Food and Recipes Side Dishes 34 Vintage Side Dish Recipes Grandma Always Had On the Table By Southern Living Editors Updated on June 16, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Whether in the kitchen or the beauty aisle, Grandma always knows best. We've learned manners, sayings, and of course, recipes from her. No meal is complete without a few sides and she sure knows how to subtly (or not so subtly) incorporate farm fresh veggies; though we'll be the first to admit that veggies weren't always the star of the show. As kids, we preferred the Peanut Butter Blossoms to the collards. But as our palates have developed, we've come to appreciate Grandma's ability to make any tough vegetable taste good. We're proud to say that many of her favorite recipes came from our very own pages. These vintage side dish recipes will remind you of the sauce-splattered, worn-out ones from Grammy's recipe tin. We've gathered all the best nostalgic side dish recipes that she served in her own kitchen. With old-fashioned favorites like Southern-Style Collards, Butterbeans, and Mac & Cheese these recipes will make you feel like you're right back at Grandma's house. From a laid-back weeknight family dinners at home to a potluck dinner parties with friends, these dishes are just the comfort food fix you need to round out your meal. 01 of 34 Southern-Style Collard Greens Victor Protasio Recipe: Southern-Style Collard Greens Every Southern grandma has her specific way of preparing collards, but you can't go wrong with this classic recipe. 02 of 34 Home-Style Butterbeans William Dickey Recipe: Home-Style Butterbeans Bacon is the not-so-secret ingredient that makes this old-school Southern vegetable sing. 03 of 34 Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese If you're eating macaroni and cheese out of a box, you're doing it wrong. This dish deserves a spot on every table. 04 of 34 Broccoli-Cheese Casserole Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Broccoli-Cheese Casserole You can easily add chicken to this casserole to take it from side to main dish. 05 of 34 Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham Jen Causey Recipe: Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham This chilled salad is just like the layered versions Grandma used to take to church potlucks. 06 of 34 Classic Okra and Tomatoes Southern Living Recipe: Classic Okra and Tomatoes This summer side dish is an easy way to use up fresh okra from the farmers' market. 07 of 34 Tee's Corn Pudding Jennifer Davick Recipe: Tee's Corn Pudding Although corn pudding is a go-to for the holiday side board, it's easy enough to make for a weeknight. 08 of 34 Three-Bean Pasta Salad Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Three-Bean Pasta Salad This recipe may be a fresh take on Grandma's three-bean salad, but the much-loved flavors of her recipe are all still there. 09 of 34 Pear Salad Southern Living Recipe: Pear Salad To some, this combination of ingredients might sound crazy. To others, it looks just like Sunday dinner at Maw Maw's. 10 of 34 Southern-Style Green Beans Southern Living Recipe: Southern-Style Green Beans As much as we love fresh, crunchy green beans with our dinner, there's nothing more delicious than green beans cooked low and slow with a ham hock. 11 of 34 Old-School Squash Casserole Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Old-School Squash Casserole When fresh summer squash is abundant, this vintage casserole is one of our favorite ways to enjoy it. 12 of 34 Classic Candied Yams Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Candied Yams Lightly spiced and oh-so-sweet, this Thanksgiving classic is welcome at our dinner table any time of year. 13 of 34 Creamed Corn Jennifer Davick Recipe: Creamed Corn We can find countless ways to use fresh summer corn, but this is one of our favorites, using a variety of white corn. 14 of 34 Easy Black-Eyed Peas Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Easy Black-Eyed Peas Black-eyed peas are an essential ingredient in any Southern kitchen, and this simple recipe showcases them perfectly. 15 of 34 Southern-Style Potato Salad Southern Living Recipe: Southern-Style Potato Salad If your potato salad isn't Duke's mayo-laden, it might not be well-received at the potluck barbecue. 16 of 34 Classic Fresh Field Peas Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Classic Fresh Field Peas Smoky ham hocks take these field peas up a notch, making this side dish absolutely irresistible. 17 of 34 Old-School Green Bean Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Emily Hall Recipe: Old-School Green Bean Casserole Just like everything from Nana's kitchen, there's no part of this classic casserole that isn't homemade. 18 of 34 Best-Ever Succotash Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Best-Ever Succotash It wouldn't be summer in the South without a colorful batch of succotash made with veggies fresh from the farm. 19 of 34 Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes You don't have to worry about taking home leftovers of this creamy, five-ingredient potato dish. 20 of 34 Southern Skillet Cornbread Southern Living Recipe: Southern Skillet Cornbread Like Grandma's cornbread, this no-frills recipe starts (the only way it should) with bacon grease in a cast-iron skillet. 21 of 34 Permanent Slaw Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Permanent Slaw As the name suggests, this vintage slaw recipe tastes more delicious the longer it sits. 22 of 34 Bread-and-Butter Pickles Southern Living Recipe: Bread-and-Butter Pickles Maw Maw was always "putting up" produce, and homemade pickles were a constant in her home. 23 of 34 Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks These collard greens taste just like the ones Granny cooked over the stove for hours, but you can make them hands-off in the slow cooker. 24 of 34 Onion Soufflé Abigail Wilt Recipe: Onion Soufflé Onion soufflés, like this one we published in 1979, were all the rage back in the day. Once you taste how delicious they are, you'll understand why. 25 of 34 Hot Water Cornbread Oxmoor House Recipe: Hot Water Cornbread Although many prefer cornbread straight from the cast-iron skillet, hot water cornbread is an old-school method we love. And yes, corn is a vegetable, so in our books, you can count these cornbread patties as a veggie. 26 of 34 Classic Hoppin' John Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton Recipe: Classic Hoppin' John This recipe comes with a generous helping of tradition. Whether you eat this dish with fried pork chops solely as good luck on New Year's Day or serve it up any time the winter is just a bit too chilly, Nan would be proud to know you're making it. 27 of 34 Asparagus Gratin Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Asparagus Gratin Who said asparagus couldn't be just as cheesy and creamy as potatoes au gratin? 28 of 34 Chubba Bubba's Broccoli Salad Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Amy Burke Recipe: Chubba Bubba's Broccoli Salad Everyone has some variation of a broccoli salad in their recipe box, and if you're looking for a refresh for your go-to, we highly recommend this one. 29 of 34 Maque Choux with Sausage Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Maque Choux with Sausage If you have a grandmother from Louisiana, chances are she served this dish as a side option with almost any dinner. We've added sausage to the recipe to make it a hearty main course, but you can skip it for a lighter serving. 30 of 34 Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal When you order fried okra at a restaurant, it comes deep-fried. When you order fried okra in Mimi's kitchen, it comes this way, lightly-breaded and delicious; and we absolutely love it. 31 of 34 Wild Rice with Mushrooms Iain Bagwell Recipe: Wild Rice with Mushrooms Budget-friendly and delicious, wild rice is a longtime favorite for Southern casseroles and side dishes, and this recipe is no exception. 32 of 34 Creamed Spinach Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Creamed Spinach Eating your greens is easy with this cheesy, comforting recipe. 33 of 34 Fresh Corn Spoonbread Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Recipe: Fresh Corn Spoonbread We wouldn't dream of asking you to put away Mama's cornbread recipe, but you may want to test out this old-fashioned dish next time you're hosting. 34 of 34 Twice-Baked Potatoes Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Twice-Baked Potatoes There's nothing like a classic twice-baked potato loaded with cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions. If it's steak night at Nona's, these are sure to be on the side. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit