Side Dish Recipes & Ideas

On Thanksgiving, I don’t think any dish inspires quite as much love and jealousy as classic stuffing. Or, for that matter, technical debate over stuffing vs. dressing. Sure, if it’s baked inside the turkey it’s stuffing, and if it’s not, it’s dressing. But to me, it will always be stuffing — it sounds so much more satisfying than dressing, which brings to mind vinaigrette. And on my table, the stuffing is always some version of this classic sage and onion mix.

A big bowl of classic mashed potatoes make any meal a little better. Sadly, I come from a long line of mashed potato forgetters. A familiar cry heard each Thanksgiving was, “The mashed potatoes!” This could mean one of three things: Someone forgot to start them, someone forgot they were cooking, or someone forgot them in the kitchen and they were cold by the time they hit the table. This always bummed me out. I mean, we’re talking mashed potatoes here.

Like butter.

The recipe that makes almost any meal a little better.

The air fryer has become the latest indispensable appliance and is now a staple in many home kitchens. Besides making your favorite foods perfectly crisp without using much oil, air fryers are also incredibly handy for quickly roasting vegetables in a matter of minutes. It is a great tool for when the stovetop and oven are occupied with other dishes, or for those times when you just don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Plus, cleanup is a breeze!

It's all about the sweet, creamy dressing.

I could eat it every night.

The sweet potato is arguably the most versatile veggie in the produce department. It can easily be the star of any meal, from pancakes for breakfast to the main event of dinner and can even do dessert. While baking sweet potatoes in the oven can take up to an hour, microwaving a sweet potato takes a mere five minutes. Here’s the very best way to do it, so that you can dig into your tender, steaming sweet potato ASAP. It’s lightning fast.

The secret ingredient comes from the freezer.

It tastes like childhood.

Like the boxed stuff, but so much better.

Don’t sleep on this.

I can't believe I waited so long to try them.

It's the perfect way to use up your tomato haul.

One pantry staple makes it extra nutty and delicious.

There are so many ways to use it.

My secret to getting dinner on the table every weeknight is a new sous chef — the air fryer. When I put this countertop appliance to work, I’m free to attend to the main dish while it works, virtually unattended. All I have to do is wait for that delightful “ding,” telling me the food needs a flip or is ready to eat.

Somehow Labor Day weekend is upon us. It’s been a very short summer — it seems like we were just firing up our grills for Memorial Day, and yet that also feels like a long-distant memory now. Since we are all out of our normal rhythms, the long weekend might’ve snuck up on you. If you’re planning on getting outside and cooking this weekend, we’ve got some side dish options for you.

Fried okra is the best okra.

And you only need four ingredients.

It uses 2 pounds of zucchini.

Just add garlic bread.

It's tangy, it's sweet, and it pops (literally).

It's all about knowing the right ratio for the best texture.

You barely need a recipe.

There are many ways to cook carrots, but roasting them is hands-down my favorite method. It’s one of the best vegetable side dishes that pairs well with anything for dinner. Roasted carrots might seem simple, but when done right, they can rival just about any other vegetable side, be it Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes. When it comes to glazed carrots, some recipes call for cooking them on the stovetop, but I opt for the oven so that the carrots can do their business while I do mine.

Of all the things I make in my Instant Pot, there’s nothing more convenient (or versatile!) than a batch of sweet potatoes. Topped with a pat of butter and flaky salt, Instant Pot sweet potatoes are a quick side dish to partner with whatever I’m cooking. They’re also incredibly versatile. Loaded with beans and greens, they make a wholesome vegetarian dinner. Filled with Greek yogurt or nut butter, and fruit, I have a nutritious breakfast.

And it’s actually way easier to make than it looks.

So crunchy you can’t hear your own thoughts.

It’s so easy.

Save room for seconds.

The beginning of August marks zucchini season for me. Sure, it’s been showing up at the farmers market — and my garden, finally! — for the last couple of weeks, but this is when the real bumper crop of summer squash hits. My local farmers are trying to get rid of all their zucchini every Saturday morning. I can score big ones for just $1 each, so I typically walk out lugging way more than I should be — because who can pass up a deal like that?

Even if the arrival of PSL season has you rolling your eyes, there’s no denying the deliciousness of a pumpkin spice latte. But you can do better than Starbucks. Our homemade pumpkin spice latte is even better than what you can get at the coffee house chain. Here’s how to make an easy extra-frothy pumpkin spice latte at home. You’ll have enough to share with someone you truly love. Our homemade recipe is better than Starbucks.

The harissa vinaigrette is everything.

So fresh!

No filler fruit to be found.

It’s bound to become an instant classic.

I can’t get enough!

It's probably in your pantry.

It’s tradition to have pizza night once a week at home. Sometimes it’s homemade pizza, other times we order delivery, and, yes, occasionally we put our favorite frozen pizza into the oven and call it dinner. An excellent side dish or salad (and, let’s be honest, a nice glass of wine) can elevate any and all pizza nights just enough to make it feel like a nice meal you planned — rather than one that just saved the day.

Ruby-red tomatoes may be the crown jewel of summer, but I say that fried green tomatoes are the season’s unsung hero. Turn stubbornly unripe green tomatoes into a crunchy Southern specialty. You can make the ultimate fried green tomatoes by dipping in tangy buttermilk, coating in cornmeal, and then frying until golden. Once you taste them warm with a spicy remoulade sauce, you may never wait for tomatoes to ripen again. These fried green tomatoes are extra crispy.

Summer’s here, and that means one thing: it’s rib season! Whether you cook ribs in the oven, in the slow cooker, in an Instant Pot, or on the grill, they’re always the first to go at a summer cookout. While the ribs are cooking, there’s plenty of time to make tasty side dishes that are just as delicious as the ribs themselves.If you’re wondering what to serve to round out the meal, know that there are so many delicious options.

It’s all about the crunchy shallots.

It’s so fresh.

Fresh corn on the cob is one of my favorite summer vegetables. Fresh corn has a naturally sweet flavor that makes it a breeze to cook, and the irresistible sound of kernels popping when they’re cut off the cob is music to my ears. Southern-style fried corn is a deliciously simply recipe that excels in maintaining those kernels’ natural sweetness. Despite what it sounds like, fried corn is not deep-fried corn on the cob.

Better than anything you'll buy at the store.

For years I skipped over radishes; they felt more like a garnish in green salads than a necessary component. Then I joined a CSA and was bombarded with radishes. I suddenly had to figure out what to do with them all, only to realize radishes have a whole lot of love to give. They’re crispy, peppery, and not only a colorful addition to so many dishes, but can also stand out all on their own.

Cool, briny pickles straight from the fridge are one of the simplest pleasures of summer. Quick pickling is also a brilliant solution for preserving a plethora of summer vegetables from the market or your garden. Quick pickling doesn’t require canning or a bushel of vegetables. Best of all, you can adapt this simple formula for any fresh vegetables; try a mixture of vinegars and spices for a truly custom pickle pleasure. Here’s how to make these easy quick pickles in just 20 minutes.

It's loaded with flavor.

My grandmother kept a tidy little vegetable garden outside her New England home. While she did a decent job of growing summer squash, cucumbers, and some tomatoes, her best results always came out of her snap bean plants. This also meant my annual August trips to visit her were filled by snapping beans on her porch (a job reserved strictly for grandchildren) and putting jars of quick-pickled green beans in her refrigerator.

Just add fries and a Diet Coke.

It’s the Midwestern technique I swear by.

Summer brings with it so many vegetables that are hard to get enough of. But of all of them, I think it’s safe to say sweet corn is always the one that steals the show. Those sweet, tender-yet-crisp kernels are all too easy to love (especially when they’re grilled!). And since fresh corn is only in season for a couple months a year, we want to get our fill every chance we get.

When summer heat floods the farmers markets and groceries stores with green zucchini and yellow squash, it also brings pattypans, the darling of the summer squash family. These small, adorable, disk-shaped squashes with their sometimes scalloped edges come in all shades of green and yellow, and are just as delicious as their bigger counterparts.

When the sun is shining and you’re contemplating grilling outside, don’t forget that easy grilled sweet potatoes can be a delicious addition to the summer dinner plate. All you have to do is toss thick slices with some oil and salt, and after just 10 minutes on the grill they’ll be sweet and tender with a hint of smokiness from the flames. To up the ante, toss the still-warm grilled sweet potatoes in a sweet-and-spicy dressing. Heat the grill.

As a Midwestern gal, born and raised, I do love my corn on the cob. What I don’t love, however, is standing over a boiling pot of water waiting for the cobs to cook on a sweltering summer day. Boiling has also always felt to me like a lot of labor for what amounts to a few minutes of actual cook time. Enter: the microwave. Ever since we first talked about this method, the microwave has become my favorite tool for quickly cooking a few ears of corn for a weeknight summer dinner.