Side Dish
4106 recipes found
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Chunks of baked sweet potato enhance warm, tender and flaky biscuits, which also get a savory lift from sliced scallions. To achieve distinct biscuit layers, an integral characteristic of this quick bread, keep your butter cold and work quickly when folding. You can chill the dough in between steps if needed to keep the butter solid, because cold, hard butter will help the dough maintain its layered structure in the oven. Serve the biscuits piping hot right out the oven, broken open and slathered with a generous smear of the spiced honey butter. The sweet potato can be baked in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The spiced honey butter can be prepared up to a week in advance.
Roasted Acorn Squash
The one-size-fits-all method for cooking acorn and other hardy squashes is to roast them whole. You can avoid the precarious task of cutting them when they’re raw, and the flesh steams to tenderize without drying out while the skin softens enough to eat. Botanically, acorn squash is actually more closely related to zucchini and spaghetti squash than denser, sweeter, richer winter squashes like butternut. Because it’s so mild, once your acorn squash is roasted, load it up with sweet, buttery, cheesy, crunchy, meaty, nutty or spicy accompaniments; or fold it into sautés, salads and so on.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Honey and Miso
Brussels sprouts roasted simply with oil, salt and pepper are absolutely delicious — but if you want something a little more interesting, add a spoonful of red miso, a powerhouse of salt and umami. Pair it with sweet honey to balance out the earthy bitterness of the brussels sprouts. A hit of lime juice after roasting perks everything up, and chopped almonds add a nice crunch. You can double or triple this recipe to feed a large crowd, or to ensure that there are leftovers.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Cinnamon-Butter Yogurt and Chestnuts
This festive side would make a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table, but would be equally great with a Sunday roast, alongside a whole, roasted chicken or some baked pumpkin. Get ahead by making (and refrigerating) the chestnut topping and garlic yogurt the day before, then bringing them back up to room temperature while the brussels sprouts roast. Be sure to leave the preparation of your browned butter to just before serving, though, as it will solidify as it sits.
Green Bean Salad With Hot Mustard Dressing
Hot mustard powder brings a sharp, spicy twist to traditional mustard vinaigrette, which complements sweet green beans well. The beans are blanched until crisp-tender, then tossed in the vinaigrette while still hot. As the beans cool, they absorb all the flavors of mild shallot, fragrant garlic, tangy rice vinegar and hot mustard. Rich, roasted pecans add nutty sweetness to balance the spicy dressing. Though the salad can be made a few hours ahead, you’ll want to top it with the nuts right before serving to preserve their crunch. The beans themselves can be served at room temperature or chilled.
Green Bean, Artichoke and Radicchio Salad
Snappy cooked green beans make for a gorgeous salad with radicchio and canned artichokes. Beyond the vegetables, all you need for this refreshing zinger of a side dish is a generous glug of olive oil, a heavy hand with salt and pepper, and an electric spritz of lemon. A sprinkle of dried oregano on top lends bottled Italian dressing vibes, but with a homemade taste. This is an excellent addition to Thanksgiving, as it lets you feed two birds with one scone: You get a green bean moment and a salad moment all at once. To prepare this in advance, assemble everything through Step 2, keep it covered in the refrigerator, then on Thanksgiving Day, proceed with the dressing.
Brussels Sprouts in Saor
This recipe is inspired by sarde in saor, a classic Venetian dish of fried sardines topped with sautéed onions, pine nuts, saffron and wine-soaked raisins balanced with a little sugar and vinegar. The saor, or sweet and sour topping, makes an ideal accompaniment to roasted brussels sprouts — served either hot or at room temperature — though it would work equally well on any vegetable side, be it green beans, cauliflower or broccoli. With lemon, vinegar and wine among its ingredients, this dish brings a welcome vividness to the Thanksgiving table — or any meal — where bright, acidic offerings are few and far between.
Brussels Sprouts With Pickled Shallots and Labneh
Pickled onions and labneh lend brightness to this brussels sprouts dish that’s full of flavors and textures, making it a show-stopping addition to the Thanksgiving table. (But why limit yourself there?) This recipe calls for date syrup, available at Middle Eastern grocery stores or online, or pekmez, a type of molasses made from grapes (and sometimes other fruit) used in Turkish cooking. If you can’t find either, use the same amount of maple syrup or honey. Some of the fruity and woody flavors will be missing, but these substitutes will provide much-needed sweetness to the rest of the dish.
