Company Carrots are tender, cooked carrots that are coated in a creamy, savory sauce and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. They're great as a holiday side dish or anytime you have friends or family over for dinner.
This past weekend we had a "camping day" with the kiddos up in the mountains. We were supposed to do a two-night trip, but the lows were in the 20s and the highs were just in the mid 40s. Our sleeping bags aren't rated for that kind of cold!
So we went for a day trip instead. We did our usual mountain hike, made a picnic lunch at our campsite, played in the nearby field, built a fire, made s'mores and then drove back home to sleep in our warm beds. Not quite the same, but we had a blast and it was lovely to be outside all day.
We also got to visit our puppy yesterday! She's a chocolate lab and the cutest little thing. She will come home with us this coming weekend, and we can hardly wait to welcome her into our family!
OK, let's move on to today's recipe.
Company carrots are tender, cooked carrots that are coated in a creamy, savory sauce and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs on top.
It is seriously swoon-worthy, even if you don't think you like cooked carrots.
Spoiler: I adore raw carrots but am often so-so on the cooked or roasted kind. But not with these! I could happily chow down on these any night.
(I also adore my oven roasted carrots that are simply seasoned and so buttery and yummy.)
This recipe first came to me from a dear friend of my mom's who I've known and loved since childhood. She said it was her mother-in-law's recipe and she shared it with me because she knows how much I love carrots.
What's interesting though is I've seen this exact recipe, and a couple of slight variations of it, in several cookbooks I have. It seems like an old classic that's probably made the rounds in many a household and family.
And for good reason! They are delicious, beautiful and pretty easy to put together.
These company carrots are great anytime you are having company over, of course. (I imagine they were served at many a dinner when the "boss" was coming for dinner.)
They are also a fantastic side dish for holiday meals, whether that's Thanksgiving, Christmas or even Easter.
They add a great pop of color and another delicious side dish to the holiday table.
OK, let's get cooking.
(And check out these photos below for a little step-by-step visual to how you prepare this recipe.)
Now, I've got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make company carrots. Just tryin' to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making company carrots:
- Carrots: We're using long, whole carrots here, not baby carrots. You'll be cutting them into strips about ¼ to ½ inch thick across.
- Mayonnaise: Regular or low-fat mayo is fine. You could also try substituting sour cream or Greek yogurt, but that would add a bit more tanginess.
- Onion: You just need a small part of an onion that you'll finely chop to use for this recipe.
- Breadcrumbs: You can use plain store-bought breadcrumbs. Or you could substitute some finely crushed crackers.
- Parsley: This adds great freshness and a pop of color. I highly recommend adding it when serving to finish the dish off.
Also, you can prep this ahead. That can be helpful if you are in fact serving company and have multiple other dishes you're making and managing. Or if it's Thanksgiving and you've got a gazillion other things going all at once.
Prep ahead notes: You can simply cut and boil the carrots ahead and store them until ready to assemble the dish.
Or you can go ahead and assemble everything in your baking dish, then wait to add the breadcrumbs and butter until it's time to bake the dish.
Easy, easy.
Last thing - if you are in need of other side dishes to round out your holiday table or fancy meal, here are a few ideas.
Check out classic Thanksgiving dressing, creamy mashed potatoes, baked mac and cheese and green bean casserole for some other holiday favorites for your big meal. And corn pudding is another old-time favorite dish around the holidays.
Oh, and Southern style deviled eggs are a must-have!
So whether for your holiday table or for your friends and family - or maybe the big boss - I hope you give these a try soon. I think you'll see why the recipe has been passed around so many times over the years.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Company Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. whole carrots, peeled
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs (or sub finely crushed crackers)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Cut carrots lengthwise in strips about ¼ to ½ inch wide.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and then carrots and cook until carrots are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the rest of the liquid and place carrots in a shallow baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix reserved cooking liquid, mayonnaise, onion, horseradish, and salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture over the carrots in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle crushed crackers over carrots then dot with the butter.
- Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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