Benefits of Parchment Paper

• Cooking oils serve three purposes when you roast vegetables: lubricating the roasting pan, keeping the vegetables moist and adding flavor. Parchment packets fill two of those roles. The paper has a slick, nonstick surface, and the folded pouches trap the vegetables’ own juices. You can add a little cooking oil to the packets for flavor, but it is optional.

Prepare the Vegetables

• You can roast any raw vegetable you desire in the parchment packets, though the best choices are the same firm vegetables that you would otherwise roast in an uncovered pan such as potatoes, squash, carrots, peppers and onions. You can also include mushrooms. Rinse the ingredients, then seed any vegetables that contain soft, juicy pulp, such as tomatoes or butternut squash. Slice them a similar size, if possible, so that they roast uniformly.

Add Fish or Meat

• You can also roast a portion of fish or meat in the packet, but you do not need to cut it to the same size as the vegetables. Chicken, beef and pork are so dense that you should slice or cube them to ensure that they cook in comparable times to the veggies. Leave a portion of fish whole or slice it, depending on your preference.

Prepare Parchment Paper Packets

• Tear a large piece of parchment paper for each packet you want to prepare. Cooking Light recommends tearing a 15-by-24-inch piece of paper. Fold the piece of parchment in half, then draw half a heart on one side, leaving as little border around the half-heart as possible. Orient the line so that the crease runs vertically down the center of the heart. Cut along the line to fashion a heart-shaped piece of parchment.

Assemble the Packets

• Place a portion of vegetables -- and fish or meat, if desired -- on one side of the heart. Arrange the most tender ingredients on top of the firm ingredients. Season them with salt, herbs, spices, garlic, citrus peel or citrus wedges to taste. Lightly drizzle cooking oil, wine, vinegar or juice if desired. Fold the other half of the heart over the ingredients. Starting at the rounded end, fold a 1/4-to-1/2-inch hem at the edge of the paper. Repeat the process around the entire edge except for the creased side. You should fold the edge over at least twice, but three or four folds is more secure. Twist the tip of the heart into a short tail, to seal the pouch.

Roasting Time and Temperature

• Roast the vegetables in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If the packets do not contain any meat, you only need to cook the vegetables until they are tender, approximately 15 to 45 minutes. If the packets include fish or meat, they must remain in the oven until all of the contents reach the internal temperature necessary to ensure food safety for the protein. For example, fish must have an internal temperature of 145 F to be safe to eat. Therefore, vegetables cooked with fish should also be 145 F to ensure food safety. Serve the packets immediately.