Food - what sides are you making to go with main meals?

[ThistleyLions]

I'm looking for any suggestions of cheap, low cost but filling things to go with tea.

I don't want to fall in a rut of having the same few things over and over (rice, baked potato, cous cous, chips) so would be interested to read what swaps people have made to make evening meals more cost effective but still enjoyable and filling.
Thanks 😊

Pasta, bread, mashed potato (I like half sweet potato half potato), egg noodles

Rice and peas, so still rice but with red kidney beans and cooked in coconut milk.

Egg fried rice, you can add any onion, pepper, peas, sweetcorn, ggreenbeans that you have.

If you've got the oven on for something longer, roast potatoes are nice. If not, potatoe wedges and cubes with herbs scattered over take less cooking.

You can vary tomato pasta a lot in terms of veg or protein you can add. Also, works with a cheese sauce or white sauce.

I love sweet potato fries just chop up a sweet potato skin and all, into the oven or air fryer

Butternut squash gets the same treatment when cheap and in season, but I do peel it. Any pumpkin or squash

A mixed tray bake of onion, courgette, sweet potato and cauli tossed in oil and herbs in the oven. Add in some garlic

Zoodles made at home with a stir fry... salt for 20 min a squeeze out the moisture.

Broccoli mash...tried this the other night, chop up the broccoli as normal and chop up the stalk as well, cook, drain blitz with the stick blender and butter. If I do it again I would either boil some garlic with the veg and mash it in or dried garlic powder, it is a bit of a flavour sponge. Salt and pepper....I forgot to salt the water which may be part of the issue. Was a great way to get more broccoli as I cooked most of the stalk, not the manky dry end bit.

Home made coleslaw, blanch the onions to get that very raw taste gone, salt the carrot and squeeze the moisture out. Add things to the Mayo mix...apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, whatever soft herbs are about e.g. dill, coriander, parsley.

Roast your green veg (or air fry) for a different flavour and texture.

We've had crusty bread alongside soup, cassoulet and pasta in the last fortnight. It needs no cooking at all so is a simple choice.

Great ideas so far!
The roasted veg sounds simple but enough to bring some good flavours to a meal.
@Missingthegore never thought of making broccoli mash, definitely going to try this one and coleslaw is another great idea.
@ODFOx have you been making home made soup, are there any you suggest?

Home made soup suggestions:
liquidised cooked parsnip with grated nutmeg and a stir of cream at the end
liquidised courgette with cumin, turmeric and coriander
fresh beetroot (not in vinegar) with pickled cucumber, dill weed, and fresh cucumber, liquidised then stirred with a swirl of Greek yogurt and chopped hard boiled eggs
frozen petit pois, Chinese leaf and fresh mint leaf, liquidised
red lentils, a tin of tomatoes, red pepper, carrots, saffron and sumac, slow cooked then liquidised
leeks and potatoes, with chicken stock, liquidised.
I enjoy all the above, made in rotation. I usually make one batch a week and live on it for easy lunches with crusty bread and cheese or fish.

Big tray of roasted courgette, tomato,onion, butternut squash, carrots- turn any left into soup by blitzing and adding vegetable stock.
Cut potatoes into 1” cubes, toss in oil, salt and pepper, squeeze over the juice of a lemon and chuck that in the oven, roast until crispy
Boil new potatoes, tip into a tray, add oil, squash a bit so smashed and roast for 20 minutes
Big bowl of tabbouleh is my favourite, add feta.

Bulger wheat pilaf

Onion, aubergine tomato, chilli or Turkish spices stock

Lovely with grilled or roasted meats

Beetroot chips. Carrot chips. Celeriac mash.

This week several of our meals have been based around a small gammon joint that was substituted by the supermarket last week.
I cooked it in the oven with a little water. Then : I used the cooking stock to finish a carrot , onion and potato soup to give a smoky flavour.
We had slices with red cabbage ( in the freezer from Christmas) and mashed potato one night.
I used some in a lentil soup and then used a little of the salty stock for flavour after the lentils were all cooked: that has gone in the freezer.
I used some, along with 4 chopped sausages and a lone pork steak, carrots, onion, 3 tins of beans ( kidney, cannellini and pinto beans), passata, herbs, stock, to make a big cassoulet ( also used the oven to cook part baked baguettes) which will did dinner for 4 and 3 lunches for me so far.
I've put the rest of the gammon (and the stock) in the freezer until I get more inspiration.
It's been a bread and ham week and is a bit samey after a while as it's such a distinctive flavour, so we'll leave it in the freezer for a while I think.

@Babdoc thats a good idea to batch cook for lunches, I'm not overly fussed if what I have a lunch is samey so that would be a good idea to do soup, along with @Mistymoonsinastarrysky idea of using left over veg as well.
@OnMyWayToSenility I've tried bulger wheat before and enjoyed it, one of those things that lurks in the cupboard till inspiration strikes again.
@Movinghouseatlast veg chips is a great idea which I had never thought of even though I like doing roast carrot etc.
@ODFOx wow that's a lot of use out of some gammon! Great ideas how to bulk things out and use of ingredients. Love a bit of gammon too.

We always eat rice, mash potatoes, naan bread, buckwheat or barley. Buckwheat is my favourite.

Fridge bottom soup is always a winner. Just roast everything together till soft and a little coloured then add veg stock. Marigold bouillon is great. Blitz and Season to serve.

Roast sweet potato wedges. Roast cauliflower with tandoori spices. Google Jamie's lentils with rosemary. Cheap and relish with sausages. Dahl with pita breads.

@xogossipgirlxo what would you usually do with buckwheat?
@Hobbesmanc I haven't heard or used marigold bullion so will look it up, thanks!

We had ham egg chips and peas for dinner one night, with a homecooked gammon. We've then used some left over gammon for sandwiches, and to make a pea and ham soup (left over potatoes from making the chips, peas and half an onion, plus the stock water the original gammon was cooked in). Perfect double meal!

I like it with all kind of stews. Beef, vegetarian etc. It tastes good with sausages and gravy too.

@Maraudingmarauders that all sounds delicious!
@xogossipgirlxo I'll have to have a look into it, is it like bulger wheat?

Mmmmm tasty thread!

I've been using up potatoes to make some sort of dauphinoise. It isn't though😂. It's just thinly chopped potatoes mixed with cheese sauce and topped with cheddar and chives.

I've also been roasting med veg. But haven't been able to due to the salad shortage.

Roasted cauliflower with a mix of spices is divine. Almost Moroccan in taste!

And my fave of all is garlic butter mushrooms! (Or garlic mushrooms mixed with rice!)

Oh and homemade eggy rice (like egg fried rice but done lazily!)

@Dottysocksandglasses your version sounds just as nice or better though!
Roasted cauliflower and tahini is really nice. I love mushrooms although sadly I am the only one in the house that does haha.
Do you add the egg directly to the rice, instead of cooking separately?

Hate food threads. Always makes me hungry for foods I don't have 😆

Through winter, I serve soup that includes lentils or Pearl barley as a starter. It helps fill a hollow legged teen, takes little effort, is healthy and inexpensive.

Some of our regular favourites are stuffed peppers and stuffed trout. I add pine nuts or other nuts to the stuffing to make them more filling. Or serve with garlic bread.

@MintJulia I've added pearl barley to some things but tbh had forgotten about it, but great idea to help bulk things out.
Love stuffed peppers but can't say I've had stuffed trout, what would you say is the best thing to stuff it with?

I stuff trout with chopped onion and pine nuts. Or sweated spinach and pine nuts.

Or in the summer, when I have plenty of mint, I mix chopped mint, wholemeal breadcrumbs and lemon.

When making a main of fish or meat, I'll always add a side of carbs and one of vegetables to make it a complete meal.

Carbs: potatoes (parboiled and roasted or mashed), bulgur wheat (cooked in a bit of stock and tomato paste and served lukewarm), steamedbasmati rice