Side Dish Recipes

Easy new potato salad with skin-on baby potatoes folded into creamy dill dressing and fresh green onions. Make it the day ahead so the flavors mingle and the spuds drink in the herbs.

Easy quesadillas layer refried beans, Mexican cheese blend, and taco sauce between flour tortillas, microwaved until melty. A 10-minute snack or appetizer for game day, kids, or late-night cravings.

Quick mushroom sauce of sliced mushrooms browned in butter and finished with a splash of Worcestershire. A fast, savory pan sauce to spoon over steak, omelets, or fish. Ready in minutes.

Creamy potato cheddar soup with sautéed mirepoix, cubed potatoes, and a Worcestershire kick. Hearty stovetop comfort soup ready in about 30 minutes.

Indian-style fried eggplant with turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Quartered and pan-fried until reddish brown, served with fresh lemon wedges.

Vegetarian fried brown rice with mushrooms, scallions, pickled radishes, water chestnuts, and peas in sesame oil. A wholesome, plant-based fried rice with crunch and tang in every bite.

This is the basic recipe for cooking lentils or beans. Many southern and southwestern regional recipes call for cooked lentils or beans to be stirred gently into a dish near the end of cooking. Therefore, it may be a good idea ot make them a day ahead and have them ready when you begin the actual cooking.

Broken spaghetti twirls through a sesame-poppy seed dressing with crisp cucumbers and red onions for a pasta salad that feeds a crowd.

Garlicky corn spinach soup with sweet kernels sliced fresh from the cob and tender greens wilted in at the last minute. A light, low-calorie one-pot soup that comes together from pantry staples.

This unusual side dish is tangy and full of beans! Perfect with hamburgers or barbecue.

Greek potato salad with dried tomatoes: roasted potatoes and concentrated tomatoes tossed in a bright lemon-and-olive-oil dressing, then chilled. A no-mayo Mediterranean side served cool.

Green bean bundles tied with blanched leek ribbons and steamed until bright, served over two silky sweet pepper sauces (one red, one yellow) perfumed with white wine and basil. A dinner party side that looks painterly on the plate.

The grilled chicken adds the "pop" to this traditional tex-mex recipe. I made this on game day for my boyfriend and me, and it was a hit!

Grilled pepper salad tosses charred multi-colored bell peppers with oil-cured black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and a balsamic vinaigrette. A smoky vegetarian side for grill night.

Grilled red and green bell peppers brushed with a Dijon mustard, garlic, and red wine vinegar marinade. A low-fat side dish ready in 20 minutes, served hot or cold.

Ham and asparagus roll-ups topped with melty mozzarella and broiled until bubbly. A low-carb, low-calorie appetizer or side that comes together in under 10 minutes. Three ingredients, big payoff.