Food Seasonal & Holiday Celebration-Worthy Holiday Side Dish Recipes By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 14, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Carson Downing Sometimes, the side dish is the star. Memorable side dish recipes for the Thanksgiving and Christmas include scalloped corn, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, dressing, soups and salads. 01 of 32 Roasted Squash Salad with Vanilla-Orange Vinaigrette Carson Downing Jason Qureshi, executive chef of River Roast, grew up seeing spices like cinnamon used in savory dishes. He thinks that's where he got the idea for this harvest salad, dressed in a vinaigrette of orange juice and vanilla bean paste. "Real vanilla has a delicate warmth that plays well with the squash, cherries, pepitas and goat cheese," he says. Chicago Chef Jason Qureshi Shares His Best Holiday Recipes View Recipe 02 of 32 Candied Yams Candied Yams. Adam Albright A use-what-you-have cook, Gerard Klass's mom always put SunnyD in her yams. So, the chef and co-owner of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis does, too—along with plenty of butter, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. View Recipe 03 of 32 Brown Butter Carrots with Brioche Breadcrumbs Carson Downing Imagine if you took the glazed carrots of your childhood and made them just a little extra. Or maybe a lot extra—with pools of nutty brown butter and honey, and a heap of brioche breadcrumbs. The dish comes from Jason Qureshi, executive chef at River Roast in Chicago. View Recipe 04 of 32 Can-Don't Green Bean Casserole Is our all-natural, totally homemade version of the iconic holiday side more work than the one made with canned stuff? Well, yes. But wow, is it good. Fresh Ideas for Green Bean Recipes View Recipe 05 of 32 Mac and Cheese Carson Downing This side is a staple at Chicago restaurant River Roast, and executive chef Jason Qureshi keeps the recipe basic—aside from one little twist. "Hot sauce is my secret ingredient," he says. View Recipe 06 of 32 Butter-Braised Leeks Carson Downing Butter-braised leeks become meltingly tender when slow-simmered in chicken stock with herbs. Michigan Chef Kieron Hales recommends setting aside the cooking liquid to use in a soup. View Recipe 07 of 32 Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange and Mascarpone Blaine Moats A pat of butter and a sprinkle of black pepper is all it takes to crown this rich and creamy sweet mash. Sweet Potato Recipes You'll Love View Recipe 08 of 32 Lemon-Garlic Brussels Sprouts Carson Downing With a heavy meal like a holiday dinner, Chicago chef Jason Qureshi says you want tang somewhere to give your palate a break. Dousing a vegetable like these skillet-browned sprouts in lemon juice wakes them up like a ray of winter-morning sunshine. Fresh Brussels Sprouts Recipes View Recipe 09 of 32 Old-Fashioned Scalloped Corn Rachel Marek / Kelsey Moylan Fresh or frozen whole-kernel corn blends with canned cream-style corn for a delicious take on this favorite side dish. Toasted and buttered crushed crackers add more texture to the top of the casserole. View Recipe 10 of 32 No-Bake Harvest Stuffing We added walnuts, cranberries and seedy bread to classic sage-and-onion turkey dressing—and we did it in a slow cooker. The lidded appliance keeps the stuffing perfectly moist and, of course, frees up the oven for another pie. Favorite Stuffing Recipe Ideas View Recipe 11 of 32 Carrot and Swede Puree Carson Downing Thyme and garlic flavor this puree of carrot and swede, the British word for rutabaga. Michigan chef Kieron Hales, who grew up in England, makes this humble root vegetable the star of the holiday table by blending it with lots of butter (which earns raves even from his picky younger son). A British Chef Brings Holiday Flavors Across the Pond View Recipe 12 of 32 Mushroom Gravy with Sherry and Thyme This ridiculously flavorful vegetarian gravy will satisfy even the heartiest meat-eaters. Along with sherry and tomato paste, dried porcini mushrooms (available in the produce sections of large supermarkets) replicate the savory flavor of drippings. View Recipe 13 of 32 J Cole Cauliflower Mash Adam Albright These mashed potatoes are a staple on the menu of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis. Chef and co-owner Gerard Klass roasts cauliflower to bring nutrition and nutty sweetness, but powdered ranch seasoning adds the real X factor. Creative Cauliflower Recipes View Recipe 14 of 32 Common Cornbread Dressing Adam Albright Gerard Klass's dressing, made with his jalapeno-flecked Cornbread, is flavored with fresh sage, rosemary and thyme. This chef and co-owner of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis says he's still chasing his mom's holiday dressing. But by our measure, he's there. View Recipe 15 of 32 Roast Potatoes Carson Downing Crispy outside and floury inside, English roast potatoes are typically cooked very simply—water, salt, hot oil. The fat-crisped nuggets have a light, floury interior. But Michigan Chef Kieron Hales, who grew up in England, dresses his up with herbs, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. View Recipe 16 of 32 Maple-Butternut Puree Roasting brings out squash's natural sugars. Blending with maple syrup, butter and nutmeg makes it utterly addictive. Bonus: This dish reheats beautifully. View Recipe 17 of 32 Popovers Popovers. Brie Passano Minnesota pastry chef Emily Marks has learned all the tricks to making popovers. Serve them with honey butter or swap chopped fresh herbs, black pepper, or shredded cheese for the honey. View Recipe 18 of 32 Spicy Scalloped Sweet Potatoes For a gloriously orange update to scalloped potatoes, we layered sweet potatoes, sharp cheddar and chipotle peppers. But the luscious creamy goodness? Still the same. Sweet Potato Recipes You'll Love View Recipe 19 of 32 Spiced Cranberry Sauce Adam Albright This shortcut recipe from Minneapolis chef Gerard Klass starts with a can of jellied cranberry sauce. It's a great holiday condiment alone, or use it as a glaze on the chef's Juicy J Salmon recipe. View Recipe 20 of 32 Mashed Sweet Potato with Melted Leeks Luxuriously silky leeks—slow-cooked in butter and seasoned with lemon juice and thyme—ripple through sweet potatoes. Feel free to substitute ordinary potatoes if you prefer. View Recipe 21 of 32 Cranberry Chutney Cranberries and apple simmer with red onion, ginger and mustard seeds for a spiced variation on traditional sauce. Try it on a sandwich with leftover turkey. View Recipe 22 of 32 Calico Corn Bread Dressing Homey corn bread meets woodsy sage, thyme and shitake mushrooms. Carrots and apricots add color and sweetness. View Recipe 23 of 32 Lazy-Braised, Maple-Glazed Carrots Compared to traditional super sugary glazed carrots, our recipe bridges sweet and savory. Come the holidays, this dish is well worth a spot on the holiday table. Favorite Carrot Recipes View Recipe 24 of 32 Tuscan Kale with Brown Butter, Pecans and Golden Raisins The recipe makes more than enough of chef Anne Kearney's Spiced Pecans for this dish. Not to worry. They're fantastic for snacking or sprinkling on salad. Tuscan kale, sometimes called dinosaur or lacinato kale, has darker, smoother leaves than curly kale. It also has a more tender texture. View Recipe 25 of 32 Mustard-Dressed Roasted Vegetables with Cranberries Blaine Moats This pretty dish is perfect on a holiday table or alongside any roasted meats. Best Roasted Vegetable Recipes View Recipe 26 of 32 Cauliflower Gratin Tossing cauliflower with bread crumbs, Dijon, cheddar, herbs and almonds makes this humble veg holiday-special. View Recipe 27 of 32 Cranberry-Apple Sweet Potatoes Mix pantry ingredients—canned apple pie filling, canned sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, apricot preserves, orange marmalade and chopped pecans—for a quick-and-easy side dish with a crunchy nut topping. View Recipe 28 of 32 Pappa's Pear Stuffing You can serve this hearty, fruit-studded dressing with roasted or grilled pork, poultry or ham. The recipe comes from the historical Story Inn in Nashville, Indiana. View Recipe 29 of 32 Sweet Potato Biscuits Orange zest, nutmeg and smoked paprika add layers of flavor to these tender biscuits. Our Best Recipes for Rolls, Breads and Biscuits View Recipe 30 of 32 Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese "Mallows" Laced with garlic and rosemary and topped with pecans and goat cheese, this easy casserole gives a savory wink to the traditional sweet-on-sweet staple. View Recipe 31 of 32 Lemony Green Beans Garlic, shallots and lemon brighten crisp-tender beans. Save time by parboiling the green beans a day early. View Recipe 32 of 32 Spiced Pumpkin Bisque The Inn at Irish Hollow in Galena, Illinois, serves this creamy, curried soup throughout the fall and winter. You can make your own crème fraîche for the garnish, or use purchased crème fraiche or sour cream. Pumpkin Recipes We Absolutely Love View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit