Side Dish Recipes & Ideas

Truth be told, the classic combination of spinach and artichokes is often simply an excuse to consume a creamy cheese dip. And while spinach and artichoke dip is festive holiday fare and a tailgate essential we love, in the spring I use my favorite dip as inspiration for something a little lighter.

Classic creamed spinach is good in the same way that mashed potatoes or mac and cheese is — it’s usually all cream and flour, with the spinach adding only color. This is a different dish, and that’s why I call it creamy (not creamed) spinach. The cream’s function here is to mingle with the garlic and nutmeg, adding just enough richness to elevate things above straight-up sautéed spinach.

Add this one to the dinner plan ASAP!

Beet salad sounds like such a cliché dish, but I think there’s good reason for its popularity. When rock-hard beets are roasted until soft and sweet, then tossed with a vinaigrette to cut through all the sweetness, there’s something amazing that happens. Skipping the fast-wilting lettuce in favor of slabs of creamy feta cheese and a big handful of fresh, fragrant herbs really makes this salad special and beautiful.

Humble celery is always seen as the backbone of soups or a foundational vegetable for braises and the like, but it’s a crisp, slightly sweet vegetable that deserves a turn in the spotlight all by itself. When thinly sliced and charred in a wok, celery stands up to the savoriness of beef in this easy, saucy stir-fry that just needs a pile of regular or cauliflower rice to nestle upon. The most time-consuming part about making a stir-fry is the prep.

It’s hard to beat the cool refreshment cucumbers provide. The water-packed veggie is not only wonderfully crisp, but its mild flavor also makes it incredibly adaptable to all sorts of flavors and ingredients. These 10 recipes show off the vegetable’s versatility, and are so easy that they can be thrown together for just about any occasion. Everyone needs a go-to recipe for summer cookouts and potlucks, and this fresh and creamy cucumber salad is absolutely the answer.

A celebration of 'shrooms in all shapes and sizes.

This may look like an inconspicuous tray of roasted veggies, but it is anything but bland and boring. These earthy mushrooms and sweet cherry tomatoes are caramelized with lots of fresh thyme and garlic and then finished with a hit of brightening balsamic vinegar. It’s so simple, you’ll wonder why it’s been missing from your life for so long! Pile it on toast, spoon it over grilled chicken or steak, toss it with pasta, or just eat it straight from the sheet pan with a fork.

Steak tips are a favorite in my household for their budget-friendly price and bold beefiness, and I love playing around with different ways to flavor them. My current favorite is a sweet-and-savory marinade of maple syrup and bourbon. Just a quick stint in this marinade infuses every bite with flavor, and searing them in a hot skillet gives them a gorgeous golden-brown crust.

For a fun, easy twist on chicken marsala, give boneless pork chops a try for dinner instead. When cooked in a bit of browned butter and then simmered in a glossy sauce rich with golden-brown mushrooms and sweet marsala wine, these pork chops can make dinner just a tad more elegant. It may seem a bit fussy to use both oil and butter, but that’s what makes this recipe special.

If your goal is to work more vegetables into breakfast, you can certainly blend up a smoothie or toss together a breakfast salad. But if you ask me, there is no better choice than a warm, smoky stovetop hash made with a rainbow of ingredients from the crisper and topped with poached eggs. The secret to a successful breakfast hash is in the vegetable prep.

It’s hard to beat the satisfaction of a midsummer caprese salad. Break out the juiciest tomatoes and the freshest mozzarella and basil, and what you have is pretty much perfection. Can it be improved upon? Absolutely — all you need is a humble cucumber. If you’re anything like me, you basically eat your weight in juicy summer tomatoes and creamy fresh mozzarella throughout the summer months.

Let the freezer be your culinary secret weapon against takeout or cereal for dinner. With a bag of cleaned shrimp and a pound of frozen broccoli stashed away, you can make a savory stir-fry in just about 30 minutes. Sweet shrimp and tender broccoli are tossed in a gingery, garlicky sauce, and a side of steamy, fluffy rice soaks it all up. This easy stir-fry works with both fresh or frozen broccoli.

Peas are the OG frozen vegetables. Whether you like them or not, it’s highly likely you have a bag in your freezer, if only to be used as an ice pack to soothe a bump or a bruise. But they’re worth so much more than that! You see, since frozen peas defrost and warm up almost instantly when cooked, they’re a rockstar ingredient for fast main dishes. Here are 10 ways we love to use them. Add some green goodness to your pasta dinner without even trying.

Because frozen corn has the potential to be so much more than a last-minute side dish.

Corn on the cob is pretty much perfect all on its own. Grilled or roasted, it doesn’t need much more than a pat of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper to make it sing. And I will never forget the time a corn farmer told me that if the corn is really fresh, the best is to just eat it raw — he pulled an ear right off the plant and told me to take a bite, and it was crisp like an apple and as sweet as corn-flavored candy.

Pasta e fagioli translates to “pasta and beans,” but that doesn’t even begin to describe all the flavorful elements of this humble, comforting dish. Tender pinto beans cook all day, resulting in a rich and creamy broth, and vibrant tomatoes, pancetta, and herbs are added to round out the sophisticated Italian meal. Here, we use the slow cooker to pull this soup together, making it a hands-off dinner you can eat tonight and enjoy all week.

When’s the last time you had a breakfast bowl that made you feel nourished — on a weekday? As much as we love classic oatmeal, we’ve all got some other grains sitting in our pantry that need to be used up too. This breakfast grain bowl is basic in the best way, featuring quinoa and steel-cut oats with a refreshing zing of ginger and lemon. Make this bowl-starter on Sunday and you can enjoy it all sorts of ways — both sweet and savory — throughout the week.

If power bowls and Buddha bowls aren’t already part of your weekly meal plan, this is the recipe that will convince you they should be. The crispy chicken bites are coated in a soy sauce-spiked peanut sauce, and served in a bowl with a rainbow of vibrant, crisp veggies. It’s a nourishing meal you may just start making every week. One of my favorite things about Buddha bowls is how well they lend themselves to meal prep.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate this insanely photogenic lasagna? This is not your average lasagna. This is a use-up-all-the-veggies-in-your-fridge lasagna. This is a your-friend-just-had-a-baby-and-you’re-cooking-dinner lasagna. This is a make-it-for-the-Instagram-likes lasagna.

It’s time to add humble russet potatoes to the list of staples you should be making in your Instant Pot. They cook up tender and ultra-creamy just the way you love, but in a fraction of the time required with the oven. It’s a meal prep miracle, and the best solution to making baked potatoes on a weeknight. Top them with a pat of butter or dollop of sour cream for a quick side, or whip up your favorite filling to turn them into a quick dinner.

Serve this with dinner tonight.

As the days grow shorter and colder, a creamy, comforting beef stew loaded with seared beef and savory mushrooms fits the dinner bill perfectly — especially if you’re a fan of beef stroganoff. The slow cooker works all day, tenderizing the beef and creating a flavorful sauce, and all you have to do is add some cream when you get home and figure out if you’d rather serve it over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. For this recipe, any cut of stew beef will work well.

At first glance this recipe looks and feels so classic Ottolenghi — one you’d find in the pages of one of his first three tomes. It’s full of fresh ingredients and layers upon layers of flavors and textures, something I’ve come to expect from him. But what makes this warm, herb-heavy salad different is that it comes together in way less time and calls for just 10 ingredients.

This is the coziest, most comforting meal you can make.

Last week I got a call from my mother, who wanted to tell me that she just bought a spaghetti squash for the first time. “Now what?” she asked. “How do I cook this thing?” While most winter squashes like butternut, kabocha, and pumpkin are wonderful cut into cubes and roasted, spaghetti squash is a different beast, thanks to the long strands swirled around under the skin. When it comes to the basics of cooking spaghetti squash, there are three easy methods to choose from.

With a smart grocery list in hand, you can make easy enchiladas with just five ingredients and no tortilla rolling required. Tender slices of sweet potato are layered with black beans, spinach, cheese, and enchilada sauce, resulting in a gooey, bubbling vegetarian casserole. Sprinkle the top with chopped cilantro and diced avocado and serve with warm corn tortillas. Enchilada sauce is what makes this five-ingredient casserole possible.

Wild rice, roasted squash, dried fruit, and nuts make for the perfect fall pilaf.

Get in my belly.

Like most of you, my introduction to sweet and sour chicken was by way of my local takeout joint. Several years later, I discovered that this takeout favorite is surprisingly easy to make at home — and easier still when your slow cooker is involved. The impossibly delicious sweet and tangy sauce comes together with just a few pantry ingredients, and it thickens while it cooks, blanketing the boneless chicken thighs and veggies.

As a vegetarian, sandwiches aren’t really my thing. At least, they weren’t my thing until I discovered Court Street Grocers, a Brooklyn-based sandwich shop that now has four locations in New York City.

Chewy noodles, tender chicken, and crisp veggies are tossed together in this easy 20-minute chow mein.

