Vegetables are important (obviously). They are full of vitamins, minerals, and tons of fiber. Personally, I try to add easy vegetable sides to every lunch and dinner I make.
But easy vegetable sides are hard to come up with. You can fall into that routine of “I guess we’re having broccoli again”. BORING.
I am excited to tell you that you have WAY more veggie side options than you think.
No broccoli (or prep work) required.
And, *BONUS*, these ones are stupid easy to make and so so versatile.
1. Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower
I’m a big fan of buffalo sauce. Not so much cauliflower. That’s why I flavor it with buffalo sauce. I’m sure you saw where that was going lol
Not only do I not like plain cauliflower, I don’t like cutting it up either. It’s so messy and crumbly and it honestly is just not worth it. That’s why I buy pre-chopped cauliflower.
When I make this, I use Red’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce. It isn’t full of high fructose corn syrup or extra preservatives like some sauces. Plus it’s delicious.
Anyway, I literally just tear open the 1 lb bag, toss it with 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, and bake it. It’s literally that easy. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Then eat it. So simple.
2. Sauteed Broccoli Slaw
I love broccoli slaw. But you won’t catch me carefully slicing broccoli, cabbage, and carrots into noodle size shards. I’d rather get a pizza.
This is kind of a versatile product, and it makes for a quick side dish in a pinch. You can saute the bag of slaw on it’s own with 1 T soy sauce and 2 minced garlic cloves, you can toss in it a salad with oil and vinegar, or (my personal fave), mix it with a jar of Kimchi (fermented cabbage) and saute it all together for about 10 minutes.
It’s super healthy and kind of a fun, new side dish that you can whip up in a hurry.
3. Cinnamon Butternut Squash
The first time I cut a butternut squash….OH MY GOD. So flippin’ hard. Honestly, I was so close to smashing it on the ground. But I got through it. That day, I learned that I hate cutting open butternut squash and will probably avoid doing it for the rest of my life, if possible.
Butternut squash is soooo delicious though, and I’ve found a work-around so I can eat it on the regular. I let someone else do the chopping for me.
Pre-chopped butternut squash has the same nutritional value as buying it fresh. And you can get it in a refrigerated bag, or frozen. I personally prefer is frozen because it lasts longer. The other great thing about buying it pre-chopped is that it bakes in half the time. So squashy.
If you do buy the frozen bag, make sure to thaw out what you need in a closed container for at least 8 hours before you cook it.
Sprinkle 2 cups of diced squash with some 1 T of cinnamon or 1 T garlic powder and 1 T onion powder. Bake it in the oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. You know what to do from there. #getinmybelly
4. Roasted Baby Carrots
Sometimes, I find random baby carrots shoved in the back of my crisper drawer. By that time, I’m like “nah, I’m not gonna eat these probably”. But I’m not about wasting food (or money), so I roast them!
Carrots are super high in vitamin A and fiber. They do have some sugars in them, but the fiber in them slows down the absorption of the sugar. So they don’t normally have a big effect on your blood sugars. Eat your carrots!
You don’t even have to cut them up, but you can if you want to. Just toss a lb bag in 1-2 T olive oil. Spread the carrots on a lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with 1 t garlic powder, 1 t onion powder, and 1 t pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Don’t waste your forgotten baby carrots and roast them this week!
5. Garlic Parmesan Asparagus
Asparagus is AMAZING. I love it. But it can be crazy expensive. Sometimes I can find it at Winco for less than $2 per pound, which is a steal! I have yet to find a U-Pick asparagus farm though (so if you know of one in the Willamette Valley, let me know)!
Asparagus is super easy to make. All you do is trim the fibrous ends off (usually they are purple in color). Toss 1 lb of asparagus in 1-2 T olive oil and 1 T lemon juice. Spread them on a lined baking sheet, and then sprinkle with 1 T garlic powder and 3 T parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes (depending on how thick they are).
Then eat them. Boom. Easy vegetable sides.
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Whoop, there it is. 5 of the easiest no prep vegetable sides you’ll ever make in your life. Meal planning has never been easier! Now go out and spice up your dinners this week!
What are you favorite easy vegetable sides? Which one of these are you going to try this week? Comment below!
xoxo Megan
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