The photo appears to show a beautiful layered roasted-vegetable bake made with thin rounds of colorful root vegetables, herbs, crumbled cheese, and a sweet-tart red topping. A very close homemade version is to alternate potato, sweet potato, beetroot, and zucchini, then roast until tender and caramelized. Similar root-vegetable bakes commonly pair beets and sweet potatoes with feta, walnuts, rosemary, and a little honey or cranberry for contrast.
Serves
6 as a side dish or 4 as a generous vegetarian main
Prep time
25–30 minutes
Cook time
55–70 minutes
Total time
About 1½ hours
Ingredients
Vegetables
2 medium Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes
1 large sweet potato
2 medium beets
1 medium zucchini
1 small red onion, optional
3–4 garlic cloves, finely minced
Try to choose vegetables with similar diameters so the finished dish looks like the photograph.
Herb-garlic oil
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¾–1 tsp salt, depending on the saltiness of your feta
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
Topping
100–120 g feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2–3 tbsp dried cranberries or cranberry sauce
1–2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 small handful fresh rosemary
1–2 tbsp fresh parsley, optional
Walnuts aren’t essential, but they give the soft vegetables a particularly nice crunchy contrast. Roasted root-vegetable recipes frequently use walnuts with feta and herbs.
Step-by-step method
1. Heat the oven
Preheat to:
190°C / 375°F conventional
or 180°C / 350°F fan-forced.
Lightly oil a round or oval baking dish approximately 28–30 cm / 11–12 inches across.
2. Prepare the vegetables
Wash and peel the potatoes, sweet potato and beets.
You can leave the zucchini unpeeled.
Slice everything into approximately 3–4 mm (⅛-inch) rounds.
A mandoline makes this much easier and gives the uniform slices needed for even cooking.
Important: Keep the beetroot separate while preparing the vegetables. Beet juice will stain everything purple.
3. Make the herb oil
Combine:
olive oil
garlic
thyme
oregano
smoked paprika
pepper
salt
rosemary
lemon zest
lemon juice
Mix well.
4. Season the vegetables
Place the potato, sweet potato and zucchini slices in a large bowl.
Pour over about two-thirds of the herb oil and gently toss.
Coat the beet slices separately with the remaining oil.
This helps prevent the entire dish from becoming purple while you’re assembling it.
5. Assemble the rainbow pattern
Arrange the vegetable slices vertically or slightly tilted, tightly packed next to one another.
For example:
potato → sweet potato → beet → zucchini → potato → sweet potato → beet → zucchini
Continue until the entire dish is filled.
If some slices are smaller, tuck them into gaps.
The vegetables will shrink considerably during roasting, so pack them fairly tightly rather than leaving large spaces.
6. Cover and roast
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for approximately:
40–45 minutes.
Covering the dish traps steam and helps dense vegetables such as potatoes and beets become tender before the exposed surfaces brown. This technique is also used in layered root-vegetable bakes.
7. Add the finishing ingredients
Remove the foil.
Test a potato and beet slice with a thin knife. They should be starting to become tender.
Scatter over:
crumbled feta
chopped walnuts
dried cranberries
Drizzle the honey or maple syrup lightly over the vegetables.
Add a few small rosemary sprigs.
8. Finish roasting
Return to the oven uncovered for 15–25 minutes.
The finished vegetables should be:
tender in the center
browned around the edges
slightly caramelized
crisp in places
golden around the feta and walnuts
For a more deeply browned top, switch to broil/grill for 1–3 minutes at the end.
Watch carefully because walnuts can burn quickly.
9. Rest and garnish
Let the dish rest for 8–10 minutes.
Finish with:
fresh rosemary
parsley
a small squeeze of lemon
a few extra walnuts
another tiny drizzle of honey, if desired
Serve warm.
Cranberry-Honey Finish
For a result even closer to the colorful dish in your photo, make a quick glaze:
3 tbsp cranberry sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
pinch of black pepper
Warm for 30–60 seconds and whisk together.
Drizzle it very lightly over the finished vegetables.
The cranberry provides acidity and sweetness that balances salty feta and earthy beetroot. A similar combination of roasted roots, feta, walnuts and cranberry-honey glaze is used in other versions of this style of dish.
Nut Information
Does this recipe contain nuts?
Yes — walnuts.
Walnuts are tree nuts and are a recognized food allergen. Anyone with a walnut or tree-nut allergy should omit them and avoid cross-contact.
What do walnuts contribute?
They provide:
crunchy texture
richness
mild buttery flavor
unsaturated fats
plant protein
fiber
omega-3 ALA
According to USDA-derived nutrition data, 28 g (1 oz) of walnuts provides approximately 185 calories, 4.3 g protein, 1.9 g fiber and 2.57 g omega-3 ALA, along with magnesium, copper and potassium.
How much is ½ cup?
Approximately 55–60 g, depending on whether the walnuts are whole or chopped.
Nut-free version
Simply replace the walnuts with:
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
toasted breadcrumbs
roasted chickpeas
Pumpkin or sunflower seeds are probably the best substitutes because they preserve the crunchy topping without adding another tree nut.
If the dish is being prepared for someone with a severe allergy, check all packaged ingredients and prevent cross-contact with utensils, cutting boards and baking dishes.
Can I make it without feta?
Absolutely.
For a dairy-free version, omit the feta and use:
dairy-free feta, or
nutritional yeast, or
a little extra toasted seed topping.
For a vegan version, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Root-vegetable bakes can work very well without cheese; feta mainly contributes salty, creamy contrast.
Important cooking tips
Slice uniformly:
If some slices are 2 mm and others 7 mm thick, they won’t finish at the same time.
Don’t skimp on oil:
Thin vegetable slices need enough oil to caramelize rather than simply drying out.
Don’t overcrowd the dish horizontally:
The slices should be packed together but still exposed at the top.
Use foil first:
This is particularly important because beetroot and potato need more time to soften than zucchini.
Add walnuts late:
Putting them in for the entire cooking time can make them bitter or burnt.
Don’t overdo the cranberry:
A little gives acidity and color; too much makes the dish taste like dessert.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
Reheat at:
175°C / 350°F for 15–20 minutes
rather than microwaving the whole dish, which can make the vegetables soft.
For best texture, add a few fresh walnuts after reheating.
Recipe Q&A
Can I prepare this the day before?
Yes. Assemble the vegetables, cover and refrigerate. For the best texture, add the feta, walnuts and cranberry/honey topping toward the end of cooking rather than the night before.
Do I have to peel the beets?
No, but peeling gives the dish a cleaner appearance and more delicate texture.
Can I use carrots?
Yes. Thin carrot rounds or parsnip are excellent additions. Mixed-root vegetable bakes commonly use carrots, parsnips, turnips, potatoes and beets.
Can I use butternut squash?
Yes. Cut it into thin rounds if the neck is large enough, or use very thin half-moons.
Why are my potatoes still hard?
The slices may be too thick, or the dish may not have been covered long enough. Cover again and bake for another 10–15 minutes.
Why is my dish watery?
Zucchini and beetroot release moisture. Don’t add extra liquid to the baking dish, and finish the dish uncovered so excess moisture can evaporate.
Can I make it spicy?
Yes. Add ¼–½ tsp chili flakes or a pinch of cayenne to the herb oil.
What can I serve with it?
It works particularly well alongside:
roast chicken
grilled salmon
roast lamb
baked tofu
lentils
chickpeas
a simple green salad
Is it a complete vegetarian meal?
It can be. Add chickpeas, lentils, quinoa or a white-bean salad for additional protein.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes. Omit/replace the feta and use maple syrup rather than honey.
Can I freeze it?
You can, but the zucchini and potatoes may become softer after thawing. For the best texture, refrigerate leftovers instead and reheat them in the oven.
Can I make it without walnuts?
Yes. Use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for a nut-free crunchy topping.
What is the secret to getting the beautiful appearance in the photograph?
Uniform thin slices + contrasting colors + tight arrangement + fresh rosemary + feta added near the end. The vegetables also need enough exposed surface to brown rather than steam. Similar layered root-vegetable recipes use alternating thin slices and finish uncovered with feta and walnuts.
What is the best flavor combination?
For the closest effect to the photograph, I’d use:
potato + sweet potato + beetroot + zucchini + feta + walnuts + rosemary + cranberry + lemon + honey.
The combination gives you sweet, earthy, salty, tangy, crunchy and herby flavors in every serving.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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