22 Best Side Dishes To Serve with a Holiday Roast

If you've got a holiday roast on the menu and need inspiration for what to serve along with it, you've come to the right place. These 22 side dish recipes span the gamut from crispy roasted potatoes and creamy gratins to fresh salads and braised onions... there are at least one or five dishes you can add to your table.

Bookmark this page for future holiday menu planning, or dig into our picks right now! And don't forget to read through the helpful tips and tricks from our editors, contributors, and readers.

1. Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

"For this recipe, the baby potatoes should be 1 to 1 1/2 inches across. If your potatoes are larger, consider quartering them." —Kayla Hoang, Simply Recipes Contributor

2. Yorkshire Pudding

"Yorkshire pudding should puff dramatically. Letting the batter rest for at least 1 hour will help, so don't skip it!" —Simply Recipes Editors

3. Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes

"Chop the potatoes evenly into 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks. This will ensure that the sweet potatoes cook in the same amount of time." —Rachenl Knecht, Simply Recipes Contributor

4. Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella

"While you can dig into it almost immediately, you can make it up to 4 hours in advance. Technically, it can hold for even longer because the vegetables won't wilt and the bread will continue to soak up more flavor." —Sheela Prakash, Simply Recipes Contributor

5. Celery Root Mash

"To remove the fibrous bits that may be in celery root, some cooks like to peel or cut away all the brown spots on the root after it's been peeled." —Simply Recipes Editors

6. Kimchi Stuffing

"If you don’t have time to make homemade kimchi, you can always get a jar from the store. Any brand will do, since you’re going to cook it with all the other good stuff, like nuts, vegetables, and seasoning." —Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee, Simply Recipes Contributor

7. Creamy Southern Lima Beans

"You want to avoid making this too salty. Don’t add additional salt until the beans have finished cooking because the smoke meat and stock will add their own saltiness." —Sharee Hill, Simply Recipes Contributor

8. Braised Onions

"This recipe shows you how to prepare braised pearl onions two ways - "brown braised" in which the onions are first sautéed in butter to brown, or "white braised", in which the onions are simply braised then cream is often added and reduced." —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

9. Potatoes Au Gratin

"To prep the potatoes, peel them (or don’t if you want a more rustic dish) and slice them thinly (approximately 1/8-inch) with a knife, a mandoline, or the easiest by far, the 4mm slicing disk of your food processor." —Sally Vargas, Simply Recipes Contributor

10. Brussels Sprout Slaw

"The best part about this Brussels sprouts slaw? It holds up exceptionally well, meaning you can dress it ahead of time to make dinner prep a breeze. Prepare the ingredients up to 3 days in advance and toss with the dressing up to 2 hours in advance." —Micah Siva, Simply Recipes Contributor

11. Vegan Stuffed Squash with Brown Rice and Mushrooms

"The vegetables and rice for the filling and the roasted squash halves can be prepped a day or two ahead. Warm them on the stovetop or in the microwave before continuing with the recipe." —Sabrina Modelle, Simply Recipes Contributor

12. Instant Pot Collard Greens

"Always look for leaves that are bright green, have no bruising, and don’t look wilted. You want the freshest produce for better results." —Sharee

13. Lemony Broccoli Rabe with White Beans

"For this recipe, cut the thicker stalks of broccoli rabe (also known as rapini) in half lengthwise and then cut them into shorter lengths to help them blanch more quickly and make them easier to eat." —Sheryl Julian, Simply Recipes Contributor

14. Duchess Potatoes

"For perfectly shaped potatoes, pipe first, then chill them for an hour or overnight in the fridge before brushing on the butter and baking." —Simply Recipes Editors

15. Green Beans With Almonds and Thyme

"I just tried this recipe tonight and WOW! Everyone loved these beans! My son does not even like green beans but he loved this recipe. The only thing I did differently was use a spicy dijon mustard. This is a keeper!!" —Gina, Simply Recipes Reader

16. Balsamic-Glazed Red Onions

"Roast them for a whole hour – don’t skimp on the timing. The finished onions should be practically melting by the time they're done." —Sheryl

17. Sautéed Fennel With Fennel Fronds

"This recipe calls for fennel with the stalk and fronds still attached. If your grocery store sells only the trimmed bulb, don’t fret; it’s still worth making! Simply use dill and celery instead of the fennel fronds and stalk." —Emily Weinberger, Simply Recipes Contributor

18. Creamed Spinach

"Use fresh or frozen spinach for this classic recipe, we'll show you how." —Simply Recipes Editors

19. Sabzi Polo (Persian Herb Rice)

"For this recipe, you'll need to wash and soak the rice before cooking. Washing the rice removes the excess starch, preventing sticky rice. Soaking the rice before cooking shortens the cook time and produces tender, separate, and fluffy grains full of aromatic notes." —Mersedeh Prewer, Simply Recipes Contributor

20. Super Crispy Roasted Potatoes

"Waxy, medium-starch potatoes are best for roasting, and I prefer Yukon Golds or red-skinned potatoes." —Robin Asbell, Simply Recipes Contributor

21. Classic Glazed Carrots

"Cut carrots into uniform sized pieces so each piece cooks evenly." —Simply Recipes Editors

22. Cauliflower Gratin

"To make it lower carb, we substituted half and half for the milk, chickpea flour for the flour, and almond meal for the breadcrumbs. It looked fabulous and got lots of compliments." —Emily, Simply Recipes Reader