15 Best Tamales Side Dishes Recipes For Special Meals
Tamales are a feast of complex flavors and textures, traditionally made with a doughy masa base. This cornmeal paste contains ingredients like chicken, pork, cheese, fruits, and chilies. This bundle of joy is then wrapped in a corn husk and steamed to perfection. The resulting taste is a magical blend of the masa's slightly sweet, nutty flavor perfectly balanced with the savory fillings. Several side dishes pair well with tamales to enhance this delightful taste, and I have curated a list of recipes to help you in this regard.
Side Dishes To Serve With Tamales
The versatility of tamales' side dishes allows them to shine as standalone main courses. Following the provided recipes, transform Mexican rice into stir-fry, avocado salads, and refried beans into burritos. These dishes showcase their independent potential while enhancing the beauty of tamales.
Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Long Grain Rice
- ⅛ Cup Vegetable Oil
- 8 Oz Tomato Sauce
- 6 Stems Cilantro (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 4 Cups Water (Or 4 Cups Chicken Lower Sodium Chicken Broth - And No Bouillon)
- 1 Cube Chicken Flavored Bouillon
- Dash Cumin
- Dash Garlic Pepper
Mexican Street Corn Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups Corn
- 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ½ cup Cilantro, minced
- ⅔ cup Cotija Cheese
- 2 tablespoon Lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Butter
Easy Cilantro Lime Rice
Rajas Con Crema
Ingredients
- 3 Large Roasted Poblano Peppers Cut Into Strips
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- ½ Large White Onion Sliced In Strips
- 2 Garlic Cloves Finely Shopped
- 1 Cup Corn Kernels Fresh Or Frozen (Thawed)
- 1 Teaspoon Chicken Bullion Powder Or 1 Cube
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Oz Cream Cheese (Or Use 8 Oz For Extra Creaminess) (Or Reduced Fat Cream Cheese For Less Calories)
- 1 Cup Mexican Crema, Heavy Whipping Cream Or Sour Cream (Or Plain Fat-free Greek Yogurt For Less Calories)
- 1 Cup Shredded Melting Cheese Such A Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Mozarella, Monterrey Jack, Etc.
Chile Guajillo Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 Dried Guajillos Chiles
- 3 Dried Arbol Chiles
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3 Garlic Cloves Peeled
- ½ Onion Chopped
- 4 Cups Water
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Mexican Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
How To Make Authentic Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup dry long-grain white rice
- (4-8) ounces canned tomato sauce Use at least 4 or up to 8 ounces of tomato sauce
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons Caldo de Tomate tomato bouillon
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic about 2 cloves
Fresh Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
-
- 1 ¼ lbs ripe Roma tomatoes* (about 5 - 6)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes**
- 2 green onions,*** ends trimmed, chopped into thirds
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion (about ¼ of a medium)
- 1 jalapeno pepper,**** seeded and roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro (about a handful)
- 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Elote Recipe Authentic Mexican Corn
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup cotija cheese
- 1 lime, quartered
- Hot sauce (such as Valentina or Tapatio)
- Chili powder (such as Tajin or ancho chile)
- Wooden sticks (for taffy apple, corn dogs, etc)
Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice, or other long-grain white rice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 ¼ cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Finely grated zest of one lime
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 cup lightly packed chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems only)
Easy Refried Beans
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion (about ½ small onion)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) of pinto beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups of cooked pinto beans
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ medium lime), to taste
Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Servings: 4 (as a side salad)
- 1 lb Roma tomatoes
- 1 English cucumber
- ½ medium red onion, sliced
- 2 avocados, diced
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, (from 1 medium lemon)
- ¼ cup ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry pinto beans
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ white onion, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons cumin
- 8 cups water, more as needed
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, more to taste
Optional additions
- 1 jalapeño, stemmed and diced
- Chili powder, to taste
- Cilantro, for garnish
Jalapeño Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil or any neutral oil
- 4 scallions, chopped; reserve some for topping
- ¾ cup seeded diced jalapeño peppers, 2 to 3 peppers; reserve some for topping
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter for greasing the pan
- Honey Butter, for serving
Mexican Quinoa Salad With Green Chilies
Ingredients
- 3 cups prepared Quinoa
- 1 15-ounce can of Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 1 – 15-ounce can Corn drained (frozen and thawed, or fresh parboiled corn kernels may also be used)
- 1 7-ounce can of Diced Mild Green Chilies drained
- ¾ cup chopped Red Onion
- 1 cup chopped Sweet Bell Pepper
- 1 medium Jalapeno Pepper thinly sliced
- 1 medium Avocado, ripe but firm, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Cilantro leaves
Dressing ingredients
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- Juice of 2 Limes
- ½ teaspoon ground Cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 large Garlic Clove, diced
- 2 teaspoons Adobo Sauce
- Kosher Salt to taste
Jicama Slaw
INGREDIENTS
Jicama Slaw:
- 1 large jicama or 3 small (about 2 pounds), peeled and finely shredded
- ½ head red cabbage finely shredded
- 2 carrots peeled and shredded
- 1 large red pepper stem and seeds removed, sliced thin
- ½ white onion thinly sliced
Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon chili powder ancho chili powder if you have it
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper freshly ground
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
