ISO Wholesome Easy Side Dishes for the Holidays

[livinlovinlaughin]

I am looking for easy side dishes with "real" ingredients. If it were up to me I would make and serve plain sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli (season your own). We love them as is. Holiday family meals are not at our home so instead it is casserole this and that loaded with butter and prepackaged things and who knows what else. I am looking for some side dishes I can whip up and enjoy for us and hopefully others with like as well. I am hoping to come up with a  dish or two that we can choose to fill our plates in place of the "junk" without totally remaking the meal. Any ideas welcome. TIA. Happy Holidays.

[sewchris2642]

Welcome to Thanksgiving with my family.  The only prepackage item on the menu is the stuffing and the green bean casserole.  And except for the turkey and gravy, everything is lacto-ovo vegetarian.  We have mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with apples, carrots with horseradish, raw cranberry relish, home made rolls, tossed green salad with pears (the pears are canned in juice and the dressing is bottled), the above mentioned green bean casserole, home made macaroni and cheese.  The desserts are as plentiful as the sides and are home made from scratch (exception is the mince pie).

There are upwards of 26 people at our Thanksgivings and everyone brings a dish.  Mom bakes most of the desserts and I do the mince pie (home made crust with boxed/jar mince meat).  One of these days I hope to afford to make mince pie totally from scratch but it's just not feasible right now.  I do the rolls from scratch.  Usually potato rolls which will make 30 rolls per recipe.

[Megan73]

Deborah Madison has a great recipe - I'm sure it's online somewhere - for a squash, onion and sage gratin that is hearty and delicious. Braised red cabbage and apple looks pretty with it and you could add a green salad.

[spiderdust]

How about roasted vegetables?  Just cut up an assortment of veggies that you like, toss with olive oil, place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and roast in the oven at about 400F until browned and caramelized.  They tend to travel well too.  Mushrooms and onions are a nice combination, but a mix of "hardier" seasonal veggies -- carrots, parsnips, radishes, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, turnips, shallots, broccoli and/or onions -- in whatever assortment you like can be a nice addition.

[livinlovinlaughin]

Originally Posted by spiderdust 

How about roasted vegetables?  Just cut up an assortment of veggies that you like, toss with olive oil, place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and roast in the oven at about 400F until browned and caramelized.  They tend to travel well too.  Mushrooms and onions are a nice combination, but a mix of "hardier" seasonal veggies -- carrots, parsnips, radishes, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, turnips, shallots, broccoli and/or onions -- in whatever assortment you like can be a nice addition.

Roasted vegetables is just what I was looking for. Thank you for triggering the reset button on my brain :) I have some broccoli, sweet potatoes, and maybe butternut squash. I am thinking the broccoli and should be done on its own. I'm not sure how they would taste together. If I do broccoli on its own I will add some garlic. I just picked the broccoli up at the store yesterday. I am not sure it will stay fresh until Thanksgiving. Can I freeze it then roast it? I remember reading somewhere once that veggies should be dry when roasting. Opinions???

[ollyoxenfree]

I think it's a little too far away for broccoli to maintain it's freshness. I've never roasted frozen broccoli, but a friend does. She tosses the frozen florets with olive oil and herbs and roasts at 425F, I think, for about 30 or 40 minutes. I know it's a fairly hot oven. 

I also like roasted cauliflower, in case you are still seeking ideas. 

If you'd like something a little more colourful, roasted beets are wonderful, but take a little bit more work. Wash beets and wrap them individually in foil. No need to peel. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast them at 400F for about an hour. Wearing rubber gloves, remove the foil and peel off the skins (they should just rub off). Cut into quarters or eighths, drizzle with some balsamic vinegar, fresh chopped basil or oregano, salt and pepper and toss with some goat cheese or feta.