Vegetables often accompany main courses along with common starches. Popular are rice varieties, roasted sweet and white potatoes, other root vegetables, and orzo.
Ready for something new? Farro, a lesser known ancient grain in America is a flavorful hulled wheat, slightly nutty and creamy with a chewy texture. Best of all, it tastes great and is a wonderful alternative side dish. It also is very nutritious; high in anti-oxidants, fiber, and among the highest protein grain.
Like simple rice preparation, farro is simmered with a three to one volume ratio of broth to grains; butter added for additional flavor and creaminess. Many common ingredients added to risotto can also be incorporated. Farro is also the main ingredient in Tuscan Ferro Soup with White Beans.
Note: According to Wikipedia, the name Farro is derived from Italian Latin and refers to a group of three wheat species, spelt, emmer, and eingorn. Emmer is the popular Italian version traditionally grown on the hillsides surrounding northern Tuscany and Abruzzo. Wikipedia also indicates some believe "farro" refers to steamed or boiled grain rather than the grain itself.
*i.e. Organic FARRO, Bolt’s Red Mill®, available is specialty markets.