3 Easy Holiday Side Dishes You Can Make on a Budget

Leanne's Life
by Leanne's Life

Today, I am going to be creating three different holiday side dishes. They are quick, easy, and budget-friendly for this holiday season. I'll show you how to make them all.


Ingredients for maple roasted mini potatoes

Maple roasted mini potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon paprika
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons parsley – at the end


Recipe

I picked up a bag of little baby potatoes that I needed to wash and prep.


First, prepare the potatoes. If you like, you can slice them in half, then place them on a sheet pan. I am only going to make about half of the recipe, and I am going to slice the bigger potatoes in half, so they cook evenly. 


Next, I am going to drizzle some olive oil on top of the potatoes and make sure they are evenly coated.  

Seasoning the potatoes

Season them with a bit of salt and some smoked paprika, and drizzle maple syrup over them.

Maple roasted mini potatoes

You'll place them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, and they will be delicious.

Ingredients for brown sugar carrots

Brown sugar carrots

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound whole carrots
  • 1-2 Tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • Salt/pepper


Recipe

I have 1 pound of carrots, some pepper, salt, butter, and brown sugar. I used coconut sugar, which is better for you. The potatoes and the carrot recipe cook at 400, so I will put them on two separate baking sheets and cook them at the same time. 


First, I am going to peel a few of these carrots. I am leaving the carrots whole for presentation's sake. Next, we will season them with a little pepper, some salt, and about one tablespoon of butter, cut them into small pieces, and put those pieces over the carrots. You could use olive oil if you would rather have olive oil. 

Seasoning the carrots

Then I am going to sprinkle some brown sugar over the top. That will make it nice and caramelized and taste delicious as a holiday side dish. 


Now I am going to place both side dishes in a 400-degree oven for about 40-45 minutes. 

Brown sugar carrots

The carrots are soft, but not mushy. 

Ingredients for maple balsamic brussels sprouts

Maple balsamic brussels sprouts

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound Brussels sprouts – I used frozen
  • ¼ Red onion – sliced
  • 3 Teaspoons balsamic glaze
  • 2 Teaspoons maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • ½ Teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 Teaspoons garlic powder
  • Salt/pepper


Recipe

The next side dish is going to be maple balsamic brussels sprouts. Doesn't that sound delicious? 


I have some frozen brussels sprouts. This is a more budget-friendly way to make this by getting the Brussels sprouts frozen. 


I have a bag of brussels sprouts, a red onion, some Dijon mustard, maple syrup, balsamic glaze, water, garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Place the Brussels sprouts in a baking dish.

Making the marinade


I am going to make the marinade, and to do that, I am going to add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, glaze, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and some water in a bowl and mix it.

How to make holiday side dishes on a budget


Next, I will pour the mixture over the brussels sprouts and let it marinate.


I'm going to take a minute to remove the potatoes and carrots from the oven. Once the potatoes were out of the oven, I added a little bit of parsley at the top.


Back to the Brussels sprouts. I'm going to taste the onions because they're almost like pickled onions right now. Very good. Place them in the oven to cook. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 mins

Maple balsamic brussels sprouts

They came out perfect. You could double the sauce or make extra for the side and then drizzle it on top as it comes out of the oven. 


Holiday side dishes

So those are your three quick, easy, budget-friendly holiday side dishes. They all go well with ham or turkey. What will you be serving this holiday season? Share in the comments below!

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2 of 4 comments
  • Debby Debby on Dec 17, 2022

    Your recipes look delicious!

  • Enn69673600 Enn69673600 on Dec 27, 2022

    I am 70 and every Thanksgiving and Christmas we had candied carrots as a side dish. The way mom did it (and I continued to do so for many years): steam cook the carrots, peeled and cut into sticks. Then, while the carrots were being steam cooked, in a skillet, melt several tablespoons of butter and a bunch of brown sugar - we rarely measured so I don't have anything exact - depends a lot on how much one is making. Cook the butter and sugar until the sugar is melted and it is starting to thicken. Then add the steamed carrots and continue to saute them until the sugar mixture is back to being thickened. You have to watch this though as it can burn and you don't want the carrots to turn to mush.

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