Cheetos-inspired tater tots for the win.

Whether you follow a gluten-free or low-carb diet — or simply want a new way to eat pizza — cauliflower crust is the answer. The problem is, most of them suck. They take forever to make and yield subpar results: bland, limp crusts that can barely handle sauce and cheese. Unfortunately, store-bought varieties are just as disappointing. I was determined to make a simplified, far-more-delicious version — one with super-crispy edges and maximum flavor. This recipe is that and more.

In the hierarchy of all the ways to cook a potato, oven-baked wedges are at the very top. They’re the best of both worlds: their crispy, salty exteriors are reminiscent of french fries, but their irresistibly creamy, soft and tender centers might just remind you of a baked potato. Here’s how to master the art of oven-baked potato wedges. Russet potatoes are the best pick for potato wedges, both for their texture and size.

Do you see the photo of a casserole above? Filled with lots of vegetables, tofu, and topped with flaky sage biscuits? The miso-tofu casserole with sage biscuits from The Tassajara Cookbook is yours for the making. And trust me, you’re going to want to make it. But before you get started, you have a bit of a choice to make: Will you take the grocery store shortcut and opt for pre-made stock? Or make your own? If you have the time, the DIY way is the way to go with this recipe.

At Kitchn, our editors develop and debut brand-new recipes on the site every single week. But at home, we also have our own tried-and-true dishes that we make over and over again — because quite simply? We love them. And we decided to start sharing some of our absolute favorites with you. Here’s a peek into what we’re cooking and eating in our own kitchens. Show me a dish with caramelized sweet potatoes, and my heart begins to beat a little faster.

This is the kind of feel-good food you'll crave.

I recently found myself staring at a bag of Brussels sprouts, wondering how to prepare them. I wanted to try something new (I’ve had my fill of crispy roasted sprouts and shredded Brussels sprout slaws) — and I was craving something comforting. Enter: this irresistible Brussels sprout casserole. It’s packed with crispy bacon and lots of gooey cheese, and it totally satisfied my need for a new veggie side.

If you typically save pork chops for weekend dinner guests, that’s about to change. These chops are golden-brown on the outside, perfectly juicy on the inside, and taste like a little luxury — but are simple enough for even the busiest of weeknights. They come together easily on the stovetop in just about half an hour. Oh, and did I mention they’re bathed in a creamy garlic mushroom sauce?

The combination of bacon and asparagus is a stellar spring pairing and a great way to celebrate the arrival of longer, warmer days. Asparagus is also one of the easiest vegetables to prep, making it a great side dish contender during this time of year, when it’s inexpensive and readily available. Plus, it’s quick to cook: You can have juicy, vibrant asparagus wrapped in perfectly crisp bacon in less than 15 minutes. Here’s how to do it.

Do yourself a favor and file this recipe under side dishes that are better than the main course. It will hold true no matter what you’re serving. I can say this with confidence not only because I’ve made this recipe many times, but also because the French are experts at turning something as simple as potatoes and onions into a dish that feels incredibly luxe and fancy and far, far greater than the sum of its parts.

Frittatas have long been my go-to solution anytime I need to use up the sad-looking produce, wilting herbs, and little nubs of cheese in my fridge. It’s not often I make them with a plan — until now. Inspired by my favorite cheesy dip and the warm spring weather, I came up with a frittata loaded with garlicky marinated artichoke hearts, earthy baby spinach, salty Parm, and rich sour cream. I knew it would be good, but it went above and beyond all of my expectations.

The takeout-style favorite is creamy, spicy, and begs to be served over rice.

In just about half an hour, you'll be sitting down to juicy chicken in a sweet and sour pineapple sauce — no deep frying involved.

This breakfast casserole is loaded with veggies, ham, and cheese.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Butternut squash is one of the more intimidating vegetables, but let me tell you it’s 100 perfect worth peeling and cubing the squash for this hearty chili recipe. The base of this recipe is caramelized onions. Caramelized onions give everything an amazing sweet/savory roasted flavor, but there are no shortcuts to making them.

Growing up, I only ever considered butternut squash a side dish (specifically, a purée of squash sweetened with brown sugar that we’d eat at Thanksgiving and Christmas). When I started cooking for myself, I quickly realized I’d been missing out on a whole lot of other uses for the fall favorite, and now it’s something I reach for all fall and winter long.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. There are a million ways to prepare mushrooms, but you might be tempted to throw them all out after you try this recipe for mushrooms with sesame and miso butter from The Endless Meal.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Please forgive me because I absolutely cannot resist making the following mushroom pun in reference to the recipe that I’m about to convince you to make tonight: “There’s not mushroom for improvement here because these honey balsamic garlic mushrooms from The Recipe Critic are absolute perfection.

If you love poached or gently baked eggs as much as I do, this all-day egg skillet will be right up your alley. The yolky eggs and chunks of soft, briny feta make it a touch indulgent, but there’s just enough wilted spinach to keep it feeling light. But what makes this recipe stand out (and the a-ha moment I will most definitely borrow for many other meals) is the oil-kissed za’atar spice that’s brushed over the eggs right before serving.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Some of us are born with a sweet tooth — I was born with a salty tooth. When given the choice between the two categories, I’d choose Ruffles and Axelrod onion dip, Tostitos Hint of Lime and salsa, or just straight up Cool Ranch Doritos over cookies any day of the week.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. I consider myself lucky to have witnessed, during my lifetime, the complete 180 of Brussels sprouts’ identity as a vegetable. It seems like in the blink of an eye, these mini cabbages went from being steamed, stinky, and kinda uncool to roasted, charred, and downright sexy.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. No Fourth of July menu is complete without a potato salad recipe. Sure, burgers and hot dogs might be on there, and maybe some grilled corn, but there’s something about potato salad that seems quintessential for long days spent outside on hot, sticky summer days. Do you have a recipe ready to go for the big day?

I think it’s pretty clear that we’re obsessed with cauliflower here at Kitchn. We’ve turned it into rice, mashed “potatoes,” pizza crust, soup, mac and cheese, tacos, lettuce wraps, and more, but our favorite way to eat it might just be in bite-sized form. Here are 10 ways to spice up everyone’s favorite floret-filled veggie. These bites from Kirbie’s Cravings are coated in a honey-garlic sauce, which gets a hint of spice from Sriracha.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Mushrooms don’t exactly have a reputation for stealing the spotlight come dinnertime. They’re more of a stick-to-the-sidelines kind of side dish. But not if you give them the A-list treatment. Enter: these balsamic garlic grilled mushroom skewers from Closet Cooking, which most definitely have star potential.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Cauliflower has been rising in the grocery store ranks for some years now. No longer limited to sad crudités platters, cauliflower can be ground as a substitute for rice, sliced into thick-cut “steaks,” and used as the filling for delicious tacos (yes, really).

Like a superstar from classic TV shows that slipped out of the limelight, cabbage is making a comeback. We’re loving it more than ever because we’re seeing its versatility and charm with fresh eyes. It fills us with fond nostalgia, but we are excited about the new things it can do today. Cabbage is the Betty White of the produce aisle. I adore cabbage. I was raised by cabbage farmers who endowed me with a lifelong devotion to this under-appreciated staple.

If you believe cauliflower is a bit too bland for your liking, this recipe will certainly change your mind. It utilizes frozen cauliflower florets, which means making it can be a cinch. To top things off, it’s also covered in a creamy cheese sauce. I mean, who can say no to that? By using frozen cauliflower instead of fresh, you can pull out a bag whenever the desire for this recipe arises — it’ll taste as fresh as the day it was picked!

When you’re whipping up a weeknight meal, you want the side to be as quick and easy as the main. Enter: these pesto smashed potatoes. Between the bright pesto, salty Parmesan, and crispy potatoes, this is a side dish that might just steal the whole dinner show. (Wait, is it still a side dish if you eat the entire pan’s worth? Maybe don’t answer that!

Growing up in the heartland of the Midwest, I come from a family who loves their chili thick and packed full of just about everything. I have a hard time loving chili from other people, as it’s often just a sloppy mix of beans and meat and doesn’t remind me of home. This chili, however, is so packed full of awesomeness it’s hard to go wrong. As a bonus, it has an unusual flavor profile that makes it reminiscent of some of my favorite tailgating foods.

We often see mushrooms as a welcome addition to an already tasty side dish or protein on a menu, but we forget they are delicious all on their own. Well move over, mushroom risotto, mushroom lasagna, or even beef Wellington with that thin layer of tasty mushroom paste below the surface! Sometimes we just want mushrooms. Plain and simple. When it comes to roasting vegetables, it can often seem like a long process.

Although cauliflower is being served up 100 different ways than how I personally grew up eating it (plain and steamed or raw with a dip), I still have yet to cultivate the enthusiasm that says, “Today we’re cooking cauliflower!” The vegetable just doesn’t excite me. But you know what does? Maple syrup and Sriracha and the existence of the word caramelized.