Food and Recipes Meat Lamb Restaurant-Worthy Side Dishes for Lamb to Make Any Meal an Occasion By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is an Editorial Fellow and Southern transplant by way of San Francisco, Boston, and Paris, France. She writes about anything and everything as it pertains to the South, but mostly home, food, and the occasional garden stories. Recipe reviews are a particular pleasure, as well as discovering the latest home trends.When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new Southern Living recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil.Marissa graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and a minor in French Studies. She still can't follow a football conversation but hopes her cheese straws make up for it. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on December 15, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Sanchez When the holidays and special occasions roll around, there are so many possibilities for the main course. Do you veer towards a ham? Maybe a prime rib roast or whole chicken? Turkey is also an option too, whether or not it's Thanksgiving. But, there's no denying that though all those options are special, presenting a lamb on the table just makes it a little bit more so. For many families, it's a treasured Easter Sunday tradition or Christmas special feature—but it's also a lovely (and tasty) choice for that dinner party you've been planning, or just a way to take Sunday supper over the top. Whether braised or glazed, shank or rack, lamb has an easy elegance to it that calls for a slightly different sideboard than your honey-baked ham. A tradition of biblical origins, lamb comfortably suits more formal holiday feasts, but—as delicious as it is—deserves a spot at even your most laidback lunch. We've collected some of our very best sides for lamb that'll round out your ensemble quite nicely. From savory and crisp to rich and creamy, here are some delicious side dishes to pair with lamb that won't disappoint. 01 of 26 Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese Give your staple macaroni and cheese a little facelift, fitting for a lamb dinner. Buttery panko breadcrumbs seasoned with sage, thyme, and rosemary are the trick to this elevated mac and cheese. 02 of 26 Herbed Potato Stacks Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith Recipe: Herbed Potato Stacks These pretty stacked potatoes aren't your usual mashed or twice baked. The best part? The deliciously crispy exterior and creamy, tender inside. 03 of 26 Savory Corn Pudding Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Savory Corn Pudding Elevate your classic Southern corn pudding with this recipe that uses chopped onion and fresh thyme for a slightly more savory spin. It doesn't hurt that it even looks a little fancier too, right? 04 of 26 Fennel-and-Potato Gratin Jennifer Davick Recipe: Fennel-and-Potato Gratin This cheesy potato gratin is more than impressive enough for any Easter meal, and we love trying a fun alternative to our staple mashed potatoes. 05 of 26 Yeast Rolls Iain Bagwell Recipe: Yeast Rolls While we won't deny that buttermilk biscuits make a lovely vessel for leftover ham, these yeast rolls just seem fitting for Easter, and for a perfectly roasted rack of lamb! 06 of 26 Easy Grilled Asparagus Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Easy Grilled Asparagus Of course, the star of your table will be the lamb, so keep everything else easy. Grilling your asparagus is a simple way to ensure the veggies are delicious. 07 of 26 Strawberry-Spinach Salad Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Strawberry-Spinach Salad This salad is spring on a plate. Just make sure to pick the ripest, sweetest strawberries at the farmers market for this one. 08 of 26 Slow-Cooker Lemon-Asparagus Risotto Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Lemon-Asparagus Risotto Want a dressy side dish without the hassle? Leave it to your slow cooker to simmer this beautiful, bright lemon risotto. 09 of 26 Oven-Roasted Asparagus Southern Living Recipe: Oven-Roasted Asparagus Grilling the lamb? Roast some asparagus in the oven with a little seasoning for a light springtime side dish. 10 of 26 Skillet-Roasted Carrots Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Skillet-Roasted Carrots Our Skillet-Roasted Carrots are your ticket to a sophisticated side dish with minimal effort. Add a little thyme, apple cider vinegar, and honey and you'll be good to go. 11 of 26 Mashed Potatoes and Rutabaga with Collards Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Mashed Potatoes and Rutabaga with Collards If you didn't believe vegetable and decadence could exist in the same sentence, the proof is in the mashed potatoes. Rutabaga and collards join the cheesy, creamy party, with some scallions thrown in, too. 12 of 26 Spring Mix Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Spring Mix Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese If summer tastes like a tomato sandwich, then spring definitely tastes like this salad. Filled with pretty herbs, shaved asparagus, and crisp sugar snap peas, it will accompany your lamb chops beautifully. 13 of 26 Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas with Orange Zest and Buttery Almonds Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas with Orange Zest and Buttery Almonds Save your green beans for a regular Tuesday night and pull out these gorgeous sugar snap peas for the Easter meal. Your leg of lamb deserves nothing less. 14 of 26 Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots Iain Bagwell Recipe: Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots For a dish that wows, multi-colored carrots are key. Even the kids would be delighted to at least try a bite. After all, who could say no to a purple carrot? 15 of 26 Balsamic Green Beans with Pearl Onions Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith Recipe: Balsamic Green Beans with Pearl Onions Skip the green bean casserole in favor of these green beans—they're accompanied by pearl onions that have been caramelized in butter, garlic, balsamic, and sugar, which turns into a syrupy glaze. 16 of 26 Green Beans with Garlic Jim Franco; Styling: Leslie Siegel Recipe: Green Beans with Garlic We'd never underestimate the power of a little garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper on any vegetable. 17 of 26 Oven Roasted Potatoes Iain Bagwell; Styling: Jan Gautro Recipe: Oven Roasted Potatoes Sometimes, you really just can't beat a roasted potato. 18 of 26 Radish, Avocado, and Citrus Salad Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Radish, Avocado, and Citrus Salad If this salad doesn't say spring and summer are here, then we don't know what would. Give the savory dishes on your table a gently sweet contrast with the vibrant citrus. 19 of 26 Carla Hall's Warm Carrot Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing McCormick Recipe: Carla Hall's Warm Carrot Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing Rainbow carrots dance with golden raisins, pineapple, and Granny Smiths under a splash of creamy lemon dressing. 20 of 26 Smashed Baby Red Potatoes Iain Bagwell Recipe: Smashed Baby Red Potatoes Have a little fun in the kitchen smashing the tiny spuds before seasoning with garlic and rosemary. The end result? Hot potato bites that are perfectly crispy and creamy at the same time. 21 of 26 Rainbow-Carrot Tart with Pea Shoots Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Rainbow-Carrot Tart with Pea Shoots This tart would be a welcome addition to the lunch or brunch table, right along side a juicy cut of lamb. Pre-made phyllo pastry makes it feel dressy without the hassle of wrangling your own laminated dough. 22 of 26 Skillet Radishes with Orange Zest and Tarragon Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Skillet Radishes with Orange Zest and Tarragon Radishes are a versatile vegetable that deserve a moment to shine. Thanks to their mild flavor, they carry the flavors of orange zest and tarragon well. A quick turn in the skillet leaves them incredibly tender. 23 of 26 Collard Green Salad with Orange and Port-Soaked Cherries Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Collard Green Salad with Orange and Port-Soaked Cherries This salad could be a course all on its own, but will still shine alongside your lamb dish. 24 of 26 Caesar Salad with Garlicky Croutons Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Caesar Salad with Garlicky Croutons We'd be remiss not to include a rendition of Caesar Salad, but we're particularly fond of this recipe with its Garlicky Croutons. 25 of 26 Squash Ribbon Salad Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Squash Ribbon Salad Easy to prepare, but wildly impressive. Parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil season the squash ribbons and arugula in this refreshing salad that needs a spot on your Easter table. 26 of 26 Lemon-Sautéed Green Beans Greg Dupree Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Lemon-Sautéed Green Beans These zingy green beans will be a light and welcome addition to the decadent Easter meal. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit