Recipes Side Dishes 22 Fantastic Fall Side Dishes By Food & Wine Editors Updated on February 25, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Heami Lee / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Cozy flavors of fall beckon us to the table for creamy butternut squash and sweet potatoes, earthy mushrooms, warm spices like cinnamon, and rich maple syrup. From decadent casseroles such as a Manchego-cauliflower gratin to crisp, tender roasted vegetables like a brussels sprouts-broccoli combo studded with cranberries, this collection of seasonal sides is sure to deliver a new favorite autumn dish or two. 01 of 22 Owamni Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Chile Crisp Heami Lee / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Maple sugar lends complex sweetness to chef Sean Sherman's mouthwatering chile crisp, which he drizzles over roasted sweet potatoes. Seek out the freshest sweet potatoes you can find; roasting time varies with variety and size. Get the Recipe 02 of 22 Garlicky Haricots Verts with Hazelnuts Victor Protasio Fresh haricots verts are quickly cooked in beef fat just until they’re crisp-tender, giving them deeply savory flavor without overcooking them. The acidic lemon juice and licoricey tarragon add just enough bright, light flavor to this rich side dish. Get the Recipe 03 of 22 Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli with Cranberry Agrodolce Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee A quick, high-temperature oven roast on a baking sheet yields crispy, golden brown brussels sprouts and almost charred, smoky broccoli. Tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce studded with tart cranberries, Fresno chiles, and shallots, the vegetables become an easy, elegant side dish. Get the Recipe 04 of 22 Chipotle-Roasted Baby Carrots © Christina Holmes These carrots are roasted simply with smoky canned chipotles in adobo, then served with peppery watercress and cooling yogurt. Get the Recipe 05 of 22 Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpeas © John Kernick This Indian-inspired dish with roasted butternut squash is super easy: After tossing the squash and chickpeas with curry and cayenne, we roast them, then drizzle the dish with a cooling cilantro-spiked yogurt sauce. Get the Recipe 06 of 22 Cauliflower Gratin with Manchego and Almond Sauce © LISA LINDER This outrageously rich sauce, flavored with salty, nutty Manchego, gets poured on sautéed cauliflower and baked until it's golden and bubbling. Get the Recipe 07 of 22 Butternut Squash with Homemade Harissa © Karen Mordechai Harissa, a garlicky North African chile sauce, is usually served with couscous and stews. The homemade harissa featured here is super simple to prepare and any extra will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week; jarred versions available at specialty markets make a fine substitute. Get the Recipe 08 of 22 Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta © Petrina Tinslay The only thing better than a full plate of caramelized brussels sprouts is chef Scott Conant's plate of brussels sprouts with pancetta. Get the Recipe 09 of 22 Roasted Beets and Celery Root with Goat Butter © Quentin Bacon 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. Get the Recipe 10 of 22 Warm Mushroom Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette © Anna Williams Oyster mushrooms are ideal for this salad from 2011 F&W Best New Chef Kevin Willmann. To roast them, he mixes the mushrooms with a delicious homemade garlic oil. The recipe yields more oil than you'll use here, so you'll have leftover for other dishes. Get the Recipe 11 of 22 Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin © Con Poulos Chef Michael Symon's impressive fall side combines blanched chard and sautéed leeks, cooked until just tender in a creamy two-cheese sauce made with Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Get the Recipe 12 of 22 Turnip Casserole with Porcini Crumb Topping © ALEXANDRA ROWLEY We love the earthy porcini topping on this rich and creamy turnip gratin, but it would also be fantastic on mac and cheese or another root vegetable gratin. Get the Recipe 13 of 22 Beet and Apple Salad David Malosh 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. Get the Recipe 14 of 22 Squash Gratin with Poblanos and Cream © Con Poulos At Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne's Tavern in Los Angeles (now a second outpost of their restaurant A.O.C.), chef Julie Robles used to make this vegetarian gratin in individual dishes with a topping of candied pepitas. Our version is for one big gratin garnished with plain toasted pumpkin seeds. Get the Recipe 15 of 22 Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds, and Pine Nuts © Tina Rupp Pearled barley cooked with onion and thyme is the base of this grain salad full of wonderful flavor and texture. Toasted pine nuts, tart apple, and deep red pomegranate seeds add crunch and color. Enjoy in the late fall/early winter when pomegranates are in season. Get the Recipe 16 of 22 Creamy Mustard Greens with Fried Shallots © John Kernick Crisp fried shallots are a terrific contrast to creamy greens, especially when they're both stirred in and sprinkled on top. Get the Recipe 17 of 22 Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples © Christina Holmes This delicious quinoa salad is a great meal-in-one. It makes an ideal vegetarian option at the Thanksgiving table and the leftovers make a hearty lunch. Get the Recipe 18 of 22 Roasted Beets with Pistachios, Herbs, and Orange © Fredrika Stjärne Beets taste great even when they're simply roasted with a little oil. Chef Naomi Pomeroy goes beyond that, topping red and golden beet slices with a lively mixed herb dressing, pistachios, and celery leaves. Get the Recipe 19 of 22 Sweet Potato and Mushroom Salad © Chris Court Combining savory miso with mustard and oil creates a delicious dressing that's especially good with these roasted sweet potatoes. Get the Recipe 20 of 22 Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger John Kernick Cookbook author Melissa Clark likes giving slices of winter squash a little wake-up, so she roasts them with maple syrup, olive oil, fresh ginger, and thyme. It's a simple idea, but the combination of flavors highlights the squash in the best possible way. Another bonus: The recipe can easily be made ahead and served at room temperature. Get the Recipe 21 of 22 Brussels Sprout Slaw with Ginger Gold Apple Con Poulos During her tenure at Graft Wine + Cider Bar in the Finger Lakes, chef Christina McKeough used local apples in everything from salads to pie to the tangy mostarda slathered on her smoked Gouda grilled cheese sandwiches. She loves to use a tart-sweet Ginger Gold in this brussels sprout slaw for its crisp texture. We love it, too. Get the Recipe 22 of 22 Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Chorizo Butter Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Smoky and spicy, cured Spanish chorizo infuses melted butter with its rich color and flavor, balancing the natural sweetness of these tender roasted sweet potatoes. Scoring baked sweet potatoes and then broiling them gives them a hint of smoke and lets the chorizo butter soak into every bite. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit