Can you recommend a side dish for a bring-and-share meal?

[Yellowdaisies7]

It would be great to have recommendations for a side dish that's delicious, easy to transport, doesn't need heating, and is not too carby!

And if possible, one that can be made 2 days in advance and will still be fine! It could be made the day before if needed, though!

Thank you so much for ideas! If you have a good idea for this, I would be super grateful if you would include the recipe!

Many thanks!!!

Jamie Oliver's broccoli salad is delicious. If you want to make it veggie then replace the bacon with balsamic roasted shallots cut into thin strips. www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/broccoli-salad/

hot or cold?

Ratatouille

A Cypriot twist on a Turkish classic! Via FiL...

An aubergine, cut into 3mm slices and covered in heavily salted water
3 large onions, diced
2 or 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 or 3 green peppers, chopped
half-cup sultanas
half-cup pine nuts or salted almonds (roughly chopped)
quarter-cup rice
LOTS of chopped mint and parsley
Tomatoes (no exact number but enough to cover the dish with slices)
Very thinly sliced whole lemon (cut the ends off)
third-cup of hot water
Salt and pepper

Mix all the chopped ingredients, add sultanas and mix with the rice and herbs, and stir in some olive oil to lubricate. Seasoning to taste.

In a largish, flattish casserole dish (needs a lid) arrange the (drained and blotted dry) aubergine slices on the base, and spread a layer of the mixed ingredients over. Repeat until all the ingredients are used. Slice tomatoes to cover and arrange the lemon over.

Cover dish and bake at 140C/gas 1-2 for 2 hours. Allow to cool, chill but best made 24 hours ahead. Bring it back to room temperature to serve it.

It's a good side dish, and a fairly substantial main for vegans.

This lovely side pasta always a hit at my bbqs but obviously pasta is carby (sorry!)

pasta
pesto
parmesan
lemon
spinach
basil
Roasted cherry tomatoes (chopped pre roast)

roasted pine nuts
olive oil
salt / pepper

can pre make and transport with no heating.

Recipe says best to rest for 24 hours, but I think you'd get away with 48 hours.

Edited to say the water goes in before the tomato/lemon layer to moisten the rice before you bake the dish.

I'm quite a fan of a good greek salad

You can't go wrong with a greek salad.
Take the dressing in a jar and add when you arrive.

Mozzarella, basil and tomato salad.

Interesting emphasis on Greek food here, but everyone suggesting salads seems to have missed the OP's request for dishes to make 24-48 hours in advance.

It only takes 5 minutes to make a Greek salad. As quick a making a cuppa.

You could easily do that just before you travel to any event.

Make a selection of dips and then prepare the crudites on the day.

For example:
Red Pepper & Butterbean Dip — Two Teaspoons

Some brilliant ideas here - thank you so so much!! Very much appreciated!!

@Papyrophile This looks amazing! :) Do white and brown rice both work for it? If so, which is better in your view?! Thank you!!

I have only ever made it with white rice, but given the length of cooking time, it should be okay to use brown too. I might increase the amount of cooking water slightly.

What main course will it be a side to?

Massive dish of mixed roast veg
cauliflower and broccoli cheese
asparagus spears with Parma ham
rice pilaf with veg

Cowboy caviar? I made it on Thursday for a party on Saturday and it was still delicious. It's def better if it has time to let all the flavors meld together. My avocado wasn't ripe in time for making the salad initially, but it was perfect on Sunday so I added it when we ate it that day too!

If you can't get black-eyed peas, you could certainly substitute a different type of bean (like cannellini or even chickpeas). We dip tortilla chips in it generally, but sometimes just eat it straight.

Edit to add: one of the best parts about it is that there's not really anything to go off in the heat or over a long period of time, so no worry that it'll spoil like something with mayo or cheese.

@Papyrophile Thank you!

@jackstini Probably a lentil dish

@ToThineOwnSelfBe Thank you! What recipe did you use, please?!

