30+ Vegetable Side Dishes
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Here are our best healthy side dishes: Find 30+ recipes for veggie side dishes to go with chicken, meat, seafood or even to serve all by themselves for a vegetarian feast. Yes, you CAN make dinner out of vegetable sides — mix and match and serve them up family-style!
When I was writing my cookbook, I had to cut dozens of vegetable side dish recipes from the manuscript (maybe that will be the topic of my next book 🙂
I promise you’ll find a few keeper recipes for your menu in this round-up, even side dishes for people who don’t like the taste of vegetables (wink-wink).
The best vegetable side dishes are quick and easy dishes that everyone will love. I think of these recipes as a few notches up from grandma’s green bean casserole, even though we all know there’s always a place at the table for that!
Broccoli and cauliflower side dishes
Kids and adults always seem to love broccoli for any weeknight dinner. Maybe it’s because the florets look like little trees?! Here are some ideas to dial up the flavor of your usual plain steamed broccoli or cauliflower with ingredients like lemon juice, red onions and red pepper flakes.
2-Minute Blanched Broccolini with Lemon
This is the easiest, quickest way to cook broccolini recipe ever. Learn how to cook delicious broccolini to simple perfection in 2 minutes!
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Roasted Broccoli Salad with Couscous and Lemon Tahini
This roasted broccoli salad is so, so good! Make this easy recipe to serve as healthy vegetarian main course or base of grain bowl. Sheet pan roasted broccoli with whole wheat pearl couscous, hazelnuts and a creamy lemon tahini sauce.
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15-Minute Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan
Master a simple technique and make this DELICIOUS sautéed broccoli with crisp edges and a tender bite! The broccoli has a ton of flavor, with olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese.
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Creamy Cauliflower Gratin with Mascarpone
This creamy baked cauliflower gratin combines fresh cauliflower in a cheese sauce with mascarpone, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, It's very simple to assemble and bake. Pair with a roasted chicken, buttered green beans for a festive vegetable side dish.
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Cauliflower Fried Rice with Kimchi
Cauliflower fried rice with a kick! You'll taste big, bold flavors like garlic, chili and ginger, along with spicy kimchi. This vegetarian/vegan recipe is ready to enjoy in 20 minutes.
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Green bean side dish recipes
Speaking of green bean casserole! There are a million recipes for green beans in the world. Here are a few of my favorites, low on effort but super-tasty for a simple side dish:
Oven-Roasted Green Beans with Shallots
This totally delectable roasted green beans recipe is a fresh, modern take on your everyday green beans! This recipe could not be easier, and gives you perfectly brown and tender beans tangled with caramelized shallots.
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Buttered Green Beans with Hazelnuts
An incredible fresh green beans recipe you must try – perfectly cooked beans in nutty brown butter topped with hazelnuts and fresh thyme. Turn ordinary string beans into something special!
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Carrot side dish recipes
Carrots are sweet and crunchy! No wonder everyone seems to love ’em. This root vegetable is also versatile to use in carrot salads or simply roast them on a sheet pan.
Honey-Lime Roasted Carrots
A simple recipe for tangy, sweet roasted carrots that celebrates a humble, affordable vegetable! Tossed with olive oil, honey, spices, fresh lime, herbs and crumbled soft feta cheese, this is a back-pocket recipe you'll make over and over.
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Carrots with Yogurt and Dukkah
Sweet, tangy roasted carrots with North African seasonings like fresh orange and spices.
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Spiced Carrots with Creamy Feta
Serve these delicious and easy to make spice roasted carrots as a snack, appetizer or vegetable side.
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Crunchy Bistro Carrot Salad
A lemony-sweet crisp, crunchy carrot salad that combines julienned or grated fresh, raw carrots with a lemony honey vinaigrette dressing, fresh cilantro or parsley, and crispy sliced almonds. It's the best make-ahead refrigerator salad or snack!
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Potato side dish recipes:
Pure and Simple Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
Our family recipe for pure and simple olive oil mashed potatoes, made without butter or dairy milk. These potatoes are simply the best-tasting natural potatoes I've ever had!
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Potato Salad with Herbed Lemon Aioli
The best tangy potato salad with smashed new potatoes and lemony aioli, with fresh tarragon and sweet peas. Make this for a perfect easy salad or side dish for potlucks, picnics or supper.
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Gruyere Cheese Potato Galette with Leeks
Simple and delicious recipe for creamy French-style potatoes baked in a skillet! Tasty layers of sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce with leeks and Gruyere cheese. Serve this warm as a side dish or with a green salad for a light supper or brunch dish.
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Salt-Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary Butter
Salt-roasted potatoes are the best baked potatoes! Try this easy method to make the fluffiest potatoes ever.
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Sweet potato side dish recipes:
Sweet potatoes are anything but boring when they’re made into French fries, or paired with with balsamic vinegar, cucumbers or creamy avocado sauce. They’re perfect served with pork dishes, or combined with other veggie sides for a meatless meal.
Kale Sweet Potato Salad with Farro and Tahini Sauce
A flavorful and healthful farro recipe for any day of the week! This hearty warm salad is packed with roasted sweet potatoes, crispy kale leaves and feta cheese in a tangy-sweet balsamic vinaigrette and drizzled with a creamy lemon tahini sauce.
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Spice-Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
Jazz up your sweet potato recipe file with this recipe for perfectly crisp-tender roasted sweet potato cubes. The bite-size pieces of diced sweet potato have delectable caramelized edges and a meltingly soft texture inside, each one seasoned with savory spices. We love them as a vegetable side dish, in salads and so much more!
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Cumin-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans
A super tasty spiced-up roasted sweet potato salad! The avocado crema sauce is to-die-for-delicious! Serve as a lunch or dinner salad meal or pile into tortillas to make an on-the-go taco.
