8 Outstanding Veggie Recipes - Delicious Homemade Vegetable Dishes (2024)

This Outstanding Veggie Recipes Super Page contains lots of Tasty & Easy to make Vegetable Side Dish Recipes!

1. Greek Cucumber Salad – Tzatziki

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This recipe (pronounced Zadzeek) has been in Steve’s family for generations. It is so easy, delicious and healthy, we make it regularly. If you want to add more veggie recipes to your diet, this is a tasty, tried n true recipe. It’s perfect for summer because it’s so cool and refreshing, but you can make it anytime that you have cucumbers and yogurt available.

Tzatziki Ingredients:

• 3 Cucumbers, diced
• 12 – 16 oz plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• One tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut the cucumbers into whole or half slices about 1/8 of an inch thick. Put cucumbers in a bowl and mix in all other ingredients, gently stirring with a large spoon. Stir until the creamy sauce coats the cucumbers.

Here’ a link to our video on YouTube showing how we make this Tzatziki Recipe!

2. Fresh Spinach Salad

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The perfect time for this healthy and delicious recipe is during the summer when fresh spinach prices plummet. But truly you can eat it any time of the year as a main dish or side dish! This recipe truly deserves its spot in one of our favorite veggie recipes for this page.

Ingredients:

• Mix in large bowl
• 2 bags fresh spinach, washed and ripped up
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
  • 12 fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 to 1/2 onion, chopped fine
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
  • Half to 1 lb. cooked and crumbled bacon

Dressing:

• 3/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • One tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. dry mustard

3. Delicious Candied Yams

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This Candied Yams recipe was handed down from Steve’s mom to Annette. It is sooooo good, we always make extra for Thanksgiving so we have left-overs for days to come. Just be sure you don’t have any loose fillings – the candied yams can be pretty sticky. This terrific veggie recipes side dish can be made a day or two before you want to serve it.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 large round yams – a rounder shape makes for better-finished slices
• Candy Sauce per batch– you’ll need 2 to 2 ½ batches:
• 2 sticks of butter — Annette uses a total 5 sticks /1¼ lbs of butter
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar — Annette uses 5 cups total
• ½ Cup Water — Annette uses a total 1 ¼ cups

We usually end up making 2 1/2 batches of the candy sauce to coat all of the yams – this will depend on how thickly you coat the yams each time you baste them.

Directions:

1. Boil Yams: 30 to 45 min. in large pot of water
2. Peel Yams – Careful – they can be really hot if you don’t let them cool
3. Slice in thick slices – Yams will thin out as they cook, so slice 3/4″ to 1″ thick
4. Candy Sauce – 2 Sticks Butter / 2 Cups Brown Sugar / 1/2 Cup Water – Bring to a boil
5. Coat one side of the Yams with Candied Sauce using a clean pastry brush

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Step 6: Cook for 20 to 30 minutes then flip/recoat with sauce and cook again – you’ll “baste” each side 2 times

Total cooking time is 80 – 120 minutes – 20 – 30 minutes per side x 4

This recipe will make enough for about 10 people

Reheat to serve – the sugar can make the pieces a little crispy around the edges – warming will soften the yams and make them easier to serve

If you want to learn Annette’s secrets to cooking a delicious and juicy turkey, check out this article and video. How to Cook a Turkey Like a Pro!

4 . The Best Potato Latkes

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We found this Potato Latke recipe in a children’s holiday book and fell in love with it. We’ve often double the recipe in order to make a huge batch. This goes great with a pancake breakfast. This veggie recipes side dish is also a favorite among Jewish people as they celebrate Hanukkah.

Ingredients:

• 4 Potatoes, raw, shredded
• 1 Onion diced fine
• 1 Egg
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Pepper
• 3 Tsp Flour
• ½ cup Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Grate/shred potatoes. Squeeze in a clean dishtowel or drain in a cloth-lined colander. Put an additional ½ cup of vegetable or peanut oil in skillet and heat. Drop spoonfuls of mixture into hot oil and fry. If frying pan is large you can fit 3-4 patties per fry cycle. Brown Potato Latkes on both sides and drain on a platter lined with paper towel. Cooking time is 5-10 minutes per side.

Alternates to frying

If you don’t want to fry these Potato Latkes, Steve has baked them in our oven and convection oven and they turned out nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. We’ve even lightly fried them on our waffle iron using a light coating of non-stick cooking spray and that worked great also.

5. How to make Sweet Vinegar Peppers

One of our all-time favorite meals is roasted chicken with potatoes and sweet vinegar peppers. It is indescribably delicious!! Because of the vinegar peppers mixing with the chicken broth, it has a savory and tart flavor that will keep you coming back for more. Canning red peppers is a great way to preserve a large quantity and is one of those great veggie recipes.

Watch as Annette makes our own vinegar peppers for about 50 cents per quart (32 oz jar) rather than buying them for $3 per pint (16 oz jar). According to our calculations including the canning jars, lids and propane we saved more than 90% of the cost of store bought peppers.

We did encounter some problems with our canning jars that almost resulted in Annette almost swearing on camera – watch at5:17 and then again at 6 minutes.

Ingredients:

• Red Peppers
• White Vinegar
• Water
• Garlic

Watch the video for all of the how-to instructions.

See the top-rated Water Bath Canning kits from Amazon here. They aren’t very expensive and can save you a ton of money.

See the quart-sized, wide-mouthed canning jars that Annette used in the video.

If you want the recipe for delicious Chicken and Peppers click here

6. Zucchini Relish

If you planted a garden this year and have an overabundance of zucchini, you’re not alone. Zucchini is probably one of the easiest vegetables to grow. So what do you do with your bumper crop? You can make zucchini bread, muffins, and pancakes, or things like deep-fried zucchini. Or you can grate it into salads. But once you try all of these things, then what?

One year in the midst of hundreds of pounds of prolific production, Annette called a friend about other options for eating up our zucchini. Sue recommended making zucchini relish. It is a little involved, but alotdelicious.

You may not even want to eat traditional relish again after you try this veggie recipes relish. By the way, in the photo, that’s our daughter Becky with Steve who is clowning around with two of our homegrown zucchinis.

Zucchini RelishIngredients:

• 10 cups Zucchini, diced and packed
• 2 Red Peppers diced
• 2 Green Peppers diced
• 4 cups Sugar
• 2 cups Onion, chopped fine
• 2 ½ cups White Vinegar
• 1 tsp. each: Turmeric, Mustard, Nutmeg and Celery Seed
• ½ tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 TBS Cornstarch

Zucchini Relish Directions

Mix veggies with 5 tablespoons of salt. Store in a cool place. Let stand overnight. Rinse with cold water and drain.

Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for approximately 30 minutes, until done. Pack in sterilized canning jars.

Clickherefor basic canning instructions from Ball the canning jar manufacturer.

See the top-rated Water Bath Canning kits from Amazon here. They aren’t very expensive and can save you a ton of money.

See the quart-sized, wide-mouthed canning jars that Annette used.

7. Asian Cabbage Salad Recipe

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This is one of our all-time favorite salads to eat any time of year! Easy to make and great for taking to potlucks, big events, entertaining or as a veggies recipes side dish for dinner.If you don’t finish it all at one meal, just be aware that the ramen noodles will get soggy and the nuts will get soft. You may want to toss those onindividual servings instead of mixing them in.

If you add diced cooked chicken you can have a one-dish dinner! This is also a great side dish for summer BBQs like Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. It works great because the cabbage is much slower to wilt than a green lettuce salad.

Ingredients you’ll need for Asian Cabbage Salad:

• 1 head Green Cabbage, chopped
• 1 pound package of Frozen Peas
• 2 packages Asian Ramen Noodles — save the seasoning packet for dressing
• 1/2 cup toasted Sesame Seeds
• 12 Green Scallions, chopped fine — can substitute any other kind of onion
• 1/2 to 1 cup toasted and chopped almonds — other kinds of nuts can be substituted

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a large salad bowl and enjoy.
Optional: Add Cooked chicken or turkey — 2 to 3 cups — for a complete Asian salad meal.
Caution: Be careful when browning the sesame seeds and nuts, they tend to burn, especially if you put them in the toaster oven and then get on the phone — Yup, done it.

Asian Salad Dressing

Ingredients for Asian Cabbage Salad dressing:

• 2 packets Asian Ramen Seasoning or, 1 Tbs. ginger
• 1 cup Olive Oil or any other salad oil
• 3/4 cup rice or cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl or cruet, shake and serve.

8. EasyPumpkin Cooking!

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This is one of our easy veggie recipes, and cooking a pumpkin has never been easier. It’s great for cooking your fall/autumn / Jack-o-lanterns / Halloween pumpkins.

After Halloween, you should be able to find pumpkins for FREE or steeply discounted. There is nothing more American than Pumpkin Pie, especially for Thanksgiving. This cooked pumpkin can be used for any recipe that uses canned pumpkin.

Look for churches with harvest festivals, street side pumpkin stands, grocers with an overabundance of pumpkins. Don’t let them go to waste, use the following recipe.

Cooking a Pumpkin

– On a large counter or floor covered with newspaper, slice the pumpkin in half.
– Scoop out the seeds, eliminating the stringy pulp stuff and soak them in a large bowl of salt water.
– Throw the rest of the pulp into your compost bin.

– Place pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet.
– Bake at 375º for approximately one hour or until skin is easily punctured with a meat fork.
– With a large spoon, scoop flesh from skin and put in large mixing bowl on the counter, and chop up as much as possible.Throw empty skins in the compost bucket.

– Put the colander in the sink with a thin dish towel or cheesecloth.
– Puree pumpkin in a food processor, filling the container no more than half full.
– Ladle pumpkin into your lined colander and let drain to remove excess water
– Scoop pumpkin into quart size zippered freezer bags (Annette uses 3.5 cups for her pumpkin bread recipe) and freeze.

Annette takes one day to cook and process all the pumpkins gathered in the fall. The pumpkin is frozen and used for her Christmas Pumpkin Bread recipe.

If you want ideas for grocery savings, beyond veggie recipes, consider our second book, Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half.

Recipes included on this page: Greek Cucumber Salad – Tzatziki, Delicious Candied Yams, The Best Potato Latkes, Sweet Vinegar Peppers, Zucchini Relish, Asian Cabbage Salad, Cooking a Pumpkin.Fresh Spinach Salad