Dinner Side Dishes

Pave, the French word for "paving stones," is a term chef Thomas Keller uses to describe any such rectangular or square food preparation. Try his recipe -- a slightly more refined version of scalloped potatoes -- for an unforgettable holiday side dish. Excerpted from "Ad Hoc at Home," by Thomas Keller (Artisan Books. (c)2009. Photo credit: Deborah Jones

This side pairs well with London broil, lamb burgers, or grilled chicken.

You may not have considered cucumbers for a vegetable sauté, but these will change your mind.

In the height of tomato season, making a fresh salsa to go with those tortilla chips is a must.

This baked pudding is also called kugel. It's made with noodles and often eaten during Jewish holidays. Serve it as a side dish with meat and vegetables.

Serve this hearty Southern dish as an entree, or alongside comfort fare like fried chicken or pork chops.

Because a spaghetti squash is difficult to cut through when uncooked, we found that roasting it whole is the easiest way to prepare it for this spaghetti squash recipe. Follow this recipe, then use the strands of spaghetti squash to make one of our other recipes, like Spiced Squash Pancakes, Roasted Squash with Parmesan and Herbs, Spaghetti Squash Gratin, or Quick Turkey Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash.

This side goes well with roasted pork or turkey.

All it takes is a sprinkling of salt and pepper to enhance the earthy flavors of the carrots in this simple side dish.

Layer pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw and cucumber, both of which provide crisp, cool counterpoints to the rich meat.

Serve alongside our Baked Cod with Olives and Rosemary Lentils.

The secret to mushrooms that are beautifully browned and not watery is taking a hands-off approach. Stirring them as they caramelize releases the mushrooms' liquid and causes them to steam, so leaving them alone is the way to go.

Everyone will ask for seconds of this casserole made with mashed sweet potatoes and a marshmallow topping that's a perfect combination of gooey and crunchy. With the help of a little nutmeg for flavor, this casserole is sure to be a new favorite.

Halving some of the tomatoes gives this side a range of textures.

With in-season produce like zucchini, tomatoes, and bell peppers, all you need is a little seasoning to bring out their fresh flavors.

This member of the lily family has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Asparagus is at its peak from February through June and is a good source of fiber, folic acid, and potassium.

Eggplant can be roasted whole or in slices, like zucchini; toss slices on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper before roasting. The flesh can be used in recipes such as baba ghanoush and eggplant caviar.

This classic potato dish is always on everyone's favorites list for a Thanksgiving side.

Skip the sour cream and give a mushroom-topped spud a better finish: a generous dollop of yogurt, plus a little cheddar and chives.

Sweet potatoes give the classic French sliced-and-layered potato dish pommes Anna a fall twist. This recipe appears in our cookbook "Martha Stewart's Vegetables" (Clarkson Potter).

This tangle of cabbage and carrot is dressed with a balance of tangy mustard, mayonnaise, and creamy sour cream to create the standard slaw.

This healthy snack you can make ahead and have a container handy when you are on-the-go.

This is a fast and flavorful healthy side dish for tonight's supper.

This delicious recipe for mashed potatoes enriched with cream cheese came from Martha's mother, Mrs. Kostyra.