Top 10: Fast Sides

Creamy Semolina with Roasted Mushrooms

It takes about only three minutes to make this thick, creamy semolina on the stove; the mushrooms cook in the oven, unattended, for 25 minutes. “This is the ultimate lazy man’s side dish,” says Jason Travi.

Roasted Cauliflower with Green Olives and Pine Nuts

Roasting cauliflower caramelizes the florets, making them supersweet. Tossed with crunchy pine nuts and salty olives and capers, this dish is perfect with roasted chicken or steamed fish.

Celery Root with Apples, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

This delicious winter salad combines all kinds of flavors and textures: crunchy, juicy, earthy, nutty and toasty.

Haricots Verts and Chestnuts with Date Vinaigrette

Barbara Lynch serves a haricots verts salad with a hazelnut vinaigrette. Here, she adds fresh chestnuts to give the dish a meaty fall flavor. Finely chopped dates in the cider vinegar dressing lend a lovely, subtle sweetness.

Mashed Potatoes with Butternut Squash

For ultrafluffy potatoes, Grace Parisi presses them through a ricer. To achieve a similar texture, pass the potatoes through a food mill or a fine-mesh sieve. If you choose to mash them by hand, be gentle; otherwise, the potatoes will turn gluey.

Carrots with Lime Butter

A little butter not only adds a hint of richness to this piquant recipe, it also helps promote the absorption of vitamin A from the carrots.

Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Mint

The key to this sweet-and-salty dish is to almost burn the brussels sprouts; the charred flavor is irresistible.

Bacon Quinoa with Almonds and Herbs

“Quinoa is a miracle food,” says Bruce Sherman. Native to the Andes Mountains, the nutty, protein-rich grain is now also grown in the U.S. Sherman tosses it with smoky bacon and toasted almonds to make a substantial side dish that’s delicious with poached eggs or roasted chicken.

Sweet-and-Sour Catalan Spinach

This sweet-and-sour spinach side dish gets its satisfying flavor from the combination of honey and sherry vinegar that’s drizzled on top.

Bulgur with Tangy Artichokes

To make this dish even easier, use delicious, tangy jarred artichokes in the salad and steam the asparagus for just five minutes.

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