Food & Cooking Recipes Dinner Recipes Dinner Side Dishes Our Most Popular Side Dishes of All Time These side dish recipes are crowd-pleasers for a reason. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 19, 2024 Close Photo: Diana Chistruga While the main dish often gets all the glory, we think the sides are pretty special, too. As it turns out, our readers 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 delicious to complete a weeknight dinner or even a holiday feast. Whether you only have 10 to 15 minutes or can dedicate a couple of hours to cooking, our favorite side dishes are guaranteed to please your family and friends, no matter the occasion. 28 Potluck Side Dishes Guaranteed to Please Everyone 01 of 30 Perfect White Rice Emily Laurae 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. View Recipe 02 of 30 Sautéed Baby Bok Choy Christina Holmes 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. View Recipe 03 of 30 Sweet Potato Casserole John Kernick 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. View Recipe 04 of 30 Roasted Red Potatoes Emily Laurae 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. View Recipe 05 of 30 Perfect Brown Rice Diana Chistruga All you need is brown rice (short grain or long grain will work), water, and salt to cook this perfect side dish. View Recipe 06 of 30 Easy Creamed Spinach Diana Chistruga 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. View Recipe 07 of 30 Roasted Cabbage Wedges John Kernick 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. View Recipe 08 of 30 Easy Steamed Artichokes If you've never cooked artichokes, this recipe will walk you through everything you need to know. Serve with our favorite hollandaise sauce for dipping. View Recipe 09 of 30 Bulgur Grant Webster 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. View Recipe 10 of 30 Oven Roasted Asparagus This simple method for cooking asparagus as a side dish is one of our favorites—and it's one of yours, too! View Recipe 11 of 30 Creamy Scalloped Potatoes Adrian Mueller 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. View Recipe 12 of 30 Roasted Squash With Parmesan 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. View Recipe 13 of 30 Mexican Street Corn David E. Steele 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. View Recipe 14 of 30 Flaky Buttery Biscuits Grant Webster 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. View Recipe 15 of 30 Cucumber Salad With Sour Cream and Dill Dressing One of our most popular side dishes is this simple make-ahead salad. All you need to do 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. View Recipe 16 of 30 Braised Red Cabbage With Apple and Onion 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. View Recipe 17 of 30 Dauphinoise Potatoes Diana Chistruga 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 topped with grated Gruyère cheese, which gets golden brown and crispy once baked. View Recipe 18 of 30 Cilantro-Lime Rice Give basic white rice a tropical spin by mixing it with a makeshift salsa verde. All you need to do is blend together cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and garlic. View Recipe 19 of 30 Garlic Mashed Potatoes Mikkel Vang 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. View Recipe 20 of 30 Simple Roasted Spaghetti Squash Standard 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. View Recipe 21 of 30 Basic Potato Salad Andrea Araiza 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. View Recipe 22 of 30 Roasted Peppers With Garlic and Herbs Roland Bello 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. View Recipe 23 of 30 Fried Brussels Sprouts Martyna Szczesna Our ultimate Brussels sprouts side dish, this recipe calls for deep-frying the sprouts until they're completely 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. View Recipe 24 of 30 Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes Johnny Miller 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 tender. Season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil before serving. View Recipe 25 of 30 Sautéed Spinach With Garlic and Lemon 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. View Recipe 26 of 30 Mashed-Potato Pancakes 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. View Recipe 27 of 30 Classic Cranberry Sauce Aaron Dyer Of course, cranberry sauce is a staple on Thanksgiving, but you can make it any time of the year with this recipe, which calls for fresh or frozen cranberries, sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon. View Recipe 28 of 30 Microwave-Steamed Garlic Green Beans 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. View Recipe 29 of 30 Potato and Green Bean Salad 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. View Recipe 30 of 30 Baked Acorn Squash With Brown Sugar Con Poulos 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. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit