Elevate Your Fiesta with These Cinco de Mayo Sides That Deserve a Standing Ovation
Embrace the vibrant flavors of Mexico with our curated selection of side dishes, perfect for celebrating Cinco de Mayo. These sides are the “Backup Singers” to the main dishes. From zesty salsas to comforting rice and beans, complemented by an array of spices, this collection of Mexican sides will provide the support you need to plate with your main dishes. Whether you’re hosting a festive gathering or simply looking to add a touch of Mexican flair to your meal, these sides promise to enhance your culinary experience.
Roasted Corn Salsa
We get a little carried away with all the perfectly spiced meat when eating Mexican food. A great way to incorporate some fiber is through a corn salad rich in vegetables such as black beans, bell peppers, onions, and others while maintaining its authentic taste through the smoky flavors of chipotle. Get the Recipe: Roasted Corn Salsa.
How to Warm Tortillas
We can only celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, or any Mexican food day properly, accompanied by our favorite tortillas. Timing with tortillas is everything because you want your tortilla to be right for serving. Get the Recipe: How to Warm Tortillas.
Green Tomato Salsa
Best use for your last batch of tomatoes of the year! If you’ve ever grown a tomato plant, you know that towards the end of the season, there are still a bunch of green fruits left on the plant, but the weather doesn’t allow them to ripen. What can you do with them? Turn them into an excellent fixing, of course! Get the Recipe: Green Tomato Salsa.
Canned Salsa with Roasted Garlic
Adding roasted garlic to your salsa will make it taste much better than the store-bought version, and you can make it all in one large batch, can it, and store it over the winter until your next harvest. Get the Recipe: Roasted Garlic Tomato Salsa.
Chipotle Peppers
Also known as “chile ahumado”, the chipotle is just a dried and smoked jalapeno pepper. Making your own at home is effortless, and they are versatile ingredients used in many authentic dishes. Get the Recipe: Chipotle Peppers.
Smoky Chipotle Salsa
This Smoky Dip is our way of incorporating some of the previously mentioned ingredients into a next-level dish. Get the Recipe: Smoky Chipotle Salsa.
Canning Salsa Verde
This dip uses tomatillos. While closely related to tomatoes, they are not green tomatoes but a completely different species. They are green in color and grow in a husk. Due to their tangy taste, tomatillos make for a fantastic ingredient! Get the Recipe: Tomatillo Salsa.
Strawberry Salsa
Is a thick, smoky topping a little much for a fish taco? How about some refreshing fruit? This guide explores ways to incorporate refreshing ingredients into our Mexican dishes. Get the Recipe: Strawberry Salsa.
Citrus Salsa
Another great refreshing fruit is citrus. It is versatile because you can use any fruit you enjoy best, and it is great to serve with seafood tacos, fajitas, and many more. Get the Recipe: Citrus Salsa.
Canning Peach Salsa
This fruit salsa is a little sweet, a little spicy, and yummy! Because of its sweet, spicy tones and fruity flavors, it pairs well with fish and other white meat, such as chicken. If you, too, have some peach trees that produce more peaches than you can eat in one season, we want to show you an inventive way of canning them to enjoy it every season, even on Cinco de Mayo! Get the Recipe: Peach Salsa.
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
If you use store-bought canned enchilada sauce, you need to try making your own! You can control the ingredients in your food, which is both a health and a pleasure benefit, given you control the taste! Get the Recipe: Enchilada Sauce.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Dry beans. They are a pain to cook, taking hours and sometimes turning out too crunchy. Well, we found the workaround. Using an instant pot, we get the perfectly tender pinto bean we know and love. Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Pinto Bean.
Canning Pinto Beans
Once we soften our dry beans, we can store them for future use. Doing a whole bunch at a time saves time but, most importantly, money, as dry beans are so cheap, and we use beans so often. Get the Recipe: Canning Pinto Beans.
