Best Fall Side Dishes & Easy Recipes

Fall is all about butternut squash, sweet potatoes, earthy mushrooms and warming flavors like cinnamon and maple syrup. Whether you love roasted root veggies or peppery arugula salads, these side dishes are full of irresistible fall flavors. Here, 17 of our favorites recipes.

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Chipotle-Roasted Baby Carrots

For this version of a stunning salad that Alex Stupak serves, baby carrots are roasted simply with smoky chipotles in adobo.

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Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

John Kernick

This Indian twist on a dish of roasted butternut squash is super easy: After tossing the squash and chickpeas with curry and cayenne, Melissa Rubel roasts them, then drizzles the dish with a cooling cilantro-spiked yogurt sauce.

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Warm Mushroom Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

Oyster mushrooms are the ideal mushroom for this salad. To roast them, mix the mushrooms with a delicious garlic oil and save leftover oil for other uses.

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Cauliflower Gratin with Manchego and Almond Sauce

This outrageously rich sauce, flavored with salty, nutty Manchego, gets poured on sautéed cauliflower and baked until it's golden and bubbling.

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Butternut Squash with Homemade Harissa

Harissa, a garlicky North African chile sauce, is usually served with couscous and stews. The homemade harissa featured here is supersimple to prepare, and any extra will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, but jarred versions available at specialty markets make a fine substitute.

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Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Bacon and Brussels sprouts make a perfect fall pairing.

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Roasted Beets and Celery Root with Goat Butter

Goat butter (sold at specialty-food stores; use regular butter if unavailable) is white, smooth and creamy. Chef Tyler Brown likes using it in this riff on the classic pairing of roasted beets and goat cheese.

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Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This unbelievably simple side dish counters the slight bitterness of brussels sprouts with a sweet maple-syrup pan sauce.

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Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin

This impressive fall side combines blanched chard and sautéed leeks, cooked until just tender in a creamy two-cheese sauce made with both Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Squash Gratin with Poblanos & Cream

Chef Julie Robles garnishes this vegetarian gratin garnished toasted pumpkin seeds to enhance the rich flavors of squash and poblanos.

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Turnip Casserole with Porcini Crumb Topping

We love the earthy porcini topping on this rich and creamy turnip gratin, but it would also be fantastic on mac and cheese or other root vegetable gratin.

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Beet-and-Apple Salad

For his salad, chef George Mendes uses fresh horseradish and Gegenbauer cider vinegar, a rare Austrian import. This version calls for jarred horseradish and supermarket apple-cider vinegar.

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Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pine Nuts

This hearty salad combines thyme-scented barley with pomegranate, apple, and pine nuts.

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Creamy Mustard Greens with Fried Shallots

Crisp fried shallots are a terrific contrast to creamy greens, especially when they’re stirred in and sprinkled on top.

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Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

The leftovers of this veggie-packed side dish make a hearty lunch.

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Roasted Beets with Pistachios, Herbs and Orange

Beets are a no-brainer for healthy meals since they taste great even when they’re simply roasted with a little oil. Naomi Pomeroy goes beyond that, topping red and golden beet slices with a lively mixed-herb dressing, pistachios and celery leaves.

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Sweet Potato and Mushroom Salad

Combining savory miso with mustard and oil creates a delicious dressing that's especially good with these roasted sweet potatoes.

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Fall Side Dishes

1 of 17

Chipotle-Roasted Baby Carrots

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Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

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Warm Mushroom Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

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Cauliflower Gratin with Manchego and Almond Sauce

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Butternut Squash with Homemade Harissa

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Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

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Roasted Beets and Celery Root with Goat Butter

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Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin

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Squash Gratin with Poblanos & Cream

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Turnip Casserole with Porcini Crumb Topping

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Beet-and-Apple Salad

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Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pine Nuts

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Creamy Mustard Greens with Fried Shallots

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Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

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Roasted Beets with Pistachios, Herbs and Orange

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Sweet Potato and Mushroom Salad

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