Simple Southern Sides0 (0)
When it comes to amazing Side Dishes, the South in the USA really got it right. They don’t muck around down there when it comes to delivering big flavors on a plate. It doesn’t matter what type of meal you’re eating there. Whether its breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you’re getting a serving of Simple Southern Sides. It’s really a rite of passage an initiation into the South!
When it comes to Southern side dishes there are so many favorites of ours that we’ve already featured in some of our favorite weekly meal plans. Classics such as Mac and Cheese and the famed Green Apple ‘Slaw. Lucky for y’all we’ve always got a hankering to cook up more delicious sides inspired by Southern Cuisine, so we’ve got 6 more amazing dishes to share with you this week
Green Bean Casserole
This is a staple side dish with origins from the South but is now popular all across the country and the world. The classic Green Bean Casserole is most commonly and famously served for big holiday events like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It provides for a great vegetable side dish, bursting with bright, bold, and delicious flavors
If you’re looking for a traditional side of Green Beans then this is definitely not it. The Green Bean Casserole is a lot heavier than a typical Bean side dish as it’s base sauce is a simply delicious Creamy Mushroom sauce. Once that beautiful Sauce is almost cooked the Beans are added and cooked just enough to stay wonderful and crispy
Finally, and for many the most important element of a classic Green Bean Casserole are the toppings! For our dish we’re topping the Beans with a combination of Caramelized Onions and Toasted Breadcrumbs. The Onions add a wonderful sweetness and the Breadcrumbs, toasted in Butter, bring the crunchiness to die the whole dish together
Crispy Fried Chicken Bites
As a side dish, these are phenomenal. As a standalone dish, they’re just as amazing! We take all of the tips and tricks we’ve learnt over the years, and from the countless number of Fried Chickens we’ve made to create this dish. We’re very proud of it, and it’s up there with some of the best Fried Chicken we think you can eat
We stick to a few principles with Fried Chicken. 1. We brine the Chicken in Buttermilk overnight. 2. The Buttermilk and the breading are aggressively seasoned with a combination of aromatics and spices. Finally, 3. Before the Chicken is deep-fried to crispy perfection we double-dip the Chicken in the Breading for the crispiest coating
These Fried Chicken Bites are so addictive, it’s impossible to stop at eating just one. We recommend enjoying them alongside a simple dipping sauce of your choice. Our personal favorite is a spicy Mayo, which is simply a combination of Mayonnaise, Hot Sauce, and Lemon Juice. Yum!
Southern Cheesy Grits
I feel like Grits are totally slept on as a side dish. They are so easy to make, you literally cook them up similarly to how you would rice, and they taste amazing. They are a great addition to a meal to soak up sauces and broths. That makes them perfect for pairing with braised dishes as well as, of course, the famed Shrimp and Grits!
One of Grits’ best friends is Cheese and we here at Dinnertime Somewhere couldn’t agree more. Once the Grits are cooked to perfection we add a generous helping of Cheddar and Parmesan Cheese to give it a wonderful creamy, cheesy flavor. Honestly, they’re pretty darn good just by themselves!
We’re huge fans of Grits and hope that they become more popular in cooking all around the world. They are tasty, versatile, and most importantly of all these days, cheap! Perfect for our Simple Southern Sides menu
Fried Mozzarella Cheese
Is there anything more American than this invention. Someone thought, hey you know that awesome ingredient known as Cheese? Yeah, what about it? How about we deep fry it? That’s Genius!
I can imagine the invention of Fried Mozzarella was literally a conversation along those lines. Or perhaps someone ‘accidentally’ dropped a thing of Cheese into the deep fryer one day and decided better to not waste it and gave it a taste. Well, however it was invented, we’re glad it was because Fried Mozzarella is an absolute staple side dish. Not just in the South, but all over the world really!
Usually, these beauties are served as Mozzarella Sticks, however for our recipe we’ve gone a little bit overboard and decided to deep fry a massive hockey-puck sized piece of Cheese. It’s more of a show-stopper side dish now. To be sliced up and served ‘family style’ amongst a group of people. We really don’t recommend anyone try to eat this all themselves (please don’t!)
It wouldn’t be a classic Fried Mozzarella dish without it’s favorite dipping sauce, Marinara Sauce! We’re serving this classic up on a bed of beautiful Marinara Sauce. We’ve kept the recipe nice and light, which is what you want when it comes to a dipping sauce for Fried Cheese
Our Amazing Homemade Guacamole Recipe
Who says the South needs to stop at the USA? We’re going as South as you can (as far as Americans are concerned anyway) and heading to Mexico for our last two side dishes! Last week we published our awesome Mexican recipes in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, so we wanted to revisit some of our favorites
Nothing beats the classic Guacamole as a side dish. It’s got to be one of the most ‘dipped’ dips globally, with surely billions of Chips being dipped into a big bowl of creamy Guacamole every year. We love a good quality, chunky Guacamole and our recipe follows the traditional approach of making it in a Mortar and Pestle. We add a little bit of Jalapenos too for some added heat!
Pico de Gallo
Sticking with the Mexican theme, we round out our Simple Southern Sides menu for the week with our classic Pico de Gallo. It couldn’t be simpler, or tastier! Fresh Tomatoes, Onions, Cilantro, Salt, and Lime Juice all mixed together to make a wonderful side dish that can be used in literally any kind of application
Honestly, any dish involving wrapping food up, Pico de Gallo should be involved in it. Burritos, Tacos, Souvlakis, Gyros, even Burgers and Sandwiches are going to benefit from a little bit of Pico de Gallo in there!
Of course, the other awesome way to enjoy a bowl of Pico de Gallo is simply with a bag of Chips. Dip those bad boys into the Pico de Gallo and you’re eating well!
We hope you have enjoyed our trip down south with these Simple Southern Sides. We think this menu has a little bit for everyone. So, hopefully you’ll find something you like and start cooking up some wonderful side dishes this week
Happy Cooking!
