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What's your favorite part of any meal? While the main dish often gets all the glory, we think sides are pretty special, too. As it turns out, our readers (that's you!) would have to agree. These 30 recipes comprise our most popular side dishes of all time, and they are proof that sometimes all you need is something simple, easy, and totally delicious to complete a weeknight dinner or even a holiday feast.
A recipe that our readers come back to time and time again is John Legend's Macaroni and Cheese, pictured here. The singer's legendary recipe could certainly be the main course on its own, but we also love serving it as a side dish on Thanksgiving or for a casual barbecue at home. The reason why this particular mac and cheese recipe is so good is because it's made with an ultra-rich combination of skim and evaporated milk, eggs, and two types of cheese (Monterey Jack and extra-sharp cheddar).
When you want something a little bit lighter, we have plenty of fan-favorite side dishes that fall into this category, including white and brown rice, sautéed spinach, roasted squash, steamed artichokes, and crispy asparagus. You'll also find classic potato side dish recipes here, such as roasted red potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato au gratin, and sweet potato casseroles, all adored by our readers.
Whether you only have 10 to 15 minutes or can dedicate a couple of hours to cooking, our favorite side dish recipes are guaranteed to please your family and friends, no matter the occasion.
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Perfect White Rice
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Master the art of cooking long-grain white rice with this basic how-to recipe. The result is fluffy, slightly sticky rice that is a blank canvas for serving with so many other dishes.
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Sautéed Baby Bok Choy
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Here, we're boosting the flavor of bok choy with a combination of minced garlic and ginger, plus soy sauce, for a delicious side dish that only takes 15 minutes to cook.
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Sweet Potato Casserole
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For this fan-favorite side dish, cook sweet potatoes and then mash them with whole milk, butter, and ground nutmeg. Next, top the mixture with mini marshmallows and bake until they're golden brown and ooey-gooey.
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Roasted Red Potatoes
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This is consistently one of our most popular side dish recipes of all time and for good reason: Olive oil helps to get the potatoes extra-crispy and brings fruity notes while fresh rosemary adds earthiness.
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Brown Rice
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All you need is brown rice (short grain or long grain will work), water, and salt to cook this perfect side dish.
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Easy Creamed Spinach
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The secret to this decadent side dish is a combination of cream cheese, butter, and milk, which forms the rich, silky sauce for a few bunches of fresh spinach.
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Roasted Cabbage Wedges
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We're all about quick and easy side dishes for weeknight dinners, such as this recipe for roasted cabbage. The wedges are sprinkled with fennel seeds and roasted in the oven until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
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Easy Steamed Artichokes
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If you've never cooked artichokes before, this recipe will walk you through everything you need to know. Serve with our favorite easy hollandaise for dipping.
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Basic Bulgur
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In just 20 minutes, this fiber-packed grain will be fully cooked and ready to serve as a side dish or the base of a hearty grain bowl.
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Oven Roasted Asparagus
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This simple method for cooking asparagus as a side dish is one of our favorites—and it's one of yours, too!
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Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
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We guarantee that you will love this potato side dish. It's decadent, rich, creamy, indulgent, and absolutely delicious and has become one of our readers' favorites.
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Roasted Squash with Parmesan
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Celebrate summer with this side dish recipe that calls for roasting zucchini and yellow squash with Parmesan cheese. Just before serving, sprinkle them with fresh lemon juice and zest for brightness.
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Spicy Corn on the Cob
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Take corn on the cob to the next level with this street food-inspired recipe. Once the corn is cooked, we brush each piece with mayonnaise then sprinkle on queso fresco and cayenne pepper.
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Flaky Buttery Biscuits
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Whether it's a special holiday dinner or a weeknight dinner, these biscuits are guaranteed to please. All you need are five basic ingredients—all-purpose flour, baking powder, unsalted butter, and milk—to make them.
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Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill Dressing
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One of our most popular side dishes is this simple make-ahead salad. All you need to is toss sliced cucumbers with sour cream, lemon juice, and chopped fresh dill, and then chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
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Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Onion
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This timeless classic combines thinly sliced red cabbage with onions and Fuji apples. They're cooked together with cider vinegar, sugar, and water until tender.
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Potatoes Dauphinoise
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This classic French potato dish is what creamy, carb-filled dreams are made of. It features thinly sliced potatoes that are covered with a silky cream sauce and then are topped with grated Gruyère cheese, which gets golden brown and crispy once baked.
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Cilantro-Lime Rice
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Give basic white rice a tropical spin by mixing it with a make-shift salsa verde. All you need to do is blend together cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and garlic.
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Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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Of course, mashed potatoes are delicious as is (with butter and milk, of course), but we love this recipe, which calls for cooking them with an entire head of garlic for added flavor.
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Simple Roasted Spaghetti Squash
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Serve it as a side dish or give it a twirl with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese for a low-carb version of your favorite pasta dish. Either way, we guarantee that this squash recipe will become part of your frequent rotation.
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Basic Potato Salad
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When you're in search of a classic side dish to bring to a backyard barbecue or cookout, look no further than this potato salad recipe. We use light mayonnaise for a salad that's a little less dense and creamy.
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Roasted Peppers with Garlic and Herbs
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Choose a colorful assortment of bell peppers to roast for this side dish recipe, which has quickly become one of our readers' favorites of all time. Thinly sliced garlic, dried oregano, and fresh basil add even more flavor.
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Fried Brussels Sprouts
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Our ultimate Brussels sprouts side dish, this recipe calls for deep-frying the sprouts until they're totally crispy. Next, toss them with a dressing made from thinly sliced shallots, red finger chile peppers, fresh lime juice, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
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Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes
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This super simple side dish recipe packs a punch. And it couldn't be easier—all you need to do is place washed whole Japanese sweet potatoes on a sheet tray and roast in the oven until they're totally tender. Season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.
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25of 30
Sautéed Spinach with Garlic and Lemon
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For a quick side dish, whip up this 15-minute spinach recipe. A few bunches of fresh spinach get a boost of flavor from four cloves of garlic and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice.
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26of 30
Mashed-Potato Pancakes
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Turn leftover mashed potatoes into something entirely new, like this side dish, which is one of our readers' favorite recipes. They're mixed with eggs and Parmesan, formed into pancakes, and shallow fried until golden brown and crispy.
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Classic Cranberry Sauce
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Of course, cranberry sauce is a staple on Thanksgiving, but you can make it anytime of the year with this recipe, which calls for fresh or frozen cranberries, sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon.
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Microwave-Steamed Garlic Green Beans
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There's no easier method for cooking green beans than steaming them in the microwave with butter and smashed garlic until they're crisp-tender.
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Potato and Green Bean Salad
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Perfect for a picnic or barbecue, this lighter potato salad features green beans and thinly sliced red onions and is dressed with a light whole-grain mustard vinaigrette.
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Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar
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Come fall, we're all about cooking winter squash, such as this variety. Here, the acorn squash is halved, a little butter and brown sugar is sprinkled over each half, and they're roasted in the oven. It's that easy.
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