40 Last-Minute Holiday Side Dishes

We grow beets in our own garden, and they're so good in this recipe. They have such a nice flavor and are very pretty when served.

I lived on the Oregon coast for 20 years and had plenty of guests dropping by. I often turned to this quick and easy dish, serving it up with skillet cornbread or garlic bread. Judging by the requests for the recipe, everyone loved it! —LaBelle Doster, Vancouver, Washington

I found this recipe in a rural newspaper years ago and have made it often. The bean bundles are excellent with chicken or beef. Sometimes I'll arrange them around a mound of wild rice to make an appetizing side dish. —Virginia Stadler, Nokesville, Virginia

Count on this dish to make new vegetable converts. Whenever I serve it, people ask for the recipe. Sometimes I’ll substitute broccoli for all or half the cauliflower, and the green veggie tastes just as good! —Jacki Ricci, Ely, Nevada

MOTHER could always rely on peas and onions when she was in a hurry and needed a quick side dish. Besides being easy to prepare, this dish was loved by everyone in our family. It was handed down to my mother by my grandmother. -Santa D'Addario, Jacksonville, Florida

No need to buy premade pilaf mix when you can easily make your own in 20 minutes. The lemon zest adds a welcome burst of tang. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

This is an excellent way to serve one of the season's most delicious vegetables—butternut squash. Its rich flavor and golden harvest color really come through in this smooth vegetable side dish. —Dorothy Pritchett, Wills Point, Texas

I love making this dish when I can pick the beans right out of the garden and put them into the pot. The fresh taste is unbeatable. I've also made it with beans purchased at the store. Either way, you'll find this recipe a winner. There's no need for any extra seasonings at the table. —Ina Reed, Kingman, Arizona

This skillet side is a variation of a recipe I received from my Italian mother. I've prepared spinach this way for years—because my children eat it happily! —Lucia Johnson, Massena, New York

This corn has earned a permanent place on our special-occasion menus. While my whole family loves it, my son would be especially disappointed if I forgot to include our corn dish. —Deb Hauptmann, Mohnton, Pennsylvania

When I'm in a hurry to prepare potatoes, I resort to this recipe that I created myself. The mix of seasonings is just right and makes a delicious, attractive side dish. It's been a family favorite for a long time and fits with most any meal. —Lois Collier, Vineland, New Jersey

While this delicious potato skillet is a wonderful side dish, we find it satisfying enough to be a main course, too. The skillet preparation takes less time than it does to bake an au gratin casserole or scalloped potatoes—but it's still good old-fashioned comfort food at its best! —Marie Peterson, DeForest, Wisconsin

This garlic and basil linguine is a perfect way to use up your late-summer tomato harvest. It makes a great light supper when paired with a salad, or you can make it heartier with some chopped chicken. —Susan Jones, Downers Grove, Illinois

While broccoli florets and chunks of red pepper give these stir-fry vegetables plenty of color, it's the fresh gingerroot, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil that round out the flavor. —Mary Relyea, Canastota, New York

This is grilled butternut squash recipe is one of my favorite ways to cook with fresh produce. I usually make it when I am grilling steak or chicken. —Esther Horst, Monterey, Tennessee

You can serve this homey blend of fresh green beans, potato wedges and chopped red onion hot or cold. Either way, this easy side dish makes a pleasing accompaniment to Mom's meat loaf or almost any other meat. -Daria Burcar Rochester, Michigan

When I was young, my family grew our own cabbage. It was fun to put them to use in the kitchen, just like I did with this comforting side. It's so good with potatoes, deviled eggs and corn bread. —Bernice Morris, Marshfield, Missouri

I like to serve this Greek-style rice dish alongside steaks with mushrooms. It makes an elegant side that can be doubled for guests. —Jeanette Cakouros, Brunswick, Maine

I dress up carrots with a brown sugar and mustard sauce as a side dish for my New Year’s meal. Garnished with a little bright green parsley, the carrots add color to the dinner plate. —Paula Zsiray, Logan, Utah

These tasty garlic butter mushrooms are so delicious served with steak, chicken or pork. The sauteed garlic is the secret! —Joan Schroeder, Mesquite, Nevada

This side dish is fast to fix and full of flavor. The mix of cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pairs well with almost any main dish you can think of. —Summer Jones, Pleasant Grove, Utah

Shallots, basil and broth rev up the taste of this nutritious vegetable medley. The bright color and fresh flavors will dress up your plate! —Clara Coulston, Washington Court House, Ohio.

So simply prepared yet so satisfyingly good, these thinly sliced mushrooms are creamy, mild and comforting.

Fennel makes for a tasty change of pace in this versatile side that goes great with grilled meats. Best of all, it's full of flavor, easy to do and doesn't seem light at all! —Healthy Cooking Test Kitchen

Add a little zip to your meal with this bowtie pasta dish. It's a great accompaniment to almost any meat or seafood. —Kathy Kittell, Lenexa, Kansas

If you have it, substitute a tablespoon of minced fresh basil instead of dried and two to three ears of sweet corn (cut fresh from cob, about a cup) for the Mexicorn.—Lucile Throgmorton, Clovis, New Mexico

Gruyere cheese and chives take mashed potatoes to a whole new level this holiday season! Don’t have chives? Just use extra green onion instead. Salsarose - Tasteofhome.com Community

New potatoes and peas are treated to a creamy sauce for this special side. —Jane Uphoff, Cunningham, Kansas

This grilled side goes well with pasta or meats also made on the grill. Thanks to the Cajun seasoning, it gets more attention than an ordinary veggie. —Greg Fontenot, The Woodlands, Texas

I combined two recipes to create this side with broccoli and pasta. The splash of lemon adds nice flavor. Instead of toasted almonds, you could also sprinkle servings with grated Parmesan cheese. —Beth Dauenhauer, Pueblo, Colorado

Garlic mashed potatoes are high on our love list. To intensify the flavor, I combine garlic and olive oil in the food processor and drizzle it on top of the potatoes. — Emory Doty, Jasper, Georgia

Hearty, colorful, easy and fast were the reviews we gave this good-for-you dish. Barley has a healthy amount of soluble fiber, which aids digestion. And it can help to lower cholesterol, too! You can easily substitute other fresh veggies you have on hand. —Jesse Klausmeier, Burbank, California

Talk about a fun way to use holiday leftovers! Making this turkey and stuffing patty is so fast. The family looks forward to this breakfast treat every year. —Kellie Ferea, Casa Grande, Arizona

I couldn’t shake my mashed potato habit, until I tried mashed cauliflower with a similar consistency. I started making my own, and my family loves it. —Meredith Howard, Franklin, Kentucky

Everyone who tastes my glazed asparagus takes more, so I double the recipe. For another option, try root veggies like turnip and parsnip in this honeyed side. —Lorraine Caland, Shuniah, Ontario

I had leftover sweet potatoes and had to think up a new way to use them. We love spice, so I flavored these fun fritters with harissa, just enough for flavor but not too spicy. If you want more heat, you can always adjust the spice to please your taste buds. —Teri Rasey, Cadillac, Michigan

Asiago and fresh parsley help turn this healthier mashed potato alternative into a flavorful side dish that won't leave you feeling guilty or completely stuffed. —Colleen Delawder, Herndon, Virginia

This easy pumpkin risotto tastes like fall and gets a flavor boost from the curry. —Andrea Reaves, Stephens City, Virginia

This easy corn dish is sure to dress up almost any entree. I added the crunch of water chestnuts, red pepper and chopped carrot—along with extra nutrition. —Glenda Watts, Charleston, Illinois

Here's a flavorful way to dress up carrots without a lot of fuss. Simply steam the good-for-you veggies, then season with butter, brown sugar, vinegar and a sprinkling of chives. The carrots are not only colorful, but they taste good, too. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen