Mexican roasted vegetables are a delicious side dish or can be used in dishes like tacos, burritos, salads, and more. This roasted Mexican veggies are great for meal prep, easy to make and made with simple ingredients. This recipe requires just a few minutes of prep and are super versatile.

Why you will love this recipe

• Easy to make – Mexican roasted vegetables are so easy to make. Simply chop the veggies, coat them in spices and oil and roast until perfectly cooked.
• Simple ingredients – roasted Mexican veggies are made with easy to find ingredients that you likely already have in your fridge and pantry.
• Great for meal prep – these Mexican vegetables reheat so well the next day and have so many uses. You can use the leftovers to make salads, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, frittatas and more.
• Versatile – use these Mexican roasted vegetables as a side dish for your favorite Mexican, Southwestern or Tex-Mex meals or in tacos, salads, burritos, burrito bowls, with eggs, frittatas, or in Mexican lasagna.

Ingredients

• Red onion – roasting red onion softens the onions and creates a super sweet flavor which pairs so well with the other veggies and spices.
• Zucchini squash and yellow squash – summer squash are great in these recipe. This recipe is a great way to use up excess summer produce. They easily absorb the spices which makes it perfect for this recipe.
• Bell peppers – red, yellow and orange bell peppers are best for this recipe. They roast up easily and are slightly sweet, which contrasts with the smoky chili powder flavor.
• Olive oil – olive oil coats the
• Spices: Chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt – the chili powder adds a deep layer of spice to the recipe. The ground cumin adds a smoky flavor to the dish. Garlic powder adds some garlic flavor and a rich umami flavor. The salt helps to amplify the flavors of this dish.

How to make Mexican Roasted Vegetables

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Chop the veggies: cut the red onions into ½ inch cubes, cut the zucchini and squash into ½ inch cubes by cutting the squash into 4, then chopping into cubes. Cut the bell peppers into ½ inch cubes.

Add the veggies to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add the spices. Stir well.

Add the Mexican coated veggies to a large sheet pan. Roast at 425F for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir well then cook another 5-10 minutes.

Top tips

• Be sure to coat the vegetables well with the spices before roasting. This helps to ensure that everything is super flavorful after cooking.
• Cut the zucchini and squash a little thicker so that they retain a good texture when roasting. If you cut them too thin, they can get mushy.
• Use an extra large baking sheet to ensure that the veggies have room to spread out so they can get air flow around them in the oven. This helps to ensure that everything cooks evenly and is done at the same time. I use these large stainless steel pans, they are easy to clean and never rust!
• To double this recipe, you will need two large sheet pans. Half way through cooking, rotate the pans to ensure they get evenly cooked.
• If you are short on time – prep the veggies in advance. You can cut the onions, pepper and squash up to 3 days in advance. Simply store the cut veggies in an airtight bag or container in the fridge until you are ready to prep.
• This recipe is not spicy. If you want to add some spice, add about 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper or add some fresh or pickled jalapeno.

Other additions

• Veggies: Poblano peppers, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower rice
• Spice: Red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, pickled jalapenos
• Fresh herbs: Cilantro, green onion
• Creaminess: Diced avocado, Cojita cheese or your favorite vegan feta cheese
• Brightness: Lime juice
• Spices: Smoked paprika, dried oregano

Ways to use roasted Mexican vegetables

Common questions

How to use leftover Mexican vegetables

• Reheat and add to tacos, burritos or breakfast burritos
• Add to frittatas or egg bakes
• Make a quick side dish for your morning eggs by scrambling up these veggies with some hash brown potatoes
• Reheat when making nachos or quesadillas
• In taco salad with cilantro lime rice and spicy tahini sauce
• Mexican vegetable wrap – combine the veggies with jalapeno artichoke hummus and avocado on your favorite tortilla or wrap.

Can you make this with frozen vegetables

Yes, you can make Mexican roasted vegetables with frozen veggies. I would suggest using frozen bell peppers, frozen onion, cauliflower rice and frozen broccoli (that is finely chopped). I don’t recommend using frozen zucchini or squash as it can get waterlogged and soggy when roasted.

Be sure to add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time to ensure that excess water from the veggies defrosting in the oven has time to evaporate.

Can you use taco seasoning?

Yes, if you want to make this recipe even easier to prepare, you can simply toss the veggies in about 1.5 tablespoons of taco seasoning instead of measuring out the spices.

Storing leftovers

• Fridge: Store leftover roasted Mexican vegetables in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Reheating leftovers: cook in the microwave 1:30 – 2 minutes or reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until heated through.
• Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing leftovers since the cooked zucchini and summer squash get watery when frozen and defrosted.

Substitutions

• Red onion – you can use yellow onion, white onion or shallots to make this recipe. If you don’ have onions, check out the other veggies listed above.
• Zucchini or yellow squash – substitute these with any of the veggies listed above.
• Bell peppers – use yellow, red or orange bell peppers in this recipe. You can also use green peppers, poblano peppers or any of the other veggies listed above.
• Spices – you can use taco seasoning or fajita seasoning in place of the spices listed. You can also replace the chili powder with paprika and the cumin with smoked paprika.

If you love this recipe, you should try

Mexican Sautéed Vegetables

Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Mexican Lentils and Rice

Black Bean Tacos