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It's so easy to get into a vegetable side-dish rut, be it the ubiquitous bag of salad greens mixed with a few chopped cucumbers and tomatoes or the ever-so-friendly roasted sheet-pan vegetables. While these are perfectly delicious options, there are so many other wonderful, quick, and colorful ways to eat vegetables that don't take long to prepare. If you're looking to mix it up a little, these recipes—all of which take 30 minutes or less to prepare—will help you get started.
We all tend to buy the same vegetables each week and forget that there are others, like baby bok choy, to try. Another way to spice up your vegetable routine is to start by looking at the way you cook—or don't cook—vegetables. If you often fry or roast, try steaming or sautéing. If you haven't cooked lettuce before, we have a recipe for you. If you always cook beets, it's time to try them raw in our salads.
All of these recipes will help bring a little pizazz to your dinner plate—and all come together in under 30 minutes.
Easy Creamed Spinach
Spinach, but make it decadent and creamy—and easy to make. Our recipe does it all. There's no sauce, since we use cream cheese to bring the decadence to everyone's favorite leafy green vegetable.
Quick-Cooked Green Beans With Lemon
Here's a classy, quick, and versatile recipe. The beans can be served either hot or at room temperature.
Skillet Corn, Edamame, and Tomatoes With Basil Oil
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This colorful, quick vegetable sauté looks and tastes like summer, but you can make it year round if you use frozen corn (the recipe already calls for frozen edamame).
Roasted Broccoli
Even those who don't usually love broccoli will fall for it when they try it roasted. And it's a boon for the weeknight cook, taking just 15 minutes in the oven.
Stir-Fried Carrots With Coconut
Serve this pretty, tasty, 20-minute side dish with grilled or roasted chicken or as part of your next Indian meal.
Easy Spring Vegetable Ragout
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This verdant mix of asparagus, leeks, sugar snap peas, and radishes makes a hearty, healthy vegetable side dish. It cooks on the stovetop in less than 15 minutes.
Sautéed Asparagus With Lemon
If you usually steam or boil asparagus, try sautéing. It produces crisp spears that retain their green color, and it seems to concentrate the asparagus flavor.
Roasted Delicata Squash With Garden Herbs
This vegetable side does take 30 minutes, but most of that time is hands off with the oven doing all of the work. Another bonus: Sweet delicata squash doesn't need to be peeled like its big relations, butternut and acorn squash, so prep is super easy.
Fried Brussels Sprouts
Working in batches is the key to getting deliciously crispy Brussels sprouts; they need space to crisp up. Be sure to bring the oil back to temperature between batches to prevent the sprouts from getting soggy.
Steamed Carrots With Lemon and Sea Salt
For a fresh take on carrots, go back to basics. Steaming lets the sweet flavor of this favorite root vegetable shine. All the carrots need are a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt. It looks especially stunning with rainbow carrots, but this recipe also works wonderfully with regular orange carrots.
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe With Garlic
Just a bit of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, some garlic, and crushed red pepper are all you need to make this iconic Italian vegetable side dish.
Dairy-Free Smashed Potatoes
Skip the butter and add richness to your smashed potatoes with a nice glug of extra-virgin olive oil instead. Leaving the skin on the potatoes adds extra nutrition, flavor, and color.
Braised Fennel With Pomegranate
Try to find fennel bulbs with some of the fronds attached. Along with the pomegranate seeds, they are the perfect garnish to add freshness to this quick and delicious braised dish.
Sautéed Baby Boy Choy
Here's a perfect 15-minute vegetable side dish for all kinds of entrées—serve yours with Korean short ribs, seared salmon, or tuck them into a bowl of bibimbap!
Grilled Zucchini With Miso
A few minutes on the grill is all this zucchini needs. Put them on the coals after you've grilled steaks or chicken, and the squash will be ready by the time the meat has finished resting.
Raw-Beet and Celery-Root Salad
Use a mandolin to make chopping the vegetables for this cold weather salad a snap. It's a great dish to bring to a pot luck, since it can be made up to three days ahead.
Blistered Shishito-Pepper Salad With Chive Vinaigrette
Heads up! Shishito peppers are mostly mild—but every now and then you will get a spicy one. Here we pair the shishitos with cool, crunchy honeydew and cucumbers, plus juicy tomatoes.
Sweet Peas With Shallots and Gem Lettuce
Lettuce isn't just for eating raw in salads. This elegant sauté is finished off with Little Gem lettuce leaves, cooked just until they wilt.
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