25 Easy Vegetable Side Dishes

These vegetable side dishes are an easy, healthy way to round out any meal! Find tasty recipes for zucchini, green beans, broccoli, and more.

Vegetable side dishes are often my favorite part of dinner. No offense to the main course, but I find that vegetable side dishes are what make the meal fun. They add a pop of color, fresh flavor, and variety to the table. Even basic roasted broccoli is so tasty that I want to eat it straight off the baking sheet! I’m sharing 25 of my go-to vegetable side dishes below. I’ve made all these recipes time and time again. Each one is simple enough to prep for a weeknight dinner, but also flavorful enough to serve at a holiday feast. Try…

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Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

This tortilla soup recipe has a rich, fragrant broth filled with corn and black beans. We love it with crispy tortilla strips and avocado on top!

Tortilla soup is one of my favorite foods. Not just one of my favorite soups (though of course it is), but one of my favorite foods in general. I love how the rich, flavorful broth contrasts with toppings like crunchy tortilla strips and creamy avocado. Now that the temperatures are cooling off for the season, you can bet that I’ll have this tortilla soup recipe on repeat. Tortilla soup (or sopa de tortilla or sopa Azteca) is thought to have originated in central Mexico, though you can find regional variations throughout Mexico and the US today. I can’t claim that…

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Homemade Applesauce

Learn how to make homemade applesauce with this easy recipe! Spiced with cinnamon, it's a delicious healthy snack or topping for pancakes and more.

fall

This homemade applesauce recipe is a staple in our house year-round, but especially during apple season. It’s an easy way to use up a surplus of too-soft or overripe apples, and as it cooks, it fills your house with the aroma of fresh apples and cinnamon. That smell is SO cozy on a crisp fall day. On its own, it’d be enough to make anyone a homemade applesauce convert. But this homemade applesauce recipe gets better. It doesn’t just smell good—it tastes good too! It’s tangy, lightly sweet, and full of spiced apple flavor. You can make it chunky if…

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Corn Chowder

Savor the taste of summer sweet corn in this easy corn chowder recipe! Packed with fresh corn and potatoes, it's creamy, comforting, and delicious.

summer / soups

It’s the perfect time of year to make corn chowder. Summer veggies like sweet corn and peppers still abound at the farmers market and grocery store, but as the sun sets earlier and the temperatures cool, a comforting bowl of soup can really hit the spot. This corn chowder recipe is everything I’m craving right now. A meal in a bowl, it’s filled with chunky potatoes, corn kernels, red peppers, and a lightly creamy broth that’s bursting with sweet corn flavor. To balance the sweetness, I throw in savory celery and a dash of Old Bay Seasoning, smoked paprika, and…

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BEST Hummus

Learn how to make homemade hummus with this easy, 7-ingredient hummus recipe! It comes together in minutes, and it's SUPER smooth and creamy.

snacks & dips / vegan / gluten free

Is there anything better than creamy, nutty, velvety homemade hummus? I don’t think so, which is why I make this hummus recipe nearly every week. I’ve shared many hummus variations over the years (including 4 in my first cookbook!), but this recipe is the one I make most often. It’s a classic version of the Middle Eastern chickpea dip, with garbanzo beans and tahini as the key ingredients. The recipe is super simple to make. With just 5 minutes of prep, 7 basic ingredients transform into delicious homemade hummus. It’s lusciously smooth, with a bright lemon flavor and a little…

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Zucchini Soup

Fresh herbs, ginger, and lime fill this creamy zucchini soup with bright, refreshing flavor. It's a delicious, healthy meal that's ready in 30 minutes!

This zucchini soup is creamy and comforting, but still bright and fresh. Blended zucchini and coconut milk create its luxe, silky base, while ginger, herbs, and lime fill it with bold, refreshing flavor. I also toss in a serrano chile for heat, though if you’re sensitive to spice, you could skip it. This zucchini soup recipe is perfect for late summer and early fall. As the temps cool off from their summer peaks, I start craving warmer, heartier fare. At the same time, I want to keep cooking with fresh garden zucchini while it’s abundant (I’m not ready for all things pumpkin…

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Avocado Salad

This avocado salad recipe is a delicious, healthy side dish! A zesty dressing coats creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, crisp veggies, and fresh herbs.

salads / spring

I’ve been craving this avocado salad recipe ever since I first made it. If you’re thinking, “Craving…a salad?”, well, you simply have to try this one. This avocado salad is not guacamole. But like guacamole, it keeps you coming back for more. Creamy avocado plays off juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, crunchy red onion, and spicy jalapeño. A bright lime dressing brings it all together. The fresh, zesty flavors and the delicious combination of textures make it so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s been one of my go-to side dishes this summer because it’s super tasty, super quick,…

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Ratatouille

This ratatouille recipe is a delicious version of the classic French stew. It's rich and flavorful, filled with late summer vegetables, olive oil, and herbs.

summer / vegetarian

Ratatouille is a French stew made with late summer vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. It’s rich with olive oil, bright with vinegar, and flecked with fresh herbs. If you haven’t tried it, put this ratatouille recipe on your list to make this summer. It’s even more delightful than the Disney movie of the same name (which is pretty delightful, if you ask me). Making this ratatouille recipe always transports me to Provence, France. A few years ago, I stayed with a local family there. On my first night with them, they served ratatouille for dinner. We sat on…

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Grilled Broccoli

This easy grilled broccoli recipe is a simple, delicious summer side dish! Ready in 20 minutes, it's crisp-tender, flavorful, and beautifully charred.

This grilled broccoli recipe is a fresh, easy summer side dish. If you’re a fan of roasted broccoli, you’ll love it. It has the same dark, crispy edges and crisp-tender texture, but its flavor is even more complex. This grilled broccoli is smoky, sweet, and savory. As the broccoli cooks, the hot grill brings out its natural sweetness. At the same time, it becomes beautifully charred, taking on a smoky taste. A sprinkle of garlic powder gives it savory depth. This grilled broccoli is broccoli at its best. I’ve tried a variety of methods for grilling broccoli (in a grill…

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Spicy Margarita

Jalapeños give this spicy margarita recipe a delicious kick. Tart and refreshing, it's perfect for a happy hour or summer entertaining.

summer / cocktail / entertaining

Meet my go-to spicy margarita recipe! Like a classic margarita, it’s tart and refreshing, but jalapeño peppers give it an extra kick of heat. This spicy margarita recipe is easy to make. You only need 6 simple ingredients, and it comes together quickly in a cocktail shaker. Enjoy it with tortilla chips, guacamole, and/or salsa at a happy hour, Cinco de Mayo, or summer gathering. Cheers! Spicy Margarita Ingredients To make this jalapeño margarita recipe, you need 6 simple ingredients: Tequila – Use any good-quality blanco tequila (aka silver tequila) in this recipe. We like Espolon tequila, but feel free…

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Baba Ganoush

This easy baba ganoush recipe is smoky, savory, and creamy. Made with eggplant, tahini, garlic, and lemon, it's a delicious dip for pita and veggies.

summer / appetizers / snacks & dips

Have you tried baba ganoush? If you like hummus, I have a feeling you’ll love this Mediterranean eggplant dip too. Made with grilled or roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic, and lemon, it’s creamy, smoky, nutty, and bright. I’m sharing my easy baba ganoush recipe below. It pairs perfectly with crisp veggies and pita bread, but I love it so much that I’ve also been known to eat it straight off a spoon. I hope you enjoy it too! How to Make Baba Ganoush This baba ganoush recipe is simple to make. It starts with 6 basic ingredients: Baba Ganoush Ingredients Eggplant…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.