Green Bean and Corn Almondine
The classic French dish of green beans and almonds gets a fun update with the addition of corn, which lends extra sweetness, chewy texture and pops of golden color. The simply prepared dish allows the tender green beans and corn to shine in a velvety garlic- and thyme-infused butter sauce. The nutty flavor and delicate crunch of toasted sliced almonds round out the dish. (Haricots verts also work beautifully here, in place of the green beans, but decrease the steaming time to 3 minutes.) This quick and versatile salad pairs well with many different foods and can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Giant Yorkshire Pudding
Classic Yorkshire pudding is the combination of a few humble ingredients—eggs, milk and flour—bolstered by the savory drippings from a large beef roast. The recipe is simple, and relies upon just a few ingredients whisked together in a bowl then baked at a high temperature to achieve puffy, golden-brown perfection. (Yorkshire pudding also happens to serve as a perfect accompaniment to said roast.) If you don’t have roast drippings, or run short on them, or are serving vegetarians, the recipe can also be prepared using butter instead.
Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Shallots
Slivered brussels sprouts and shallots caramelize, getting crisp and golden if you roast them at high heat. A dash of Worcestershire and a drizzle of lemon juice add just enough tang and acidity to round them out, without obscuring their natural sweetness. If you’re not cooking for a crowd, feel free to halve the recipe and use one baking sheet. Serve these as a simple side dish to roast meats or fish, or use it to top a grain bowl, adding a fried or jammy egg for protein.
Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate
For a vegan hot chocolate that rivals even the creamiest dairy-laden variety, add a few tablespoons of nut butter like almond, sunflower or peanut to the nondairy milk, chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Whisking is also essential here; nondairy products tend to contain stabilizers that keep them emulsified, so they can separate when boiled. If you keep whisking the mix as it heats and remove it from the stove when it’s nice and steaming, but before it boils, you’ll end up with perfectly smooth hot chocolate. Don’t worry if it breaks: You can simply blend it with a whisk or immersion blender over low heat to bring it back together.
Farro and Lentils With Jammy Onions
Simmering chopped onions in a generous amount of olive oil is a two-for-one deal: The onions go soft and sweet while the oil gets infused with deep flavor. While the onions sizzle and simmer, the lentils and farro boil together until al dente, keeping the dish a speedy weeknight option. This makes a great warm side dish or a satisfying make-ahead grain salad. (Leftovers keep for up to three days.) Red-pepper flakes add heat, and lemon peel provides floral sweetness; you could also add whole spices, capers or other additions, if you like. Accessorize with hearty greens, soft herbs, eggs, smoked fish or leftover roasted vegetables.
Grilled Zucchini
Naturally suited to grilling, zucchini is both juicy and mild, which means it stays moist even when it’s hit with fire, and it soaks up the smoky flavors of the grill in the short time it cooks. Maximize surface area — and convenience — by cutting the zucchini into sturdy planks, which cook through quickly without slipping through the grates while still retaining some texture. Brush them with olive oil, season enthusiastically with salt and pepper and grill until crisp-tender to enjoy them as a simple side, tossed into a salad or tucked into sandwiches. If you’d like to show them off, arrange them over some ricotta, then dot with herbs, capers and lemon and serve with grilled bread for an easy seasonal supper. The best summer recipes allow you to embrace technique but customize at whim.
Toor Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Peas)
Dal can be made with all kinds of lentils and cooking methods. These vary not just from region to region, but also from day to day, mood to mood. Some cooks like dal soupy, others chunky. There are dals for special occasions, seasoned with charcoal smoke and butter or padded out luxuriously with cream, as well as lighter, leaner dals that can restore you when you’re not feeling well.The flavor of this everyday, Gujarati-style dal comes from the pure nuttiness of split pigeon peas, boiled until tender and bolstered with spices bloomed in hot ghee. This fat-tempering technique, called vaghar in Gujarati, has many names and many uses across the country. In this case, the tempering is a great introduction to the resourcefulness and finesse of Indian home cooks: Just a few tablespoons of carefully seasoned fat, tipped in at the very last moment, transform an entire pot.
Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Dal (Dal Makkhani)
In many ways, the electric pressure cooker’s moist environment was meant for Indian food: It cooks dried beans quickly, sometimes without even a soak, and is conducive to saucier dishes like this dal. Adapted from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook” (Knopf, 2019), this recipe is a relatively fast way to a rich, satisfying dish. You can make your own garam masala (see Tip), or simply use store-bought. Don’t skip the tarka: Thinly sliced onions are cooked in ghee until deep in color and then tossed with paprika and chile powder, adding a bright flavor that cuts through the rich dal. Serve it with Indian flatbreads, like naan, roti or parathas, though Ms. Jaffrey also recommends whole-wheat pita.
