Side Dish Recipes

Creamy cauliflower soup made with skim milk and a light roux base, finished with white pepper and nutmeg. Lower-calorie, silky, and ready in an hour.

Oven-baked curried rice pilaf with dried apricots, toasted slivered almonds, and vegetable stock. A hands-off vegetarian side dish with sweet-savory depth.

Grilled bread salad with fresh figs, roasted red peppers, basil, and a balsamic-lemon vinaigrette. A summer grilled panzanella that turns stale bread into a smoky, fig-sweet main course salad.

Pan-grilled Thai tuna salad with seared yellowfin, napa cabbage, cucumber, and a lime-sambal dressing. A 20-minute high-protein dinner for two that drinks like a cold Thai noodle salad minus the noodles.

Indian-style fried potatoes simmered in a tomato curry with asafetida, fenugreek, fennel, mustard seeds, and turmeric. Bold, layered spice work over crispy potato cubes.

Roasted spiced root vegetables toss chunks of potato, sweet potato, turnip, rutabaga, carrot, and butternut squash in a garlicky paprika-cumin oil, then roast until caramelized. A warming winter side dish.

Roasted root vegetable salad with carrot-curry vinaigrette and crispy fried horseradish. Parsnips, beets, carrots, celery root, and onion roasted hard, dressed warm. Holiday-table showstopper.

Raw broccoli and cauliflower salad tossed in a sweet vinegar-mayonnaise dressing with onion rings, topped with crumbled bacon. No cooking, make-ahead friendly.

Rosemary basmati rice with toasted walnuts, sauteed onion, celery, garlic, and tamari. A fragrant, savory vegetarian side dish with nutty crunch and herbal depth.

Mushroom wild rice pilaf with butter-sauteed mushrooms, chopped pecans, lemon juice, and parsley. A nutty, earthy side dish cooked in beef bouillon.

Mixed grain mushroom casserole with wild rice, pearl barley, and brown rice baked in herb-seasoned vegetable broth with sauteed mushrooms and thyme.

Sliced beet salad marinated with grapefruit, bay leaf, cloves, and allspice for a tangy, warmly spiced side dish. Diabetic-friendly and vegetarian.

Mashed sweet potatoes blended with roasted bananas, orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. A naturally creamy, butter-free holiday side that skips the marshmallow fluff.

Vegetarian sweet potato risotto made with brown arborio rice and vegetable broth. Naturally creamy without butter, cheese, or constant stirring.

Beer, sausage, and cheddar soup melts sharp aged cheddar into a beer-laced broth with sausage chunks and a mirepoix base. Wisconsin pub-style soup served with crusty bread.

Broiled polenta crostini topped with a woodsy porcini and fresh mushroom ragout with tomatoes and parsley. Vegetarian Italian comfort food with deep, earthy flavor.