We all know French pastries hold the crown for incredible sweets. But let me tell you that French side dishes are absolutely delicious in their own right.
These fancy looking plates are creamy and flavor packed and actually super simple to make at home. Many recipes use standard techniques or basics like a roux.
Adding them to your weekly rotation is honestly so easy. You might need a romantic date night side or just something special for a rotisserie chicken dinner.
These 14 fabulous French recipes will definitely have you grabbing your beret.
1. Creamed Leeks
Leeks offer a subtle flavor profile that sits somewhere in the onion family. Adding them to your plate brings great taste and a beautiful pop of color.
The only catch is that you must wash them after slicing. Dirt and sand get trapped in the layers easily so you need to soak and drain them well.
Once they are clean you just combine the leeks with butter and salt and cream until they soften up.
2. Gratin Dauphinois (Scalloped Potatoes)
This is the ultimate gratin dish featuring thin potato slices mixed with a garlic cheese cream sauce. You need to soak and dry the potatoes so they crisp up properly while cooking.
Keep those slices thin to ensure everything cooks through evenly. Gruyere is the classic French choice here but a good mature cheddar is an excellent alternative.
3. French Glazed Carrots
A simple glaze made of chicken stock and butter plus sugar and salt is all you need to upgrade carrots. Cook your sliced carrots in the liquid and then remove them to let it reduce and thicken.
When you add the veggies back to the pot the syrup will coat every inch. Just drizzle with lemon juice and serve it hot.
4. Baked Brie Appetizer
The French absolutely love their cheese and honestly who can blame them? This cheesy appetizer is perfect if you want a simple yet elegant gooey dish for a crowd.
You can easily cut the brie in half and bake it right on the baking sheet with a sliced baguette. I adore the herb combination here but keep an eye on them since they burn quickly if left too long.
5. Ratatouille
This vegetarian French stew is robust enough to act as a main meal or pair nicely with pot roast. The traditional version uses eggplant and zucchini along with onion and peppers but many veggies fit well here.
Use cheesecloth bags if you lack twine to secure your herbs. They add big flavor without making you dig around for twigs later.
6. Easy Lyonnaise Potatoes Recipe
Is there any better combination in the world than potatoes plus butter plus onion? It is simple but it is always delicious.
The secret to perfectly tender potatoes with a crisp crust is parboiling them so they spend the right amount of time in the oven. A solid oven safe skillet is your best option to get that crust and keep the flavor in the pan.
7. Classic French Aligot
This smooth and cheesy dish is a huge step up if you enjoy mashed potatoes. You cook and mash the potatoes and then heat through some crème fraîche with garlic.
Slowly incorporate the dairy followed by sharp cheese. Then you simply beat the mixture for 10 minutes over heat until it becomes velvety smooth.
8. Petits Pois a la Francaise (French Peas)
You can trust the French to jazz up the humble garden pea. This recipe has just a handful of ingredients and is ready in under 30 minutes if you need something easy.
Leave the lardons out if you want a veggie friendly version. But honestly they bring so much flavor so keep them in if you can.
9. French Onion Soup
Caramelized onion soup is already insanely delicious but the French went ahead and added cheese and bread. How could anyone resist that?
Good quality beef broth is the key to that great flavor. You can use chicken broth but beef broth provides a deeper flavor that makes the dish pop.
Toast the bread before adding it and pick a flavorful cheese.
10. Traditional French Broccoli Gratin Recipe
This cheesy baked dish will have even the pickiest eater reaching for more if they usually avoid green things. Use fresh broccoli for the best results so it does not turn to mush.
Let frozen broccoli thaw out and reduce the cooking time by five minutes if you go that route. You can use half the amount of ground sage if you cannot find rubbed sage.
11. Haricots Verts Amandine (Green Bean Almondine)
These green beans are boiled and pan fried before being combined with sliced almonds and butter plus lemon juice. Their light flavor is a perfect pair for fish or chicken or pork.
Make sure you toast the almonds so the flavor is as good as it gets.
12. Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms (Champignons farcis au beurre d’escargot)
Is there anything better in the world than tender meaty stuffed mushrooms? Crimini mushrooms are the best choice here because they are the perfect little bites.
The butter paste mixed with garlic and salt is the star of the show. You can adjust the salt to taste and grate these with fresh parmesan for ultimate yumminess.
13. Easy French Lentils
Lentils are packed with protein and nutrients but they can turn to mush if you look away too long. Cook them in vegetable oil with herbs and salt plus garlic powder.
They soak up every bit of that flavor medley as they cook. You can add them to everything from tacos to shepherd’s pie once they are done.
14. Classic French Spinach Au Gratin
Au gratin is just how the French describe a creamy baked dish covered with cheese. I would guess you already have everything in the kitchen even if the ingredient list looks long.
The classic combination of onion and thyme in a creamy sauce with spinach gets even better by throwing in a little rosemary.