Heat Up Your Kitchen With These 11 Spicy Side Dishes Slideshow

When trying to cook quick and easy meals, flavor can often come second to the time crunch. Quick-cooking methods mean less flavor development, but there are plenty of ways to coax flavor in a short period of time. Adding some heat to your side dishes is a quick way to banish blandness from the dinner table without too much additional time.

Normally, collard greens require long cooking times to soften. Make them in a pressure cooker and they'll be ready in about 10 minutes. You can serve the greens as a side dish for hearty mains like pork chops, or toss this dish with pasta for a vegetarian meal. — The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book

For the Collard Greens in a Spicy Tomato Sauce recipe, click here.

The jalapeño snuck into these otherwise simple stewed black-eyed peas to give this side dish an extra kick. Serve these peas as a side to roasted pork loin or grilled lamb chops.

For the Spicy Black-Eyed Peas recipe, click here.

With a few seasoning swaps and a kick of heat, your egg salad is taken to the next heat level. You can make this egg salad completely customizable to your heat tolerance. — Lauren Gordon

For the Spicy Egg Salad recipe, click here.

Spice up your next meal with an Asian flare. Try these quick and easy green beans. — Emily Jacobs

For the Spicy Green Beans recipe, click here.

This spicy side dish combines healthy grains with nutritious kale in a flavorful, bright dish. Serve alongside simple roasted or grilled chicken, sautéed shrimp, or seared steak.

For the Spicy Kale and Lemon Israeli Couscous recipe, click here.

Korean kimchi pairs heat with tangy vinegar for a balanced crunchy bite that adds lots of umami flavor alongside roasted chicken, grilled skirt steak, or stir-fried vegetables and rice.

For the Spicy Kimchi recipe, click here.

We love any way to spice up a mac and cheese, and this recipe was one of our favorites. Sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli florets, and a cheesy sauce take the heat with a dash of cayenne, resulting in a savory and gooey mac and cheese that has a hint of spice in it. — HUNGRY

For the Spicy Mac and Cheese recipe, click here.

These pumpkin "fries" that are actually baked to a crispy doneness are then tossed in a mix of hot spices. Add more or less seasoning to tailor the heat to your liking.

For the Spicy Pumpkin Fries recipe, click here.

This recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts is made with spicy kimchi which has a peppery heat from the chiles and a tanginess from the fermented cabbage.

For the Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe, click here.

This dish, which includes spicy cured sopressata and smoky, charred zucchini, gets its heat from the addition of sriracha. Serve this ratatouille-like side over pasta or on its own for a spicy, flavorful side dish.

For the Spicy Tomato Sauce with Sopressata and Charred Zucchini recipe, click here.

This spicy slaw-like salad comes from One Lucky Duck in the Chelsea Market Cookbook. Instead of the usual lettuce base, this recipe is made up of sliced Savoy cabbage and carrots. Jicama adds some crunch to the base and beets brighten up the whole thing. — Chelsea Market Cookbook

For the Spicy Sesame Salad recipe, click here.