This is my sister-in-law’s famous recipe for the BEST CARROTS! Sautéing them with shallots and fresh thyme makes them next-level. She has made them at every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner for years. I finally finagled the recipe out of her!  Originally published March 15, 2016.

sautéed carrots and shallots with fresh thyme.
Table of Contents
  1. You will love this Sautéed Carrot Recipe
  2. Other Easter side dishes to try!
  3. Sauteed Carrots and Onions Recipe

Charlotte and I were in the car earlier today when she came up with one of her random 5-year-old comments: “Jesus had pom-poms, Mama.”

“Uh, what?” I’m trying to picture it. Jesus is totally rooting for us, right? Maybe this is wisdom from the mouths of babes.

“Yeah, the people laid pom-poms down for him.”

OHHHH. Palm fronds.

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sautéed carrots and shallots with fresh thyme.

Do you guys follow Humans of New York on Facebook? I’m literally coming up for air after getting sucked down the rabbit hole for like the last hour and half. I read about a Canadian musician with anxiety, a “brother man” who’s trying to help everyone love everyone else (women brother-mans are called sisters, obvi.), a 90-year-old man who “used to be a wimp” until he started running marathons (now he walks 10 miles a day), a lifetime custodian who went to college when he was 50, and a musician who is still reeling from the death of her French horn, the one she played for 20 years. Oh, and an open letter to Trump. (read it, read it.)

I love humans. I never get tired of hearing their stories.

sautéed carrots and shallots.
a little boy eating a sauteed carrot.
Kid-approved. Do your best to un-see Truman’s fingernails.

Here’s one. My mom has had issues with her foot for the last 30 years. She just had surgery this morning! I’m excited for her. It will be a slow healing process for sure, but when it’s over hopefully it will be over! I asked her if she was sad that they hadn’t done the surgery 30 years ago when her foot problems started (it’s actually her Achilles tendon) and she said no, because the doctor told her that they’ve improved this type of surgery a lot. She would have had a recurrence if she had done a long time ago. Hooray for modern medicine!

a fork lifting some carrots and shallots.

So in the meantime we are just kickin’ back. The kids and I are at her house now (Eric is at home–she only lives an hour away) and I’ll be dragging her up to my house later this week. She’s always there waiting on me hand and foot when I have a new baby, it’s nice to be able to return the favor.

News flash guys: Easter is in 12 DAYS. Have you started menu planning yet? I haven’t! Unless by menu planning you count me making Sautéed Carrots and Shallots and eating them all in one sitting. Safe to say I will be making them Easter Sunday too.

preparing shallots, carrots, and fresh thyme on a wooden cutting board.
cutting and slicing carrots with a chef's knife.
a large metal pot with carrots, shallots, and fresh thyme.

You will love this Sautéed Carrot Recipe

My sister-in-law Reesy has been making these carrots for years. They are a huge family favorite. Those shallots! And the thyme! So much flavor. And they only take about 20 minutes to put together. Here’s the thing about side dishes (at least vegetables)  at the holidays though: they always need to be done last minute, at the same exact time that you have 87 other things to do.

sautéed carrots, shallots, and thyme.

My solution is to make ahead. When you have to get 8 dishes on the table all at once like on Easter, you have to cut some corners. And in the case of these carrots, I think they taste great made 1 day ahead. Make the recipe, store covered in the fridge, then just before everyone sits down to eat, throw them in a pan on medium to heat them up, and they still taste great. I use a similar strategy with these Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, which would be another great make-ahead side dish for Easter. Happy menu-planning! Definitely check out my Easter Flavors board on Pinterest for more ideas.

Other Easter side dishes to try!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts << this recipe has come to be one of the top-visited posts on my blog!

Slow Cooker Brown Butter Carrots << if you are not using your crock pot for your ham, you could do carrots in the slow cooker!

Sautéed Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes << asparagus just embodies spring, right?

Garlic-Butter Roasted Carrots from Diethood

Maple-Thyme Roasted Carrots from Life Currents

Roasted Parmesan Carrots from I Heart Naptime

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Sauteed Carrots and Onions

4.80 from 5 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
This is my sister-in-law's famous recipe for the BEST CARROTS! Sautéing them with shallots and fresh thyme makes them next-level. Perfect for Easter!

Ingredients

  • 10-12 medium carrots, peeled
  • 4-5 shallots
  • 1 cup chicken broth, *
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • pepper , to taste

Instructions

  • Slice off the ends of the peeled carrots. Slice each carrot at a sharp angle into 2-3 pieces. Slice each piece lengthwise. (photos above) Place carrots in a 12-inch high-sided skillet.
  • Chop off the ends of the shallots. Slice them lengthwise. (see photos)
  • Add the shallots to the pan.
  • Add 1 cup chicken broth. The liquid should go halfway up the vegetables. Add more broth if it doesn’t.
  • Turn the heat up to high until the mixture reaches a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover but leave the lid askew so that steam can vent out. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the carrots are crisp-tender.
  • Remove the lid and continue cooking until all the liquid has cooked off.
  • Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme.
  • Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook until the butter is melted and brown spots appear on some of the shallots.
  • Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve hot!

Notes

*I used 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon chicken Better Than Bouillon, as usual.
If you want to make these ahead of time, make the recipe and usual and store covered in the fridge for 1 day. When you are ready to eat, add the carrots back to a pan and cook over medium heat until warmed through. I used a non-stick pan when I reheated so they didn’t stick. I would imagine that there would be enough butter on the carrots that they wouldn’t stick, but if you are nervous spray the pan first.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 664mg | Potassium: 631mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 25737IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 135
Keyword: carrots, sauteed, shallots, thyme
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

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Comments

  1. For SOO many years I would only eat carrots raw … for whatever reason (I still don’t even understand what my deal was!). But now, now I love them any which way. And these sound awesome!

  2. HONY is such a fave of mine! I always visit the page weekly and spend at least half an hour flipping through photos. Brandon also has several awesome books that make great presents (or self-gifts!). These carrots look delicious- shallots make everything that much better :)

  3. Ohmygosh, Charolette. Not only can I picture that, but I can hear HER saying it…and well, CUTENESS. Ya, Humans of New York is amazing – never get tired of reading that series. Always looking for new side dishes, and since cooked carrots is one of the few vegetables that Trevor loves. Well, let’s just say thank you.

  4. Love the picture of your baby and trust me my 12-year-olds nails look the same. It doesn’t get any easier! Carrots look yummy. A perfect Spring side dish for Easter.

    1. Ha!! That makes me feel so much better Karen, that even at 12 boys will be boys and fingernails are just last on their list. (Not that a 2-year-old can even have a list. Maybe I should feel more guilt about my negligence, haha!)

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