go great with everything doesn't mean the family always cheers when they land on the plate. If you want the family to beg for roasted veggies every time you cook, one ingredient will do the trick. Caesar salad dressing may be meant for salad, but its capable of so much more.

Caesar salad dressing has a complex flavor profile that combines tangy undertones with a creamy richness and hints of garlic and pepper, all perfectly balanced by a powerful umami flavor that pulls everything together. And there is a reason it is a staple for salad — it goes great with vegetables. But that greatness stretches far beyond the basic romaine lettuce. Coat any of your favorite vegetables (or a combination of them for a variety of textures and flavors) in Caesar salad dressing before roasting and you'll create a beautifully seasoned dish that packs a wallop of flavor. 

You could make your own dressing, but it won't last longer than a few weeks, at most, in the fridge. Instead, stock up on this pantry staple from the store so you are ready to make flavor-packed roasted veggies at any time. Experiment with different brands to see how different recipes affect the flavor, and you can always take your favorite store-bought Caesar salad dressing and doctor it up so it tastes like it came from a restaurant.

The umami punch that Caesar dressing is known for makes it a powerful pairing for vegetables that are also big on flavor. It will balance out the caramelized sweetness that some veggies, like Brussels sprouts, can develop as they cook, which is a great combination. But paring it with a mild vegetable without a lot of flavor could result in a dish that falls flat. 

A great option is broccoli. It has a beautiful crunch factor to balance the creaminess of the Caesar dressing while offering up its own strong flavor to hold up to the garlic and pepper notes of the salad dressing seasoning. Elevate this dish a bit further with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese for extra richness and take it all the way home with crunchy pieces of bacon and red onion for a symphony of flavors and textures. 

When using this salad dressing hack, don't fall victim to the common roasted vegetable mistake of overcrowding the pan. Use a sheet pan that is big enough so your veggies can spread out, and place them in a very hot oven so everything can get cooked evenly and develop the gorgeous color that comes from the Maillard reaction. A great way to achieve this is to let the pan preheat inside the oven, then add the coated veggies while the pan is nice and hot. They'll instantly start to sear, and you'll have roasted perfection in no time.