Recipe Roundup

63 Fresh and Lively Spring Side Dish Recipes

These bright sides are a great excuse to stock up on the season's best flavors—and possibly even take dinnertime outdoors.
Blistered asparagus on a plate.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
  • A bowl of braised leeks peas and lettuce.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Frances Boswell
    1/63

    Braised Leeks, Peas, and Lettuce

    When you warm lettuce in butter and wine it gets velvety and rich—a perfect foil to the sweet peas. Serve this spooned over slices of quiche for brunch or alongside your favorite spring roast for dinner.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    2/63

    Shaved Radish Salad With Walnuts And Mint

    Mandolines were made for recipes like this; even slices will make this simple salad look like the work of a pro.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    5/63

    Smashed Cucumbers and Radishes in Yogurt Sauce

    Wheels of cucumbers and radishes are nice and all, but smashing them into ragged pieces is way more fun.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    6/63

    Blistered Asparagus

    Sauté asparagus hot and fast in a skillet to soften and slightly char, then toss in a soy dressing with crushed peanuts and shredded coconut to add fantastic crunch.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray
    7/63

    Pea and Prosciutto Salad

    Toss blanched snap peas and English peas with arugula and a mustardy vinaigrette, then drape with prosciutto for an elegant spring salad.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    8/63

    Ramp Fritters

    These crispy little fritters taste like a three-way cross between onion tempura, blooming onion, and onion rings. If you can't find ramps, use thin scallions.

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  • Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    11/63

    Shaved Fennel Salad

    This is an antidote to every side salad that ever was. Instead of meh greens, it's got shavings of fennel that bend and twist but keep their refreshing crunch. It's got a lean dressing and nuggets of deeply toasted croutons, meaty walnuts, and shards of Parmesan. It has acidity and zing—lemon juice, the zest, vinegar, mint, and red pepper flakes—just in case you were worried about palate fatigue.

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  • Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell
    12/63

    Roasted Asparagus

    Because sometimes the simplest side dishes are the best side dishes.

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  • Photo by Christopher Testani
    13/63

    Mushrooms with Béarnaise Yogurt

    A classic steakhouse-inspired rub and sauce turn grilled mushrooms into a decadent, meaty meal or side.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    14/63

    Sugar Snap Pea Salad

    Come springtime, sugar snap peas are so tender and fresh it's almost a shame to cook them. We prefer slicing them thinly and eating them raw with a simple dressing, like this creamy, tangy buttermilk one.

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  • Photo by Peden & Munk
    15/63

    Flatbread with Fava Beans, Cucumbers, and Burrata

    Fava beans most likely require a trip to a farmers’ market and take a while to peel. Sugar snap peas cut into bite-size pieces are a fine alternative.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Sue Li
    16/63

    Spicy Lightly Pickled Cucumbers

    These quick pickles have just the right amount of sweet, salt, and tang going on. The brine can work with any crunchy veg, but we like them best with cucumbers. We guarantee they'll be the sleeper hit of your next party spread.

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  • Quentin Bacon Photography
    19/63

    White Bean Salad

    Creamy white beans, fresh basil, and crunchy young vegetables are combined in a light but substantial salad that takes advantage of the first fruits of the spring garden.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, prop and food styling by Ali Nardi
    20/63

    Roasted Carrots with Fennel-Brown Butter

    Naturally sweet carrots are perfectly balanced by a nutty, fragrant brown butter.

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  • Photo by Eva Kolenko, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    25/63

    Braised Artichokes with Tomatoes and Mint

    All your favorite classic Italian flavors plus a hit of fresh mint make these braised artichokes an absolutely irresistible spring side.

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  • Photo by Kenji Toma
    26/63

    Roasted Radishes With Brown Butter, Lemon, and Radish Tops

    Brief high-heat roasting mellows a radish's peppery flavor and turns it into a whole new root vegetable. Using the green radish tops adds color and amps up the radish flavor. This would be a great side dish for roasted pork loin or leg of lamb.

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  • Photo by Gentl & Hyers
    27/63

    Green Beans With Mushroom XO Sauce

    In Hong Kong, where XO sauce was invented, dried shrimp or scallops and Chinese ham are combined with chiles to create a powerhouse condiment that is salty, spicy, and funky. This recipe uses mushrooms in place of the pork, a cheeky reference to green bean casseroles.

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  • David Japy
    28/63

    Asparagus with Mussel Beurre Blanc

    Okay, so maybe you don't live across the street from a blooming locust tree—you can still make a killer butter sauce.

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  • Photo by Maren Caruso
    29/63

    Fava Beans with Crème Fraîche and Mint

    This recipe is simplicity itself and allows the sweet, nutty flavor of the favas to shine. Try to find small beans; older, larger favas are too starchy to use here.

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  • Photo by Laura Dart and A.J. Meeker
    30/63

    Raw Asparagus Salad with Breadcrumbs, Walnuts, and Mint

    Make this dish before you do any cooked asparagus dishes, at the start of the season when you get pristine spears. At first glance, the dish looks kind of “meh,” but once you taste it, the flavor and texture blow you away. Be sure to cut the asparagus very thin.

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  • Photo by Christopher Testani
    33/63

    Farmers Market Quinoa Salad

    Don't obsess over getting these exact ingredients in this precise combination. Any nut you like will work here for crunch, and you're looking for a mix of bright herbs and enough cooked grains to make it substantial.

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  • Photo by David Loftus
    34/63

    Snap Pea Salad

    Only the finest snap peas can be this delightful without a dunk in boiling water—and accentuate their flavor with little more than a lemony dressing and mint. If you'd like, you could add some creamy goat cheese in blobs or good old burrata alongside.

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  • Photo by Jonny Valiant
    47/63

    Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil

    Simmered and later sauced in a lemony olive oil spiced with fennel and coriander seeds, artichokes absorb a complex blend of gorgeous flavors. The tender, juicy hearts bronze in a hot skillet just before serving, adding depth to this delicate dish.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    48/63

    Charred Bean and Pea Salad

    When the farmers' market delivers you fresh, tender, sweet-and-not-starchy beans, don’t bother to blanch them. A short stint under the broiler softens them and imparts a light char while maintaining their snappy texture.

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  • Hirsheimer & Hamilton
    61/63

    Butter-Braised Spring Onions with Lots of Chives

    Onion flavor is layered in this dish: The greens have a brightness to balance the bulbs' sweetness, the cooking liquid becomes a buttery sauce, and fresh chives deliver a high note to finish.

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  • Photo by Chris Gentile
    62/63

    Asparagus Green Onion Sauté

    Asparagus is one of the best ways to usher in the new season. Combined with the snap of green beans and sautéed with the silky, mild bite of green onions, it becomes a welcome pop of color and texture to the plate.

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Read More
44 Artichoke Recipes That Are Pure Art
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44 Artichoke Recipes That Are Pure Art
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