Glazed Carrots

Glazed Carrots might be the perfect, quick, last minute side dish that you need for Thanksgiving.

These are easy and simple to make but so tasty.

One of the great things about making these for Thanksgiving, is that unlike the dressing, sweet potatoes, or scalloped corn that all cook in the oven, these cook quickly right on top of the stove.

This is more of a method than a precise recipe so measurements might be a little on the loose side. However, these carrots are so good that people will be clamoring for you to bring big batches of them to the next holiday meal or potluck supper. By learning the method here, you can easily expand the recipe for larger batches of carrot goodness.

Here’s what you need:

Carrots, Water (not pictured), Butter, Chicken Bouillon Cube (optional), Sugar, Parsley (fresh or dried), Salt & Pepper.

Click here for a Glazed Carrots Shopping List

I’m using a pound of carrots which should feed 4 people. However, if I am around, I will eat at least half these carrots so you’d better make extra.

Peel and cut the carrots into 3 inch lengths. Cut the thicker ends of the carrots in half so that all of the carrots are about the same size and shape for even cooking.

If you end up making these carrots for a ton of people, feel free to skip the peeling and chopping and buy a big bag of those pseudo “baby” carrots that are all ready to go.

Place the carrots in a large skillet and add water cover the carrots with about 1/2 inch extra water on the top.

You can see that my pan is only about 1/2 full of water. We will not be draining the water off these carrots so don’t fill the pan all the way up to the top like you would do for boiling. This is also why you need to use a large, flat skillet like a frying pan.

Add 1/2 of a chicken bouillon cube for extra flavor. (If you like things saltier, add the whole cube.) Obviously if you are vegetarian, skip the bouillon cube. Half the time I forget to add it and the carrots are still plenty tasty without it.

Bring the carrots and water to a boil over medium high heat then turn the heat down to medium.

When about half of the water has cooked away, add 1 Tablespoon of sugar and 1 Tablespoon of butter to the pan. (This is the only amount that you will need to adjust if you expand the recipe.)

Continue to cook the carrots until tender all the way through but not mushy, about 12-15 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your carrots.

When all of the water has evaporated from the pan and the carrots are tender, cook them a few minutes longer, stirring frequently so that they caramelize slightly.

Season to taste with salt & pepper and garnish with a little fresh or dried parsley.

(These carrots are pretty much the only reason I have dried parsley flakes in my pantry. That’s the way mom makes them!)

There is absolutely no reason to save glazed carrots just for Thanksgiving. We have them quite often as a quick and easy side dish. They go with just about everything and are a great way to use up carrots that might be languishing in the bottom of your refrigerator drawer.

Plus they’ll give you good eyesight and make your hair red!

Here’s the recipe:

Glazed Carrots