Oh sorry, I thought I included a link!

Cowboy Caviar
Dressing:
1/3 cup avocado oil or other vegetable oil
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 lime, juiced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper, or to taste
Caviar:
2/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 ½ cups diced fresh bell peppers
1/3 cup diced jarred roasted red peppers
1/3 cup diced pickled jalapeño peppers, or other pickled peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup diced fresh tomato
scoop-style tortilla chips for serving

Directions
-Whisk avocado oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic, garlic powder, salt, sugar, cumin, paprika, and chipotle together in a large bowl, add diced onions and set aside until needed.

-Add bell peppers, roasted red peppers, jalapeños, black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, and tomato to the bowl of dressing. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours, tossing occasionally.

-Before serving, season to taste with salt. Serve with tortilla chips.

Do you know what the main dish is? Any dietary requirements?

-Quiche or frittatta or these https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/filo-pastry-mini-quiches-great-for-kids-to-make-and-eat/ The smaller version are more entree/canape, but might be an option. I've posted these many times because the are so flexible. You can include almost anything- ham, bacon, tuna/sweetcorn, tomatoes, semi-dried tomatoes, basil and almost any cheese you fancy too.
-Prep the veg and stir in the sauce on the day https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/classic-homemade-coleslaw
-If nothing else, I'd make up packet of cous cous the day and on the day, dress with pomegranate seeds, slithered almonds and coriander. Or the pack of savoury rice and pimp it up with extra peas/corn veg etc.

@ToThineOwnSelfBethat looks absolutely delicious

I make a very easy pretend middle Eastern dish (I'm not from there and I made it up hence pretend) with:

precooked chicken (which I season with sumac and za'atar)
lemon and coriander cous cous
Dried mint
chopped fresh parsley
pomegranate seeds
chopped yellow pepper
v finely chopped couple of spring onions
Cubes of cucumber (approx 1cm)
halved cherry or baby plum toms
black olives. Serve cold.

You could tip the pomegranate seeds and parsley in at the end so it tastes a bit fresher but the rest can be made up in advance. I do the couscous as about a quarter of the rest of the dish so it's not that carby and it's very pretty and colourful.

What about a French bean/haricots salad? (options in brackets)
(Chop onion finely and caramelise)
Chop the haricots in to short lengths and parboil; plunge into cold water,
(stir in onions from above, if desired, whilst everything is still warmish)
On the day or the night before, dress with oil & balsamic vinegar, season with salt/pepper.
Should keep overnight but two nights might be pushing it.
(on arrival, sprinkle with crumbled Stilton (brought in a jar); could also add toasted chopped walnuts; bacon bits)

Another easy salad which can be done right before eating:
Buy bag(s) of mixed leaves (I like bistro mix or peppery mix)
buy grilled artichoke hearts (olive section) and slice them into smaller bits
add olives + feta if desired
mix all gently and zig-zag with balsamic glaze (olive oil section)

If you're taking crudités, you can slice them in advance and store them in bowls of water to cover them in the fridge.

Easy side: tortilla chips and salsa - buy the cheap-seeming own brand tortillas at your supermarket b/c these are actually the most authentic.

I wouldn't make guacamole or anything involving avocado in advance since it goes brown (oxidises) instantly even with copious amounts of citrus juice/vinegar and in generally does not keep at all well in fridge or otherwise.

That's a good idea, as OP stated that it should not be too carby. Rice and pasta salads are a bit carby after all.

To your ratatouille, I raise you, in the best possible way, caponata, which is sort of similar but more concentrated in flavour and texture and as as OP has also stated that te main will be, "Some sort of lentil dish" I think we might need something punchy and semi spreadable, (pile uppable) on crostini or bruschetta or a low carb veggie crunchy or crispy or crudité in some way.

We need a bit of toothsome and bite.

In my opinion. Not my exact recipe. I make it more jammy but, as always, just for ideas.

www.loveandlemons.com/caponata-recipe/