40 Vibrant Vegetable Sides for the Holiday Season

Chicory Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Cranberry sauce makes for a gorgeous salad dressing, tart and tangy to contrast with the bitterness of chicory. You can also use endives, frisee, or any other bitter greens that you like.

Garlicky Haricots Verts with Hazelnuts

Fresh haricots verts are quickly cooked in beef fat just until they're crisp-tender, providing deeply savory flavor without overcooking them. The acidic lemon juice and licorice-y tarragon add just enough bright, light flavor to this rich side dish.

Root Vegetable Tian

For the thinnest, most even slices, rely on a mandoline to cut the layered vegetables for this make-ahead tian, a roasted arrangement of four vegetables.

Owamni Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Chile Crisp

Chef Sean Sherman shares a simple, splendid recipe for roasted sweet potatoes with chili crisp, which he serves at his restaurant, Owamni, in Minneapolis. Chiles are native to the Americas, so Sherman cleverly blended dried homegrown chiles with maple sugar to create a wonderful Indigenous take on the cult-favorite Chinese condiment. 

Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli with Cranberry Agrodolce

Golden brown brussels sprouts and almost-charred, smoky broccoli are tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce studded with tart cranberries, Fresno chiles, and shallots for an easy, elegant side dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Curry Leaves

Inspired by the warm flavors of South Indian kitchens, this butternut squash carries a wonderful aroma and strong punch of flavor. A sprinkling of marash chile flakes and curry leaves with coconut oil add a bit of heat and aroma while the black mustard seeds add a hint of nuttiness.

Apple, Shallot, and Potato Gratin

Sweet and tangy apples, buttery potatoes, and sweet shallot team up in these creamy au gratin potatoes.

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan

With the tang of citrus and a hint of umami from Parmesan, this lemon roasted broccoli recipe hits all the right notes while retaining enough versatility to be paired with a wide range of dishes.

Rich and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

A foolproof and perfect make-ahead dish, the secret to these velvety mashed potatoes is mayonnaise.

Roasted Carrots with Preserved Lemons and Dates

This simple roasted carrots recipe comes together in minutes and delivers big flavors, thanks to the mixed herbs, bright citrus, and sweet dates. Fresh cilantro, parsley, and mint add green freshness to the dish and work wonderfully with the orange, lemon, za'atar, and honey vinaigrette. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Onions with Mushroom Lardons

A duo of alliums — shallots and pearl onions — becomes irresistibly sweet when roasted, making an ideal partner to slightly bitter brussels sprouts. Bacon, the usual star in recipes like this, is replaced with "lardons" made from king oyster mushrooms for a superb vegetarian side dish.

Rutabaga, Celery Root, and Potato Gratin

In this modern take on a traditional potato side dish, earthy celery root and rutabaga anchor the gratin, which is accented by the salty and umami notes of Parmesan cheese.

Shredded Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

These ridiculously easy brussels sprouts are coarsely shredded for an appealing texture, roasted until they're lightly charred to enhance their nutty sweetness, and finished with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, which melts into the leaves.

Red Skin Potato Mash

Skip peeling potatoes! Keeping the skin intact gives this fluffy, creamy potato mash a nice added crunch alongside thinly sliced scallions.

Green Bean Casserole with Almost-Burnt Almonds

Tender-crisp green beans are baked in a silky vegetarian sauce, with incredible crunch and intense nutty flavor from browned almonds.

Braised Greens with Crispy Garlic and Miso

Greens are good for you, sure, and the addition of umami-salty miso makes this kale and collard greens side a delicious, nutritious accompaniment to any meal.

Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes

A garlic-and-herb-flecked spreadable cheese (such as Boursin) makes these mashed potatoes speedy and nearly effortless. For a colorful version, use purple Peruvian potatoes instead of Yukon Golds.

Rainbow Vegetable Gratin

Six layers of colorful vegetables cook together in this free-form gratin; panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano absorb extra juices and provide a nice crunch.

Crushed Potatoes with Spiced Olive Oil

A trio of toasted and ground seeds — caraway, fennel, and coriander — mixed with extra-virgin olive oil gives these rustic potatoes a delicately fruity but warmly spiced flavor. Because of the generous amount of olive oil in this recipe, the potatoes are great served warm or at room temperature.

Mixed Onion Agrodolce

A combination of shallots, cipollini onions, and pearl onions delivers a lovely contrast of shapes and texture, while dried plums add a jammy sweetness.

Creamed Brussels Sprouts

Velvety spinach and tender shaved brussels sprouts are combined with garlic-infused double cream. A splash of lemon juice cuts through the buttery vegetables and adds a touch of brightness. 

Roasted Beets and Charred Green Beans

Chef Kristen Kish pairs roasted beets and cast-iron-charred haricots verts with vinegar and hearty herbs (oregano and thyme) to make this salad. It's an homage to the jarred pickled beets and green bean salad she ate as a kid.

Roasted Winter Squash with Vanilla Butter

Fragrant vanilla-bean butter flavors the squash and softens the skin during roasting. Customize your variety of winter squash to keep it interesting.

Cumin and Chile Braised Collard Green Stems

This dish is a genius way to use up the stems of any hardy green. We used collard stems, but you could also use kale, chard, or mustard stems. Fresno chiles, cumin, and a generous amount of garlic provide a pleasing punch of flavor.

Creamed Kale

This rich and delicious creamed kale is an excellent swap for the more traditional creamed spinach. The dish's flavor is enhanced by the addition of chopped shallots and a touch of freshly grated nutmeg.

Grilled Butternut Squash with Shallot Vinaigrette

Butternut squash tastes like a whole new vegetable when grilled — crisp, bright, and not overly sweet. It's dressed with a simple vinaigrette made from shallots and white wine vinegar, then strewn with chopped fresh chives.

Roasted Beets with Beet Green Salsa Verde

Tyler Florence uses vibrant beets and their greens to make this fresh side dish that our readers love.

Baked Acorn Squash with Chestnuts, Apples, and Leeks

Halved acorn squash makes perfect single-serving bowls. This recipe from Food & Wine Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple is a great vegetarian main course for any winter holiday, but it can also be a festive accompaniment to turkey, ham, or roast goose.

Turnip Casserole with Porcini Crumb Topping

We love the earthy porcini topping on this rich and creamy turnip gratin. It would also be fantastic on mac and cheese or another root vegetable gratin.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Chef Michael Symon's four-ingredient potatoes get plenty of flavor from browned butter and crème fraîche. Reserve a little browned butter to drizzle on the potatoes just before serving.

Tricolor Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Sometimes rethinking just means not overthinking. Don't forget to enjoy seasonal ingredients just as they are — like in this recipe, where the vegetables are simply roasted in a combination of olive oil and butter.

Broccoli and Cheddar Casserole with Leeks

This classic casserole is updated with flavorful sharp white cheddar and a crunchy, buttery topping of crumbled crackers and toasted almonds.

Creamless Creamed Corn with Mushrooms and Lemon

"My granny taught me that when corn is very fresh, the juices are naturally creamy," Top Chef alum Kevin Gillespie says. "I took that as the gospel." He grates half of the corn here to make a luxurious puree that thickens without cream.

Kevin's Tip: Scraping corn cobs with the dull side of a knife removes the juices.

Whole Roasted Carrots with Garlic

Carrots, water, garlic cloves, canola oil, unsalted butter, salt, and pepper are all you need to make this easy recipe.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

These brussels sprouts from the late chef Anthony Bourdain are easy to throw together and still delicious when prepared without the bacon. If omitting the bacon, increase the amount of butter to substitute for the bacon fat.

Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger

Everyone loves a good Thanksgiving squash, and this one from cookbook author Melissa Clark is given a little wake-up by roasting it with maple syrup, olive oil, fresh ginger, and thyme. It's a simple idea, but the combination of flavors highlights the squash in the best possible way.

Creamed Collard Greens

This is chef duo Allison and Slade Rushing's Southern interpretation of French creamed spinach. The collards add a pleasant bitterness to this lush side dish, but it's important to shred them finely before you simmer them in the cream or they'll never get tender.

Acorn Squash with Coconut Custard

Top Chef winner Kristen Kish's innovative take on roasted acorn squash raises the bar for what Thanksgiving vegetable sides can be. Here, she upgrades the classic with a decadent coconut custard that offsets the earthy sweetness of the dish. To serve, the squash is drizzled with brown butter and sprinkled with toasted walnuts.

Corn Bread Casserole

Combine frozen corn and canned corn in this customizable crowd-pleaser.

Squash Stuffed with Quinoa and Wild Mushrooms

Stuff maple-glazed roasted squash with quinoa and sautéed wild mushrooms for an earthy, textural side that can be plated really beautifully.