Food and Recipes Holiday and Occasion Food 40 Christmas Side Dishes the Whole Family Will Love By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 22, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Looking for exciting side dishes to add to your holiday menu? Forget about cooking another batch of plain vegetables. Instead, scroll through our Test Kitchen-approved collection of Christmas side dishes. Nothing can round out your holiday meal better than one (or more!) of our spectacular holiday sides. Paired with a staple main dish, these festive and unique Christmas side dishes bring delicious variety that your holiday guests will truly appreciate. From our hearty Roasted Tomato Mac and Cheese, to our light, flavorful Christmas salad, you'll find crowd-pleasing vegetable side dishes to suit all occasions. Classic Sweet Potato Casserole will impress any holiday crowd, while Pimiento Cheese Creamed Spinach brings the heart-warming comfort that only Southern soul food can. If a plate of creamy mashed potatoes is the Christmas side dish you desire, upgrade the beloved classic with smooth buttermilk, flavorful brown butter, or rich cream cheese. So pick one—or five—and serve them up. Only thing is, you might need bigger plates for all these delicious Christmas sides. 01 of 40 Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots Iain Bagwell Recipe: Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots Roasting whole carrots in a hot oven and then giving them a final toss in a sweet glaze yields an unforgettable side dish. Look for multicolored carrots for a stunning presentation. If you can't find them at the supermarket, try a local farmers' market. 02 of 40 Garlic Parmesan Green Beans Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Recipe: Garlic Parmesan Green Beans What's not to love about a dish covered in garlic and Parmesan? Nothing, in our opinion, but don't fret: The fresh green beans are not lost in this dressed-up recipe. 03 of 40 Herbed Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Herbed Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes Everyone loves the simplicity of mashed potatoes, so make it a tradition to always have some on your holiday table. Crafting delicious mashed potatoes is not easy, but this recipe shows you how it's done. It also brings the rich flavor of browned butter—those nutty taste you simply can't get any other way! 04 of 40 Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese This homemade baked macaroni and cheese recipe beats the boxed kind any day of the week. For a memorable main dish, sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese and stunning, sliced tomatoes. 05 of 40 Pimiento Cheese Creamed Spinach Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Pimiento Cheese Creamed Spinach Give spinach a decidedly Southern spin in the form of casserole. This dish is made with some of the region's favorite ingredients (like mayo, cream cheese, and Cheddar cheese), and, yes, it oozes with pimiento cheese goodness. 06 of 40 Mixed Greens Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Mixed Greens This recipe comes from culinary historian Jessica B. Harris. The secret ingredients? Southern-style collard greens, bacon, and Spicy Vinegar. 07 of 40 Harvard Beets Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Harvard Beets Another dish from the kitchen of Jessica B. Harris, this recipe is a must-have during the holiday season. She calls it "nostalgia in a can," and we can't describe it any better way. 08 of 40 Roasted Tomato Soup Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup As the temperatures drop, there's no dish as comforting as a warm bowl of soup. Kids and adults alike will love this classic, cheese-topped recipe. Plus, the dynamic red color makes it an especially appropriate addition to Christmas lunch or dinner. 09 of 40 Smashed Baby Red Potatoes Iain Bagwell Recipe: Smashed Baby Red Potatoes Round out your meal with a hearty serving of red potatoes. This simple recipe pairs well with a simple menu made up of any vegetable of your choosing and a cut of red meat like beef tenderloin or steak. 10 of 40 Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Fried okra is a side dish beloved by Southerners. Elevate this favorite for the holiday season by going with a lighter cornmeal coating. 11 of 40 Classic Candied Yams Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Candied Yams This vegetable side dish is flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, making it almost too sweet (and delicious!) to even count as a veggie. No doubt, the kids will be fans of this nostalgic recipe. 12 of 40 Creamed Greens Casserole Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Creamed Greens Casserole Move over, creamed spinach—there's a new steak house side in town. Give the packaged collards an extra chop with a sharp knife to get them to bite-size pieces. 13 of 40 Sweet Potato Stacks Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Sweet Potato Stacks For a sophisticated twist on sweet potatoes, consider lining slices up in small sweet potato stacks. Trust us: These little towers, topped with rosemary and pecans, taste as pretty as they look. 14 of 40 Easy Squash Casserole Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Sarah-Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Julia Levy Recipe: Easy Squash Casserole Two words that can sell a Southerner on basically any dish? "Easy" and "casserole." This recipe delivers on both, coming together in just 30 minutes. 15 of 40 Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Emily Laurae/Southern Living Recipe: Classic Sweet Potato Casserole This mouthwatering sweet potato casserole will satisfy lovers of crunchy pecans and cornflakes as well as marshmallows. 