17 Sides for Taco Tuesday

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Is it Taco Tuesday night? Everyone knows tacos on their own are a fine meal, but having tasty sides are an easy way to keep from eating your daily calories in meat and cheese.

The side dishes give you a chance to work on your authenticity around Mexican dishes if you’re not quite comfortable tackling a main dish like enchiladas.

Side dishes will also help you have plenty of leftovers to eat, and make a yummy meal later in the day or for lunch the next day.

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17 Sides for Taco Tuesday

These are some of the best traditional (and non-traditional) side dishes with recipes included to help for easy preparation.

1. Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro lime rice is a nice addition to a meal that veers from the traditional use of Spanish rice – while making it to add to your tacos or burritos if that’s a topping you like, you can also consume it on the side. It is a very simple recipe using water, rice, cilantro, lemons or limes.

This recipe is an easy one to customize to your exact preferences – like adding more citrus-y flavor or less flavor. A recipe can be found at Love and Lemons.

2. Spicy Mexican Street Corn Salad

Spicy Mexican street corn salad is a tasty way to get in a serving of vegetables. It is made with corn, jalapenos, cheese, onions, limes, and mayo.

This salad is great because it takes all the amazing tastes of street corn and turns it into something a little less messy to eat than the traditional way of eating it off the cob, and is easily customizable. A recipe can be found at I Heart Vegetables.

3. Frijoles De Olla

Frijolles De Olla is one of the more traditional Spanish dishes  and it’s simple for younger kids that refuse to eat a taco or anything else. It’s beans and cheese.

The recipe found at Muy Bueno Cookbook is for the recipe from scratch, but if you want to save time, you can always buy the beans pre made.

4. Shrimp De Gallo

Shrimp De Gallo is a fancy way of making salsa – but this time it’s made with seafood (so it’s important to check for allergies at your dinner party before serving).

Shrimp De Gallo (which is also called Shrimp Ceviche) is found at Natasha’s Kitchen. It’s a simple recipe for a chunky chip topping.

5. Refried Bean Dip

Refried Bean Dip is a yummy twist that is mainly frijoles de olla but is served with chips or something similar for dipping.

It’s also customizable – you can turn it into seven layer dip – which is a different recipe altogether. It is found at Buns in My Oven.

6. Guacamole

Guacamole is a simple dish everyone loves that can easily double as a taco topping and saves you some work. It’s made with avocados, lime, lemon, cilantro, and other ingredients.

A simple recipe for guacamole (instead of just mashing up some avocadoes and calling it done) can be found at Downshiftology. They break it down step by step.

7. Peach Salsa

Peach salsa is a yummy way to get in your servings of fruit, and it’s got a main ingredient popular in the south: Fresh sweet peaches.

A recipe for peach salsa can be found at The Kitchen Girl. This recipe is perfect if you’re not a fan of spicy salsas and prefer something sweeter.

8. Spicy Blackbean Soup

Soup is always a good side dish – it can be made ahead of time and reheated. This dish features black beans (instead of refried beans). Soups are also easily customizable recipes to make it how you want.

A recipe for spicy blackbean soup can be found at Cookie and Kate – a fun dog and mom duo baking site.

9. Charred Corn Salsa

Charred corn salsa is another simple twist on salsa – this one is spicy, but features the yummy taste of barbecue grilled corn.

An easy recipe for charred corn salsa (which also includes ways to customize it further) at Minimalist Baker.

10. Grilled Peppers

Grilled Peppers are simple: Seasoned peppers, chopped into slices and then grilled to perfection. It’s a nice side dish and doubles as a topping for tacos and burritos.

A recipe for grilled peppers can be found at Spices in My DNA. This is a side dish that is easy to customize. It can be as spicy or as plain as you like.

11. Chicken Posalle

Chicken Posalle is a nice soup dish made with chicken, and spicy peppers. It’s easily customizable, although chicken is a key ingredient.

A recipe for this carnivore recipe can be found at Cooking Classy. It is a nice authentic dish that will pair well with taco night.

12. Chorizo Con Papas

This is probably the home run hit of the list: meat and potatoes. A sausage traditionally eaten by everyone with eggs at breakfast, here it’s turned into a yummy side dish.

Spicy is not for everyone, so make the one found at Mexico in my Kitchen with caution – it’s not easy to make it less spicy as chorizo itself is a spice laden sausage.

13. Nachos

Nachos are easily the most customizable side dish for taco Tuesday, and the easiest. Toppings for tacos and nachos double, and nachos are a fun messy way to eat a taco!

A recipe for nachos, although super easy to make without one, can be found at Love from the Oven.

14. Avocado Tomato Salsa

Avocado Tomato Salsa is another fun recipe twist on salsa for those who prefer more of a chunky topping for their chips instead of a runny one.

A recipe for this easy salsa can be found at Cooking Classy.

15. Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice, next to Frijoles De Olla, is the most traditional and the easiest recipe on the list. It contains rice, water, and many spices like chili pepper and paprika.

A recipe for Spanish rice can be found at Lil Luna. Spanish rice should be followed to a T to make sure the taste is perfect, but you can always customize if you feel it needs it.

16. Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde is a green salsa made with jalapenos – so it’s super spicy! It’s a yummy topping for tacos and chips.

A recipe for this green concoction can be found at Gimme Some Oven – but the spice comes from the jalapenos included in the recipe, so it’s not easy to keep it from being too spicy.

17. Cheesy Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Cheesy Mexican Cauliflower rice is another easy way to get in your vegetables for the day, even though the recipe isn’t vegan, it can be adapted to be vegan.

The recipe for cheesy Mexican cauliflower rice is found at All Day I Dream About Food – and it’s easy to change it vegan for your guests to consume.

Wrap Up

These yummy side dishes and taco toppings will make for a tasty potluck or just your small family taco Tuesday night that everyone looks forward to.

The tacos are the star of the show, but making side dishes like these ensures there is something for everyone – the calorie counters and the picky eaters alike.

Related posts:

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  2. 17 Easy One Pot Meals
  3. What To Serve With Fish Tacos
  4. Taco Bell Vegan Menu

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