Slow Cooker Frijoles
Use your canned beans and homemade spices to bring them together in a delicious, authentic bowl of frijoles known as refried beans. No more store-bought cans containing corn syrup or sugar! Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Frijoles.
Healthy Tortilla Chips
It’s movie night, and you have everything you need, except for chips. Well, if you have some corn tortillas, there is no need to leave the comfort of your home! Just run to the kitchen and make your chips in less than 15 minutes. Get the Recipe: Healthy Tortilla Chips.
Pickled Peppers – hot | sweet
Pickles go well with most Mexican dishes. Our post guides you through canning your preferred pepper so you can choose your heat level. Get the Recipe: Pickled Peppers.
Candied Jalapenos
This is one of the best condiments to have in your home! Sweet and spicy, packed with flavor, and incredibly versatile. Excellent on Mexican food and American cuisine alike, use the brine on its own or add some pulp to your dish as a garnish or cooking ingredient. Candied jalapeno is sure to impress! Get the Recipe: Candied Jalapenos.
Chicken Nachos
On the Tex-Mex side of the aisle, nachos are an easy party snack or a fun appetizer to assemble in 30 minutes. This dish can be customized to any palate: white meat, red meat, vegan, or pescatarian; anyone can make it their own. Get the Recipe: Chicken Nachos.
Queso Fundido con Chorizo
Queso Fundido con Chorizo is the most flavorful dip for chips or tortillas. You have to try it out and bring it to the next party. Everyone will thank you for it! Get the Recipe: Queso Fundido con Chorizo.
Burritos with Leyden Cheese Sauce
While Leyden is not your first thought when choosing ingredients for a cheese sauce to pair with your Mexican dishes, this cheese works great because it is flavored with cumin and caraway seeds. Get the Recipe: Cheese Sauce.
Fermented Hot Sauce
Fermentation is the process of beneficial bacteria breaking down a food product that otherwise would spoil. These beneficial bacteria (lactobacillus) are essential to help maintain our good health. Properly secure the bottles for storage; this garnish can make for a lovely edible gift for a spicy food lover. Get the Recipe: Hot Sauce.
Adobo Sauce
This is an incredibly versatile sauce for your repertoire. You can use it as a hot sauce replacement and add it to soups, dips, and more. It also makes for a delicious enchilada topping! Get the Recipe: Adobo Sauce.
Adobo Seasoning
We have you covered if you’re looking for the adobo taste in spice form! This recipe is straightforward; you can use store-bought ingredients or your own for an added layer of fun. Get the Recipe: Adobo Seasoning.
Taco Seasoning
While on the topic of spices, this is a neat little trick for saving money and being creative in the kitchen. In this guide, we’re showing you how to recreate the best, foolproof taco taste. Get the Recipe: Taco Seasoning.
Hot Pepper Flakes – Habanero
An absolute family favorite, the Habanero Flakes are always present! They are the perfect way of adding a touch of heat without messing with the flavor of the food, on your meat or sprinkled on top of your tacos. They have a good kick, so experiment with them, and don’t be afraid to secure them in an air-tight jar and gift them to friends and family. Get the Recipe: Habanero Flakes.
Cinco de Mayo – The Main Dishes
Join us on a culinary journey through the vibrant flavors of Mexico with our collection of 25+ recipes, each bursting with authentic flavors. On our way, we will show you fun, crafty ways to prepare your fixings from fresh ingredients and incorporate them into classic meals we all know and love. In this guide, you will find ideas for Taco Tuesday, weeknight meals, Cinco de Mayo party boards, and more! Let’s start exploring the heart and soul of Mexican cooking! Get the Recipes: Cinco de Mayo, the Mains.
The Ultimate Taco Adventure
You’ll be taken to a world of culinary creativity with our assortment of unique taco recipes. Combining traditional ingredients with novel twists, every recipe is an inventive piece of culinary art. Get the Recipes: Epic Tacos.
