Help! How can I make my traybakes more exciting?

It's about texture and flavour, says our panel of cooks: don't be shy with the herbs and spices, and get busy with toppings to add pizazz to any run-of-the-mill traybake

I make a lot of traybake dinners from leftover veg, but they often turn out boring. Any easy ideas for jazzing them up? Ellen, Chichester

There's a fine line between a boring and brilliant traybake, and it all comes down to three things – "texture, flavour and colour," according to Rukmini Iyer, author of the Roasting Tin series, India Express, and one-tin recipe website Dinner with Rukmini. Take roast aubergine: it can be completely "transformed with a punchy lemon and olive oil dressing, a handful of flat-leaf parsley and chopped chilli for flavour and colour, and mozzarella or flaked almonds for texture and crunch".

Just like getting dressed at this time of year, traybakes are all about layers. First comes flavour, which can be found in jars of paste, such as Thai green curry, jerk, or gochujang, says Shivi Ramoutar, author of Cook Clever (out in March). "They’re inexpensive and last a long time; simply mix a little paste with a little oil and run that through your vegetables." And don't be shy with spices either, adds Iyer: "Ras el hanout, Chinese five spice, ground cumin and coriander will add a base layer of flavour to build on with your dressing afterwards".

Out of the oven, fresh herbs are a must: Ramoutar pairs coriander with veg tossed in Thai green curry paste and parsley with sun-dried tomato, while Iyer rounds off Middle Eastern-style traybakes with fresh mint and pomegranate seeds. Iyer livens up Asian-inspired numbers with coriander, chopped salted peanuts and a peanut-lime dressing. Nicholas Balfe, co-founder and chef director of Holm in South Petherton, Somerset, meanwhile, is "a big fan of a nice sauce to go over the top", be it creamy tahini ("whisk with water, lemon juice and olive oil") on roast carrots, or yoghurt "jazzed up" with grated garlic, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil with aubergine. Then there's salsa verde, AKA "one of the finest seasonings out there". Balfe takes a handful each of parsley and either mint, tarragon, or chervil, plus some capers, cornichons, and a clove of garlic. "Finely chop, add a teaspoon of dijon mustard, mix it all together, then you want just enough oil to cover everything, plus a dash of vinegar – I like sherry but red-wine is arguably more typical." Mix again, then spoon over roast spuds, celeriac, or tomatoes.

For extra oomph, Ramoutar deploys roasted nuts and seeds or a handful of croutons, whether shop-bought or batch fried on a weekend with lemon and capers – "they’ll last a week". Alternatively, just say cheese. "Crumbled feta always works well in traybakes," advises Ramoutar, and especially when tomatoes (a la TikTok trend 2021) or gnocchi are involved. "You get a lovely crust around gnocchi, then the soft sweetness of the veg – it's traybake heaven." Ramoutar climbs that stairway by mixing a flavour paste (harissa, say) with olive oil and the gnocchi, then nudges the lot to one side of a roasting tray. On the other she mixes more flavour paste and oil with red onion, garlic, tomatoes, and some salt and pepper. Whack in the oven until the tomatoes are soft and the gnocchi crisp, toss the two sides together and scatter over your cheese pleaser. Easy to make, even easier to clean up: in traybakes we trust.

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