Great French Side Dishes

Are you looking for a delectable side dish to add some flair to your meal? You will love this collection of Great French Side dishes from Le Chef's Wife. With over 130 original, tried and tested recipes, LeChefswife.com is your reference for French food, made simple.

From haricots verts to French mashed potatoes to tomatoes Provençales, you will find a delicious side dishes to add some oh la la! to your classic French meal here. These recipes are the classics of French home cooking. Dishes that my Mamie would make and that we continue to make every day for our family.

Thanksgiving French with mashed potatoes and Turkey au vin

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A good side dish elevates a meal. I like to serve my side dishes in separate plates, allowing guests to scoop and serve at their desire. It adds decoration to your table. There are a few classic French side dishes that everyone should have in their repertoire.

Julia Child is know to have said:

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun."
Julia Child

I love this notion - you do not have to be perfect, you can simply learn something new.

Even if you are a novice at French cuisine I am here to walk you through each step of the recipe.

What is a French Side Dish?

There are a few things that most French side dishes have in common, whether you are in a fancy restaurant of haute cuisine or in the French countryside enjoying a rustic meal.

A star ingredient - classic French side dishes rare feature more than one or two ingredients, simply prepared so that the star ingredient shines.
Usually a vegetable to create for more nutritious meals.
Uses fresh ingredients and often fresh herbs with minimal intervention for the most flavorful dish.

French bread, such as this quick & easy French Baguette recipe, is always on the table, as is often a simple green salad.

homemade French baguettes piled up on a striped cotton towl

French Vegetable side dishes

Haricots Verts (Green beans)

French Asparagus Recipe with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette

Asparagus with Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette — Asparagus with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette (photo by Jennifer Chase)

The best Tomatoes Provençale Recipe - one of the simplest things to make in French cooking

tomatoes Provençale with garlic pesto in a copper baking dish

Roasted Eggplant

Simple Confit Bayaldi Recipe - The traditional recipe from Provence, just like my Mamie would make.

Confit Bayaldi a dish of layered eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and onions — Confit Bayaldi by Chef Sébastien Giannini

Authentic Ratatouille Recipe - a French delicacy

Roasted Fennel

French spinach recipe with garlic and butter on a plate with roast chicken, rice and broccoli — French Spinach

French Potato Side dishes:

French Mashed Potatoes - a French classic

Garlic Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Smashed Mini Potatoes

smashed roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic

Side Salads

Tomato Burrata Salad with Basil and Orange Zest

tomato basil salad in a blue bowl on a marble table with a napkin and a knife

La Salade Niçoise (Is often a meal on its own but can be served as an accompaniment to grilled fish)

Nicoise salad - tomatoes, artichokes, capers, cucumbers olives and capers with tuna

La Salade Mentonnaise (inspired by the French Riviera town of Menton)

la salade mentonnaise : fennel, oranges, pine nuts, artichokes and greens in a serving bowl

La Salade Lyonnaise (from the French City of Lyon)

two plates of salade lyonnaise , poached egg, salad and baguette with two glasses of red wine

Soups

cream of cauliflower soup

Simple Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines

What French Main dishes to serve:

Boeuf Bourguignon

beef bourguignon in a plate with potatoes tournées and a glass of wine

French Onion Soup Gratinée (can be a main course - you will love our recipe - it uses chicken broth instead of the traditional beef broth for a lighter, more fragrant soup)

french onion Soup gratinée in a white bowl with wine

Coq au vin (made with red wine)

Coq au Vin with mushrooms, chicken, onions and parsley served with mashed potatoes

These classic French dishes are written so that busy people, with no culinary training, can find success in the kitchen.

Other French recipes you will love

Easy French Crepes

French Toast

I hope you have enjoyed this collection of French side dish recipes that I have built over the years. The perfect side dish true elevates the meal. What other recipes would you like to see?

Bon Appétit!

Le Chef's Wife

ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE

Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.

Look inside our Kitchen with this recent Washington Post Article. We were recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:

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