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The main course gets most of the attention, but everyone knows that side dishes are what make holiday meals memorable. Without the mashed potatoes, rolls, veggies and salads, your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham are incomplete. Some sides can even save the day if nothing else on the table went according to plan. (Don't worry — everyone's been there.)
But if you're tired of the same old standbys, this might be a good year to spice things up at the holiday dinner table. Put some pizazz into your potatoes. Try a sweet spin on sweet potatoes. Whip up a wild bread pudding.
Here are nine unusual holiday side dishes that your guests will be talking about for years to come.
The best cornbread stuffing
You can cornbread, you can have stuffing — or you can combine the best of both worlds with cornbread stuffing. This recipe from Yellow Bliss Road "is a moist and fluffy turkey dressing with chunks of sweet cornbread and veggies soaked in an herb-infused broth." Not only will you save room at the dinner table by merging two sides in one, but you can save time by making this recipe two days in advance.
Creamy cranberry and jalapeño dip
Most people wouldn't consider cranberries and jalapeños to be a match made in heaven, but follow this recipe from It's a Veg World After All and you'll find that they're the perfect pairing. Sweet and spicy flavors combine to create an unforgettable Thanksgiving appetizer to delight your taste buds.
The dip goes well with Triscuit crackers, toasted baguette slices, pita chips or regular crackers. If you prefer to skip the cream cheese base, you can turn it into a cranberry and jalapeño relish for your chips. Yum!
Wild mushroom bread pudding with sausage and Gruyère
Sweet, savory and easy to make ahead of time, this wild mushroom bread pudding from SoupAddict might replace your regular, run-of-the-mill stuffing. The only challenge will be saving it until dinnertime.
"This is definitely T-day table worthy – although, I probably would it eat it all up for breakfast. It just wouldn't make it to dinner," wrote one reviewer.
Butternut squash sage pull-apart bread
This one may not be one of the speediest recipes on the list, but reviewers promise that the labor of love will be well worth it! This butternut squash sage pull-apart bread recipe from Tasty mashes up two classic holiday sides in a delicious and easy-to-share way.
Ground ginger, fresh sage and maple syrup are the not-so-secret ingredients that make all the difference for the finished product. Despite its detailed directions, 89% of reviewers say they'd make it again.
Brown butter mashed potatoes
The easiest way to take almost any side dish to the next level is to incorporate brown butter. Southern Living Senior Food Editor Lisa Cericola says that this brown butter mashed potatoes recipe is a must for the holidays.
"This recipe is ultrarich thanks to butter, half-and-half, cream cheese, and a generous swirl of Herbed Brown Butter on top. It is guaranteed to upstage the other sides on the buffet," Cericola writes.
Just try not to drool while you're making it.
Duchess potatoes
Here's another take on the traditional mashed potato side dish. The Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond, calls these duchess potatoes a "fun, frilly and delicious alternative to mashed potatoes."
While normal mashed potatoes are dished out with a huge spoon and plopped on a plate, these are delicately swirled out of a frosting bag and tip, making them pretty as well as tasty.
You and your guests will be impressed!
Citrus salad with spiced honey
Say goodbye to the boring, traditional fruit salad you usually throw together willy-nilly. This citrus salad with spiced honey recipe from Southern Living is a sweet and citrusy alternative that will compliment your main course nicely.
Not only is the dish heavy on the citrus and vitamin C, it is beautiful. When you cut the fruit in just the right shape, each orange and grapefruit slice looks like little fruit flowers or pinwheels.
Definitely spring for the kumquats if you're feeling fancy.
Ginger miso acorn squash with toasted pistachios
If you're not a fan of squash, it's probably because you haven't been using the right seasonings to pull out the flavor. This ginger miso acorn squash recipe from Snixy Kitchen incorporates pistachios, ginger, miso and a few other ingredients to zhuzh up the starchy fall vegetable.
And since acorn squash already has naturally scalloped edges, you won't have to do any extra work to make it look dinner-table-ready. The recipe has been shared more than 1,600 times, so that should tell you something.
Pumpkin spice popovers
You knew there had to be something with pumpkin on the list, but here's a little secret: There's no pumpkin in this Good Housekeeping recipe for pumpkin spice popovers. Since adding puree made the popovers more pudding-like, the Good Housekeeping team decided to try it with just the classic pumpkin spice blend and it was a hit in the blind taste tests. And yes, they really did have Harry Connick Jr. whip these up for them — in case that somehow motivates you to take a crack at the recipe.
Give these unusual side dish recipes a try and you might discover a new reason to look forward to the holidays. Of course, if you love the old classics — green bean casserole, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and Utah's favorite funeral potatoes — there's nothing wrong with that either.
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