Tamales are a traditional Mesoamerican delicacy and date back to as early as 8000 BC. They are time-consuming to make, which is why they are saved for special occasions. The masa dough is filled with either a sweet or savory filling like fried pork, cheese, and fruit.
The tamales are wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed until cooked. These little parcels can be enjoyed on their own, but if you are serving them up for dinner to your guests best to have some tamales side dishes.
Not sure what to serve with tamales or what goes well with tamales. Here are some suggestions of sides for tamales that all stick with the Mexican theme. You’ll be serving a Mexican feast; your guests will think they are in Mexico! Be sure to have some margaritas to sip on while you tuck into the tamales.
Here’s What To Serve With Tamales:
#1. Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad
This is the best way to enjoy corn off the cob, combined in a salad with Mexican flavors like jalapeno, cotija cheese, lime, and coriander; it’s the perfect side to serve with tamales. The corn is heated in a hot pan and dressed with mayo and lime juice.
The chopped jalapenos, onion, cheese, and coriander are added, and the salad is tossed until all combined. The salad is finished with a garnish of chopped green onions and an extra crumbling of cotija cheese.
Not sure what to eat with tamales? Rice always makes a great side dish, and this Mexican version is delicious. The rice is added to a base of sautéed onions and cooked to lightly toast the rice. The tin of tomato is added with the chicken broth and cumin and left to simmer until the rice is cooked. The rice can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This salad is so simple and easy to put together, and the flavors work perfectly with tamales. The salad relies on great ingredients like good creamy feta, ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and good-quality balsamic vinegar.
The dressing is made; by combining the ingredients, and it’s left to stand so the herbs can infuse. The tomatoes are roughly chopped into medium-sized pieces, tossed in the dressing, and plaited up onto a platter, and the feta is generously crumbled over the tomatoes. The salad is finished off with a generous drizzle of balsamic reduction.
Salsa makes great tamales sides, and the bonus about this salsa is the black beans and the nutrition they add. Black beans are full of fiber, iron, protein, and calcium; we should eat more of them.
I love this recipe as you can use tinned black beans and corn, making it a quick side that can be rustled up in no time. The black beans and corn are drained and tossed with chopped red onion, jalapenos, and cumin and dressed in olive oil and lemon, seasoned well, and finished with chopped coriander.
This salsa can be made ahead of time to allow the flavors to marry and become even more
Coleslaw is quick and easy to make, and this recipe is remarkably fresh, light, and vibrant, with just the right amount of lime to tingle the taste buds. The Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, jalapeno, and green onion are blended to make the dressing.
The dressing is seasoned well with salt and pepper and then folded into the coleslaw mix. You can buy the packet coleslaw mix to save you more time and hassle.
This is a great low-carb side dish to serve with your tamales. Zucchini is a sponge-like vegetable that just absorbs the flavor. In this recipe, the zucchini is chopped and tossed with olive oil, cumin powder, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
The zucchini is roasted in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden and soft. The zucchini must be tossed halfway through cooking to evenly brown on both sides. Once cooked, it is topped with crumbled cotija cheese, a squeeze of lime, and chopped cilantro.
This salad looks like a party in a bowl; it is vibrant and colorful, full of flavor, and nutritious too. It’s the perfect side for tamales. The cherry tomatoes are chopped in half, the red onion and cilantro are finely chopped, and the avo is diced.
The tinned black beans and corn are drained and tossed with fresh ingredients. The salad is generously dressed in olive oil, garlic, lemon, and lime juice. The salad is seasoned well with salt and pepper, covered, and left for an hour or two for the flavors to marry and develop.
#8. Sweet and Spicy Mexican Roasted Sweet Potatoes
These sweet potatoes have the perfect balance of sweetness and spice. The sweet potatoes are tossed with a little oil and cumin powder, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. The potato rounds are transferred to a baking tray and baked in a hot oven until caramelized and soft.
Be sure to flip the potatoes halfway through the cooking time to ensure they are evenly caramelized on both sides. Once cooked, the potatoes are drizzled with honey and finished with a squeeze of lime and some fresh coriander for garnish.
These beans are a great Mexican side to serve with your tamales. The black beans are spiced with cumin, chipotle powder, and cayenne pepper. First, the onions and bell peppers are sautéed in a hot pan until soft, and then spices are added, and then the beans and broth.
The beans are simmered until soft, and the mixture has thickened. The beans are finished with a generous squeeze of lime and chopped fresh cilantro.
Calabacitas is an authentic Mexican dish of courgettes, corn, tomatoes, and peppers. The vegetables are sautéed with a bit of garlic and seasoning of cumin and oregano. Water is then added, and the vegetables are left to simmer until soft.
Shredded cheddar cheese and milk are added to the pot and stirred until the cheese has melted and created a delicious cheese sauce. The dish is finished with chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija over the top.
This version of Mexican potatoes is weight-friendly whether you are dieting or not. But let’s be honest, if they are healthy and tasty, it is a winning side dish. The potatoes are packed full of herbs and spices. First, the prepared potatoes are precooked in the microwave for three minutes.
The chopped onion and spices are then tossed through the potatoes and placed on a baking tray. The potatoes are then sprayed with cooking spray, but if you aren’t too fussed, you can drizzle a bit of olive oil over instead. The potatoes are then roasted in a hot oven until soft and golden.
Make sure to toss the potatoes halfway through the cooking time.
This is a great combination of flavors that work so well together. The sweet juicy watermelon with creamy, salty cotija cheese and some cucumber for added texture- this is a tasty salad worth giving a try.
The watermelon and cucumber are chopped and combined in a bowl with the chopped cilantro and lime; the watermelon is then topped with crumbled cotija cheese and sprinkled with chili powder for some extra heat.
Having completed three years at cooking school, Gabi then went into the realm of private cheffing where she got to travel the world, cooking for the rich and famous in their luxury homes and holiday homes. Through her travels, she has experienced different cuisines, which she has added to her cooking repertoire.
