I know it's not fresh green bean season, but they look pretty good in the stores here these days.

I like to do a GB, onion, garlic, mushroom and sometimes tomato sauce mix. Yummy!

I would assume it means either hot or cold and I wouldn't hesitate to bring something like that broccoli/cauliflower/bacon salad or the grated carrot/raisin one or the peas and peanuts concoction.

I'm not a fan of the dreaded green bean casserole and I don't think it's great for pot lucks anyway, it's not something that's at its best at room temperature or slightly above, and I'm assuming you won't be keeping the dish hot?

I'd probably go for some maple glazed carrots, or green beans with bacon and almonds, maybe even some corn pudding or a similar dish, or that broccoli/cauliflower salad, everyone I've met seems to love it and it's good cold or at room temperature.

Annie

My go-to T&T veggie side dishes are as follows--all are served cold or at room temp. Some people might think of these as salads...I guess it depends on where you're from and what you consider a salad. :O)

Roasted mixed veggies with a balsamic drizzle.

Roasted green beans with a bit of evoo and sea salt (the green beans are in season and on sale where I am).

Chopped mixed-color bell peppers, with a bit of sliced scallions, in a light vinaigrette. This is especially good with a ripe avocado or two chopped up in it.

Slightly steamed colorful veggies--an assortment, like zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots with a light vinaigrette. Mix in some tri-color cooked pasta, and you have an easy Pasta Primavera, below. I usually include little cubes of cheese, petit peas and sliced black olives as well as other chopped raw or slightly steamed veggies.

I do think it means all vegetable something and not a starch. A salad that is vegetable -y is fine. I'd probably bring a kale salad with dried cranberries and almonds, avocados, that sort of thing. Hot vegetables don't stay hot and then they get mushy. Broccoli salad is fine too but I only like it when it is loaded with cheese, bacon and pecans.

The always-popular 'assigned' pot luck. lol! Since they said "vegetable", I'd do something that's all vegetable, even if it's a traditional green/leafy salad (i.e., no pasta/rice/etc). The chopped broccoli salad w/ things like raisins, bacon, sunflower seeds, and a mayo-based dressing is a good idea. Roasted veggies are good, but would be best served hot. I'd probably go with a kale-apple-slaw with poppy seed dressing -- it can be made ahead and keeps well (doesn't get soggy/wilty). I lovethis one.

One of our favorites is lightly steamed carrots, broccoli, cauliflower mixed with some cooked rotinni pasta & then roasted w/ garlic & Spike Vegit seasoning. Add some freshly grated Romano or Parmesan.

Another favorite is a raw cauliflower salad. Cauliflower, green onion & bacon w/ a dressing of mayo, sugar (I use Stevia), Worcestershire, & a bit of yellow mustard.

Maybe some more information. What age group. A community gathering including all ages or all seniors?. Have you attended this event in the past?. Seems you could ring and ask whoever assigned this for ideas and what is expected. Maybe a few others will be bringing a vegetable as well. That way a variety will come to the table and all types will be represented. That would take the pressure off knowing that your dish will be one of a few others.

I always make a roasted root veg platter. Tricky to travel and keep hot.

It also depends on where you are in the world. My mother always takes her green beans to their pot-luck bird watching group dinners. Boiled to death, maybe a bit of onion, topped with a scant bit of bread crumbs...no seasoning or butter or oil. Gobbled up. They tend to think of food as fuel. Here it would not be touched.

A good one i've made for that crowd is a confetti vegetable medley. Lots of combinations work. Petite peas, pearl onions, white sweet corn, all found in the bagged frozen section. (cans are not good). Simmer gently until heated through. Drain. Toss with fresh red bell pepper diced small and some halved cherry tomatoes. Lots of variations...just about any fresh veg, fresh herbs. Top with some crumbled feta or not. Fresh lemon vinaigrette. A winter/early spring version of a summer succotash.

Travels well and good hot or just slightly warm.

Roasted vegetables. So many different ones. Simple with oil or balsamic vinegar.

Steamed green beans, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Taste good at room temperature.

I just made my first orangetti squash. It's great! I don't know what it is genetically, but the flesh is like a cross between spaghetti squash and a pumpkiny kind of squash. Like the name orange-etti It makes strings like spaghetti squash. Mine wasn't really sugary the way a pumpkin cousin usually is, but far from sour. Since I'd gotten an earful of eewwww, slime! I cooked it until the shell was soft, about an hour and a half for a rugby ball sized squash, and chilled it whole in a plastic bag. It's fully cooked, but still a little crisp, so no slime. It would be great the usual brown sugar and spices kind of route for an orange fleshed pumpkin cousin, but I wanted it as a vegetable rather than a sweet, so I dressed it with a bunch of Penzey's Arizona Dreaming and half a lemon's juice. I may pan fry it for dinner, or just reheat it.

It's cool. I think it's much nicer than regular spaghetti squash, and you could do all kinds of things with it, add sautéd peppers, caramelized onions, toasted pecan pieces, etc. and make it into a warm salad.

Wow - many thanks to each of you for sharing these wonderful recipes! As it turns out, I've been asked to take a different dish (the menu changed) but I'm perfectly happy with that, and I am saving these recipes for future potlucks.

I second the spaghetti (or orangehetti) squash. I've been taking that to recent group dinners dressed with a lemon olive oil and topped with grated parmesano/reggiano cheese from Trader Joe's. It's been quite successful. It can be served at room temperature and is still perfect when it's reheated in the microwave. I guess I'm in the minority. Roasted veggies are always good, whether served hot or at room temp. Personally, I detest mixed salads with raw broccoli and cauliflower. Cooked is just fine, not raw, with mayo. Bacon wouldn't be a winner over here either, many of our friends don't eat pork or red meat.

So how has the menu changed and what are you bringing now? lol!

Compumom, thanks for the idea. I bet the parm is great with the squash. I'll be trying that.

Yes, Auntiejen! What are you bringing now?

My MIL always brought her green beans, which were NOT the usual green bean casserole. She would have a huge crock-pot full of green beans and cook it all day with a ham bone or leftover ham. She did this with fresh green beans when they were available, or used canned green beans. (Her original version called for this to cook for hours on the stove-top, but after the invention of Crock Pots in the 70s, she switched to that so that she wasn't tied to the house while the beans were cooking.)

Donna

The hostess called to let me know she is preparing a Greek menu and asked if I'd like to take a Greek salad and I'm very happy to do that. She is a wonderful person and opens up her home for dinners. We are a group of active "seniors" (mostly 60s, some a little younger, some older).

Thank you all again for sharing so many yummy recipes! I hope this post has inspired others in the quest for a veggie side dish for a potluck dinner.

This is a recipe that I acquired when a dear aunt took us to a charity fundraiser luncheon when DH and I were about 20 and 22 in the early 70s. We really liked it. I don't know that I would use a can of tomato soup these days, but the basic recipe is worth fiddling with because it's really good and great for traveling and serving cold or at room temp. This isn't for your potluck, auntiejen, but I'll leave it here for future reference.

Copper Pennies

Palo Alto Auxiliary
to the Children’s Hospital at Stanford

1 lbs. carrots, peeled, thinly sliced, and cooked until just
firm

1 medium bell pepper, seeded and cut into small strips

1 medium onion, slivered

Dressing:

1-8
oz. can tomato soup, undiluted

2/4
c. wine vinegar

1/2
c. oil

Scant
2/3 c. sugar

1
tsp. prepared mustard

1
tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2
tsp. salt

Toss well-drained carrots with bell
pepper, onion, and dressing. Marinate 12-24 hours. Drain well before serving.