Side Dish Recipes

Fresh Southwestern corn and black bean salad with toasted pine nuts, red cabbage, cilantro, and a zesty lime dressing. A colorful vegetarian side ready in under 30 minutes.

Avocado chef salad piled with red leaf lettuce, watercress, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, Swiss cheese, julienned ham or turkey, cubed avocado, and a tangy vinaigrette. A protein-packed lunch in five minutes.

Italian market pasta salad tosses bow-tie pasta with fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, tangy gorgonzola and toasted pine nuts in a balsamic dressing. A light, no-mayo summer salad.

Champagne-battered prawns fried light and shatteringly crisp, the bubbles in the sparkling wine making the airiest batter, served with a homemade cocktail sauce and lemon. A flirty little dish made for sharing.

Farfel pudding made with matzah farfel, eggs, apple or banana, and chopped nuts, baked until golden. A traditional Passover side dish or dessert that's simple and satisfying.

Rutabaga puree with sweet potato, a pinch of cayenne, and nutmeg. A creamy, low-fat side dish that rivals mashed potatoes without the guilt.

Sweet and spicy couscous salad tosses fluffy whole wheat couscous with crunchy steamed vegetables, fresh mint and almonds, all coated in a currant dressing brightened with orange, cinnamon and cayenne. Vegan and make-ahead.

Sweet potato and apple casserole microwaves cubed sweet potatoes and Golden Delicious apples with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then thickens the syrup with cornstarch. A 35-minute holiday side without the oven.

Fettuccine and mushrooms in a light white wine, lemon, and garlic sauce with red pepper flakes and parsley. A dairy-free, diabetic-friendly pasta side dish in 45 minutes.

All-American clam chowder built on bacon fat, sweet onions, cubed potatoes, and canned clams thickened with cream of celery soup. A weeknight chowder that comes together in about 35 minutes.

Japanese noodle soup with shiitake mushrooms, snow peas, red pepper, and rice noodles in a hot sesame broth, finished with ginger, brown rice vinegar, and roasted cashews. A vegetarian, low-fat Asian soup ready in 45 minutes.

Cucumber and radish salad marinated in zesty Italian dressing with sweet onion and parsley. Crisp, refreshing and low-carb, it gets better as it chills, a make-ahead side that needs no cooking.

Vegetable ragout with carrots, new potatoes, zucchini, peas, dried morels, and fresh mushrooms simmered in vegetable stock. Finished with a full cup of fresh parsley and mint.

Grilled chicken paillard with lemon, black pepper, and arugula tomato salad pounds chicken thin, grills fast, and tops with a peppery arugula-tomato salad. Summer dinner in 15 minutes.

Crispy fried rice vermicelli (mee krob) tossed with tangy tamarind syrup, bean sprouts, cilantro, and green onions. Classic Thai sweet, sour, salty noodle dish with shattering crunch.

Cheesy creamy garlic soup caramelizes a dozen cloves of garlic with onion, deglazes with white wine, and purées French bread into a velvety bowl finished with cream and Gruyère. A French country soup with serious depth.