30 Dishes People Keep Returning to During the Holiday Season

As the holidays get closer, familiar dishes start calling everyone back to the table. These are the recipes people tend to drift back to year after year, often tied to comfort and tradition. Each one feels like a small reminder of why this season is so special. It’s that mix of nostalgia and flavor that keeps these dishes in steady rotation.

The Broccoli Casserole Everyone Expects Back

A spoon full of cheesy broccoli casserole in a baking dish. — Quick Broccoli & Cheese Sauce Casserole. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This is the cozy green side families quietly count on every year—creamy, nostalgic, and the first dish scraped clean at holiday dinners.
Get the Recipe: Quick Broccoli & Cheese Sauce Casserole

Mashed Potatoes Guests Drift Back To

Butter on top of a bowl of mashed potatoes. — Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Mascarpone Cheese. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

My All-American Summer Menu 🇺🇸

FREE EMAIL BONUS: Delicious summer recipes just in time for the season

Silky, rich, and quietly luxurious, these mashed potatoes are the kind people compare to last year’s—and hope show up again.
Get the Recipe: Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Mascarpone Cheese

The Slaw That Balances Heavy Holiday Plates

A bowl of creamy coleslaw with shredded purple cabbage, carrots, and herbs sits on a gray cloth napkin next to vintage silver utensils—perfect as one of your favorite dinner side dishes. — Creamy Red Cabbage Coleslaw With Buttermilk. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

When the table gets rich and heavy, this crisp, colorful slaw is the side people keep reaching for between bites.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Red Cabbage Coleslaw With Buttermilk

Scalloped Potatoes That Never Miss a Holiday

A close-up of homemade scalloped potatoes with a golden, bubbly cheese and cream topping, sprinkled with black pepper. A serving spoon rests in the dish, and a small bowl of grated cheese is visible in the background. — Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Casserole With Gruyere. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

These bubbling layers of potatoes and cheese are the dish guests scan the table for before they even sit down.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Casserole With Gruyere

The Retro Salad That Always Comes Back

A bowl of carrot raisin salad with a serving spoon. — Old Fashioned Carrot Salad With Raisins. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This sweet, crunchy classic feels like a throwback—and that’s exactly why it keeps earning a spot year after year.
Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Carrot Salad With Raisins

The Pasta Salad Guests Remember Later

Parsley pesto pasta in a bowl with serving spoons. — Parsley Pesto Pasta Salad With Walnuts. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Fresh herbs and nutty crunch make this pasta salad stand out in a sea of casseroles—and linger in people’s memories.
Get the Recipe: Parsley Pesto Pasta Salad With Walnuts

The Pea Salad No One Admits They Love

A bowl of pea salad with a serving spoon. — Creamy Pea Salad With Cheddar Cheese. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

It’s the humble side people tease—until they’re quietly spooning on seconds before the ham is gone.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Pea Salad With Cheddar Cheese

The Veggie Side Everyone Talks About

Roasted cauliflower with brown butter in a serving bowl. — Spicy Roasted Cauliflower With Browned Butter. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This is the vegetable dish that surprises people—rich, nutty, and gone faster than anyone expects.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower With Browned Butter

The Casserole Families Ask For Again

A broccoli rice casserole in a skillet. — Creamy Broccoli Rice Casserole Without Canned Soup. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This scratch-made favorite earns loyalty fast—and once it’s served, it’s expected at every holiday after.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Broccoli Rice Casserole Without Canned Soup

The Squash Bake That Signals the Season

A Butternut Squash Casserole topped with golden breadcrumbs, chopped walnuts, and fresh parsley sits on a gray surface, surrounded by parsley sprigs, whole walnuts, two forks, and a plate. — Savory Butternut Squash Casserole With Bacon. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

When this shows up, everyone knows the holidays have officially arrived—and leftovers are fiercely guarded.
Get the Recipe: Savory Butternut Squash Casserole With Bacon

The Mac and Cheese That Defines Comfort

A spoon scooping out creamy mac and cheese from a black bowl. — Southern Old Fashioned Macaroni And Cheese Recipe. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This baked classic isn’t optional—it’s the dish people would notice immediately if it didn’t make an appearance.
Get the Recipe: Southern Old Fashioned Macaroni And Cheese Recipe

The Lighter Side That Always Belongs

A platter of green bean and potato salad. — Green Beans And New Potato Salad With Honey Vinaigrette. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Amid rich casseroles, this bright, fresh side earns its place by keeping plates balanced and bites interesting.
Get the Recipe: Green Beans And New Potato Salad With Honey Vinaigrette

The Crunchy Salad People Miss Most

A bowl of broccoli salad on a serving tray. — Broccoli Salad With Cranberries And A Honey Yogurt Dressing. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Sweet, crisp, and creamy, this is the salad people look for first when filling their plates.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Salad With Cranberries And A Honey Yogurt Dressing

The Cozy Rice Bake Worth Waiting For

A serving spoon in a baking dish of butternut squash casserole. — Butternut Squash Casserole With Wild Rice. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This hearty, elegant bake is the kind of side that quietly becomes a tradition before anyone notices.
Get the Recipe: Butternut Squash Casserole With Wild Rice