16 of 40 Twice-Baked Potatoes Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Twice-Baked Potatoes This recipe is a sure crowd-pleaser made with butter, cheese, milk, bacon, sour cream, and green onion, all mixed together and packed inside a crispy crust. Yum! 17 of 40 Asparagus Gratin Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Asparagus Gratin Whole-grain mustard laced with fontina and Cheddar cheese turns a simple dish of asparagus into company fare. 18 of 40 Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust Jennifer Davick Recipe: Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust This gratin is awesome with prime rib or beef tenderloin. Rosemary is a bossy herb that can take over a dish, so use it sparingly. 19 of 40 Andrew's Potato Latkes Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Andrew's Potato Latkes These potato pancakes are a classic Hanukkah dish. Make a variety of flavors and add distinctive garnishes to clue guests in on the different flavors. 20 of 40 Citrus Salad with Spiced Honey Iain Bagwell Recipe: Citrus Salad with Spiced Honey Use any combination of citrus on hand to compose this vibrant, fresh salad, and present it however you like. No matter how you serve it, sweet and sunny citrus complements any roast or fish. 21 of 40 Creamed Spinach Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Creamed Spinach It's not hard to eat your greens when they're dressed up in butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Such is the case with this crowd-pleasing recipe. 22 of 40 Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Buttermilk biscuits deserve a spot on any Southern table, but especially so at the holidays. This recipe calls for fresh chives and Parmesan. 23 of 40 Skillet-Roasted Carrots Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Skillet-Roasted Carrots Looking for an easy side that can be made in a single skillet? Whip this recipe right up! Tip: It's made even better (and more beautiful) with a multi-colored bunch of carrots. 24 of 40 Smoked Corn on the Cob Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Smoked Corn on the Cob Corn is a vegetable that is welcome at any holiday gathering, from a Memorial Day barbecue to Christmas dinner. This recipe is smoked on the grill and topped with jalapeño chile and cilantro. 25 of 40 Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Potato casserole, but make it fancy. Thinly sliced potatoes make for an impressive presentation, while the filling—made of heavy cream, brown sugar, hazelnuts and butter—adds extra layers of deliciousness. 26 of 40 Roasted Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Roasted Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese Roasted broccoli and macaroni and cheese are two sides that are often served at large gatherings, and this recipe marries the two. The result? A delicious, cheesy way to eat your greens—and enjoy them too. 27 of 40 Potato Rolls Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Recipe: Potato Rolls Turn one russet potato into a basket of delicious potato rolls that can be passed around the table. This recipe makes two dozen! 28 of 40 Homemade Mashed Potatoes Diana Miller Recipe: Homemade Mashed Potatoes Making perfect mashed potatoes is not as easy as it sounds, so this recipe is designed to get you spuds from whole to whipped in a jiffy, and to get your family from skeptical to enjoying scrumptious mashed potatoes. The secret here is the cream cheese. 29 of 40 Christmas Salad Alison Miksch Recipe: Christmas Salad A warm vinaigrette will soften these sturdy greens, but their structure will hold up for up to an hour or two. Prep all the ingredients ahead of time, and store in individual zip-top plastic freezer bags in your refrigerator until ready to toss with warm vinaigrette. 30 of 40 Potatoes Patio Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Potatoes Patio A mixture of Gruyère and Parmesan cheese makes this luxurious baked dish all the more delicious. 31 of 40 Browned-Butter Farro Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Browned-Butter Farro Farro is an ancient form of wheat that has seen a resurgence in recent years. This toasted farro recipe is made surprisingly flavorful with the addition of browned butter. 32 of 40 Creamy Parmesan Grits Photo: Alison Miksch Recipe: Creamy Parmesan Grits Cheese grits? Yes, please. Look for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, which adds nutty flavor and an earthy depth to the grits. 33 of 40 Home-Style Butterbeans William Dickey Recipe: Home-Style Butterbeans Bacon, onion, and brown sugar pack these beans with holiday flavor. This recipe calls for butterbeans, but lima beans can easily be swapped in too. 34 of 40 Fennel-and-Potato Gratin Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Fennel-and-Potato Gratin This cheesy potato gratin gets a punch of flavor from nutmeg and fennel. It's impressive enough for a holiday party, but easy enough to put together on a busy weeknight. 35 of 40 Sweet Potato Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Sweet Potato Soup This batch-soup recipe can be made the day before. Simply complete the first two steps, then reheat and stir in the lime juice before serving. 36 of 40 Herbed Wild Rice Dressing Recipe: Herbed Wild Rice Dressing For this earthy salad, make sure to use wild rice, not a blend, to get a nice chewy texture. 37 of 40 Two-Cheese Squash Casserole Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Two-Cheese Squash Casserole Cheddar and Parmesan combine forces with yellow squash in this creamy casserole. For a tasty and colorful twist, substitute sliced zucchini for the yellow squash. 38 of 40 Green Beans with Garlic Photo: Jim Franco; Styling: Leslie Siegel Recipe: Green Beans with Garlic Sauté fresh garlic to jazz up this simple yet delicious side dish. 39 of 40 Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls Beau Gustafson Recipe: Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls This from-scratch recipe is suited for any level of cook—even first timers. 40 of 40 Butternut Squash Bread Pudding Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Butternut Squash Bread Pudding Serve this savory bread pudding in slices as a side dish, or dump it in the middle of the breakfast table as a serve-yourself casserole. Either way, guests will no doubt be coming around for seconds. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit