27 Side Dishes That Make You Realize the Sides Were Always the Best Part

Some meals make you realize you weren’t waiting for the main dish after all. These 27 side dishes are the reason plates get piled high before the roast even hits the table. Whether it’s crispy, creamy, or straight-from-the-oven good, these sides prove they were always the best part. With all 27 bringing something bold to the plate, there’s no need to wait for anything else.

Roasted cabbage steak topped with tomatoes, bacon, goat cheese, and more. — Roasted Cabbage Steaks. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Worcestershire Green Beans

Worcestershire green beans hit with bold, savory flavor that makes everything else on the table feel like background noise. They cook fast, hold their texture, and bring a deep richness that feels way bigger than a basic side. This is one of those dishes that’s meant to be passed around more than once. If anything proves the sides were the real reason to show up, it’s this one.
Get the Recipe: Worcestershire Green Beans

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Almonds and Feta

A bowl of roasted brussels sprouts. — Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Almonds and Feta. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Roasted Brussels sprouts with almonds and feta bring crunch, tang, and creaminess all in one dish. It’s quick to make but feels layered, like something that was planned well ahead. You don’t need a main course when a side like this shows up strong. The second these hit the table, the rest just fades into the background.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Almonds and Feta

Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions

Garlicky green beans with fried onions are the kind of side that somehow becomes the center of the table. Crisp onions and garlic coat the beans in flavor without weighing them down. They’re simple but feel bold—and that’s what makes them a standout. This is the dish people ask about before they even try the main.
Get the Recipe: Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions

Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Balsamic glazed Brussels sprouts roast up tender and rich, with just enough tang to cut through anything else on your plate. They’re easy to prep and even easier to finish. It’s the kind of side that disappears before dinner even officially starts. The glaze is sticky enough to make you forget what else you were serving.
Get the Recipe: Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Brown Butter Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Brown butter garlic mashed potatoes don’t wait their turn—they take the spotlight. The roasted garlic and nutty butter deepen the flavor beyond your usual mash. Creamy, rich, and gone before the gravy even shows up. If sides could win awards, this one’s bringing home a trophy.
Get the Recipe: Brown Butter Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Honey Glazed Carrots

Red, yellow, and orange honey glazed carrots on a slate board. — Roasted Honey Glazed Carrots. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Roasted honey glazed carrots are sticky, sweet, and just charred enough to make you forget there’s more food coming. They’re easy to roast, fast to prep, and always the first to go. The glaze clings to each carrot like it knows it’s the star. You’ll be fighting for the last one before the turkey even gets carved.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Honey Glazed Carrots

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Greek Lemon Garlic Potatoes in a black dish with lemon in the background. — Greek Lemon Potatoes. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Greek lemon potatoes bake into crisp, golden edges with a citrus punch that can outshine a roast. Garlic and herbs soak into every bite, making them far more than a basic side. They’re bold, bright, and impossible to skip. The only thing louder than the crunch is the sound of people going back for more.
Get the Recipe: Greek Lemon Potatoes

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters With Feta

A hand dips a fried zucchini fritter into a small bowl of white cream sauce on a gray plate. Other fritters and lemon wedges are arranged around the bowl on a marble surface. — Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters With Feta. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

Air fryer zucchini fritters with feta are crisp, cheesy, and exactly the kind of side that starts disappearing mid-conversation. They’re quick to make, easy to stack, and perfect even without a fork. Whether as a snack or a dinner plate sidekick, they do more than hold their own. These are the fritters you’ll wish you’d hidden.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters With Feta

Cheesy Easy Cauliflower Casserole

A baked dish with a large serving of cheesy cauliflower in a glass baking dish is next to a white plate holding a portion of the same dish. The background is a light wooden surface. A fork is visible beside the plate. — Cheesy Easy Cauliflower Casserole. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

Cheesy cauliflower casserole shows up rich, creamy, and way more satisfying than anyone expects. With just the right amount of crunch on top, it bakes into something people hover over with a spoon. It’s a side, but you’ll see folks pretending it’s their main. This dish doesn’t sit politely—it makes an entrance.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Easy Cauliflower Casserole

Spring Onion Potato Salad

Spring onion potato salad walks that line between fresh and bold with zero effort. The onions punch through the creamy base, making this a standout cold side that holds its own. Serve it hot, chilled, or room temp—it still wins. It’s not just potato salad; it’s the reason you need a second plate.
Get the Recipe: Spring Onion Potato Salad

Easy Scalloped Potatoes

Small baking dish with scalloped potatoes. — Easy Scalloped Potatoes. Photo credit: Little Bit Recipes.

Easy scalloped potatoes bring layers of comfort in a golden, bubbling dish that never needs explaining. Creamy, thin-sliced, and always crowd-pleasing, they cook up like something you spent hours on. They look fancy but take half the work. This is the pan that gets scraped clean before dessert is mentioned.
Get the Recipe: Easy Scalloped Potatoes

Easy Squash Casserole

A glass baking dish filled with baked squash casserole. — Easy Squash Casserole. Photo credit: Not Entirely Average.

Easy squash casserole makes yellow squash feel like the MVP of dinner. It bakes into a buttery, crisp-topped side that stands tall next to anything on the table. Quick to prep and quicker to vanish, this one proves casseroles still rule. When the fork hits that crust, there’s no going back.
Get the Recipe: Easy Squash Casserole

Air Fryer Glazed Carrots

Air fryer glazed carrots come out sticky, shiny, and so good they don’t even make it to the table sometimes. Fast to cook and full of flavor, they’re the kind of side that gets snacked on like chips. Their caramelized finish makes them stand out without needing help. These carrots are everything a main dish wishes it was.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Glazed Carrots

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

Parmesan crusted potatoes hit the plate golden and crisp with just the right salty crunch. They’re fast, easy, and way too tempting to sit quietly on the side. Serve them once and you’ll never make plain potatoes again. They’re the reason guests hover by the oven.
Get the Recipe: Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

A bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy and sprigs of thyme and sage. — Creamy Mashed Potatoes. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Creamy mashed potatoes with cream cheese don’t just fill space—they demand attention. Rich and smooth, they carry every bite like they were meant to be the main attraction. Quick enough for weeknights, good enough for holidays. No one’s asking about the meat when these are on the plate.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Apple Stuffing

Cranberry apple stuffing turns into the sweet-savory side that no one can forget, even after the holiday ends. It bakes up with a crisp top and soft, flavorful center that feels like home. Easy to prep ahead and even better reheated. If a side dish could steal Thanksgiving, this would be it.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Apple Stuffing

Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

A dish of beets, sweet potatoes, and parsnips roasted in the oven with sprigs of sage. — Oven Roasted Root Vegetables. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Oven roasted root vegetables bring real color and depth to the plate without much work. Carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes caramelize into bites you want to slow down for. It’s hearty, easy, and looks as good as it tastes. The kind of side that makes you rethink what “simple” actually means.
Get the Recipe: Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

Honey Garlic Carrots

Honey garlic carrots pack sweet and savory flavor into a dish that doesn’t need backup. They roast in no time and pair with everything—but often end up eaten first. With just a handful of ingredients, they bring more than their share to the plate. When carrots are this bold, no one notices what’s missing.
Get the Recipe: Honey Garlic Carrots

Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potato Slices

Baked sweet potato slices on a cutting board with a spoon. — Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potato Slices. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Brown sugar baked sweet potato slices are soft, caramelized, and impossible to stop picking at. They go from oven to plate fast and always look like you tried harder than you did. Cinnamon and ginger make them just different enough to stand out. These are the sweet potatoes that get remembered.
Get the Recipe: Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potato Slices

Garam Masala Brussels Sprouts

Garam masala Brussels sprouts roast up crisp with bold, earthy spice that feels way bigger than the portion size. They take 30 minutes but taste like you spent much longer. It’s a side that punches up any meal and holds attention without saying a word. Brussels sprouts just got their moment.
Get the Recipe: Garam Masala Brussels Sprouts

Loaded Cauliflower Mash

Loaded cauliflower mash brings the comfort of a baked potato and the flavor of something even richer. Cheese, bacon, and green onions make this more than just an alternative. It cooks fast and plates up like the main event. The first bite says side dish—the second says center stage.
Get the Recipe: Loaded Cauliflower Mash

Easy Oven Asparagus

Easy oven asparagus keeps things sharp and simple with barely any prep. A light roast brings out just enough flavor to make it worth grabbing a second helping. It works with everything but still manages to stand out. This is how you make asparagus feel like the best part.
Get the Recipe: Easy Oven Asparagus

Sauteed Swiss Rainbow Chard

Side view of white bean salad in bowl with tongs. — Sauteed Swiss Rainbow Chard. Photo credit: At the Immigrant’s Table.

Sauteed Swiss rainbow chard adds color, crunch, and a little snap to the plate in under 15 minutes. The leaves cook down while the stems stay punchy, giving every bite texture and balance. It’s a smart way to get in some greens that don’t fade into the background. No one’s ignoring the chard this time.
Get the Recipe: Sauteed Swiss Rainbow Chard

Butternut Squash Wild Rice Pilaf

Side view of wild rice pilaf with pomegranate and butternut squash. — Butternut Squash Wild Rice Pilaf. Photo credit: At the Immigrant’s Table.

Butternut squash wild rice pilaf is the kind of side you keep going back to because it just works with everything. Soft squash, chewy rice, and deep flavor make this more than just filler. It reheats well and makes any spread look like a big deal. This dish brings backup energy—and then takes the lead.
Get the Recipe: Butternut Squash Wild Rice Pilaf

Red Wine Glazed Carrots

Sweet and Spicy Glazed Carrots Recipe with Red Wine. — Red Wine Glazed Carrots. Photo credit: At the Immigrant’s Table.

Red wine glazed carrots come out rich, deep, and a little bit unexpected in all the best ways. The glaze brings big flavor without getting in the way of the carrot’s sweetness. It’s fast, bold, and worthy of any dinner plate. They’re the kind of side that makes people ask what you’re serving next—just so they can prep for it.
Get the Recipe: Red Wine Glazed Carrots

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

A baked dish with a golden-brown crumb topping is in a rectangular baking dish, which has a white and blue checkered cloth nearby. A serving is on a round plate to the right. The surface is a light marble texture. — Cheesy Zucchini Casserole. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

Cheesy zucchini casserole bakes into a creamy, comforting pan that makes you forget zucchini ever needed a push. It holds together well and carries its weight beside any roast or main. Quick to prep and even better as leftovers, this one feels like a favorite the first time you try it. It’s not just a side—it’s the one you start planning meals around.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Roasted cabbage steaks turn a basic veggie into something you suddenly want seconds of. The crispy edges and tender middle are reason enough to start piling them on your plate. They roast fast, look impressive, and land with more flavor than you’d expect. When the cabbage gets this much attention, the main never stood a chance.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Cabbage Steaks