Name: Rainbow Carrots with Tarator
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 bunches Rainbow Carrots; 2 tb. Olive Oil; 1 tsp. Salt; ½ tsp. Black Pepper; 1 clove Garlic; ½ tsp. Salt; 2 tb. Tahini Paste; 1 tb. Lemon Juice; 2 tb. Water

These Rainbow carrots with tarator are officially a must have for Thanksgiving. Tarator is a Middle-eastern tahini sauce typically made alongside of beef shawarma and falafel. The tahini sauce really elevates the sweet roasted carrots, making you go for seconds and thirds.

The side dishes are my favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner. Yes, the turkey is great, but, nothing compares to the silky mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted vegetables, Riz a Jej (a Lebanese must-have during Holidays). A couple of months ago, my local produce market was displaying these beautiful rainbow carrots that I could not resist. Like many vegetables, carrots get sweet when roasted. This makes them attractive to even the pickiest eaters! Both my 3-year old and 9-month old found these irresistible.

At first I roasted them and served them as is on the side of a roast whole chicken. While they were delicious and caramelized on their own, I wanted some sort of dipping sauce or gravy to go along, which is how the tahini sauce came about!

How to roast rainbow carrots

I roasted the whole carrots very simply with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. They needed about 40 minutes on 400 degrees. While they were baking, I prepared the tarator. The tarator is easily made with crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt, tahini paste and some water to thin it out. This tahini sauce has a strange clumpy texture when you first begin to whisk it, but, as you keep whisking it, it will get silky smooth. If you are not familiar with tahini paste, it is made from sesame seeds. It’s a delicious, nutty, and gluten-free paste. I buy mine from my local Middle-Eastern grocer. However, almost every single supermarket now carries it, most often in the international aisle. I have seen it at Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Walmart.

Once the carrots are cooked through and plated, drizzle the tarator all over and they are ready to serve! These are best served while they are still warm.

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

STEP 2

Begin by cutting the ends of the carrots.
Wash and peel the carrots as needed.

STEP 3

Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Lay the carrots on the sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake the carrots for 40-45 minutes until caramelized.

STEP 4 - Tarator Sauce

Crush the clove of garlic with the salt in a small bowl.
Add the tahini paste, lemon juice and water and whisk thoroughly until tarator is silky smooth.

STEP 5

Drizzle the tarator all over and they are ready to serve!
These are best served while they are still warm.