We’re in the home stretch.
The house is almost clean, the food plans are coming together, family from out of town will arrive soon…but your menu still needs something.
Here are three side dish ideas that can be whipped up at the last minute:
- Green Bean Bundles – the best part about these is that they only take 10 minutes to cook and you can assign the kids the task of assembling the bundles. Even better, everyone likes them! (As my friend John used to say ‘Bacon makes everything better.’)
- Roasted Potatoes – Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces or fries, season and bake. What could be easier than that? (Okay, a bowl of cereal…but you can’t serve cereal for Thanksgiving dinner!)
- Cucumber and Onion Salad with Sour Cream and Herbs – Want something fresh and crunchy in the mix? Slice up some cucumber and white (or yellow) onion. Make a dressing out of sour cream or plain yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. (Hey, that sounds like tzatziki sauce! Okay, you got me there. If you’ve hung out around here for any length of time you know how much we love the flavor of cucumbers with tzatziki!)
Wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with a little bit of brown sugar, even the veggie haters will gobble these up.
Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
These are super easy to prepare - and even the most veggie-adverse kids will eat them.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Green Beans Thin French beans are best
- 1 pound Bacon raw, sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
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Wash and trim the green beans. [Shortcut: buy French green beans that are pre-washed and have had the stem-end trimmed.] NOTE: If you use Blue Lake (large) green beans, blanch them before making them into bundles.
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Cut strips of bacon in half (to make them shorter), then in half again (lengthwise this time) to create narrow strips.
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Make bundles by spiral-wrapping the bacon around 'small handfuls' of beans. Use about 5 French beans (or 3 Blue Lake beans) per bundle.
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Lay the bacon-wrapped bean bundles on a jelly roll pan (or a cookie sheet covered with foil). You are going to want edges on your pan to contain the bacon fat. Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. Also add a bit of salt and pepper.
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Bake at 375 degrees until done - about 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Don't stress about the specific quantities on this one! I almost didn't put them in. It really doesn't matter. Grab some beans, wrap with bacon, sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Bake a few minutes to cook the bacon. That's it.
Roasted Potatoes are So Easy. Serve them with a fancy dipping sauce like Chipotle Ranch.
Roasted Potatoes
Nothing is easier than these roasted potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary or Mediterranean Spice Mix
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425℉
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Wash and cut potatoes into evenly sized pieces. Think bite sized.
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Put potatoes into a roasting pan or on top of a baking sheet.
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Toss with oil, salt, and rosemary.
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Roast for about 25 minutes. Time may vary. Roast until browned and tender inside. I like mine well browned.
Recipe Notes
These can be served plain or with a variety of dipping sauces.
Cucumber and Onion Salad with a Cool Sour Cream Dressing.
Cucumber and Onion Salad
This quick salad can be thrown together at the last minute.
Ingredients
- 4 cucumbers sliced thin
- 1 medium onion white or yellow / sliced
- 3/4 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 Tbsp Herbs...Dill or chives Fresh (or not)...chopped
- 1 clove garlic pressed (or garlic powder if no fresh garlic)
Instructions
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Toss the sliced cucumbers and onion into together in a serving bowl.
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In a small bowl - whisk together sour cream or yogurt, lemon juice, pressed garlic and herbs.
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Pour over cucumbers and onions, stir to coat. (If you have extra fresh herbs, use them for a bit of garnish on your finished salad.)
Wondering if instead of wrapping green beans in bacon with brown sugar if I could use asparagus in place of beans?
Thanks for asking!
Yes. Asparagus would also work. I would be careful to (1) use asparagus that is on the thicker side; and (2) make sure to use thin-cut bacon trimmed into super-thin ribbon strips. This will help ensure that the bacon gets cooked without the asparagus getting mushy. [Green beans are a little tougher, as a result the cook time between the bacon and the beans is more equivalent.]