Creamy White Bean and Fennel Casserole
This one-pan recipe melds roasted fennel, creamy white beans and salty Parmesan, and tops it with crunchy lemon-zested panko. Fennel is often dismissed because of its perceived licorice notes, but the anise flavor is significantly muted after the vegetable is cooked. Tuck fresh, sliced sausages into the mixture before baking to imitate a simplified cassoulet, turn it into a side dish by pairing it with meat or let the dish live as a main, served with a simple green salad and some rustic bread to sop up the sauce. Reserve the fresh fennel fronds for garnish, which add concentrated fennel flavor and a pop of green.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
In this casserole, a homemade cheese sauce that’s good enough to toss with pasta replaces the canned creamed soup. When you mix in broccoli florets and cooked rice, then top the whole thing with crushed crackers and more Cheddar, you get a gooey holiday side with a crisp top. Use white or orange Cheddar or a mix of the 2, aiming for a range of 4 to 5 cups, based on how rich and cheesy you’d like it. And while this does contain a lot of broccoli, you’ll probably want to serve a salad on the side.
Kimbap
Kimbap, or “seaweed rice,” is often mistakenly referred to as sushi, but it is a popular Korean dish with its own unique flavors and history. These rolls can be simple, with just a single sheet of seaweed wrapped around cooked rice, or complex, with entire restaurants dedicated to serving variations of kimbap. This recipe uses traditional fillings, like a mix of vegetables, egg and meat, but other popular fillings include cucumber, imitation crab, bulgogi or canned tuna. It’s very adaptable, and it does well with substitutions. Leftover kimbap can be kept in the refrigerator, but the rice will lose some of its moisture, so to serve a second time, soak each piece in beaten egg, then pan-fry them until golden.
Sinasir (Fermented Rice Skillet Cakes)
A flat skillet cake made from a batter of fermented rice, sinasir is a recipe from Northern Nigeria similar in texture to Somali cambaabur and Ethiopian injera. Its spongy texture makes it an excellent vehicle for sopping up soups, stews or chunks of beef suya. It is also quite lovely when eaten as a snack, drizzled lightly with honey. This version gets a bit of nuttiness from the short-grain brown rice, and the scent of toasted rice will waft through your kitchen as you cook. The fermentation step in the beginning is crucial, as it gives the finished cakes a slight sourness. For a more intense tang, ferment slowly in the refrigerator using the directions below.
Sweet Potatoes With Tsimmes Glaze
Traditional tsimmes is a stew of sorts that includes sweet potatoes, carrots, one or two kinds of dried fruits, and spices. It’s usually served as a side dish at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, but it also makes frequent appearances on the Passover Seder table. The word “tsimmes” sometimes means a fuss or commotion, or even a muddle. This version is anything but fussy and definitely not muddled. Here, halved sweet potatoes are simply roasted and served with a scrumptious glaze that includes prunes, orange juice, fresh ginger and a hit of lemon.
Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Japanese Rice Balls) With Pickled Shiitakes
Onigiri, also known as omusube, are portable snacks, often sold in Japanese convenience stores, which are traditionally stuffed with salty, tangy fillings, then wrapped in seaweed. When grilled, glazed or cooked, they become yaki onigiri. In this version, adapted from “Vegan JapanEasy: Classic and Modern Vegan Japanese Recipes to Cook at Home” by Tim Anderson (Hardie Grant, 2020), a little bit of the pickled shiitake filling goes a long way. (The recipe makes extra, which you can keep refrigerated to add to stir-fries, ramen or even omelets.) You could also stuff these with finely chopped kimchi, Japanese pickles, sautéed greens or nothing at all. Available online or at most Japanese supermarkets, an onigiri mold makes for sleek shaping, but, with a little practice, you could also form the shape by hand, or simply roll the rice between your palms into balls. For hot yaki onigiri, brush them with the miso glaze, which will form a delightful crackly, caramelized crust when broiled.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
The classic Thanksgiving side dish becomes instantly more flavorful with the use of fresh green beans, shallots and mushrooms. This recipe is also vegan, owing to a quick, creamy sauce made with non-dairy milk and thickened with flour. You can save yourself the trouble of deep-frying onions by using store-bought French fried onions. They’re usually vegan, but be sure to double check the ingredient label to be sure.
Air-Fryer French Fries
Being able to cook French fries with a lot less oil is one of the reasons air fryers were invented. While air-fryer fries may not be quite as deeply crunchy as their properly deep-fried cousins, they are nonetheless crisp, golden and satisfying in their own right — and a lot easier and less messy to prepare. Here, they’re served with mayonnaise spiked with mustard and smoked paprika, for dunking. But for traditionalists, ketchup works just as well. Note that you can double the recipe, but you may have to cook the fries in batches, depending on the size of your fryer; consult the manual for specific instructions for your model.