Low calorie side dish ideas that don't include potatoes, pas

superstankazz

Any ideas??? I'm sick of eating salad every night with dinner and I'm finding it difficult to come up with side dish ideas. I try not to eat much rice or pasta but I do have potatoes at least once a week. :happy:

ullrichMEX

cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more

PeaceCorpsKat

Quinoa - anyway you want to make. I like quinoa and a fat free cream based soup and frozen veggies baked like a caserole.

1a1a

*sings* vegetables.

New and snazzy ways to zazz the up seem to be well hidden, I've taken to always ordering veg on the side at restaurants and then reverse engineering how they were prepped for ideas. (Steamed and drizzled in lemon juice always seems to work).

Peta22

cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more

Is cauliflower rice something you make or buy? Or is it just shearing the tops off the cauliflower? I think cauliflower is awesome BTW - a Vege but very close to a carb in so many ways.

Also, can you expand on the baked cauliflower with cottage cheese? Sounds great too!

Christine1110

I like omelettes...and stir frys. You can make pizza with cauliflower and also mashed cauliflower is yummy.
We have sweet potatoes sometimes.

Good luck

livestar

roasted vegetables.
sauteed vegetables
mashed vegetables
beans

raevynn

Yams.

Brown rice.

Quinoa is good... I second that one.

Brown rice couscous

Baked squash.

Steamed greens.

Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, cabbage, sauerkraut, ...

brandiuntz

Any kind of vegetable or combination of them. Spinach, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc, etc. Look up recipes for steaming, roasting, grilling, or baking different vegetables and try them out. You'll find things you like.

One of my favorite quick sides is to saute some fresh spinach in a little olive oil with garlic.

I don't like salads, so I almost never have them. Too many other great ways to eat my veggies.

superstankazz

Great ideas! Thanks everybody! Keep 'em coming, please!

tammyc226

cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more

Is cauliflower rice something you make or buy? Or is it just shearing the tops off the cauliflower? I think cauliflower is awesome BTW - a Vege but very close to a carb in so many ways.

Also, can you expand on the baked cauliflower with cottage cheese? Sounds great too!

Hi Peta

here is the link to the discussion on cauliflower rice - you make it from the tops. It sounds great but I haven't tried it yet. I met to the fruit/veg shop today & forgot to buy cauliflower to give this idea a try. Doh!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447445-want-a-25-calorie-per-cup-replacement-for-rice

firesoforion

What I did for dinner tonight (would work great as a side dish too): Half a bag of frozen spinach, 1/4 cup of low fat ricotta cheese, 1 tbsp of parmesean cheese, a little bit of nutmeg (optional). Puree it in a blender. Pour it over roasted broccoli, top with walnuts, and broil until it's all toasty.

Jenlwb

Definitely Quinoa, esp if you feel like something filling but better for you than pasta/rice. So easy too, just rince it, then boil with double the quantity of water for 15 mins. Add a bit of stock if you prefer. I like to mix in chopped coriander/cilantro and lime juice with mine. Freezes well in portions too.

AlexPflug

I love to just sautee up some favorite veggies. I toss in a tsp or so of Worcestershire sauce and a tad of garlic. I generally like zucchini, onions, bell peppers, and matchstick carrots. Add whatever seasonings you want and make a yummy, fresh, and filling side dish. I also make a big plate of this for lunch with a couple fried egg whites over top for less than 200 calories.

cartea01

I love slicing up veges and baking them without oil to make "crisps"... Carrot, parsnip, sweet potato (yams). Also I love grilling capsicum, tomatoes. Throw some mixed herbs over the top and its yummy!

dmpizza

grilled tomatoes

pinkess

Cous cous and butternut squash mash are the two that i eat a lot.

balfonso

Butternut squash or lentils

dls06

Portion Control. If you make sure it fits into your day you can have potatoes. I usually bake a small potato (4-6 oz) only.

Peta22

cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more

Is cauliflower rice something you make or buy? Or is it just shearing the tops off the cauliflower? I think cauliflower is awesome BTW - a Vege but very close to a carb in so many ways.

Also, can you expand on the baked cauliflower with cottage cheese? Sounds great too!

Hi Peta

here is the link to the discussion on cauliflower rice - you make it from the tops. It sounds great but I haven't tried it yet. I met to the fruit/veg shop today & forgot to buy cauliflower to give this idea a try. Doh!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447445-want-a-25-calorie-per-cup-replacement-for-rice

Thanks so much Tammi I've copied the recipe and I'll definitely be trying it soon!!

katkins3

I like to bake asparagus. Just spray them with a bit of Pam and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Bake at 375 for 15 min. or so depending on how you like them. (This also works well with sliced turnips, parsnips, kohlrabi, carrots or all or them mixed together.)

cramernh

I will make faux noodles out of zucchini and summer squash, fresh garlic, green onion, butter, white wine, and dice up some red peppers to garnish...

Vegetablearian

Cous cous !

I love this stuff my local aldi does packets that make 4 portions for 39 pence and its less than 100 cals a portion jazz it up with some spinach and chopped peppers and it makes a lovely side dish I eat it with meat subsitute fillets (I think thats approx 50 US cents but dont quote me!)

cessnaholly

We buy the bags of frozen veggies from the local box store. Then we can boil them, micorwave them, stir fry, with cheese, without cheese.

Throw veggies into pot pies or stews - I use extra veggies and half the meat.

You can also buy those ingredient packets for sauces for when you have extra calories (Hollandaise or Bernasise?), or check out an old cookbook for other drizzles/sauces. Pesto paste mixed with Oilive Oil can be a good drizzle.

Squash - butternut, acorn, spaghetti - all good.

Brocolli sauteed with garlic and plumb tomatoes is good. Brocolli sauteed with garlic, onion and carrots is good.

Carrots and parsnips, cut into strips. Drizzle with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Bake like french fries.

Ladyiianae

My family eats alot of rice. Long grain brown rice is 3/4 cup cooked serving is pretty tastey

XXXMinnieXXX

What I did for dinner tonight (would work great as a side dish too): Half a bag of frozen spinach, 1/4 cup of low fat ricotta cheese, 1 tbsp of parmesean cheese, a little bit of nutmeg (optional). Puree it in a blender. Pour it over roasted broccoli, top with walnuts, and broil until it's all toasty.

Sounds amazing. I often wonder this too so will be looking. Must admit I love my potatoes. I often have cous cous from aldi to, I love the lime and coriander one. I love roasted vegetables with some cajun sprinkled on. Yummy! X

JSheehy1965

grilled asparagus with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Grilled/lightly sauted veggies?

Hires113

I like using sites like allrecipes.com they have low cal recipes, low carb recipes.....etc. Hope that helps.