Favorite Side Dishes Recipes for Comforting Meals
Looking for a side dish that is rich and satisfying but also moderately flavored? The following recipes are yeast-free skillet flatbreads with cottage cheese, cabbage and noodle buns with crunchy exteriors, and two potato salads. Roasted potatoes with pistachios and mustard and garlic sauce make a filling side dish, and dill potatoes make a picnic-friendly potato salad.
Reasons Side Dishes Are Appropriate Options
- Comfort Foods: Flatbread and pan-fried rolls are warm and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, making them good comfort foods.
- Two Potato Salad Recipes: Roasted potato salad with pistachios is a crunchy dish. Dill potato salad is creamy and herbaceous.
- Crispy and Creamy Additions: Roasted potatoes and pistachios are added to potato salads for crispness. Other creamy ingredients are added to potato salads for richness.
- Casual and Comfortable: Potato salads and other cold foods are suitable for casual outdoor events. Flatbreads and other baked items are examples of comfortable foods.
1. Cottage Cheese Flatbread with Soft Centers and Golden Toasted Spots
These cottage cheese flatbreads are a quick lunch or side dish to make four puffy skillet flatbreads. The four flatbreads are lightly browned and puffy in places and can be served as wraps or sandwiches or in soups or curries and other dishes, including pizza crust. Cottage cheese, all-purpose flour, egg, baking powder, salt, and olive oil are combined to make the dough mixture. Cottage cheese helps keep the dough moist and soft. Mix the dough until it is workable and slightly sticky. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, covered. Egg and baking powder help hold patty ingredients together during cooking. Make handful-sized balls of dough and flatten them. Olive oil will prevent the patties from sticking to the pan during cooking. Mix the dough only enough to knead it into a ball. Excessive mixing of the dough will result in tough flatbreads. Cooked flatbreads should have some browned areas and be slightly puffed and crunchy on the outside with a toasted aroma. To cook flatbreads that are not fully cooked inside, lower the heat and continue to cook. To cook flatbreads that do not brown on the outside, increase the heat of the pan slightly. Cook one flatbread at a time to keep the heat level in the pan consistent. Cover cooked breads with a towel to prevent drying and serve with other dishes such as curries, soups, and yogurt- or cheese-based dips and spreads, including hummus. Bread is typically served warm. Leftover breads will keep for up to two days in an airtight container and can be reheated in a pan for the best texture.
2. Roasted Potato Salad with Crisp Gold Potatoes and Pistachios
This roasted potato salad would be a good dish to bring to a potluck or other gathering. Potatoes are roasted until golden and crusty and tossed with a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing made with mustard and garlic, and lemon juice. Sliced cucumber, green onions, dill, parsley, and salted pistachios are added as a topping. Quartered whole potatoes baked at 425℉ until tender. Mix mayonnaise, brown mustard, garlic, lemon juice, and maple syrup or agave syrup for a salad dressing with a sweet and sour flavor. Combine baked potatoes with salad dressing and other toppings, including cucumbers, green onions, herbs, and chopped pistachios, to coat all potatoes with dressing. Use golden and partially browned potatoes for this recipe. White potatoes will not have the same color contrast with the salad dressing as partially browned potatoes. Let potatoes cool before serving to make it easier to toss the salad. Toss carefully after adding other vegetables and herbs to the salad to avoid crumbling the potatoes. Serve warm right away or cold as a side dish to bring to a potluck. Other side dishes to serve with this dish include Korean BBQ baked beans, kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches, and veggie burgers. To store leftovers, refrigerate in an airtight container. Serve cold or let the cooked dish warm to room temperature before serving.
3. Easy No-Yeast Skillet Flatbread with Golden Crisp Edges
Made in 25 minutes without yeast, this skillet flatbread uses pantry staples and a 10-minute dough rest. Flatbreads cooked in a hot oiled skillet are tender inside with crisp, browned exteriors. Use this flatbread recipe tonight as a wrap or bread for dipping or as a side dish. All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, olive oil or other vegetable oil, and ice water are easy-to-find ingredients for making bread dough. Baking powder helps bread rise just as yeast would. Adding oil to the dough makes it easier to work with. Knead the dough until it is soft and slightly sticky. Before resting, divide the dough into 10 to 12 pieces. A cast-iron or other heavy skillet is ideal for evenly cooking all sides of the bread. As the pastry bakes, flip it every two to three minutes until browned for even browning. Medium heat will give the best results; higher heat can result in an overcooked outside and undercooked inside, while lower heat can cause the flatbread to harden as it cools. Roll the dough to your preferred thickness, one-quarter inch or less, for an even crispier result. Use additional water or flour to adjust the dough's consistency if it is too dry or sticky. Serve hot flatbread as a side to soup and other main dishes. Also serve hot flatbread with hummus and salad and other sandwich fillings. Flavor hot flatbread with garlic oil or butter and fresh parsley. Place hot flatbread under a clean kitchen towel to help retain moisture and softness.
4. Pan-Fried Cabbage and Noodle Buns with Crisp Golden Crusts
Serve these warm sides or snacks. Pan-fried cabbage and noodle bao are steamed fillings enclosed in fried dough wrappers. Other ingredients in the bao fillings include cabbage, vermicelli, carrots, green onions, and soy and sesame oils, topped with sesame seeds. This recipe serves several people. The home recipe's dough includes all-purpose flour, instant yeast, soy milk, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and sesame seeds. The filling includes broken vermicelli noodles and cooked cabbage, carrots, green onions or scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and sesame seeds. To keep the filling from leaking through the noodle wrappers, drain excess liquid from cooked filling ingredients. When baking buns, only one side should be brown before flipping. Adding a measured amount of water to the pan and covering it will generate steam cooking for the buns without damaging the crust. Issues with rolled buns include moisture loss and storage problems, which can lead to sticking and cracking after the buns are filled. Serve cooked buns with soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, and sesame seeds, if desired. Store cooked buns in sealed containers in the refrigerator or on trays in the freezer, then pack into bags. Buns can be reheated directly from the freezer without thawing.
5. Dill Potato Salad: A Refreshing Side for Picnics and Gatherings
This Dill Potato Salad recipe combines cooked potatoes and fresh dill with a creamy dressing. It's a perfect potato salad for casual outdoor events like picnics and barbecues, where the dill and potatoes add a pleasant contrast to other foods. Additional ingredients and flavors include mustard. This potato salad recipe is a crowd pleaser that can be served on its own or with other main dishes.