The Comfort Dish That Feels Like Home

A serving spoon removing some potato and ham casserole. — Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes And Ham. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Rich, familiar, and deeply satisfying, this is the dish that makes the whole meal feel complete.
Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes And Ham

Apple & Sweet Potato Comfort Everyone Returns To

A close-up of a freshly baked apple crumble pie in a white dish, with a golden-brown crumb topping—perfect for Thanksgiving Apple Desserts. Whole apples and a towel are in the background. — Layered Apple And Sweet Potato Casserole. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

As the holidays approach, this apple and sweet potato bake is the cozy classic people quietly hope shows up every year.
Get the Recipe: Layered Apple And Sweet Potato Casserole

Cheesy Cauliflower Guests Always Ask For

A spoon taking out a serving of cauliflower casserole. — Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Once this cheesy cauliflower hits the table, it becomes one of those dishes guests start expecting as the holidays near.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

Creamed Corn That Feels Like a Tradition

A skillet filled with creamy, cooked corn kernels being stirred by a wooden spoon. The creamed corn appears to be seasoned and mixed with a rich, creamy substance, creating a luscious texture. The background is a grayish cooking surface. — Super Creamy Skillet Creamed Corn. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This skillet creamed corn is the kind of simple, comforting side people drift back to when holiday menus start taking shape.
Get the Recipe: Super Creamy Skillet Creamed Corn

Sweet Potatoes With a Twist Worth Returning To

A Spoon full of sweet potato casserole. — Sweet Potato Casserole With Tart Peaches. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This peach-studded sweet potato casserole adds just enough surprise to become a side people remember when holidays roll around again.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole With Tart Peaches

Green Bean Casserole People Count On

A serving spoon in a green bean casserole made from scratch, — Creamy Green Bean Casserole Without Canned Soup. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Made from scratch and endlessly comforting, this green bean casserole is the side everyone hopes hasn’t been skipped.
Get the Recipe: Scratch-Made Green Bean Casserole

Potatoes Au Gratin No One Wants Missing

Potatoes au gratin in a baking dish with a serving spoon. — Crispy Potatoes Au Gratin With Gruyere. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Rich, cheesy, and deeply familiar, these Gruyere potatoes are the kind of dish that anchors the holiday table every year.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Gruyere Potatoes Au Gratin

Sweet Potatoes and Pears Worth Repeating

Balsamic vinegar being poured over roasted sweet potatoes. — Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Pears. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This sweet-and-savory pairing quietly becomes a repeat request once people taste it during the holiday season.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Pears

The Fresh Side People Secretly Miss

A clear glass bowl of corn salad with blueberries. — Grilled Corn Salad With Blueberries. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

When heavy holiday dishes pile up, this bright corn and blueberry salad is the one guests are glad someone remembered.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Corn & Blueberry Salad

Roasted Cabbage That Wins People Over

Cabbage roasted in the oven with cherries on a platter. — Roasted Cabbage In The Oven With Dried Cherries. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This roasted cabbage surprises first-timers and quickly becomes one of those dishes people look for each holiday.
Get the Recipe: Oven-Roasted Cabbage With Cherries

Cranberry Sauce Everyone Compares Others To

A bowl of chunky homemade cranberry sauce with visible walnut pieces, served with a silver spoon. Walnuts are scattered on a cloth napkin in the background. — Homemade Cranberry Sauce. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Once this cranberry sauce shows up, it quietly resets expectations for what belongs on the holiday table.
Get the Recipe: Walnut & Orange Cranberry Sauce

Candied Sweet Potatoes People Crave

Sweet potatoes cooking in a skillet. — Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Soft, buttery, and deeply nostalgic, these sweet potatoes are the side people start thinking about long before the holidays arrive.
Get the Recipe: Stovetop Candied Sweet Potatoes

Green Beans No One Leaves Untouched

A bowl of Green Beans with Bacon and Onions, topped with crispy bacon pieces and caramelized onions, sits on a light cloth napkin with serving utensils. A small dish of extra bacon crumbles is nearby for added flavor. — Savory Green Beans With Bacon. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Bacon and onions make these green beans impossible to ignore, especially once holiday appetites kick in.
Get the Recipe: Bacon Green Beans

Roasted Cauliflower People Go Back For

A black platter of roasted cauliflower with garlic next to serving spoons. — Roasted Cauliflower With Garlic & Raisins. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This sweet-savory cauliflower quietly earns repeat scoops once holiday meals stretch into long, lingering dinners.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower With Raisins

Asparagus That Feels Right for Holidays

A platter of asparagus with mushrooms next to a container of balsamic vinegar — Roasted Balsamic Asparagus And Mushrooms. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Balsamic-roasted vegetables like this asparagus dish are what people reach for when holiday sides need balance.
Get the Recipe: Balsamic Roasted Asparagus & Mushrooms

Simple Green Beans That Always Fit

Easy Fresh Green Beans And Mushrooms. Photo credit: Intentional Hospitality.

These fresh green beans are the dependable side that quietly earns its place as holidays come closer each year.
Get the Recipe: Fresh Green Beans With Mushrooms

Explore Recipes

MSN Slideshows