Side Dishes: My Nemesis

If you ask my immediate family, I think they’d tell you that side dishes haven’t ever been a strong suit of mine. I like making main dishes: roast, pork chops, hamburgers, pizza. That’s honestly what’s great about a casserole. I can make a casserole, open a sack of salad, maybe heat up some rolls or broil some Italian bread, and we’re good to go.

Our Family Dinner kids would tell you that I’ve made sautéed green beans for them about 75% of the times they’ve come to my house. Green beans seem to complement most dishes. (If you’ve never made sautéed green beans, I’m sharing the recipe below.) Unless I’m making Mexican food, I typically think green beans work for most of the dishes I prepare. When I first made the sautéed green beans for Family Dinner, I was making 5-6 cans at a time and sometimes running out. That being said, enough is enough. I sense that the Family Dinner kids are tired of this and I need to try something new!

The other side dishes I make are unexceptional to say the least. Tater tots, baked beans, corn casserole, and sack of salad haven’t taken me very far to date. Each week I try to make something they wouldn’t necessarily make for themselves or get from their dining dollars at the U. The absolutely pathetic picture of frozen sweet potato fries I overcooked yesterday probably speaks for itself. Side dishes are not my friend! I don’t know that they love every main dish I make, but they’re sweet kids. They always show up hungry and grateful; it’s a winning combination!

That being said, I need some help with side dishes! Let me create some context here. These kids definitely don’t love vegetables. I roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots one night and exactly three kids tried them. I’ve had some success with fruit salad but again that can get old quick. What are your favorites? What are your go-to sides? Maybe it’s the thing you brought to your last potluck at church or the last March Madness party you attended. Maybe it’s the dish you bring to every backyard BBQ. I don’t know. Clearly. All suggestions are appreciated!

And since I said I’d share it, here’s the recipe for sautéed green beans. I give all credit for this recipe to my wonderful friend, Lisa, who first sent me the TikTok that showed me how to make these.

Sautéed Green Beans

• 2 cans green beans
• 4 slices of bacon cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 of a white onion, chopped
• Garlic salt to taste

In a skillet, sauté bacon and onion over medium high heat until bacon is crispy. (Drain off some grease if you’re worried about the calorie count or leave it for the flavor it adds.) Open and drain both cans of green beans and add them to the skillet. Leaving the heat at medium high, stir regularly for 10 minutes until green beans are somewhat browned. Remove from heat and serve.