Vegetables don’t need to be boring always. In fact, with the right cooking techniques and ingredients, you can actually turn them into lip-smacking delicious side dishes to team up with your mains, and they’ll be healthy too!
Interested? Read on to discover 6 super easy and delicious vegetable side dishes you can make in advance as well and serve them whenever you want to!
Garlicky Stir-Fried Veggies
You can never go wrong with stir-fried veggies. Pick the ones you love, good ideas are peppers, courgette, carrots, cabbage and broccoli, and dice them. Stir-fry them on high heat with some chopped garlic, sliced chillies and salt. Finish up with a drizzle of soy sauce and oyster sauce and serve hot!
Smoky Roasted Cauliflower
Cauliflower might not be the most popular veggie out there, but it might just become your favourite after you give this recipe a shot. All you need to do is toss some cauliflower florets in a mixture of smoked paprika powder, salt, olive oil and pepper powder, place it on a baking tray and bake until they turn golden brown! That’s it. A great way of making an easy alternative to boiling cauliflower on a roast dinner!
Baked Parmesan Courgette
Not a big fan of courgette? You will be after you give this easy side a try! Start by combining Parmesan cheese with some garlic granules, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano in a small bowl and preheating your oven. Cut your courgette into small sticks, place them on a greased baking tray, and drizzle a bit of olive oil over them or spray well with low-calorie cooking spray. Top them with the Parmesan mixture and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp. If you have enjoyed this why not try other recipes with courgette like these courgette bakes?
Veggie & Bean Salad
Here’s another delicious “make and store” side you can try making! In a large bowl, combine cooked black beans, chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cucumbers, peppers, lime juice, salt, pepper and chilli powder. If you’re storing it for later, just combine the veggies and skip the seasonings- add them towards the end when you are ready to serve.
Spicy Baked Carrot Chips
There’s no better way than this to get your crunchy chip fix minus the guilt. All you need to do is slice a couple of carrots into thin strips, toss them in a mixture of olive oil (or spray with low-calorie cooking spray), sea salt, ground cumin and ground cinnamon and bake them until they’re nice and crisp. You can also batch make these and store them in an airtight container.
Dill & Cucumber Salad
Tangy, refreshing and super easy to make and store too! This dill and cucumber salad takes just minutes to make. Simply sprinkle some salt and sugar over sliced cucumbers and set it aside for a few minutes. In another bowl, mix together some vinegar, chopped dill, kosher salt and sliced red onion. Drain the cucumbers, add them to this bowl and mix well. And that’s it.
Other recipes you might like
Do you have any favourite vegetable side dishes? I also love Mediterranean balsamic roast vegetables and sweet and sour vegetables so why not try those too?
7 creative ways to spice up the veggies on your plate
Cauliflower and chicken fried rice
Cauliflower and chickpea curry
Other articles you may find helpful
Tips and tricks with garlic to use it best and How to use garlic granules
Health benefits of mushrooms and how to use dried mushrooms
Weeds and the benefits they can have
A simple sweet and sticky marinade recipe and making stir fry with Geetas sauces
Homemade salad dressing recipes
Spice blends to give your food a personality and 5 spice blends
UK cooking skills – what can the average person do?
9 ways to make vegetables fun for kids and fussy eaters and how to hide onion in meals
