The unhealthy thing about a meal of burgers and fries, is the French fries. We get that it’s an easy thing to make as a side for your lunch or dinner, but there are so many amazing side dishes that you can explore, for a balanced meal.
Ready to break out of your burger rut? We went looking for some extraordinary side dish recipes you can try at home with your Free Graze burgers. We also picked some kid-friendly suggestions we think your whole family will love.
1. Grilled Romaine Caesar Wedge Salad
Salads are always a great choice as a side dish with fresh grilled burgers, but this idea is a great way to ‘kick it up a notch’ with an innovative twist on the traditional Caesar salad. All you need is some baby romaine or romaine hearts to get started.
Don’t remove the outside leaves but wash your romaine lettuce thoroughly. Keep the stalk or stem attached, and then place them on the grill until they are slightly charred. Then remove, and top with slices of grape tomatoes, and try the suggested mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce dressing provided by Delish.
Garnish with crumbled cooked bacon and you have something healthy and exciting to enjoy with your burgers. Something amazing happens when you eat a grilled Caesar salad warm; we promise, you are going to love it!
2. Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Orzo is a pasta that is used traditionally in Italian Wedding Soup, but the tiny tender noodle (which looks a lot like rice) is incredible as a base for this delicious cold salad. What we liked about this recipe for Mediterranean Orzo Salad from Kitchn, is all the healthy ingredients, including kalamata olives, red peppers, artichoke, fresh English cucumber (skin on) and red onion. And of course, delicious feta cheese.
The dressing for this salad is very light but packed with flavor thanks to the fresh oregano and parsley. It all mixes up for a really satisfying salad; and it’s so good, we suggest you make extras because it’s also amazing as a lunch salad the next day. One mess? Many meals. That’s cooking smart for busy families.
3. Sesame Ginger Slaw
Raw ginger is really good for you, and it adds a fresh flavor and extra crunch, when it is added to this Sesame Ginger Slaw recipe. This great and healthy side dish is also from the Kitchn food blog, and it is a colorful and nutritionally balanced coleslaw that can also be used as a burger topping too!
Hot Side Dish Ideas
Looking for something hot in the category of comfort food to serve with your Free Graze burgers? Perfect for cold weather or a rainy day, we loved some of these side dish ideas and wanted to share them with our burger fans.
Sweet potatoes are packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. Sometimes people think that because this vegetable is higher in carbohydrates, that it is something to be avoided, or only eaten during the holidays. But the truth is most dieticians recommend eating sweet potato a few times per week, because it is a superfood with many nutritional benefits.
Bobby Flay (yes that Bobby Flay) shared this healthy recipe as the perfect side dish for grilled burgers. Check out the recipe for Grilled Sweet Potatoes on The Food Network. It combines kosher salt and Dijon mustard, balsamic and apple cider vinegar (with a dash of honey) and fresh parsley for some amazing flavor, with all the satisfaction of hot mashed potatoes.
Sometimes you just want that sticky kind of food as a side for your burgers. That doesn’t mean it has to be unhealthy, and you can make this delicious cheesy broccoli and rice casserole in under thirty minutes. Check out this recipe for Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole on Southern Living.
Broccoli is another super food worth choosing more often. It is a great source of vitamin K and C, folic acid (folate), potassium and fiber. Did you know that vitamin C builds collagen? Every bone and tissue in your body needs collagen to stay healthy, and vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant that helps sustain cellular health, by protecting cells from free radical damage or cellular oxidation.
We bet you’ll never look at broccoli the same way. If you are already a broccoli fan, but have a hard time convincing your kids to eat more of it, we recommend 30 Broccoli Side Dishes Even Your Kids Will Eat from Taste of Home.
What did you think of our suggestions for delicious and healthy burger side dishes? Do you have any favorite family recipes that you want to share? Follow us on Facebook or leave a comment below. We love hearing from our customers and appreciate your feedback.
