# Need a good idea for an easy side dish
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 9, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712 "2010-08-09T14:40:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/1 "2010-08-09T14:40:32Z")
So I’ve got people coming over unexpectedly for dinner tonight. I’m going to grill some homemade sausages, and they’re bringing a salad. I’ll probably make a plate of caprese salad as well (mozzarella/basil/tomato). So that leaves a side dish, some kind of starch preferably. Caveat: no wheat/gluten, as a few of my guests can’t eat it.
My normal go-to dish in this situation is a simple salad of corn, black beans, red onions, cumin, and red wine vinegar. However, I’m pretty sure I made that last time they were here, and I’d like to find some sort of alternative. I’m working all day today, so I don’t have time to pour through cookbooks looking for something, so I turn to the Dope.
Any ideas? The easier the better. I do have a husband willing to go to the grocery store, so I can get provisions. I don’t, however, have hours to cook so it’s gotta be fast.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/2 "2010-08-09T14:41:42Z")
Fresh corn on the cob. Add butter and salt and pepper and you’re set.
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### Author:  [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/3 "2010-08-09T14:43:13Z")
macaroni and cheese
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/4 "2010-08-09T14:50:45Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Fresh corn on the cob. Add butter and salt and pepper and you’re set.
I thought about that, but the best place to get corn on the cob around here is the farmer’s market on Saturday, and I unfortunately didn’t buy enough. I don’t trust the grocery stores.
> [@PSXer](#):
>
> macaroni and cheese
Macaroni = wheat. Can’t do it. And no way am I going to experiment with wheat-free pasta with people coming over.
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### Author:  [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/5 "2010-08-09T14:53:52Z")
Would something rice-based work for you?
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/6 "2010-08-09T14:54:41Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#):
>
> Would something rice-based work for you?
Definitely!
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### Author:  [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/7 "2010-08-09T14:54:53Z")
How about cheddar-corn spoon bread?
> **[Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread](https://www.marthastewart.com/331827/cheddar-corn-spoon-bread)**
>
> Spoon bread, a classic Southern side dish, is actually more like a pudding than a bread. It's so soft, it can be served -- and eaten -- with a spoon.
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### Author:  [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/8 "2010-08-09T14:55:07Z")
Potato salad.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/9 "2010-08-09T14:55:13Z")
Something starchy but wheatless? Let’s see . . . Spanish/Cuban yellow rice. [Here’s a recipe](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/yellow-rice-recipe/index.html) – or you can just use a Vigo yellow-rice seasoning packet.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/10 "2010-08-09T14:56:28Z")
Knorr makes packaged side dishes in several varieties (pasta, rice, Asian, etc.), each with various flavors. They cook in ten minutes. I suggest check out the [rice sides](http://www.letsmakeknorr.com/Products/#rice), [sides plus veggies](http://www.letsmakeknorr.com/Products/#sidesplusveggies), and [Cajun sides](http://www.letsmakeknorr.com/Products/#cajun) to see if any appeal to you.
ETA: If you prefer something plain, I suggest jasmine rice. It has a nice subtle flavor.
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### Author:  [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/11 "2010-08-09T14:57:24Z")
Or just go with a good Chinese Fried Rice. It’s old hat, but it all depends on what you add to it. I prefer bacon and diced up mushroom with green onion, myself, but whatever vegetables or meats you want to put into it are up to you.
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### Author:  [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/12 "2010-08-09T15:00:26Z")
To me, your menu is barbecue, but by people who care about food. How about a mayo-less, very mustard-y potato salad? Boil two pounds of boiling potatoes (red ones are good) until tender; combine 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 1/4 cup grainy mustard, 1/3 cup olive oil, and a tablespoon of the strongly flavored vinegar of your choice (I like balsamic), and pour over potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top with minced parsley or basil before serving.
I really like [this black bean and pepper salad](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Bell-Pepper-Salad-2217); I generally replace the dates in the dressing with raisins, which I’m more likely to have around and don’t have to chop.
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### Author:  [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/13 "2010-08-09T15:03:25Z")
One of my favorite side dishes, if you can get your hands on some quinoa: saute some corn in a saucepan until it’s a little bit brown. (Frozen is fine; fresh is awesome.) A few minutes in, add a diced onion. Throw in some quinoa and toast it a little until you start to hear it popping. Then add water or chicken stock, twice as much as the quinoa, season, bring to a boil, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon at the end.
It’s especially pretty if you can use a mix of 2/3 white and 1/3 red quinoa.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/14 "2010-08-09T15:12:45Z")
My friends and I went out to dinner a few weeks ago and there was something called “vegetable gratin” on the menu, which one girl ended up getting. It was like a sauceless veggie lasagne or something. It looked cool and she said it tasted great.
I googled it and [this recipe](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/provencal-vegetable-gratin-recipe/index.html) seems easy enough and gets lots of great reviews, but there are many others online.
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### Author:  [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/15 "2010-08-09T16:02:26Z")
Chickpea salad. It’s not exactly starch, but it’s getting there.
Drained canned chickpeas, lots of slivered red onion and sliced celery, diced black olives, Italian parsley, fresh cracked pepper, extra virgin olive oil and a few red chile flakes.
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### Author:  [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/16 "2010-08-10T02:37:19Z")
**Athena** - what did you end up making?
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/17 "2010-08-10T13:41:34Z")
Despite all the great suggestions here, I ended up finding a recipe that involved ingredients I had sitting around and did not involve turning the stove on, which was a big plus as it was nearly 90 degrees/95% humidity in the house yesterday.
I _am_ keeping a link to this thread, though, because there were a lot of great ideas!
Dish I ended up making was a pea salad, from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”:
- bag o’ frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup chopped mint & basil (about half & half)
- 2T. Olive Oil
- 2t. lemon juice
- lemon zest
Mix together. Yum! Definitely a keeper recipe.
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### Author:  [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-good-idea-for-an-easy-side-dish/549712/18 "2010-08-10T14:19:03Z")
Guess I’m a day late and a dollar short. But if you’re keeping a link to this thread, I’ll throw my $.02 in.
Quick, starchy summer side? [Texas Caviar.](http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/texas-caviar-i/Detail.aspx) Very tasty, very addicting. And to make it gluten-free, just serve with corn chips instead of bread. I could eat this stuff all day.