Five Vegetable Side Dishes for Busy Weeknights!

I’m assuming you’re here, because you are trying to figure out yet another side dish to add to the routine of the weeknight hustle. Or maybe you’re needing some veggies in those bellies. I get it my friend. Been there, done that. And sometimes, I just get caught up in the same stuff, and I need fresh ideas on what to cook up as a side in the midst of a busy week! So I wanted to bring my five easy vegetable side dishes that I keep on rotation!

These are my top 5 that I turn to pretty often. We eat at least 2-4 of these a week, if not more than just one side per meal. They are require minimal prep, because hello, easy is my love language when it comes to cooking. Time is never on my side, and if I can prep some things over the weekend, it just makes my life that much easier when 5 PM hits. Ya feel me?

This post will be a little different from the standpoint that I won’t give your quantities. It’s more of a general recipe and you can adjust the quantities depending on how much of the vegetable you buy. Most spices are pretty common, but my top two to have on hand are the 21 Seasoning Salute and the Chile Lime Seasoning Blend. Both are from Trader Joe’s, but feel free to also use different spices if you can’t get your hands on these babies. 

Let’s hop to it!

ONE // ROASTED CARROTS

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400. 
2. Peel carrots, or if you don’t want to use whole carrots, use baby carrots because it saves you the peeling step! I love the colorful ones because it always add more variety to the table of food, and I’m a huge believer in the more color of veggies on the table, the more nutrition! 
3. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
4. Lay them on a foil lined cookie sheet, and pop it into the oven for 20 minutes! They’ll develop a small char and it’s amazing how sweet carrots can be when roasted in the oven!

TWO // SAUTEED PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS

Directions:

1. You can either buy whole portabella mushrooms, but to save time, I love buying the ones that are already pre-sliced. Saves me even more time!
2. Heat a little bit of EVOO in a saute pan on medium to high heat. 
3. Add in the mushrooms and start to saute. Sprinkle just a little bit of salt and pepper.
4. Once they start to soften a bit, add a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve!

Eat these while they are hot…cold mushrooms always ick me out! Ha.  

THREE // ROASTED POTATOES

I’m sure you’re shocked that I even put one of the most common side dishes on here, but this is my absolute fave. Mainly because I can use it as a side dish for all three meals of the day! You can easily eat this with eggs for breakfast, but then also sub it as a side for your burger or steak or chicken for lunch/dinner. So sometimes, I’ll even make a large batch and serve it with meals throughout the week. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Slice red potatoes into little wedges. Drizzle with EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the 21 seasoning salute. Give it a good toss so all the pieces get coated 
3. Lay flat on a foil lined cookie sheet, and make sure they are separated and not touching. 
4. Roast for about 25 minutes and they will a little bit crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside! 

FOUR // ZUCCHINI AND ONION STIR FRY

Directions:

1. Slice zucchini into half moon slices. And slice a yellow onion into the same size strips. Equal amounts of each vegetable ideally. 
2. Heat a little bit of EVOO in a saute pan on medium to high heat. Add in the veggies and start to saute. 
3. Add salt, pepper, fresh grated garlic (or garlic powder), a little bit of cumin and saute until veggies soften. But be careful not to make them too soggy! Soft but with still a little bit of crunch!

FIVE // ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Cut your cauliflower into little florets, or just buy it cut up if you want! Heck, if it saves you time, do it! 
3. Toss with EVOO, salt, and the chile lime seasoning powder from Trader Joe’s.
4. Lay it all flat on a foil lined cookie sheet, and pop it into the oven for 20 minutes!
5. Before serving, squeeze a bit of lime on it and you are good to go! 

I hope this is helpful!! I will sometimes make two of the roasted dishes in one night to have more variety and options too! More veggies never hurt anyone. Eat em’ up. 

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