Cilantro may just be a garnish to those people who think it tastes like soap (are you one of them?), but its powerful flavor can make or break a dish. It’s one of those herbs that you either love or hate, and there’s really no in between. On this list, you’ll get a wide range of recipes, varying from appetizers to entrees to sides. You can make an entire meal just by checking out this collection! Whether you’re on Team Cilantro or are willing to try it as a flavor-enhancer in certain dishes, this round-up is worth checking out!
1. 5-Ingredient Cilantro Vinaigrette
Let’s kick things off with a dressing that’s not just perfect for salads, but on tacos, quesadillas, and grilled sweet corn, and a lot more. Use it on whatever dish you can think of! It’s a simple recipe made of olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and of course, cilantro. You’ll love how the cilantro and garlic give the dressing some zip.
2. Cilantro Lime Chicken
This delicious summer entree will make you feel all sorts of cheerful! Boneless chicken thighs are marinated in a blend of cilantro and lime and pan-fried to golden perfection. You’ll love how bright and refreshing the marinade makes the chicken. You can’t go wrong with the mix of citrus and herbs. Also, look how sexy this dish is. It’s a feast for both the tastebuds and the eyes.
3. Cilantro Pesto
Pesto is, hands-down, my favorite kind of pasta sauce. I just can’t resist how rich and creamy this green sauce is! The blend of basil, almonds, garlic, and olive oil is absolutely to die for. The fact that it’s healthy is just a bonus. In this recipe, you’ll give the classic pesto some zip with cilantro. I love how the herb brightens the pesto into an even more appetizing dish.
4. Cilantro Lime Rice
If you find steamed white rice bland and boring, this is the recipe for you. Here, you’ll transform the plain side dish into a bright and zesty treat! Cilantro lime rice is exactly what you think it is – rice cooked with cilantro and lime. If you can’t imagine the flavor, here’s all you need to know: it’s delicious. Serve this with any meat or vegetable entree, or use it as a base for burrito bowls.
5. Cucumber and Cilantro Salad
This salad is as bright as the sun and as refreshing as can be! Just looking at all those vibrant colors on a plate is already making my mouth water. Cucumbers and yellow bell peppers are tossed in a tangy cilantro vinaigrette. It’s light, but it sure is delightful. Don’t be fooled by how seemingly simple this recipe is, as this salad is packed with flavor.
6. Cilantro Soup
A soup flavored with cilantro? I know this sounds iffy, but don’t knock it till you try it. This soup is incredibly smooth, creamy, and loaded with flavor. It’s a pureed blend of chicken broth, olive oil, almonds, butter, white wine, milk, and spices! So, while the flavor of the cilantro does shine through, you’ll also taste other flavors that complement the herb wonderfully well.
7. Grilled Shrimp With Roasted Garlic Cilantro Sauce
Shrimp is fantastic even on its own, just imagine how much greater it’ll be with this bombshell of a sauce. This Mediterranean-inspired dish uses a mix of roasted garlic, lime juice, chili peppers, white wine, olive oil, and chili paste to coat the sweet and plump shrimp. So, did your mouth just start to water or what?
8. Spicy Chicken and Avocado Tacos With Cilantro Cream Sauce
Tacos give me joy. These ones, in particular, make me extra giddy. Soft flour tortillas are filled with spicy chicken, avocados, and a ridiculously scrumptious cilantro cream sauce. If I were you, I’d reserve at least five servings. These tacos are just that delicious!
9. Chili Con Carne With Cilantro
In this next recipe, cilantro is used as a garnish, instead of being incorporated into the actual dish. Chili con carne is comfort food at its best. I can gobble of bowl upon bowl of this meaty, beany delight. Garnishing it with cilantro gives it a layer of freshness and herby goodness. It’s the addition you won’t want to skip.
10. Mexican Chicken Soup
If you’re looking for a way to breathe new life into that stale, leftover rotisserie chicken, you’ve just found it. This Mexican chicken soup has everything, from scrumptious strips of chicken to colorful veggies to a delectable broth. Slow-cooked for 6 to 8 hours, expect all of the flavors from the ingredients to meld into one epic soup.
11. Salsa Verde Enchiladas
These enchiladas are the bomb – period. Flour tortillas are filled with chicken and cheese, smeared with salsa verde, sour cream, and even more cheese, and baked until bubbly. The cilantro is added to the salsa verde, giving the already delicious sauce an extra pop of flavor. It takes 40 minutes to make and 5 to devour.
12. Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice: you either love it or you hate it. I’m sure this recipe will convert that loathing into fondness. For this isn’t just your ordinary, ground-up cauliflower. Instead, it’s cooked in vegetable stock flavored with onions, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, and a splash of lime. That way, cauliflower rice remains to be healthy and low-calorie, but a hundred times more delicious.
13. Black Bean Tostadas With Cilantro Sauce
Crisped-up flour tortillas are topped with black beans, tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, and an unbelievably creamy and refreshing cilantro sauce. While the other components are also awesome, it’s the sauce that makes these tostadas stand out. Surprisingly, it’s just a simple puree of cilantro, yogurt, garlic, and salt. You can make it any day, and after trying it, you’ll definitely want to.
14. Lemon Cilantro Pasta
This pasta is a lot like aglio e olio, only, instead of parsley, it uses cilantro. It also uses both lemon juice AND zest, giving it much more citrus flavor, yet not overpoweringly so. The combination of cilantro and lemon creates a wonderful balance of flavors. They also make this salad so incredibly refreshing!
15. Creamy Cilantro Pesto Pasta
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: pesto is my absolute favorite pasta sauce. There’s just nothing like the goodness of this refreshing green dressing! This particular blend uses cilantro, and trust me, it’s scrumptious with a capital S. I love it so much, I don’t only use it on pasta, but on everything I can think of, as well. Pizza sauce? Yes. Toast spread? For sure! Salad dressing? You bet.
16. Summer Corn Chowder
This one-pot corn chowder is the one thing missing at your summer get-together. Be sure to whip up this easy-peasy soup for the brightest, most vibrant treat! Filled with sweet corn and potatoes, this chowder is undeniably hearty and creamy. The thick broth is flavored with white wine, sour cream, jalapenos, and herbs and spices, giving it a wonderfully complex flavor.
17. Cilantro Lime Dip
Cilantro and lime once again join forces to create one spectacular dip. This is how it goes down: mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and garlic mixed together in one bowl. The end. It’s stupidly easy and seriously addictive. Use it as a dip, spread, sauce, or topping. This versatile treat tastes amazing with everything!
18. Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce
Here’s yet another sauce that will make every chip, cracker, fried, or grilled treat more drool-worthy. Whether it’s potato chips, fried chicken, grilled pork chops, this sauce will make whatever it is taste like a hundred bucks. This sauce is savory and creamy with a kick! You’ll appreciate how the heat from the jalapenos balances out its umami flavor such that it isn’t overwhelmingly rich.
19. Cilantro Ranch Pasta Salad
Pasta salads are a mash-up made in heaven. I thank whoever it is that decided to combine these two together. It was definitely the right decision. This cold, cream-based salad of lettuce and pasta shells is refreshingly delicious. It’s the perfect summer side dish! Picnics, barbecues, and potlucks won’t be as special without it.
20. Grilled Flank Steak With Cilantro Lime Butter
Grilled flank steak is simple, yet always hits the spot. You can’t go wrong with this hearty dish. It’s tender, juicy, and delectable. If you care to make it extraordinary, though, I suggest you cook that meat in cilantro-lime butter. This twist is a serious game changer! It makes the steak significantly more flavorful, without being too rich.
21. Cilantro Lime Marinated Steak With Corn Salsa
Here’s another steak recipe you surely won’t want to miss. The steak is marinated in cilantro, lime, and spices to give it deep, complex flavors. The steak itself is great, but the corn salsa on the side makes it extraordinary. A mix of corn kernels, jalapenos, onions, cilantro, and lime, it’s a bright and colorful side dish that’s so flavorful it might just steal the show.
22. Pad Thai
If you haven’t tried pad Thai before, take it as the sign to do so. Today, if possible. Seriously, this Thai noodle dish is the stuff of legends. Rice noodles, shrimp, chicken, tofu, bean sprouts, scrambled eggs, peanuts, and cilantro are coated with a sweet, savory, and creamy sauce. It’s absolutely one of the best noodle dishes I’ve had, and I’ve had a lot. If this doesn’t rock your tastebuds, I don’t know what will.
23. Cilantro Lime Spicy Tuna Salad Sandwich
Give the basic tuna salad a spicy kick! This will make your sandwich so much more exciting. As expected, it has canned tuna and mayo at its base. Giving it more oomph are jalapenos, hot sauce, and hot sauce. It definitely packs a punch, but a splash of lime juice balances it out.
24. Scrambled Egg Tacos With Cilantro Lime Drizzle
Ever tried stuffing tacos with scrambled eggs? You definitely should. You can thank me later. Soft flour tortillas are stuffed with scrambled eggs, avocados, green onions, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cilantro. Is this taco heaven? I think so.
25. Mexican Casserole
Think lasagna, but with a Mexican twist. Layers of enchilada sauce, tortilla strips, refried beans, veggies, chicken, and cheese are baked into one appetizing casserole. It’s incredibly easy to make (just 35 minutes from start to finish) and can feed a large crowd! It’s the solution to busy weeknights and unplanned get-togethers. Click on a star to rate it!
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