There’s something about fall that makes cooking everything at once feel completely reasonable.
The main dish always gets the spotlight, but the sides are what make a fall dinner feel complete.
From cheesy potatoes to warm salads, these 14 recipes are the ones worth coming back to this time of year.
Go through the list and see which one stands out first!
14. Loaded Mini Hasselback Potatoes
These little potatoes look fancy, but they couldn’t be easier to make.
A hasselback cut lets melted garlic butter soak into every crevice while they bake.
Once they come out of the oven, they’re piled high with sharp cheddar, crispy bacon, sour cream and fresh chives.
Using a mix of white, red and purple potatoes makes the platter look festive, and they work equally well as a side dish or a passed appetizer.
13. Everything-Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
These fries take a fun turn with everything bagel spice.
Sweet potato gets a salty, garlicky kick from the seasoning, plus a sprinkle of crumbled ricotta salata for good measure.
The trick to crispy oven fries is soaking the sliced potatoes in water first, then giving them plenty of room on the baking sheet so they don’t steam each other.
Serve them with a quick horseradish mayo dipping sauce, and you’ll never want fries any other way.
12. Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
This colorful salad is packed with fall’s best flavors.
Roasted butternut squash, Tuscan kale, tart dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and crunchy pepitas all come together in one bowl.
Instead of a typical apple cider vinaigrette, this salad is tossed in a creamy, smoky chipotle ranch dressing made with buttermilk and mayonnaise.
Serve it as a light main dish or portion it out as a side for roast turkey or chicken.
11. Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cornbread Croutons
This salad turns Brussels sprouts into something you’ll actually crave.
Shredded sprouts get a quick blanch to mellow out any bitterness, then get tossed with tart cranberries, creamy Gorgonzola and candied pecans.
Homemade cornbread croutons, dried out low and slow in the oven until crisp, are what really set this one apart.
Served warm next to a simple main, it turns an average fall dinner into something people ask about.
10. Latkes (Potato Pancakes)
No fall or winter table feels complete without a batch of these.
Grated Russet potatoes and onions get mixed with just a touch of flour, salt and pepper, then fried until golden and crispy on the edges.
The key is using starchy potatoes and resisting the urge to over-drain the mixture.
They turn even the simplest roast chicken dinner into a full holiday spread.
9. Homemade Whipped Potatoes
These potatoes are seriously fluffy, and they only take one pot.
Russet potatoes are boiled, then whipped with butter, milk, garlic powder and onion powder using nothing more than a hand mixer.
The whipping motion creates tiny air pockets that give these potatoes a lighter texture than traditional mashed potatoes.
A bowl of these next to any fall main is what turns dinner from ordinary to special.
8. Jalapeño Corn Casserole with Cheddar Cheese
This creamy corn casserole always disappears fast.
It has the texture of a corn pudding, with just a touch of tang from pickled jalapeños, and it’s made with only six ingredients.
Cheddar cheese gets added during the last few minutes of baking so it melts perfectly on top.
It’s rustic enough for a simple dinner but special enough to anchor a fall holiday table.
7. Homemade Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
Skip the canned stuff this year.
This homemade cranberry sauce is made with fresh cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and a hint of nutmeg, and it comes together on the stovetop in about 20 minutes.
Unlike jellied cranberry sauce, this whole berry version keeps some texture, since the berries pop as they cook.
One spoonful next to a plain roast is enough to make a fall dinner feel like a real occasion.
6. Honey Cornbread
This cornbread is proof that homemade beats the box every time.
Made with buttermilk and sweetened only with honey, it’s moist, simple and rustic, and it comes together nearly as fast as a mix. It’s also easy to make gluten free with a flour swap.
A warm slice next to a simple fall dinner makes the whole meal feel more complete.
5. Sweet Biscuits
These biscuits are only mildly sweet, and that’s exactly the point.
Heavy cream and Greek yogurt stand in for buttermilk, giving them a tender texture that’s more like a shortcake than a classic Southern biscuit.
With just three tablespoons of sugar in the whole batch, they stay light rather than sugary.
Adding a basket of these to a simple fall dinner turns it into a proper sit-down meal.
4. Brussels Sprouts Casserole with Crispy Onions
This is the fall side dish for anyone who skips green bean casserole.
Blanched Brussels sprouts and sauteed mushrooms get baked in a creamy, garlicky sauce, then topped with crunchy fried onions during the last few minutes of baking.
The result is warm and rich, with just enough crunch on top to keep every bite interesting.
3. Potatoes Au Gratin with Corn and Gruyere
This side dish makes a simple dinner feel like a special occasion.
Thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes are layered with sweet corn and baked in a rich, creamy sauce made with aged Gruyere cheese and garlic.
There’s no flour needed here, since the potatoes are starchy enough to thicken the dish on their own.
Set it next to a plain roast chicken and dinner suddenly looks like a holiday meal.
2. Autumn Harvest Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
This salad has it all, and it shows in every bite.
Crispy pan-fried chicken, sharp cheddar, crunchy candied pecans, juicy Honeycrisp apples and salty bacon all get tossed with a honey Dijon dressing.
It’s colorful, hearty and packed with fall flavor from start to finish.
1. Creamy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Lager Beer
Topping the list is the ultimate fall comfort food!
Sharp cheddar, cream cheese and just enough pumpkin puree bring in fall flavor without overwhelming the dish, while a splash of lager beer adds an earthy, hoppy depth.
Baking it for a few minutes at the end gives it a golden, bubbly top with no breadcrumbs required.
Set next to a simple main dish, this one turns dinner into the best part of the whole fall season.
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