• Holidays
• Side Dishes

Side Dishes

Our favorite traditional and nontraditional sides for your festive feast.

Jump to Section:

Potato Recipes

Potato Salad

Fingerling Potato Salad With Chorizo, Onion, and Arugula

A lesson in how to make the most of your ingredients, in potato-salad form.

Sides

Classic Rich and Silky Potato Gratin (Scalloped Potatoes)

Creamy and rich layers of potato and cheese.

Vegetarian

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Baked Potatoes

A party dip puts on a dinner jacket.

Vegetarian

Nacho-Style Baked Potatoes

Skip the tortilla chips for once and go fully loaded baked potato instead.

Potato

The Best Crispy Roast Potatoes Ever

These are the crispiest, most flavorful roast potatoes you'll ever make.

Sides

Extra-Crispy Herb-Roasted New Potatoes

These tender potatoes deliver a deep herb flavor and crisp, buttery crusts.

Bread Recipes

Breakfast and Brunch

Yeasted Pumpkin Bread

Celebrate that chill in the air with a loaf of freshly baked bread.

Rolls

The Best Dinner Rolls (Fluffy, Crusty, and Chewy)

Fluffy, crusty dinner rolls, thanks to techniques from bagel-making and Japanese bread.

Cornbread

Southern-Style Unsweetened Cornbread

A Southern staple, done right.

Biscuit

The Food Lab's Buttermilk Biscuits

Tender biscuits with tons of extra-flaky layers.

Cornbread

Moist and Tender Brown Butter Cornbread

This cornbread has a moist, tender crumb and intense corn flavor.

Cakes

Slow and Easy Panettone

Stop buying panettone and start making it at home.

Salad Recipes

Cranberry

Wild Rice Salad With Dried Cranberries, Pickled Apples, and Pecans

Cranberries and apples team up in an unexpected way for this wild rice salad.

Mushrooms

Wild Rice Salad With Mushrooms, Celery Root, and Pine Nuts

An earthy, savory treatment for an earthy grain.

Quick and Easy

Carrot Salad With Yogurt, Ghee, and Barberry Dressing

Shaved and pickled carrot, tossed in a spice-scented dressing studded with tart barberries and fresh dill.

Sides

Fingerling Potato Salad With Chorizo, Onion, and Arugula

A lesson in how to make the most of your ingredients, in potato-salad form.

Gluten-Free

Snap Pea and Radicchio Salad With Garlic Yogurt Dressing

Bitter charred radicchio is tamed by sweet sugar snap peas and a cool garlic yogurt dressing.

Mains

Beet and Wheat Berry Salad With Pickled Apples and Pecans

Make it ahead, hold it, no problem.

Brussels Sprout Recipes

Roasting

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Chorizo and Sherry Vinegar

These Brussels sprouts are smoky and nutty, with just a hint of sweet.

Sides

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Kimchi and Ginger

Brussels sprouts offer tons of flavor on their own when charred properly, but their layered leaves also make them great for picking up other flavors.

The Food Lab

Over-the-Top Creamed Brussels Sprout Gratin

A rich, cheesy casserole packed with bacon and Brussels sprouts.

Nuts

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad With Bacon and Hazelnut Vinaigrette

This simple seven-ingredient salad is packed with the sweet, nutty flavor of bacon fat-seared Brussels sprouts

Lasagna

Creamy Brussels Sprout and Mushroom Lasagna

A rich, creamy, gooey, cheesy lasagna with mushrooms and Brussels sprouts.

Gluten-Free

Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Super-simple, super-flavorful roasted Brussels sprouts with extra-virgin olive oil.

Gravy Recipes

The Food Lab

The Best Turkey Gravy

A perfect accompaniment for turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.

Grilling

White Wine and Mustard Gravy

Basic gravy gets a mellow mustard bite.

Turkey

Apple Cider Gravy

The simple addition addition of apple cider gives this gravy a slight tartness and faintly fruity flavor.

Sauced

Rich and Creamy Gravy With Fresh Herbs

Heavy cream and fresh herbs enrich this twist on traditional gravy.

Sauced

Red Wine and Shallot Gravy

Red wine adds a dry, mild fruitiness to this shallot-flecked gravy.

Sauced

Porcini Mushroom Gravy

Dried porcini mushrooms soaked in turkey stock give this gravy a great earthy depth.

Green Bean Recipes

Sides

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Green beans, fried onions, mushrooms, and creamy texture...without the cream.

Tomato

Braised Long Beans With Tomatoes, Garlic, and Mint

Proof that overcooked vegetables can be delicious.

Legumes

Bacon-Braised Green Beans

Tender braised green beans are brightly flavored with bacon and vinegar.

Vegetarian

Garlicky Oven-Roasted Green Bean Salad With Hazelnuts and Blue Cheese

This garlicky, oven-roasted bean salad is finished with blue cheese and hazelnuts.

Legumes

Sautéed Green Beans With Mushrooms and Caramelized Cipollini Onions

Green beans, mushrooms, and onions in a stove-top side dish that brings out the flavors of a classic green bean casserole.

Sides

Green Bean Salad With Pickled Peppers and Anchovy Dressing

Tender-crisp green beans tossed in a savory dressing flavored with anchovies and Worcestershire sauce.

Onion Recipes

Vegetarian

Roasted Shallots With Buttery Sweet-Tart Glaze

These shallots are roasted whole and served in a flavorful glaze, for an easy and elegant holiday side.

Onion

Cheesy Onion, Bacon, and New Potato Gratin

Chunks of bacon and melted Comté cheese are tucked into this easy potato and onion casserole.

Roasting

Easy Roasted Cipollini Onions

Roasted cipollini onions become meltingly tender and sweet in the oven.

The Food Lab

Glazed Pearl Onions

Sweet pearl onions in a glossy, buttery glaze.

Onion

Creamed Pearl Onions

We top these sweet and mild pearl onions with a sprinkle of grassy parsley.

Sides

Braised Leeks With Lemon and Parsley

Braised leeks develop a tender, almost meaty texture.

Soup Recipes

Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres

Classic Butternut Squash Soup

It's all about the caramelization and browning.

Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres

Classic Oyster Stew With Fennel

Flavored with aromatic vegetables, whole milk, and plenty of briny, fat oysters.

Soups and Stews

Miso-Squash Soup With Sesame-Ginger Apples

A traditional winter soup, seen through a savory lens.

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup With Pistachio, Orange, and Mint Salsa

Roasted sweet potatoes with a splash of orange juice, topped with a sauce made from crushed pistachios, olive oil, mint, scallions, and orange zest.

Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres

Creamy Roasted-Broccoli Soup With Buttermilk and Spiced Pepitas

The secrets to this soup: no cream, roasted broccoli, and a splash of buttermilk.

Soups and Stews

Rhode Island Clam Chowder With White Wine and Bacon

With a light, bright broth, Rhode Island clam chowder is a the perfect choice when you're not in the mood for a heavier creamy chowder.

Squash Recipes

Recipes

Honey-Glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash With Parmesan Breadcrumbs

Butternut squash gets the potato treatment.

Roasting

Thanksgiving Stuffed Roast Pumpkins

A better vegetarian answer to the turducken.

Italian

Roasted Squash "Carbonara"

An Italian classic, totally reimagined.

Nuts

Make-Ahead Roasted Squash and Kale Salad With Maple Vinaigrette

Roasted butternut squash and kale come together in a vinaigrette flavored with maple syrup and sherry vinegar.

Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres

Miso-Squash Soup With Sesame-Ginger Apples

A traditional winter soup, seen through a savory lens.

Squash

The Best Squash Lasagna

Roasted squash and sage bring autumnal flavors to this Italian favorite.

Stuffing Recipes

Nuts

Prune and Apple Stuffing With Sausage and Chestnuts

Sweet and savory stuffing that's perfect for any bird.

Baking

Oyster Stuffing With Fennel, Tarragon, and Sausage

Briny oysters are mixed with wheat bread, sausage, aromatic vegetables, and herbs.

Clams, Mussels, and Oysters

Southern Cornbread Dressing With Oysters and Sausage

Naturally sweet cornbread is combined with sausage, herbs, vegetables, and chopped oysters.

Sides

Cornbread Dressing With Sausage and Sage

This dressing gets a southern spin with homemade cornbread.

The Food Lab

Slow Cooker Sage and Sausage Stuffing

Preparing this sage and sausage dressing in the slow cooker makes it extra moist with crispy edges.

Bread

Sage and Sausage Stuffin's (Stuffing Muffins)

Individual buttered muffin tins make for individual stuffin's that are moist in the center with crisp edges all around.

Sweet Potato Recipes

Baking

The Best Sweet Potato Biscuits

Vibrantly colorful biscuits that are tender, moist, and light.

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Cheese-Free Sweet Potato "Quesadillas"

Sweet potatoes star in these crisp-tender vegan quesadillas.

Sides

Truly Candied Yams (Sweet Potatoes)

Sweet, but in a perfectly balanced way.

Baking

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple

Sweet, savory, and buttery.

Sides

Smoky Spiced-Pecan Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes get a warming sprinkle of chipotle powder, cumin, and ground coriander.

Vegetarian

Miso-Scallion Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Savory, salty, and sweet.

More Vegetable Sides

Sides

Creamy Beet Gratin With Pistachio Crumble

Earthy beets are livened up with smoky Morita chili, crunchy pistachio, and rich cream.

Mains

Tater Tot Casserole (Hotdish)

Update this family favorite by losing the can and using fresh ingredients.

Vegetarian

Sweet and Savory Corn Casserole

This sweet and savory casserole is perfect for your holiday table.

Vegetarian

Rich and Nutty Roasted-Cauliflower Purée

Roasting is the key to this intensely rich and nutty purée.

Gluten-Free

Smooth and Silky Cauliflower Purée

Pure, unadulterated cauliflower flavor in the silkiest, smoothest package.

The Food Lab

The Best Yorkshire Pudding

Tall and light with a crisp shell and a lightly chewy center.