Recipes Side Dishes Side Dishes to Rely on All Summer Long By Alison Spiegel Alison Spiegel Website Alison Spiegel has been a writer and editor in the food media world for 10 years. In her work, she enjoys building communities and covering everything from cooking tips to dining trends. Also, ice cream.Experience: Alison Spiegel holds a Professional Culinary Arts degree from the International Culinary Center (ICC) and has worked at numerous publications, including the Huffington Post, Tasting Table, Food & Wine, and most recently, Milk Street, where she launched a global network of chefs and culinary leaders, hosted a monthly cookbook club, and oversaw content on a website and Instagram account that were named finalists for the 2021 IACP awards.Alison currently runs digital content at Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and writes about cooking on the side. She began writing for Simply Recipes in the summer of 2021. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 17, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: © Marcus Nilsson Whether you spend a lot of time in front of the grill or in the comfort of your air conditioned kitchen over the next few months, cooking should be easy this summer. Fresh produce needs little to shine, and when the beach, pool or campsite is calling, you don't want to spend hours laboring over dinner. Whatever centerpiece you're serving, be it grilled fish or barbecue chicken, the sides should be as easy to assemble as they are delicious. So, we've rounded up easy side dishes that celebrate the best of the season — from cucumbers to corn — to keep in steady rotation this summer. 01 of 14 Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Pancetta Greg DuPree 2018 Best New Chef Michael Gallina of Vicia in St. Louis has a way with vegetables, and this time of year tomatoes are his muse. His Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Pancetta is a simple sauté that brings everything to the table: sweet acidity from the tomatoes; a salty, savory chew from the pancetta; and aromatics from the garlic and onion. The pancetta seasons the mixture, which begs to be served over ricotta toast. Get the recipe 02 of 14 Grilled Baby Potato Salad © Con Poulos This modern take on potato salad forgoes mayo for a base of vinegar and olive oil. Justin Chapple also grills the potatoes to add a great smoky flavor before tossing them with quickly pickled red onions. But the best part is the playful salt-and-vinegar potato chip topping, which adds an addictive crunch. Get the recipe 03 of 14 Mexican Grilled-Corn Salad with Citrus Aioli Rick Poon This sweet, salty corn salad is the perfect picnic side. Bonus: You can make the aioli the night before and fold in right before serving. Get the recipe 04 of 14 Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Fried Onions and Parsley Abby Hocking Alison Roman's advice: “For those of you who have struggled with these in the past, I can offer you a few tips to make your life easier: Don’t oversteam or they will fall apart, never giving them a chance to hit that oil. Don’t understeam or you’ll never be able to crush them. Let them cool a bit before you smash them so they also dry out a bit, making them less likely to fall apart. The oil must be hot. Think of this as a shallow-fry: if the oil is not hot enough, it will soak into the potato rather than crisp it up.” Get the recipe 05 of 14 Tomatoes with Herbs and Almond Vinaigrette JOHN KERNICK New York City chef Dan Kluger makes a deeply flavorful vinaigrette for summer's sweetest and juiciest tomatoes. Instead of dry-roasting almonds for his salad, Kluger toasts them in olive oil until they're crisp and golden, then uses the richly flavored oil to make a tangy dressing. Get the recipe 06 of 14 Peach-and-Fennel Slaw © Line Klein This sweet and crunchy salad with lots of immune-boosting vitamin C is delicious with grilled pork or in a pulled-pork sandwich. To wilt the fennel slightly, Michel Nischan briefly marinates it in vinegar and salt before tossing it with firm, ripe peaches. Get the recipe 07 of 14 Roasted Eggplant Caponata © Guy Ambrosino If you have the time, make the caponata at least a day ahead; it's one of those dishes that improves with time. Eat it as they do in Sicily: spooned over bread or focaccia, alongside roast lamb or chicken, paired with a wedge of pecorino…in short, with almost anything! Get the recipe 08 of 14 Quick-Pickled Sweet Cucumbers © John Kernick Requiring just 15 minutes of prep, these superthin sweet pickled cucumbers are salted before they're submerged in the pickling brine for maximum flavor Get the recipe 09 of 14 Green Bean Slaw © Fredrika Stjärne In this alternative take on a classic coleslaw, tender haricots verts get tossed with crunchy strips of carrot, red pepper, and parsnip. Get the recipe 10 of 14 Corn-and-Zucchini Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese Con Poulos Kay Chun takes pasta salad to a new level with sweet grilled corn, zucchini and a creamy lime dressing spiked with chile powder. She uses fresh cilantro to add brightness and then tops the whole salad with tangy slivers of fresh goat cheese. Get the recipe 11 of 14 Baby Lettuces with Feta, Strawberries, and Almonds © Peden + Munk This salad is an extraordinary combination of ingredients that wouldn't seem to go together: feta, strawberries and almonds. Get the recipe 12 of 14 Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette © Christina Holmes This warm, garlicky anchovy dressing here is fantastic with an assortment of juicy, peak-season tomatoes. To finish the dish, Amelia O'Reilly and Nico Monday top it with tangy pickled shallots and an oozy, soft-boiled egg. Get the recipe 13 of 14 Summer Chopped Salad with Quick-Pickled Vegetables © Kana Okada Paul Newman, the late co-owner of Dressing Room, Michel Nischan's restaurant in Westport, Connecticut, loved a good chopped salad. To add a tangy burst of flavor, Nischan pickles the carrots, celery and peppers before tossing them with the rest of the salad. Get the recipe 14 of 14 Avocado-and-Cabbage Slaw © Marcus Nilsson When Suvir Saran's mother tried this spicy, crunchy cabbage slaw at his restaurant Tapestry in New York City, she said, "Baba, this is the best chaat I've ever eaten!" While Saran didn't intend to make over the traditional Indian snack, a dish with chickpeas, potatoes, yogurt and chutney, the crunch, spice and tang immediately elicit an iconic chaat. "There is nothing Indian about it, and yet, it's entirely Indian," says Saran. Get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit