Sometimes it can be hard to come up with good side dishes when you decide to eat more “real” food. All those quick and easy side dishes of your past are nixed. No more Kraft Mac-and-Cheese, no more Pork ‘n Beans, no more Hungry Man instant potatoes. The truth is, real food sides can be so easy…and very quick. Roast any veggie – steam and add butter or chop up a quick salad.
My problem is that sometimes I just get in a rut…broccoli, again? *Sigh* So, I set out to find some real food side dishes. The recipes abound! However, I thought it would be nice if they were all in one spot so they would be easier to find when I was in a hurry…because, while I love meal planning, I don’t always plan side dishes. I just write “side dish.” Creative, huh?
So, here they are…in no certain order. 75 real food sides for your quick reference. Can you tell that I love making lists? You might also want to check out: 100 Days of Non-Processed Crock Pot Meals, 20 Healthy Granola Bar Recipes, 40 Uses for a Dehydrator, or 101 Snacks For Your Husband On-the-Go.
- Asian Asparagus and Mushrooms
- Asparagus Fries
- Avocado Salad with Bacon
- Bacon Avocado Cups
- Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
- Baked Pepperjack Squash
- Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
- Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash
- Beans and Rice
- Broccoli Salad
- Butternut Squash Fries
- Cauliflower Mash
- Cauliflower Rice
- Chipotle Slaw
- Collard Greens
- Cracker Salad
- Creamy Curry Quinoa Salad
- Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts
- Curried Carrot Chips
- Dilled Cabbage Salad
- Dill Pickle Coleslaw
- Easy Crock Pot Vegetables
- Eggplant Fries
- Faux-Tato Salad
- Fresh Snapped Green Beans
- Fried Cabbage with Bacon
- Fried Squash
- Fried Sweet Potatoes
- Garlic Green Beans
- Garlicky Greens
- Greek Salad
- Greek Style Squash
- Green Bean Casserole
- Green Bean Salad
- Guacamole Salad
- Harvest Brussels Sprouts
- Indian Cucumber Salad
- Jalapeno Bacon Mashed Cauliflower
- Kale Chips
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Onion Rings
- Oven Fried Green Tomatoes
- Oven Grilled Eggplant
- Oven Roasted Artichokes
- Oven Roasted Mushrooms
- Pan Roasted Cauliflower
- Pan Roasted Radishes
- Parmesan Squash Noodles
- Parmesan Tomatoes
- Quinoa Berry Salad
- Raw Applesauce
- Red Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan
- Roasted Green Beans
- Roasted Winter Vegetables
- Savory Cinnamon Rice
- Seven Layer Salad
- Spaghetti Squash
- Spaghetti Squash Gratin
- Spinach Supreme
- Southwest Style Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Summer Squash Pancakes
- Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Tomato Salad
- Twice Baked Cauliflower (with butter)
- World’s Best Asparagus
- Zucchini Cakes
- Zucchini Chips
And there ya have it! That’s all she wrote…for now. 😉
Anne @ Authentic Simplicity says
October 1, 2013 at 8:02 pmThis is a great list with lots of creative options. I always get stuck on side dishes too. Thanks for linking up to Healthy 2Day Wednesday!
Stacy says
October 2, 2013 at 9:11 pm🙂 Thank you for hosting it!
homemaidsimple says
September 30, 2013 at 6:03 pmI love you oh so much right now! Half the time we go without sides, because not only do I not plan them, I completely forget until we’re sitting down to eat that…oh gosh, some veggies may have been nice. lol. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday! Bookmarking and pinning this list.
Stacy says
September 30, 2013 at 9:27 pmNo sides?!
homemaidsimple says
October 1, 2013 at 10:06 amI will hang my head in shame now. It’s not that I mean to have no sides, I just get so busy on the main dish, that I forget. I’m working on changing that though.
Stacy says
October 1, 2013 at 3:18 pmI’m sure no one is going hungry. 🙂 Meat!
the Nourishing Herbalist says
September 30, 2013 at 7:01 amGreat resource, Stacy! I shared with my readers on FB and Pinterest!
Stacy says
September 30, 2013 at 3:44 pmWell, thank you very much! I appreciate that!
Diane Balch says
September 28, 2013 at 6:37 pmWhat an amazing collection of side dishes. Thank you so much for sharing them with us on foodie friday.
myersbr2 says
September 29, 2013 at 8:51 pmThanks for hosting!
Miz Helen says
September 28, 2013 at 12:48 pmWhat a fabulous collection of Side Dishes, I am looking forward to going through all the recipes. Have a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Stacy says
September 28, 2013 at 6:19 pm🙂 With all that’s linked up at your party, you probably don’t have the time for that. LOL
Jenni Mullinix says
September 28, 2013 at 7:56 amI’m glad I’m not the only one that gets in a rut when it comes to side dishes. Thanks for sharing this awesome list. Pinning it! 🙂
Stacy says
September 28, 2013 at 6:21 pmI get in ruts, period. LOL
Juggling Real Food & Real Life says
September 27, 2013 at 2:14 pmThanks so much for putting together this fantastic list of recipes and for sharing it with our Let’s Get Real readers. I can spend the rest of the year trying out recipes just from this list. What an incredible resource this is. Being a real food eater, I get asked (all the time), “What do you eat?” Well here you go……….there is so much to eat when you eat real.
Stacy says
September 28, 2013 at 5:35 amEat real – with BACON. Yeah.
Marianne @ Ragdoll Kitchen says
September 24, 2013 at 10:52 amThis is a huge list! Thank you for all your work and the great recipes 😀
Stacy says
September 24, 2013 at 3:09 pmI like making lists…it’s my happy place.
Kristin says
September 23, 2013 at 11:46 pmWhew! What a great list!! I can be so stumped for sides sometimes. Pinning for sure!
Stacy says
September 24, 2013 at 3:26 pmNow you’re all set!
Di says
September 20, 2013 at 5:39 amStacey Thank you! I’m doing oven roasted mushrooms in the morning. How handy while I savour a coffee before breakfast!!! 🙂 thanks again 🙂
Stacy says
September 20, 2013 at 6:52 amI’m savoring my coffee right now and thinking of you and your mushrooms. 🙂 Good luck!
Trisha Eldridge Gilkerson says
September 20, 2013 at 12:24 amThanks for sharing my avocado bacon salad! THis is an awesome list. Lots of tasty sounding dishes. Must pin 🙂
Stacy says
September 20, 2013 at 7:31 amYou’re welcome…it looks AWESOME!
Karen Miller says
September 19, 2013 at 6:14 pmThanks for all the ideas! I am new to cooking healthy and am trying to be disciplined about planning (menuing) for a whole week at a time to help with shopping (saving time and money by only buying what we need) and to be prepared (save time when it is time to start preparing a meal). How do you pin a recipe that does not have a pin button?
Stacy says
September 20, 2013 at 7:54 amI pin with my bookmarklet – I don’t even use the pin buttons on peoples websites. 🙂
http://about.pinterest.com/goodies/#browser
Nikki says
September 19, 2013 at 4:32 pmOh what a jolly resource this is! *pinning* 🙂
Stacy says
September 19, 2013 at 6:00 pmYou’re my pinning BFF!
Madame Doizan says
September 19, 2013 at 11:51 amGreat ideas, thank you…
Stacy says
September 19, 2013 at 6:01 pmYou’re welcome!
Nanci Smith says
September 19, 2013 at 11:14 amThis is great, thank you!
What I started doing earlier this summer is planning the “side” first, since the main dishes are usually not as hard to figure out.
Stacy says
September 19, 2013 at 6:01 pmI usually just cook what I have in the fridge in the summer – since it can vary day to day on what I have in the fridge. 🙂 I will miss summer produce.
colleen says
September 19, 2013 at 10:09 amOh my gosh Stacy thank you so much for putting these all together. I often end up with the same side dishes and my children, who never complain, always seem so deflated when they come to the dinner table and see that we are having string beans AGAIN, or peas AGAIN, and yes, my children like peas! This is such a great help for me since I am an out of the home working mom.
Stacy says
September 19, 2013 at 6:02 pmI’m so glad it’s going to help!! That just tickles me pink. 🙂
gayla says
September 19, 2013 at 8:25 amYou are an angel! Thank you so much for this!
Stacy says
September 19, 2013 at 6:02 pmWOW! First time I’ve been called THAT. lol
Jamie says
September 19, 2013 at 8:11 amThank you, thank you, thank you for posting this list…already pinned it. 🙂 I am always looking for real food side dishes. I’m not much of a veggie eater but know I need to be. Thanks for the ideas!!
Stacy says
September 19, 2013 at 6:02 pmI looooooooooooooooove veggies!