Glazed Carrots Recipe with Marsala

This Glazed Carrots recipe with Marsala is the perfect side dish for a holiday meal or a simple weeknight dinner. Ready in 15 minutes.

Jump to:

• Introduction
• Mise en place
• Instructions
• Tips
• Herb substitutions
• What to serve with glazed carrots
• Recipe inspiration
• Recipe

Introduction

Did you know that carrots have two seasons?

These root vegetables are planted in late summer for a fall harvest. During the cold winter months, they provide the basis for so many comfort foods such as stews and soups. 

They are also planted as soon as the ground has thawed for a spring harvest. This tender new crop is often available with its feathery tops.

Just like escarole and spinach, this humble vegetable is very easy to prepare.

Today, we will use a combination of cooking methods, including a quick saute, to obtain tender and buttery-tasting carrots that you will actually look forward to eating.

Yes, they are that good! 

Let’s begin by prepping them.

Mise en place

There are only two ingredients that need to be prepped.

Properly wash the carrots: As you know, carrots are root vegetables and as such, there will always be a little bit of dirt to deal with. This is especially true with fall carrots. With spring carrots, you can wash them under cold running water and then just scrub them gently to remove all the impurities. A vegetable brush works well for this. If you prefer, you can also peel your carrots. Try to remove just the thin outer layer.

Wash and dry the parsley: You will need about 2-3 springs of parsley. A salad spinner works really well to spin-dry this Italian herb. 

Cut the Carrots: Slice them into any shape you want -sticks, coins, sliced on the bias or leave them whole if they are small and tender. Use a small crinkle cutting tool to create little ridges. This is also a great tool to use when making crinkle-cut fries.

Chop the parsley: You need between 1- 2 tablespoons.

Instructions

Sauté the carrots: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced carrots and shake your pan (back and forth) for a few minutes to properly coat them—season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Braise the carrots: Add ¼-⅓ cup vegetable stock (enough to almost cover the carrots), cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until fork-tender. There should be a few tablespoons of cooking liquid left in the pan at the end of this process.  

Glaze the carrots: Once they are fork-tender, add about one tablespoon of granulated sugar, and cook for about two minutes. When you begin to see some browning, add ¼ cup of Marsala wine and cook, shaking the pan occasionally until the wine evaporates to a glaze.

Remove from heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of chopped Italian parsley and serve.

Tips

• Use fresh herbs. Not only do they look great, but they are a healthy flavor booster. 
• Cut the carrots uniformly. This ensures quick and even cooking. 
• Make crinkle-cut carrots. Use a crinkle-cutting tool to create little ridges that look so festive. Sometimes, making food fun by changing the physical appearance is the encouragement required for picky eaters to eat vegetables. 
• Use different liquids to braise the carrots. Orange juice and chicken stock are other alternatives to vegetable broth.
• Use parsley stems. While the carrots are braising, add the stems… it adds a real flavor boost. 
• Place carrots in a single layer. Use a large pan that accommodates the carrots in a single layer to ensure quick and even cooking. 

Herb substitutions

Feel free to replace the fresh Italian parsley with other fresh herbs like thyme, chives, dill or even mint.

What to serve with glazed carrots

This springtime vegetable, just like this stovetop asparagus, makes one of the best sides whether you are serving them with garlic shrimp, seared scallops, codfish, or rack of lamb.

Recipe inspiration

My mom would love to sauté carrots, sprinkle a little sugar and glaze them with some cooking wine.

When I was young, I always wondered why my mom’s carrots were so tasty and sweet. Only as a young adult did I have an “ah-ha” moment. Oh well, better late than never.

After watching the Food Network for decades, I learned about the techniques of braising and glazing vegetables. It has since become one of my favorite methods to cook vegetables, especially carrots.

So be on the lookout for this wonderful spring vegetable and try out my mom’s Italian carrot recipe with wine.

Happy Spring, everyone!

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★★★★★ If you have made this easy recipe for sauteed carrots, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This post was originally published on April 10, 2017, and republished on June 4, 2020, with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing.