A Nerd Cooks

... and bakes and mixes the occasional cocktail!

Side Dishes

Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms

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These Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms make a great side dish or addition to a hearty Fall/Winter salad. Better yet, they’re delicious and easy to prepare!

Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms | A Nerd Cooks

If you’re leaning toward eating these roasted mushrooms as a side, think steaks. It’s a classic pairing. I’ve also been eating these mushrooms as part of my lunch in grain bowls with quinoa and other roasted vegetables. Top that with some hummus (hummus makes a great salad dressing!) and you’re in business.

Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms | A Nerd Cooks

Mushrooms are like little flavor sponges. They really soak up and take on the flavors of whatever herbs and spices you add. These roasted mushrooms, with their fragrant thyme and savory garlic flavor, smell and taste like Fall.

I’ve only ever tried to roast cremini mushrooms, but if you try it with other varieties, please report back!

In search of other simple, but delicious, side dishes? Check out my Roasted Beets and Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

5 from 1 vote
Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms | A Nerd Cooks
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Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lauren Pacek
Ingredients
  • 24 oz cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

  2. Add the mushrooms to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dried thyme. Toss to coat.

  3. Roast for 20 minutes.

  4. Sprinkle the minced garlic, salt, and pepper over the partially roasted mushrooms. Toss to combine.

  5. Roast for 10 additional minutes.

Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms | A Nerd Cooks Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms | A Nerd Cooks
Garlic and Thyme Roasted Mushrooms | A Nerd Cooks

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

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These Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes provide so much reward in return for very little effort. They make a wonderful side dish–we love to eat them alongside grilled flank steak. Although I’ve also been known to whip some up for a lazy weekend breakfast or brunch. Please trust me when I tell you that they’re excellent when topped with a runny egg!

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes | A Nerd Cooks

These potatoes really require very little effort or skill in the kitchen. They’re so easy! Just chop some small potatoes, toss them with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, and roast them in a very hot oven.

Then all you’ll have to do is toss them around a few times during their cooking time to make sure that they get lovely and brown all over. Before you know it, you’ll have a delicious, versatile side dish that the entire family will love.

5 from 1 vote
Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes | A Nerd Cooks
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Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Author: Lauren Pacek
Ingredients
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbs fresh rosemary, minced
  • small red or fingerling potatoes, quartered
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray it lightly with cooking spray, and set it aside.

  2. Mince the garlic and rosemary and place them in a gallon zip top bag.

  3. Chop the potatoes and add them to the bag, as well.

  4. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper to the bag. Zip it closed and toss everything around until the potatoes are well-coated with oil, rosemary, and garlic.

  5. Put the potatoes on the baking sheet in an even layer.

  6. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and slightly browned. Use a spatula to toss potatoes around on the baking sheet every 15 minutes or so, to ensure even browning.

Recipe Notes

Notes: These potatoes are also lovely when using a mixture of fresh rosemary and fresh thyme. Dried herbs can also be substituted, but you will want to use a smaller amount of dried herbs than fresh.

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes | A Nerd Cooks

Garlic & Rosemary Roasted Potatoes | A Nerd Cooks

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes | A Nerd Cooks

Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing

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This Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing has been my go-to dressing for the past couple of years. It’s savory, herby, and makes for excellent leftovers.

Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

Can we talk about the stuffing vs. dressing terminology for just a second?  I have a hard time calling anything “dressing”, and almost always want to say “stuffing”.  This is probably due, in part, to me growing up in Pennsylvania, where I don’t think think that “dressing” is part of our Thanksgiving food-related lexicon.

However, I realize that anything of this nature that’s cooked in a pan is called “dressing”, while stuffing is technically stuffed into the cavity of the turkey, and cooked that way.  But, let’s be honest, the concept of stuffing is actually pretty disgusting.  The innermost stuffing rarely has a chance to come up to a high enough temperature to be safe to eat.  Enjoy that holiday meal with a side of gastrointestinal distress.

Anyway… I suppose we should attempt to be as correct as possible here.  So, “dressing” it is.

Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, this dressing would make a lovely addition to your table for Christmas dinner.  Or anytime you feel like eating a ton of carbs, really.  The leftovers are fantastic, too.  Heat them up in the oven, microwave, or in a skillet.  Enjoy as is or top with a runny egg (breakfast/brunch, anyone?).  Perfection.

Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

This recipe comes from the blog Kitchen Konfidence.

Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing | A Nerd Cooks
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Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing
Prep Time
50 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 3/4 lb loaf of good quality ciabatta or French bread
  • 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
  • 2 lbs mild Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • kosher salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 lbs kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 tbs fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

  2. Cut or tear the bread into bite-sized cubes.  Place it in a shallow baking dish and drizzle with the milk to saturate. Let it sit for 30 minutes, gently tossing things around occasionally to ensure that the bread is soaking up the milk uniformly.

  3. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook through, crumbling as it cooks. Stir in the onion, celery, parsley, and garlic. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook until the onion and celery begin to soften, stirring occasionally.

  4. Add the kale, 1/2 cup of water and another pinch of kosher salt. Cook until the kale wilts. This should take about 5 minutes.

  5. Transfer the bread to a large bowl. Add the sausage and kale mixture to the bowl along with the parmesan cheese, basil, rosemary, sage, 2 pinches of salt and several turns of black pepper. Gently toss the mixture until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Give the dressing a taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer the dressing to a 9x13-inch baking dish.

  6. Whenever you're ready to bake and eat the dressing, you'll want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake uncovered until hot (at least 150 degrees in the center) and lightly browned. This should take about half an hour.

Recipe Notes

Notes:

  • Replace fresh basil with 1 1/2 tsp dried basil, if needed
  • Replace fresh rosemary with or 1/2 tsp dried, if needed
  • Replace fresh sage with or 1/4 tsp dried, if needed
  • You can prepare this dressing ahead of time. Just do everything short of baking it, cover it, and stash it in the fridge until it's time to bake.

Need other Thanksgiving and holiday recipes? Check out my Hard Cider Cranberry Sauce and Skinny Green Bean Casserole!

Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

Herbed Kale and Sausage Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

Pumpkin Beer Bread

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This Pumpkin Beer Bread comes together quickly, is easy, and full of pumpkin and beer-y flavor. This bread is perfect for slathering with butter and dunking into some soup or chili.

Pumpkin Beer Bread | A Nerd Cooks

It’s the middle of September. It is officially okay to blog about pumpkin recipes. So says I.

After being sick for more than a week, I finally felt better last Sunday and went on a bit of a baking spree. This beer bread was one of the recipes I tried.

The pumpkin flavor is pretty subtle, as are sort of traditional pumpkin spices. It definitely predominantly has the flavors of the beer bread that we all know and love.

Though I’ve just been eating it warm with some butter, it would be great dunked in some Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili or Chicken Pumpkin Soup. Or, you know, any non-pumpkin-based chili or soup. Take this Slow Cooker Turkey Chili, for instance.

Pumpkin Beer Bread | A Nerd Cooks

This recipe comes from Gimme Some Oven.

Pumpkin Beer Bread | A Nerd Cooks
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Pumpkin Beer Bread
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 3 tbs honey
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 12 oz. bottle of beer, see notes
Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves together.

  3. Add the honey and pumpkin puree, stirring until combined.

  4. Slowly add the beer and stir until combined.

  5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick/knife comes out clean when inserted into the center. Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing in.

Recipe Notes

Notes: I recommend using a pumpkin beer. I used Sam Adams' 20 Pounds of Pumpkin. But use whatever you like.

Pumpkin Beer Bread | A Nerd Cooks

Pumpkin Beer Bread | A Nerd Cooks Pumpkin Beer Bread | A Nerd Cooks

Cilantro Lime Rice – Chipotle Copycat

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This Cilantro Lime Rice tastes just like the rice you get at Chipotle.

Cilantro Lime Rice | A Nerd Cooks

So, obviously I have a deep and abiding love for Chipotle.

Only a monster wouldn’t. Kidding. Sort of.

Cilantro Lime Rice | A Nerd Cooks

As much as I would love to eat at Chipotle on the regular, it can get to be a little bit expensive.

I’ve started playing around and making my own burrito bowls at home, and this Cilantro Lime Rice always serves as the base. It makes a good side dish, too!

Cilantro Lime Rice | A Nerd Cooks

A little while back, Buzzfeed posted a bunch of Chipotle copycat recipes.  This is a slight adaptation of one of those recipes.

Cilantro Lime Rice | A Nerd Cooks
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Cilantro Lime Rice
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups basmati rice
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbs vegetable oil
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • kosher salt, to taste
Instructions

  1. Combine the rice, water, and bay leaves. Cook according to package directions. I make mine in a rice cooker.

  2. Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork and add the vegetable oil, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Cilantro Lime Rice | A Nerd Cooks
Cilantro Lime Rice | A Nerd Cooks Cilantro Lime Rice | A Nerd Cooks

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppy Seed Dressing

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This Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets is fresh, delicious, and chock full of spring produce. I topped this salad with a tangy and sweet homemade poppy seed dressing.

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppyseed Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

Salad need not be boring.  Banish that notion from  your mind.  This salad–along with this Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Greek Power Bowl, and Strawberry Balsamic Salad–is proof.  #saddesklunch be gone!

For this little number, I loaded up some arugula and baby greens with lots of berries and roasted beets.  Then I added some crunchy toasted pecans and some salty feta cheese.  Top all of that with a tangy-sweet homemade poppy seed dressing, and you’re in business.

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppyseed Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppyseed Dressing | A Nerd Cooks
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Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppyseed Dressing
Prep Time
10 mins
 
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 salad
Author: Lauren Pacek
Ingredients
For the dressing (makes enough for 4-5 salads)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbs honey
  • 3 tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbs plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbs poppy seeds
  • salt and pepper, to taste
For the salad
  • 3 cups greens of choice
  • fresh basil, sliced into thin strips
  • 5-6 strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup roasted beets, see notes
  • 1/4 cup pecans, toasted
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk all of the ingredients for the poppy seed dressing together.  Taste and add more salt or pepper as desired.  The dressing will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for ~5 days.  Set aside for a moment.
  2. Add all of the salad ingredients to a bowl.  Drizzle with 1-2 tbs dressing.
Recipe Notes

Notes: The recipe for roasted beets can be found here

Berry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppyseed Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppyseed Dressing | A Nerd Cooks

Farro Caprese Salad

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This farro caprese salad is fresh and summery. It’s perfect for upcoming warmer weather.

Farro Caprese Salad | A Nerd Cooks

Farro is, hands down, my new favorite grain. It’s an ancient grain that’s roughly nutritionally equivalent to quinoa. However, I find its chewy texture to be much more interesting. It’s kind of nutty, and is great in salads. I can’t lie, I even ate it as a hot breakfast cereal one morning with some brown sugar and cinnamon. Pretty tasty.

Farro Caprese Salad | A Nerd Cooks

Though you could definitely make this salad any time of the year, Caprese anything screams “summer” to me. This salad is doubly summery, to me, with the addition of baby arugula.

I’ve made this to take to work all week for my lunch, but this would also be perfect for cookouts and BBQs, or as a side dish for dinner.

Farro Caprese Salad | A Nerd Cooks

This salad is inspired by one that I saw on Pastiche.

This can be eaten cold, at room temperature, or warm (think melty strings of mozzarella).

Farro Caprese Salad | A Nerd Cooks Farro Caprese Salad | A Nerd Cooks
Farro Caprese Salad | A Nerd Cooks
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Farro Caprese Salad
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the salad
  • 14 oz bag Italian pearled farro
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed
  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
  • 2 handfuls fresh baby arugula
For the vinaigrette
  • 1.5 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
To make the salad

  1. Place the farro and water in a medium-sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the remaining water from the pot, add the olive oil and salt, and toss to combine. Allow the farro to cool to room temperature.

  2. Add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and arugula to the cooled farro. Toss everything together.

To make the vinaigrette

  1. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.  

  2. Pour the vinaigrette over the farro and toss to coat everything evenly.

Roasted Beets

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Let’s take a walk on the healthier side with these simple roasted beets, shall we?

I’ve been having a real love affair with beets of late.  They’re kinda sweet, and very earthy. They taste a little like dirt. In the very best way, of course.

And much like basically all vegetables, they’re great when roasted.

Roasted Beets | A Nerd Cooks

Roasted Beets | A Nerd Cooks
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Roasted Beets
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Author: laurenpacek
Ingredients
  • 6-8 medium-sized beets, peeled and cut into roughly bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs honey
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. Put the cut beets, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper into a zip top bag. Toss everything around until the beets are well-coated.
  3. Spread the beets on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the beets are fork tender.
Recipe Notes

Note: You may want to consider wearing latex gloves while peeling and chopping the beets. They can stain your skin, even if you wash up right after handling them.

Roasted Beets | A Nerd Cooks

 

Roasted Beets | A Nerd Cooks

Lauren’s Pasta Salad

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This pasta salad–which I have named after myself–is a family and friend favorite. In particular, my in-laws really enjoy it. I am officially in charge of providing the pasta salad for all of the gatherings among that side of the family.

Lauren's Pasta Salad | A Nerd Cooks

It’s delicious and couldn’t be easier to throw together. Just chop some veggies and cheese, boil some pasta, and there you have it. It’s also easy to double or triple the recipe for feeding large crowds.

You can also customize the vegetables and cheese to suit your tastes. Maybe you’re not crazy about celery. If so, just leave it out. Switch up the colors of the bell peppers as you see fit. You could also add some diced red onion to the mix!

I blogged about this pasta salad almost 4 years ago, and felt like it was time to give it a face lift. In fact, this was only the second recipe that I ever blogged about!  The original blog post can be found here.

Lauren's Pasta Salad | A Nerd Cooks
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Lauren's Pasta Salad
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: Lauren Pacek
Ingredients
  • 16 oz. Rotini pasta
  • kosher salt
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 8 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
  • 16 oz. bottle of Italian dressing
  • 3 tbs McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning
Instructions

  1. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once it comes up to a rolling boil, add the box of pasta and salt, and cook according to directions on the box. After the pasta is cooked through, drain it in a colander. Set aside and allow it to cool.

  2. Add the bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, celery, and cheese to a large bowl. Add the cooled pasta and toss everything together.

  3. Add about half of the bottle of Italian dressing and the Salad Supreme Seasoning. Mix it all together and taste. Add more of the seasoning or salad dressing if you think it needs it.

 

Lauren's Pasta Salad | A Nerd Cooks

Lauren's Pasta Salad | A Nerd Cooks

Strawberry Caprese Salad

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This Strawberry Caprese Salad is a fresh, sweet twist on a classic.

Strawberry Caprese Salad is sweet, savory, and entirely delicious. It’s a great addition to any cookout menu or any summertime meal!

FYI – this post contains affiliate links

This salad is summer in a bowl.

This salad screams summer, to me.

I mean, Caprese salad is a classic Summer salad, right? And strawberries are at their best now. So… why not combine them?

Trust me, strawberries belong in a Caprese salad.

Even though you may cock an eyebrow at this combination of ingredients, you have to trust me here. It’s an undisputed fact that Caprese salad is the best, right? Okay we’re all in agreement. 

Now, think about the complementary sweetness that strawberries would add to a savory Caprese salad.

AND we have a few examples of how great strawberries and basil are together. Check out this Strawberry Balsamic Salad and the delightfully boozy Strawberry Basil Vodka Collins.

This salad is great as a weeknight side dish or when entertaining a crowd.

The amount of ingredients can easily be multiplied depending on how many people you’re feeding.

I made it to have with dinner the other night and have taken it as a side to a coworker’s cookout. It’s great either way.

Strawberry Caprese Salad

Strawberry Caprese Salad

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 quart strawberries, sliced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
  • kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • small bunch fresh basil, sliced into ribbons

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar and honey together. Set aside.
  2. Combine the strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Drizzle with balsamic/honey mixture and toss to combine.
  4. Top with fresh basil.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 235 Total Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 6g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 36mg Sodium: 443mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 17g Protein: 12g
© Lauren Pacek
Category: Side Dishes

Looking for other strawberry recipes?

Any special gear needed?

In this case, you don’t need any super special gear to make this fantastic recipe. However, I would love to put in a plug for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. It’s not absolutely necessary, but I’ve really been loving this brand of kosher salt lately.