Recipes | Our Top 5 Vegetable Sides for Potluck Parties
Need new ideas to impress everyone at upcoming gatherings? We've got you covered with tweaks to your favorite classics and new recipes to try for work potluck parties, ugly sweater dinner festivities and holiday feasts.
Always remember your audience!
You want to make sure you make something that all, or most people can eat. If you can, choose gluten free options. Remember, gluten free breadcrumbs can always be substituted for regular. There's always the option to serve cheese on the side if you know your friends have dairy restrictions also. Happen to have a lot of vegetarians in your office? We have some options that have no meat included as well! It's important for a potluck to have variety, which is why our shoppable list is far from ordinary.
1. Green Bean Salad - Fresh, quick and easy!
10 Minute Prep | 3 Minute Cook
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced
- Finely chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)
- 3 - 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 roma tomatoes, diced
- Combine the Dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Set aside - or refrigerate up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the beans, bring it back up to a boil and boil beans for 60 seconds - no more!
- Drain and plunge in ice cold water (or run under cold tap water) to stop them from cooking.
- If making ahead, leave in the colander to dry before transferring to the fridge.
- To serve, pile the beans on a plate, top with tomato and red onion, drizzled over dressing. Sprinkle with parsley if using.
Nagi. "Green Bean Salad." Recipe Tin Eats. 9 Nov. 2019. https://www.recipetineats.com/green-bean-salad/
2. Parmesan Butternut Squash Fries - A classy spin on a crowd pleaser.
15 Minute Prep | 30 Minute Cook
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch thick matchsticks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
- Place butternut squash in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil, thyme, oregano and cayenne pepper; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.
- Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.*
- Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan and garnished with chives, if desired.
Chungah. "Parmesan Butternut Squash Fries." Damn Delicious. 17 Oct. 2015. https://damndelicious.net/2015/10/17/parmesan-butternut-squash-fries/
3. Cheesy Bacon Jalapeno Corn Dip - Not your average party dip.
10 Minute Prep | 20 Minute Cook
Ingredients
- 8 strips bacon
- 2 (11 oz) cans whole kernel sweet corn, drained
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- Parmesan cheese, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a cast iron or ovenproof skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until slightly crispy. Remove from heat and set on paper towels to absorb excess grease. Drain off all but 1 teaspoon of the grease remaining in the pan. We want to use the bacon grease to grease the pan and add more bacon flavor to the dip. Crumble the bacon.
Combine the corn, jalapeno, cream cheese, mozzarella, salt, cayenne, half of the bacon, and half of the basil. Scoop into the skillet and bake for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with the remaining bacon and basil, and parmesan cheese to taste. Serve immediately.
Morgan. "Cheesy Bacon Jalapeno Corn Dip." Host the Toast. 25 Aug. 2014. https://hostthetoast.com/cheesy-bacon-jalapeno-corn-dip/
4. Eggplant "Meatballs" - A vegetarian take on classic comfort food.
20 Minute Prep | 30 Minute Cook
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 lbs unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
- salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped basil, plus leaves for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 25.25 ounce jar tomato sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- part skim ricotta cheese, for serving (optional)
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When hot add the eggplant and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
- Transfer to a bowl and add bread crumbs, beaten egg, Romano cheese, parsley, garlic and chopped basil into the eggplant. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.
- Form the eggplant mixture into 24 balls about 1 1/8 oz each, rolling tightly and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm and browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Heat the sauce in a large deep skillet to warm the sauce. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish the meatballs with basil leaves and serve with ricotta cheese if desired.
Homolka, Gina. "Eggplant Meatballs." Skinny Taste. 6 Jul. 2015. https://www.skinnytaste.com/eggplant-meatballs/
5. Zucchini & Squash Bake - Crispy & delicious!
15 Minutes Prep | 35 Minute Cook
Ingredients
- 2 lbs summer squash zucchini and yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 ¼ tsp salt divided
- ½ tsp pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut yellow squash and zucchini into thin, ¼-inch slices.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt over the zucchini and squash slices. Let sit for 10 minutes and then dab to remove excess moisture with a paper towel.
- Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Alternatively, overlap the zucchini and squash in a row. You should be able to form 4 rows.
- Drizzle olive oil over the zucchini and squash and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl combine Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Toss to combine and then sprinkle over the zucchini and squash.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and turn heat to a High broil. Broil for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until breadcrumb topping starts to turn a golden brown.
- Serve immediately with fresh parsley and enjoy!
London. "Healthy Summer Squash Casserole." Evolving Table. https://www.evolvingtable.com/healthy-summer-squash-casserole/
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