If you’re looking for a quick and tasty side dish, these balsamic carrots with oregano are for you. And not only that: you can literally make a large batch and store them for several days. The more time passes, the better they get!
I should say that if you’ve never tried carrots dressed with balsamic vinegar, you don’t know what you’re missing: for me it’s the best seasoning for carrots. It needs very little oil, since the vinegar keeps them moist and flavors them a lot. When I was a child my mother used to make a real preserve, using tall earthenware containers where she placed boiled carrots in layers with garlic and oregano and then covered them with warm white vinegar. She called them “carote a pastenaca” but I don’t know why—maybe because the parsnip is a root similar in shape to the carrot, but white and sweeter.
I make a quicker version and, being a sweet-tooth, I prefer balsamic because it’s a sweeter vinegar. If you find bunched carrots like the ones I used, the dish will also look very nice on the table, but any type of carrot works well. Now I’ll explain the recipe but it’s really just a quick procedure.
Other carrot recipes are here:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 1
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- to taste carrots
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (1 measuring teaspoon per serving)
- to taste balsamic vinegar
- to taste garlic
- to taste dried oregano
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 1 WW point
Preparation
First peel the carrots and boil them by placing them in a pot of cold water with a pinch of salt. If you use large carrots, cut them into sticks or slices.
Prepare the dressing by emulsifying the oil, plenty of balsamic vinegar, oregano, sliced garlic and a little of the carrot cooking water.
When the carrots are cooked, still quite al dente, drain them and dress them hot with the balsamic emulsion.
Place the carrots on a serving plate or, if you’re not serving them immediately, put them in a container in the refrigerator and stir them from time to time.
And here our balsamic carrots with oregano are ready. For just one Weight Watchers point you’ll bring a very flavorful side dish to the table.
And as mentioned earlier: they’re even better the next day! In winter you can just leave them in a cool place; otherwise put them in the fridge for at least 8 hours or for a few days: in that case it’s important to stir them occasionally so they all stay well flavored.
They’re great to accompany many main dishes: a very versatile side. Do you have any special way of seasoning carrots? Let me know down in the comments.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