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Chili-Lime Sweet Potato Gratin with Goat Cheese
For a lighter, modern twist on sweet potato casserole, layers of thin sweet potato slices are baked with bold spices, fresh lime and topped with a blend of cheeses and pumpkin seeds.This savory sweet potato gratin is tasty and beautiful on any holiday table or serve anytime as a healthy side dish.
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Tuscan Sweet Potato Fries
Foolproof deep-frying? Yes, it’s possible! These Tuscan Sweet Potato Fries are golden and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, seasoned with Italian herbs and garlic.
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Winter squash side dishes:
Sweet and savory winter squash is not just for Thanksgiving! Enjoy it as a delicious side dish any day of the week.
Creamy Mashed Butternut Squash
A go-to recipe for savory mashed butternut squash (no sugar added), whipped with an Italian-style spiced garlic butter that takes this dish over the top!
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Roasted Honeynut Squash with Parmesan
This is a must-try recipe for roasted honeynut squash! Wedges of sweet, rich-tasting honeynut squash are baked with a topping of parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs until tender. Serve this savory squash recipe as a holiday side dish drizzled with a zesty green herb sauce or your favorite pesto (sauce optional!)
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Miso-Glazed Roasted Acorn Squash
Roasted acorn squash glazed with a tasty mix of soy sauce, miso paste and maple syrup. It’s a must-try recipe to add to your holiday spread!
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Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Butter and Parmesan
Easy and delicious roasted acorn squash, seasoned with brown butter, honey and Parmesan. This is a great vegetable side dish for fall celebrating or as part of a healthy vegetable grain bowl.
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Corn side dishes:
Just like sweet summer cherry tomatoes, corn recipes add a fresh spark to the table.
Sautéed Sweet Corn with Cilantro and Lime
Sautéed spicy sweet corn side dish loaded with flavor. This super-quick recipe has fresh lime, Indian spices and green chili. Make this easy vegetarian side dish in 15 minutes.
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Spicy Tomato and Sweet Corn Salad
An Italian-inspired sweet corn salad recipe that combines fresh, canned or frozen sweet corn kernels, tomatoes, red bell pepper and sharp grated pecorino and Parmesan cheeses in a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. Make this dish in about 20 minutes, and serve warm or at room temperature.
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Roasted Corn Succotash Salad (Oven or Grill)
Fresh and easy summer succotash salad with roasted corn kernels from the grill or oven, ripe tomatoes, basil and zucchini is a perfect side dish. This colorful salad is so easy to make and tastes sweet, crunchy and tangy.
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Zucchini side dishes:
Lemon-Parmesan Zucchini Salad
Easy and delicious, fresh raw zucchini makes one of the best salad recipes. You can grate, shred, or slice them into matchsticks or noodle shapes to make a lighter version of Italian pasta salad. Toss with fresh-squeezed lemon, toasted walnuts, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.
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Pan-Fried Zucchini with Parmesan
Crisp-fried in extra virgin olive oil until golden brown, this delicious fried zucchini with lemon and Parmesan cheese is easy to make when you have an abundance of zukes! There's no need for an egg wash or breadcrumbs with my dry-fry method. Enjoy this Italian-style recipe as a salad, side dish or over pasta.
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Summer Squash with Basil Butter
Quick recipe for yellow and green squash with fresh basil butter. An easy and healthy side dish.
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More vegetable side dishes:
Roasted Fennel Wedges with Parmesan
This roasted fennel with Parmesan and breadcrumbs is a cheesy gratin that will have you swooning! The bulb becomes tender and sweet in the oven, so delicious as a side dish with roasted chicken or seafood.
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Slow Cooker Root Vegetables with Apple Cider Glaze
A slow cooker holiday vegetable side dish with carrots, sweet potatoes and squash in a buttery apple cider glaze.
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Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette
A crazy-good recipe for roasted asparagus with a lemony shallot vinaigrette. The best way to enjoy this delicious seasonal vegetable!
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Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Easy roasted Brussels sprouts crusted in Parmesan cheese – quick and delicious.
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30+ Vegetable Side Dishes, including French Potato Cake with Leeks and Cheese
A perfect side for holidays or to serve with roast chicken. Simple and delicious recipe for creamy French-style potatoes baked in a skillet, with ayers of sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce with leeks and Gruyere cheese. Serve this warm as a side dish or with a green salad for a light supper or brunch dish.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (230 g) creme fraiche
- 1 crushed garlic clove
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
- Freshly ground black pepper from a pepper grinder
- 1 ½ cups (198 g) grated Comté or Gruyere cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (180 C) with the rack positioned in the center of the oven.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in an 8-10-inch cast iron skillet or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until wilted and golden, stirring frequently. Remove the leeks from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan.
- Whisk the eggs, creme fraiche, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
- Put the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the edges of the milk start to bubble, remove from the heat. Slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking at the same time.
- Add the remaining butter to the skillet and smear it around to coat. Arrange a layer of potatoes in a concentric circle on the base of the pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Pour 1/3 of the egg mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with 1/3 of the leeks and cheese. Repeat the layers twice more.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake 40 minutes. Stick a small sharp knife down into the center of the potatoes to make sure they're tender. If not, bake 5-10 more minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes, until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbling.
- Let cool at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with parsley.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- To make ahead: Prepare the recipe through step 5. Cover and refrigerate up to a day ahead before baking.
- Be sure to season the potato layers with plenty of salt for best flavor.
- Leftovers taste great and reheat easily.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 698IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 302mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
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Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Looking forward to seeing these delicious recipes in your new cookbook.
I will let you know when that happens! xo