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–+ servings
A close-up of a vibrant broccoli salad with couscous, crispy bacon, dried cranberries, and grated Parmesan cheese.

The Ultimate Veggie Sides Recipes Guide for Beginners

This guide is for novice cooks looking to master easy and delicious vegetable side dishes. It's perfect for those new to cooking or wanting to add more vegetables to their meals without feeling overwhelmed.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating and Absorbing Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 5 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: International
Calories: 577
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Marinated Broccoli
  • 1.5 medium heads broccoli 4 cups chopped small, spoon-eating size
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Couscous and Plumped Cranberries
  • 1 cup pearl couscous
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Nutty Salami Fry Up
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 100 g salami chopped into 1×1.25cm pieces, or bacon
  • 1/3 cup almonds unsalted, natural, chopped into big pieces
  • 1 red onion halved, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
Red Wine Vinegar Honey Dressing
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey sub maple, or 2 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic finely minced
  • 1 tsp lemon zest optional
  • 1/4 tsp cooking salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
Serving
  • 1/4 cup+ parmesan finely grated

Equipment

  • Jar
  • Bowl
  • Large saucepan
  • Large non-stick pan
  • Serving Bowl

Method
 

  1. For the dressing, shake all ingredients in a jar.
  2. Chop broccoli into small pieces, about 1.5cm long. Chop the stem parts a bit smaller.
  3. Place 4 cups of broccoli in a bowl. Add vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Toss and let sit for 30 minutes.
  4. Boil water in a large saucepan. Cook couscous for 5 minutes, adding cranberries for the last 30 seconds. Drain, return to the saucepan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of dressing. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  5. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add salami and cook for 1.5 minutes. Add almonds and onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until salami is golden and onion is softened. Add this mixture to the broccoli and let cool for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the couscous and the remaining dressing to the broccoli mixture. Toss well. Serve in a bowl, sprinkled with parmesan.

Nutrition

Calories: 577kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 19gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 1008mgPotassium: 613mgFiber: 7gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 618IUVitamin C: 84mgCalcium: 176mgIron: 2mg

Notes

You can substitute red wine vinegar with white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or sherry vinegar. Pearl couscous can be substituted with tiny pasta like risoni or orzo, or 2 1/4 cups of cooked rice, barley, quinoa, or farro. Salami can be replaced with cubed cheese or feta, or omitted for a lighter salad. Almonds can be swapped for pistachios, pecans, sunflower seeds, or pepitas. This dish keeps for 3 days, even when dressed.

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