Midwest Living
Food
Seasonal & Holiday
Holiday Side Dish Recipes

Holiday Side Dish Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com

Updated September 08, 2020

Memorable side dish recipes for Thanksgiving and other special occasions include scalloped corn, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, dressing, soups and salads.

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Can-Don't Green Bean Casserole

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Is our all-natural, totally homemade version of the iconic Thanksgiving side more work than the one made with canned stuff? Well, yes. But wow, is it good.

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Hidden Roots Mashed Potatoes

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This rich mash is more than just a vehicle for gravy. It's a subtly sweet blend of parsnip, celery root and two kinds of potato, plus plenty of butter, sour cream and nutmeg.

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No-Bake Harvest Stuffing

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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.

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange and Mascarpone

Blaine Moats

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A pat of butter and a sprinkle of black pepper is all it takes to crown this rich and creamy sweet mash.

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Old-Fashioned Scalloped Corn

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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.

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Cauliflower Gratin

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Tossing cauliflower with bread crumbs, Dijon, cheddar, herbs and almonds makes this humble veg holiday-special.

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Maple-Butternut Puree

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Roasting brings out squash's natural sugars. Blending with maple syrup, butter and nutmeg makes it utterly addictive. Bonus: This dish reheats beautifully.

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Mushroom Gravy with Sherry and Thyme

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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.

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Lazy-Braised, Maple-Glazed Carrots

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Compared to traditional super sugary glazed carrots, our recipe bridges sweet and savory. Come Thanksgiving, this dish is well worth a spot on the holiday table.

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Tuscan Kale with Brown Butter, Pecans and Golden Raisins

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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.

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Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese "Mallows"

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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 Turkey Day staple.

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Mashed Sweet Potato with Melted Leeks

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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.

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Boozy Jellied Cranberries

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Flavored with port wine, orange juice, cloves and cinnamon, our real-fruit mold packs holiday spice and a jiggly punch of throwback glamour. (And don't worry; the alcohol cooks off, so it's actually family-friendly.)

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Mustard-Dressed Roasted Vegetables with Cranberries

Blaine Moats

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This pretty dish is perfect on a holiday table or alongside any roasted meats.

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Spiced Apple-Cranberry Chutney

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Fresh and dried fruits simmer in an aromatic mix of brown sugar, onion, cinnamon and star anise. This chunky chutney pairs well with roast pork and poultry, but we also recommend serving it as part of a cheese tray.

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Spicy Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

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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.

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Sweet Potato Biscuits

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Orange zest, nutmeg and smoked paprika add layers of flavor to these tender biscuits.

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Bourbon-Ginger Glazed Carrots

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The carrots from chef Edward Lee’'s cookbook Smoke and Pickles are sweet, buttery-and, yes, boozy.

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Cranberry-Apple Sweet Potatoes

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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.

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Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

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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.

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Cinnamon Carrots with Maple Thyme Butter

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These sweet oven-roasted carrots are a perfect complement to a holiday menu, but they're easy enough to be a weeknight side. This comfort food recipe comes from Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri.

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Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Pecans

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Toasted pecans and melty marshmallows top whipped sweet potatoes in this classic holiday side dish.

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Lemony Green Beans

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Garlic, shallots and lemon brighten crisp-tender beans. Save time by parboiling the green beans a day early.

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Southwest Corn Pudding

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Buttery onions, cheddar and green chilies lace our stuffinglike pudding. Inspired by traditional skillet corn bread, this recipe works as a side or as a meatless main served with a salad or garlicky sauteed kale.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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Quivey's Grove in Madison, Wisconsin, whips up this version of mashed potatoes that matches plenty of dairy richness with garlic, Parmesan, black pepper and green onion.

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Bacon-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Frying bacon in the skillet, then tossing sprouts and red onion in the drippings before roasting means you'll only dirty one pan making this elegant side dish.

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Cranberry Chutney

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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.

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Curried Celery Soup with Pear

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A little bit of rice thickens this unexpectedly delicious and easy celery soup; a few slices of pear add the perfect sweet finish (and look beautiful, too).

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Juniper-Marinated Mushrooms and Onions

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Juniper berries add an earthy, pine-tinged flavor to this make-ahead relish; it's a perfect complement to rich meats and cheeses. Purchase the berries at specialty and spice stores or online.

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Fresh Cranberry-Apple Relish

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This fresh alternative to canned cranberry sauce is flecked with festive green pistachios and flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve it with turkey (of course!), or pan-fried pork chops.

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Mix-and-Match Bread Dressing

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Whether you're looking to tweak your favorite dressing or create a new tradition, this method meets the challenge. Start with the basic recipe, then try one of the blends shown or craft your own custom dressing.

Top right: Whole wheat bread anchors a mix of sweet potato, celery, almonds, apricots and sage.

Left: Wild rice stands in for bread in this dressing studded with button mushrooms, celery, bacon, pecans, golden raisins and thyme.

Bottom right: Sourdough bread cubes blend with cooked bulk Italian sausage, celery, dried cranberries, pine nuts and rosemary.

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Pappa’s Pear Stuffing

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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.

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Cranberry-Orange Relish

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Cranberry-Orange Relish, from a Minnesota chef, goes well with meats such as turkey and pork.

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Cranberry-Pear Chutney

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This delicious sweet-and-sour relish sparkles with the flavor of fresh cranberries and Asian pears. Make it up to five days ahead of your holiday meal.

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Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta

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Give Brussels sprouts a fresh taste with this colorful side dish. The trick to preserving the vegetables' mild flavor is to avoid overcooking.

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Orange-Glazed Baby Carrots

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Need a side dish in a hurry? Just melt together butter and orange marmalade, and toss with tender steamed carrots to create this super-easy side.

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Holiday Side Dish Recipes

1 of 43

Can-Don't Green Bean Casserole

1 of 43

2 of 43

Hidden Roots Mashed Potatoes

2 of 43

3 of 43

No-Bake Harvest Stuffing

3 of 43

4 of 43

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange and Mascarpone

4 of 43

5 of 43

Old-Fashioned Scalloped Corn

5 of 43

6 of 43

Cauliflower Gratin

6 of 43

7 of 43

Maple-Butternut Puree

7 of 43

8 of 43

Mushroom Gravy with Sherry and Thyme

8 of 43

9 of 43

Lazy-Braised, Maple-Glazed Carrots

9 of 43

10 of 43

Tuscan Kale with Brown Butter, Pecans and Golden Raisins

10 of 43

11 of 43

Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese "Mallows"

11 of 43

12 of 43

Mashed Sweet Potato with Melted Leeks

12 of 43

13 of 43

Boozy Jellied Cranberries

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14 of 43

Mustard-Dressed Roasted Vegetables with Cranberries

14 of 43

15 of 43

Spiced Apple-Cranberry Chutney

15 of 43

16 of 43

Spicy Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

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17 of 43

Sweet Potato Biscuits

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18 of 43

Bourbon-Ginger Glazed Carrots

18 of 43

19 of 43

Cranberry-Apple Sweet Potatoes

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Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

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21 of 43

Cinnamon Carrots with Maple Thyme Butter

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22 of 43

Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Pecans

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23 of 43

Lemony Green Beans

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24 of 43

Southwest Corn Pudding

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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26 of 43

Bacon-Roasted Brussels Sprouts