To get excited about vegetables this fall, you need to learn how to cook them, the chef told CNN

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When you think of food, are vegetables the forgotten side character or the villain?

Could they be the star of the show?

“Eat more vegetables,” doctors and dietitians say over and over. But for many people, it's hard to do, because they're not excited about vegetables or don't like them.

Many people's first experience with vegetables as children is steaming them, and while steaming works well for some vegetables, not all of them taste their best that way, says Carolyn Chambers, author of the new cookbook, “You don't feel like cooking what you cook.”

Learning to love vegetables can mean expanding your understanding of the possibilities when cooking them, she adds.

And while you might want to stick with one of your favorite vegetables year-round, plants really taste better — and can be more fun — when they're eaten in the right season, says Chambers, who is based in Carmel Valley, California.

Fortunately, Chambers knows how to make food fun and exciting without too much hassle. He started his career as a caterer, then became a recipe developer. Once the Covid-19 pandemic hit and people were stuck at home, she started posting recipes online that were easy to make with things you already have on hand.

And vegetables don't do much to make you excited about being part of a meal, he said.

With a full crop of cold-month produce in the grocery store, here's how you can fall in love with vegetables.

If you feel like plants on your plate are a “must have” and not a “want to have,” it could be because you're not cooking them properly, Chambers says.

“I think vegetables have more flavor than meat in many cases when they're prepared properly,” he adds.

In the fall and winter, roasting is one of the best ways to get a great vegetable meal, says Chambers, who shares recipes on Instagram and hosts the podcast “So Into That.”

“Summer vegetables are delicious raw. Corn, green beans, tomatoes — all these things are delicious, either raw or cooked for three minutes,” he said. (A fact not true, he notes, of Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and sweet potatoes.)

“To get these things to taste really good, you have to roast them at a higher temperature for longer than you think,” he added.

When roasting vegetables, the trick is to keep your oven at about 400 degrees F to 425 degrees F for about 35 to 40 minutes, and longer for squash, Chambers says.

Roasting at a higher temperature helps you get the right texture, brings out the sulfur flavor from the Brussels sprouts and gives the squash a sweet caramelization, Chambers says.

“I don't want any roasting to happen in the 300 (Fahrenheit range). I want 400 and above for 35 bare minimum minutes, maybe around 450,” he added.

How do you know when you do it right? Texture can be a good indicator.

A crisp outside is beautiful, but when it comes to winter vegetables it's important to pair it with a tender inside, Chambers says.

“That's where high heat comes into play,” he said. “Baking them above 400 helps the exterior crisp up a bit, so that the outside of the Brussels sprouts gets nice and crispy when they contact the sheet pan, while the inside is tender and melt-in-your-mouth.”

You can turn your vegetables so they cook evenly, but Chambers finds she doesn't need to do this often. Instead, he lets the side that touches the pan get extra crispy.

Toward the end of roasting, he likes to keep the stove light on and check frequently, he said.

“Once the edges start turning golden brown, they will turn golden brown to black very quickly,” he added.

After your vegetables are cooked just right, make them the star of the show with some seasoning.

It doesn't take much work, Chambers said. A little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic go a long way — or use a store-bought sauce to make your weeknight dinner easy and exciting.

A green goddess dressing — which typically includes ingredients like cream, a mix of herbs and lemon — or premade pesto can add brightness to a variety of dishes, she said.

Harissa paste is easy to find in most grocery stores and has flavors like garlic, lemon, olive oil and chili, she added.

“You're getting this cheat shortcut element and you don't have to do all of them,” Chambers said. “Just stick to the super-tasty store-bought stuff and serve it with it.”

Serves 4

● 1 (15-ounce) chickpeas

● 1 pound medium carrots

● 1 large red onion

● 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

● 2 tablespoons harissa plus more for serving

● 2 teaspoons of honey

● 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more

● 1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese

● ½ plain full-fat Greek yogurt

● Zest and juice from ½ lemon

● A handful of fresh mild herbs, such as parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, or a combination

● A handful of toasted nuts, or ¼ cup toasted seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Drain the chickpeas in a colander. Drain them but don't wash them.

3. Arrange several layers of paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet, then pour the drained chickpeas on top. Use another paper towel to dry them. Discard all the paper towels, then shake the chickpeas into an even layer. There will now be some chickpea skins on the baking sheet – no need to pick them off. They will be fried in small pieces and delicious.

4. Cut the carrots on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick slabs and thinly slice the onion. Add the carrots, onion, olive oil, harissa, honey and 1 teaspoon salt to the chickpeas and coat well.

5. Roast until the carrots are golden on the outside but fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine feta and yogurt. Juice the lemon in the blender and add a pinch of salt. Blend on high speed until smooth, scraping down sides as needed, for 30 to 45 seconds. If it's too thick and your blender is difficult to mix, add a little water, a splash at a time, until you get the desired consistency.

7. Today and cut nuts.

8. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Taste the vegetables and add more salt if needed. Stir in the herbs.

9. Spread a nice spoonful of whipped feta on the bottom of a bowl or plate and top with a pile of roasted vegetables and nuts. If you like spice, add another dollop of harissa on top.

Shortcut: Skip the whipped feta and crumble some feta on top. Find pre-cut butternut squash or sweet potatoes at the grocery store and use them instead of carrots.

Pesto Substitutes: Skip the harissa and honey and instead toss a generous spoonful of store-bought pesto over the vegetables once they're roasted. Serve burrata instead of feta.

Adapted fromWhat to cook when you don't want to cook“By Carolyn Chambers. Published by Union Square & Co.