My mom is one of those hostesses who always goes all out. You think you’re showing up for a casual dinner and you arrive to find a beautiful set table, enough appetizers to be considered a full meal, and a meticulously prepared dessert. Although I aspire to someday pull this off, right now I consider it success if my side dish is something other than kale chips, my classic fallback.

It turns out serving a meal complete with impressive side dishes, whether for your family or your dinner guests, is totally possible when the side dish is this easy! Confession: I made this for me, myself, and I one afternoon on maternity leave…proof it’s even easy enough to do with a baby underfoot! There’s nothing complex about the ingredients or the preparation, but it looks and tastes like you’ve put significant effort into it…perfect for those of us who haven’t quite mastered the over-achiever hostess role!