Side Dish Recipes

Navy bean and tomato soup made from dried beans, with stewed tomatoes, onion, and celery sauteed in margarine. A high-fiber, low-fat, gluten-free farmhouse soup that costs pennies to make.

Cheddar beer vegetable soup with a roux-based broth, mushrooms, and tender-crisp broccoli kept whole and added to the bowl. Two cheeses, one beer, and a soup that lives up to its name.

Chicken stir fry with broccoli, yellow bell pepper, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic in a store-bought stir fry sauce. A fast weeknight dinner served over rice.

Butter-sauteed mushrooms simmered with sherry and white pepper, tossed with fluffy rice and mushroom liquid. A simple, elegant side dish ready in 30 minutes.

Smoky, hearty lentil tacos loaded with chipotle sour cream, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. A low-fat vegetarian taco night that even meat lovers will devour.

Red potato salad with a tangy grainy mustard and yogurt dressing, scallions, celery, and black olives. Low-fat, mayo-free, and great served warm or cold.

Two peas with turmeric and mint blanches sugar snap and snow peas, then tosses them in a turmeric-lemon butter with fresh mint. Bright spring side dish, gluten-free, ready in 30 minutes.

Lemony braised artichokes and peas with fresh basil, parsley, and olive oil. A vegan Italian-style spring vegetable side that brightens any plate.

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.