15+ 20-Minute Side Dishes for Summer

20 minutes is all you’ll need to make these delicious summery side dishes! These recipes make the most of abundant summer fruits and veggies, offering fresh and flavorful options you’ll want to try. Let our refreshing Watermelon with Mint Gremolata cool you down on a hot day, or pair Charred Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame-Chili Sauce with your favorite main dish.

Watermelon with Mint Gremolata

This flavor-boosting combo of mint and lime, inspired by the traditional Italian herb-and-garlic gremolata recipe, livens up juicy watermelon. Put a platter out at your next cookout and watch it disappear in an instant.

Fresh Fruit Salad

This refreshing and easy fruit salad recipe will be the favorite at any potluck or cookout. If you like creamy fruit salad or fruit salad with yogurt, make sure to whip up some of our tangy lime yogurt dressing to serve on the side.

Smashed Cucumber Salad with Lemon & Cumin

Don’t skip salting the cucumbers in this quick cucumber salad —just 10 minutes pulls out some of their excess moisture, concentrating the delicious flavor and keeping the salad from being watered down.

Charred Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame-Chili Sauce

Be sure to let these sugar snap peas get some at-the-edge-of-burnt color in the skillet. It’s the secret to the knockout flavor of this easy and healthy side dish.

Fresh Sweet Corn Salad

We love fresh summer corn when it’s in season, but frozen corn makes a great year-round substitute in this quick and easy side dish.

Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Seek out several varieties of heirloom tomatoes for this simple salad. Sweeter and juicier than conventional tomatoes, they add the perfect pop of color.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado & Walnuts

Serve this summery strawberry spinach salad alongside soup or a half sandwich, or top with grilled chicken or roasted salmon for a complete and easy healthy meal.

Easy Grilled Zucchini

Looking for a new way to cook your fresh zucchini this summer? Try grilling it!

Citrus-Arugula Salad

This easy salad recipe makes a stunning side dish for anything you’ve got cooking for dinner. The bright flavor of the citrus pairs perfectly with peppery arugula and avocado, plus a bit of jalapeño for a slight kick.

Grilled Romaine with Avocado-Lime Dressing

Romaine lettuce takes on a nice charred, smoky flavor with a quick trip to the grill in this healthy wedge salad topped with an extra-creamy avocado dressing.

Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter

Fresh lime and smoky chipotles makes this compound butter the perfect match for sweet corn. When the corn season is over, try a bit melted on some grilled fish or chicken.

Pineapple & Cucumber Salad

Enjoy this sweet, refreshing salad alongside grilled meat or fish to cut through the richness and refresh the palate. If you like a little heat, adding jalapeño will give you the kick you crave.

Green Fruit Salad

Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy melon, grapes and kiwi on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, purple and orange) for a fun crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

Zucchini & Mushroom Sauté

Serve this simple side dish with grilled turkey burgers. Other fresh herbs, like thyme or oregano, work well too.

Green Salad with Edamame & Beets

Katie Webster

This big salad is a feast for the eyes and an everyday way to incorporate nutrient-rich beets and plant-based protein from edamame (green soybeans). If you’re not a fan of cilantro, mix in freshly chopped basil or dill instead.

Purple Fruit Salad

This refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy plums, grapes and berries for a fun, purple-hued side dish.

Herb & Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This light basil, parsley and arugula salad recipe is tossed with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. It’s great with pizza or as a light side salad.

Tomato & Fennel Salad

Juicy heirloom tomatoes pair well with fennel in this bright and flavorful salad that is perfect for summer.

Peach & Spinach Salad with Feta

This simple and refreshing salad recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare. Each bite delivers the taste of sweet juicy peach, tangy feta, and toasted pine nuts and will leave you completely satisfied–but not over-stuffed!

Source link