Get fresh and healthy veggie inspiration from these 25 easy vegetable recipes with plenty of tips for cooking, serving, and storing the best way.
Whether it's winter, spring, summer, or fall, we provide seasonal and delicious vegetable ideas that will easily upgrade your next meal. Take your pick from sauteed, steamed, roasted, shaved, braised, and caramelized veggies, they will please even the pickiest of eaters!
Autumn and winter vegetable recipes
Warming vegetable recipes that keep you nourished and covered with vitamins and healthy fiber.
1. Roasted vegetables
We start this easy vegetable list with a family-friendly meal: roasted vegetables which is a hands-off one-tray dish. Make it in just 30 minutes with simple seasonal ingredients and serve it as a colorful addition to your favorite dinner.
2. Caramelized roasted carrots
You will love these roasted carrots as it's an easy method to turn carrots into a unique side dish. Add your favorite condiments, such as chimichurri dressing or tahini sauce, and dress up your carrots to become a beautiful and flavorful side.
3. Roasted Brussels sprouts
If you have people over or want to make a special dinner for your family, you've got to drizzle these roasted Brussels sprouts with our mustard-maple syrup dressing!
The dressing coats and penetrates the crevices of the oven-roasted Brussels sprouts with sweet, tangy, acidic, and slightly spicy notes. It's a luxurious yet easy-to-make vegetable side!
4. Braised artichokes
Tender soft and buttery smooth! This recipe for braised artichokes is an Italian appetizer of braised artichokes that are simmered in a pot with water, olive oil, and herbs. Serve this vegetable starter with toasted bread, vegan mayonnaise (optionally), and fresh mint leaves.
5. Sauteed mushrooms
Here's how to make perfect sauteed mushrooms on the stovetop, with a few simple ingredients, in about 15 minutes. You can use most varieties for this recipe, we use white button mushrooms and portobello mushrooms, which are widely available in most supermarkets.
6. Crispy kale chips
Kale chips are oven-baked pieces of kale that turn out crisp, thanks to a low baking temperature and a tiny bit of oil to spread the heat evenly. You can make kale chips with small pieces of curly kale or dinosaur kale or use whole kale leaves for a grandiose and elegant vegetable snack.
7. Microwaved sweet potato
Microwave sweet potato is one of the easiest meals you'll ever make and by far the easiest and fastest way of cooking sweet potato. You can enjoy this vegetable-rich meal for lunch, and dinner, as a side dish, main dish, and even as a healthy dessert with cinnamon and maple syrup.
8. Fennel orange salad
9. Shaved Brussels sprout salad
This shaved salad is the perfect side dish for the fall and winter seasons when Brussels sprouts are readily available. It has a crunchy texture, a refreshing and light feel, and it's packed with flavor. It's highly nutritious, fibrous, and pairs well with many of our plant-based meals.
10. Potato mash
With only five ingredients, we find this to be the best mashed potatoes recipe we've tested. We took inspiration from my Italian grandma's recipe book; this mash has been a family favorite for generations. You'll love it because it's easy to make, light, and a creamy way to eat vegetables.
11. Cauliflower rice
Our cauliflower rice recipe is cauliflower grated with a box grater or processed in a food processor, then lightly cooked on the stove and served as if it were regular rice. If you are looking for a low-calorie, low-carb, and high antioxidants alternative to regular rice or bread, you might want to give this recipe a shot.
12. Roasted crispy potatoes
The most crucial step to make perfectly cooked roasted potatoes is to blanch them in boiling water, then roast them in the oven at a high temperature. These potatoes are perfect as an appetizer or side dish; we eat these a lot as a healthier alternative to french fries.
13. Sweet or savory roasted butternut squash
Oven-roasted butternut squash has a pleasant, naturally sweet, and nutty taste; it's tender and melts in your mouth. We show you how to do it savory and sweet, and use the roasted vegetable for salads and soups too.
14. Sauteed green beans
You can serve sautéed green beans as a side dish on most occasions, from Thanksgiving and Christmas to summer night dinners. The best thing about this vegetable recipe is that it's so easy to make and great for a healthy and delicious weeknight dinner.
Spring and summer vegetable recipes
Zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, asparagus, and bell peppers. The list goes on once spring arrives and the markets are stocked with seasonal produce. Try these easy yet incredibly tasty vegetable ideas with grilling, sauteeing, steaming, and raw serving methods.
15. Air fryer zucchini
These air fryer zucchini bits are tender-crisp, chunky zucchini wedges that are a pleasure to bite into. Each air-fried zucchini piece is a little charred on the outside, but still perfectly juicy and "meaty" on the inside.
16. Steamed asparagus
Asparagus is one of our favorite vegetables to steam. Their flavor blossoms and they get tender and juicy. You can serve steamed asparagus as they are, with a pinch of salt, a twist of freshly ground black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.
17. Shaved zucchini salad
This raw zucchini salad will exceed your expectations because it's delicious, refreshing, and easy to make. We use a vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini thinly. It's easy, and it takes less than 5 minutes.
18. Roasted bell pepper
Oven roasting is a simple, clean, and healthy way to make smokey and juicy roasted peppers. Roasting improves flavor, helps maximize the absorption of certain nutrients like vitamin A, and makes the peppers more digestible. We marinade the roasted bell peppers in an Italian sauce to help them vegetable shine and taste incredible.
19. Grilled zucchini
The secret to the healthiest and tastiest grilled zucchini? Don't put any oil on the veggies before grilling them. These tender and juicy grilled zucchini are perfect for summer BBQs and family dinners, perfectly charred and vibrant green!
20. Sauteed eggplant
It's easy to make sauteed eggplant on the stovetop in just 20 minutes, and it's great as a last-minute dinner because you can serve it on its own as a side dish, on top of toasted bread, or use it as a delicious pasta sauce.
21. Roasted eggplant
Here we'll share with your our favorite roasted eggplant recipe. One you can make in about 30 minutes, with very simple ingredients, and enjoy as a side dish or use to make other delicious recipes, such as pasta, salads, and grain bowls.
22. Tomato salad
Tomato and onion salad is refreshing, easy to put together, and perfect to cool you down during those scorching summer months. Serve it with crusty bread to soak up all the flavorful tomato juices for a simple light lunch or as a side dish.
23. Avocado spread
All you've got to do to make it is blend ripe avocado, tahini, fresh lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and garlic in a food processor. Spread this delicious avo spread on fresh bread or crunchy crostini, use it for avocado toast and wraps, and add it to sandwiches, or roasted eggplant boats.
24. Watermelon salad
The crisp, sweet, and juicy watermelon is meant to be combined with creamy, savory feta cheese. The tanginess and saltiness of the Feta highlight the crisp and sweet nature of the summer fruit. The flavors meld together so perfectly, it's a great vegetable side for a summer night gettogether.
25. Eggplant caponata
Caponata is a traditional Sicilian dish usually served as a starter or a side dish. In essence, caponata is an eggplant (aubergine) salad or a quick eggplant stew that you can eat warm or at room temperature. It's a wonderful way to eat more veggies, and it stores well in the fridge for days.
How to make vegetables more interesting
If you're looking to add more flavor to your vegetables, we recommend using fresh herbs, spices, and condiments. For cooked vegetables, dry drizzle with a green sauce, such as:
- Basil pesto: creamy, warm, basil-packed, and nutty.
- Chimichurri: for a spicy, tangy feel - a perfect match with any cooked vegetable.
- Italian salsa verde: for a fresh parsley and olive oil flavor.
- Green goddess dressing: for herb lovers, it's a creamy and aromatic green sauce.
- Cilantro lime dressing: for a tangy Mexican-inspired flavor.
You can also always experiment with dips or a side of marinara sauce, ketchup, and mayonnaise.
How to store these vegetable recipes
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
- Reheat them in a preheated oven at 360°F or 180°C for 10 minutes or in the microwave.
- Alternatively, you can reheat the vegetables on a nonstick pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.
Recipe
25 Easy Vegetable Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 cups cauliflower cut in small florets
- 2 cups mushrooms (white or brown) cut into fourths
- 1½ cup Brussels sprouts cut in half
- 1 cup carrots cut in 1-inch pieces
- 1 large red onion cut in 1-inch pieces
- 1 heaping cup bell pepper cut in 1-inch pieces
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 twists black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper.Wash and peel the vegetables if necessary. Then, chop them into dice of about the same size.For instance, cut Brussels sprouts in half, cut the cauliflower into small florets, mushrooms, carrot, onion, and yellow pepper into 1-inch pieces.
- Add the chopped veggies to a mixing bowl, and toss them with extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, rosemary needles, thyme leaves, and crushed garlic.
- Arrange on baking sheet on a single layer.
- Bake at 400°F or 200°C for 25 to 30 minutes or until the veggies are golden brown and slightly charred.
- Transfer onto a serving platter and serve immediately. Optionally you can sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Video Recipe
Notes
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
- Reheat them in a preheated oven at 360°F or 180°C for 10 minutes or in the microwave.
- Alternatively, you can reheat the vegetables on a nonstick pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
Nutritional Values
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