Caramelized Carrots with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey take a bit of work, but are they ever worth it! Besides peeling and chopping 4 pounds of carrots, there’s chopping onion and garlic plus a few green onion tops for garnish. Then there’s the cooking time, which unbelievably is about an hour. But, what you are left with is this glorious mound of gorgeousness!

Caramelized Carrots with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey are made with 2 two-pound packages of many-colored carrots, thus the variation of colors that you see in my photos. They are readily available in my super market here in Southern California, but if you don’t have access to many-colored carrots, regular carrots are fine, too. The many-colored carrots don’t taste any different (at least not with my unsophisticated palate!); but they are fun to use plus because of their various colors, they may have different nutritional properties.

My packages of many-colored carrots had a couple of traditional orange carrots, paler orange carrots, yellow carrots, blood-orange colored carrots (a deep, deep orange) and a few deep purple. A beautiful bouquet of organic many-colored carrots!

How about that adorable owl kitchen towel? I have a couple of really cute kitchen towels that I don’t use to wipe dishes! I just love having them around as props because they make me happy when I look at them.

Caramelized Carrots with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey are a wonderful addition to any meal, but are special enough to serve for a holiday meal. With Easter right around the corner, how perfect are these carrots for your holiday dinner? Caramelizing the carrots with onions and garlic in a stick of butter over low heat, these carrots have a marvelous richness from the chemical reaction of the caramelization.

Doused with a bit of honey (it’s probably really superfluous because carrots and onions have their own natural sugar when roasted or caramelized), a splash of with balsamic vinegar at the end transforms them to a level of perfection. Dare I say this…they are even good cold.

Here’s the recipe:

Caramelized Carrots with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey

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Deliciously sweet with an ever so slight tang from the balsamic vinegar, this recipe makes carrots special!

Author: Carole from Toot Sweet 4 Two
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Yield: 8 1x
Category: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4 pounds (2-two pound packages) of many-colored carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal about 1/4-inch thick
2 small yellow onions, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 green onions, sliced (green only) for garnish

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Instructions

In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter.
Add carrots, onions and garlic, stir to combine.
Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
Uncover and season with salt and pepper; stir.
Then, every 10 minutes (for a total of 30 more minutes), give the carrots a stir (tip: set your timer!).
After a total of 50 minutes, add honey and stir to coat.
Add balsamic vinegar, stir to coat and cook for another few minutes.
Sprinkle with the tops of sliced green onions for garnish.
Serve.

Notes

Four pounds of carrots seems like a lot of carrots! And, it is when you are peeling and slicing them. However, in the caramelization process, they reduce in size by more than half. Make sure you make enough, otherwise you will have disappointed family and guests!

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