22 Side Dish Recipes Perfect for Christmas Dinner

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Published on December 9, 2023

a recipe photo of the Quick & Easy Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts — Photo:
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Complete your Christmas meal with side dishes everyone will remember. Featuring festive, wintry ingredients like broccoli, beets and sweet potatoes, these delicious sides pair perfectly with any main dish. Try our 15-Minute Garlic-Butter Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad with Cranberries for a flavorful, healthy and seasonal addition to the holiday dinner table.

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Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole

a recipe photo of the Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole — Diana Chistruga

Thanksgiving isn't complete without a homemade sweet potato casserole. We like to sprinkle chopped pecans on top along with the marshmallows for a bit of texture.

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Beet Salad

Beet Salad — Photographer / Victor Protasio, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke

This simple beet salad recipe uses just a handful of ingredients to create a delightful side dish. Roasted beets add a sweet, earthy and aromatic flavor that shines in this side salad.

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15-Minute Garlic-Butter Brussels Sprouts

a recipe photo of the Quick & Easy Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts — Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

These super-quick Brussels sprouts have a hefty amount of garlic that’s softened by a splash of butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve this easy side with roasted chicken, seared pork tenderloin or salmon.

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Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Caesar Dressing

a recipe photo of the Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Caesar Dressing — Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This delicious twist on a Caesar salad features cabbage in place of romaine lettuce. Roasting the cabbage brings out its natural sweetness, which pairs nicely with the umami-forward dressing. Keeping the wedges whole makes for a stunning presentation, but you can also chop the wedges if desired. Brushing the cabbage with a lemon-garlic oil ensures each crevice is bursting with flavor.

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Kale Salad with Cranberries

Kale Salad with Cranberries

This easy holiday salad gets its flavor from a sweet citrus dressing that's infused into the kale by massaging the greens and the dressing together with your hands. We like a mix of kale for this recipe, but any type of kale will work.

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Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

a recipe photo of the Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes — Sonia Bozzo

In this healthy side dish recipe, sweet potatoes are tossed with maple syrup, butter and lemon juice and roasted until tender and golden brown. The delicious glaze that forms on these maple-roasted sweet potatoes transforms this ultra-simple dish into something sublime.

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Broccoli Casserole

Broccoli Casserole

This lightened-up broccoli casserole is sure to be a hit. Learn how to make this classic side dish healthier.

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Oven-Roasted Squash with Garlic & Parsley

Oven-Roasted Squash with Garlic & Parsley

Learn how to roast squash in this healthy recipe adapted from Alice Waters. Look for squash varieties, including buttercup, kabocha or hubbard, at your farmers' market and try them in this tasty side dish.

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No-Sugar-Added Sweet Potato Casserole

Instead of loading up this comfort food side with tons of brown sugar and marshmallows, we have turned to sweet spices, vanilla and inherently sweet dried fruit to enhance the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes. A topping of pecans and pepitas replaces traditional marshmallow topping to keep it healthy and add texture and color for a beautiful casserole.

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Butternut Squash Casserole

Butternut Squash Casserole

This simple recipe combines sweet butternut squash with a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon, and is finished with a buttery, crunchy topping.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese & Pomegranate

a photo of the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese & Pomegranate — Brie Passano

This gorgeous warm salad with nutty roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet-tart pomegranate seeds and creamy goat cheese is perfect for any winter meal—from a weeknight dinner to Christmas dinner or any other holiday celebration. The recipe is easily doubled if you are entertaining a crowd: just be sure to spread the sprouts out (use 2 pans if necessary) so they roast instead of steaming.

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Sauteed Broccoli & Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

Sauteed Broccoli and Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

In this easy vegetable side dish, broccoli and kale are drizzled with a butter, garlic and crushed red pepper sauce. Serve this healthy recipe alongside roasted chicken, turkey or ham--or on top of your favorite whole grain, such as quinoa or farro.

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Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Typical green bean casseroles bathe ingredients in a heavy cream sauce. Our healthy version has fewer calories and fat, thanks to a homemade roux.

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Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

a recipe photo of the Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole — Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This crowd-pleasing mashed potato casserole is made for entertaining. You can prep it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat. Waxy Yukon Gold potatoes yield a creamier texture than more starchy russets. Leaving their thin skin on instead of peeling them cuts down on prep time and also offers a boost of fiber.

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Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

Vinegar is the key to making this sautéed kale recipe special. Look for vinegar that's cloudy--it likely still has some of the mother in the bottle and will give you a sweet acidity rather than a harsh bite. Organic apple cider vinegar is usually your best bet. For the most eye-catching version of this side, use different colored varieties of kale.

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Caramelized Onion & Apple Stuffing

Caramelized Onion & Apple Stuffing

Caramelized onions are a sweet and savory addition to this healthy stuffing recipe. Choose an apple that becomes tender yet holds its shape when cooked—try Jonagold or Cortland.

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Honey-Glazed Roasted Delicata Squash

Tangy cider vinegar, sweet honey, crunchy pine nuts and fresh mint come together to make an amazing glaze in this healthy roasted winter squash recipe. If you use delicata, the whole squash--including the gorgeous skin--is edible.

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Carrot-Parsnip Gratin

Make this creamy carrot-and-parsnip casserole for your next holiday meal--everyone will beg you for the recipe! Our healthier version skips the heavy cream and butter found in most recipes--saving about 160 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat compared to a traditional version.

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Kale-Butternut Squash Gratin

Kale-Butternut Squash Gratin

This colorful gratin dish livens up any holiday plate. Creamy melted Gruyère is comforting, while a blend of cumin, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper lends a warm, spicy note.

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Christmas Waldorf Salad

Christmas Waldorf Salad

We've dressed the classic Waldorf salad up for Christmas by swapping out the raisins for festive dried cranberries. A combination of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise makes the salad creamy while keeping it light.

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Slow-Cooked Sweet and Sour Cabbage

The combination of cloves, cabbage and cider vinegar gives this slow-cooker cabbage recipe its sweet-and-sour flavor. Don't skip the apples-the hit of natural sweetness is worth the time it takes to core and chop them.

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"Use a Spoon" Chopped Salad

Use a Spoon Chopped Salad

When Paul Newman and Michel Nischan opened their Westport, Connecticut, restaurant Dressing Room, Paul's request was that the menu always include a chopped salad that you could eat with a spoon. This chopped salad recipe is full of great flavors, colors and textures, featuring celery, carrots, red pepper, apple, cucumber, greens, cabbage, goat cheese and almonds. This is great for any holiday meal: you can let it stand and it stays crisp.

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