Ten Best Summer Side Dishes
Simple and Tasty Side Dishes for Summer Meals
Summer is a time for cold meats and grilled fish, for barbecues and chilled desserts. But how about side dishes to balance the meal?
It's easy to run out of ideas when the weather is hot, and often hard to think of anything beyond some leaves of iceberg lettuce.
Forget those endless sides of cold pasta, here are some recipes anyone can cook for side dishes to go with your Summer meals.
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A refreshing change from potato chips and a bright colour for the Summer table.
I've used the orange sweet potato in this recipe, the kumara.
You can slice up any number of sweet potatoes, but keep them in fine strips, you know what the size of a chip should be.
Ingredients
- 6 sweet potatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F - 200 degrees C.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spay or vegetable oil.
- Peel the sweet potatoes finely and slice into sticks.
- Mix oil and paprika in a bowl. . Add potato sticks and push them around with your hands until they're coated.
- Place on the sheet and bake for 40 minutes
Red Potato Salad
The old favourite of Summer Side Dishes - potato salad.
This one uses red potatoes for extra colour.
Note : When boiling potatoes, always start with cold water, add the potatoes and bring to the boil. Don't boil the water first and add the potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo new red potatoes
- 1 red or green capsicum - bell pepper - chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 salad onion
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In a heavy pot, cover potatoes with cold water and bring to the boil. Cook on low for approximately 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.
- In a large bowl, blend mayonnaise, basil, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until well blended.
- Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours. Serve.
Green Tomato Casserole
You can always eat green tomatoes, although I tend to pickle mine if I have too many.
This little casserole is tasty and cheesey when served hot and just as tasty when served cold.
For an side dish that's a little different, this one hits the spot.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1 and 1/4 hours
Ingredients
- 6 medium green tomatoes sliced
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 cup grated hard cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- teaspoon sugar
- teaspoon salt
- teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place 1/3 of the tomatoes in a casserole dish
- Add 1/3 of bread crumbs and 1/3 cheese. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper
- Repeat this layer
- For the last layer, finish with the breadcrumbs, reserving the last 1/3 of the cheese
- Dot butter over the top.
- Cover the casserole dish with the lid or aluminum foil and bake in medium oven for one hour.
- Remove from oven and add the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese melts, about 5 - 10 minutes
Stuffed Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
I've always called these red and green vegetables capsicums but they're known as bell peppers in some parts of the world.
They're not at all hot, more of a slight tangy taste and, because of their shape, are so easily used as a cup for stuffing.
This stuffing is quick and painless. Tomatoes from a can, onions and topped with cheese..
You could add olives or capers to the stuffing mix.
Ingredients
- 2 large red (or green) capsicums - bell peppers
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- Can of Roma Italian tomatoes
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 white onions diced
- 1 cup fresh grated sharp cheese
Instructions
- Remove the top from the capsicums and scrape out the insides to make them hollow.
- Chop the onions and mince the garlic.
- Stuff the tomatoes, onions and garlic into the capsicums. Push the stuffing down tightly. If the capsicums are really large and you have room left over for more stuffing, use fresh roughly-chopped tomatoes as well.
- Stuff the cheese down last.
- Place in an oven proof dish and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
- Bake in a medium oven for 40 minutes
Mushroom Risotto
Portobello mushrooms are rich, thick and chunky. They present well in a risotto.
This is basically a mushroom soup that you cook the rice in.
The risotto absorbs everything and you're left with smooth rice with the flavour of the portobellos.
A glossy side dish that's super easy for self service.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 15
Total Time: 40
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 kilo portobellos
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 and 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 2 white onions or shallots
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup finely chopped chives
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- olive oil or vegetable oil
- Basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a small pot, warm the stock gently over low heat.
- Pour a little vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and their liquid. Set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and add the chopped shallots. Cook 1 minute.
- Now add the rice to the pan. stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes.
- When the rice has taken on a pale, golden colour, pour in the wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.
- Add 1/2 cup stock to the rice, and stir until it's absorbed. Continue adding stock 1/2 cup at a time stirring continuously until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with torn basil or mint leaves
Green Beans with Ham
Fresh green beans, haricot vert, shine with the rich green of Summer.
Simmered with onion and ham, they're a good enough meal in themselves.
The ham can be left out for a meat free dish
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh green beans
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cooked diced ham
- 1.4 cup water
- 1.4 cup butter
- 1 minced garlic clove
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Trim the ends off the beans. Slice and dice the onions and ham.
- Add butter to a large saucepan on low heat
- Combine all ingredients and put them in the saucepan. .
- Cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.
Tzatziki
Delightfully refreshing, the creamy dressing is perfect to dollop on the barbecue meat.
You can add tzatziki to anything, it gives that final touch to a Summer plate.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 and 1/4 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 4 cucumbers
- 2 cups Greek yoghurt
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh mint
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Peel the cucumbers, and grate by hand (not in a blender).
- Squeeze out excess water by hand.
- Stir yoghurt.into the cucumbers
- Add some lemon juice for taste
- Tear the mint and add.
- Chill, covered, for 1 hour or more.
Coleslaw
Coleslaw is an old favourite for Summer meals.
Whip up this tangy dish in no time for a perfect side to the barbecue.
You could also make this using purple cabbage if you're after more colour.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 ins
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
- 1 small green cabbage finely shredded
- 2 medium carrots coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- large pinch of rock salt
Instructions
- Dressing
- Whisk up he dressing ingredients - mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mayonnaise, and sour cream - in a small bowl. Refrigerate.
- Slaw
- Put cabbage, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss thoroughly. Refrigerate, Serve chilled
Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
The secret of this side dish is the very smooth, very creamy cheese sauce.
In this recipe I used a red cheddar, but any ripe cheddar cheese will do.
You have to stand and stir this sauce as it cooks up and then you have to whisk it after removing the pot from the heat.
It's well worth the extra few minutes to get the velvety sauce!
Ingredients
- Broccoli florets to serve 6
- 1 tablespoon plain all purpose flour
- teaspoon butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups of milk
- 1 cup extra sharp cheese
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add the butter over a very low heat.
- Add the flour. Stir. Quickly add the milk..
- Stir constantly until smooth.
- Remove from heat
- Add cheese, salt and pepper stirring with a whisk until smooth.
- Keep warm
- Pour the cheese sauce over steamed broccoli
Greek Salad
The Lebanese cucumbers are delightfully cook with a distinct taste of their own.
You could also add a capsicum (bell pepper) deseeded and sliced for extra texture and colour.
If you can't get Greek oregano use regular dried oregano
Ingredients
- 6 firm ripe tomatoes chopped into rough wedges
- 3 Lebanese cucumbers chopped in medium thick slices
- 1 large red onion sliced into rings
- 1 cup Kalamatta olives
- 1 cup marinated feta in cubes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- teaspoon dried Greek oregano
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Combine tomato, cucumber, onion, capsicum, olives and feta in a salad bowl. Sprinkle with oregano and salt.
- Whisk together the oil and vinegar in a jug. Drizzle the salad with dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Serve your Sides on a bright, Summery plate
How about you?
Do you run out of ideas for Summer side dishes?
Images, unless otherwise specified, Susanna Duffy
Got more ideas for Summer sides? Leave your suggestions or just a comment. All comments are greatly appreciated. You don't have to be a BBQ fanatic to leave yours
