10 Standout Side Dishes That Require Only 5 Ingredients or Fewer

You don't always need a laundry list of ingredients to make a recipe shine.

By
Yasmine Maggio
Yasmine Maggio
Yasmine Maggio
Associate Editor
Yasmine is an Associate Editor at Serious Eats. Her work has been featured in Women’s Health and on L’Officiel USA, and she recently graduated from New York University with a master's in journalism. You can find her at Bleecker Street Pizza on any given weekend.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
and
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Published August 21, 2024
An oval ceramic platter holding caprese salad. The platter is on a dish cloth. There is a pair of forks to the left of the platter, and in the bottom right of the image is a wooden cutting board holding torn chunks of bread.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

One of my favorite side dishes to make in the summer is a Caprese salad. With sweet, juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, aromatic basil, and good quality olive oil (no balsamic vinegar here!), I can serve a standout side dish that requires just a few simple ingredients. That’s the beauty of summer and the produce it brings—when the fruits and veggies are as good as they are, you really don’t need much to make them shine. 

Below, we’ve put together a list of 10 recipes—including the beloved Caprese—that require only five ingredients or fewer (not counting pantry staples like salt and olive oil). Think salads, roasted and air-fried veggies, and even some fried potatoes. You won’t want the summer to pass you by without making at least one of these. 

More Serious Eats Recipes