50+ Side Dishes for Ham

Pineapple Casserole Recipe

We altered this traditional casserole to balance out the sweetness, allowing the pineapple and cheese to really shine. The intense flavor makes it an ideal side dish for baked ham. 

Easy Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

This will quickly become one of your favorite ways to prepare squash. Warning: Your kitchen will smell heavenly. 

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad Recipe

Chef Jonathan Waxman taught me how to make this fall salad many years ago. Riff with the ingredients to find the flavor balance you prefer.

Roasted Baby Spring Vegetables Recipe

Use white balsamic vinegar to maintain the vegetables' vibrant hue in this easy dish. Look for baby carrots with tops, which have tender texture and subtly sweet flavor. Small carrots packed and sold as "baby" carrots are actually whittled-down mature vegetables.

Roasted Baby Beet Salad Recipe

Trim the beet tops, but leave part of the stems to ensure the colorful pigment remains inside the beet during roasting.

Scalloped Sweet Potato Stacks Recipe

When assembling these stacks in your muffin tin, place slices from ends of potatoes in the bottom of each muffin cup and use wider slices from the middle of the potato at the top. We also like this with Gruyère instead of mozzarella.

Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts Recipe

These green beans are easy to make and are a healthy variation to the classic green bean casserole. The green beans can be blanched up to a day ahead and then sauteed just before serving.

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe

What’s the secret to super creamy, melt-in-your-mouth mashed potatoes? Your slow cooker. These super simple Crock Pot mashed are easy to prepare and even easier to eat. They get tons of richness, thanks to plenty of butter and milk. Adding a bay leaf takes things up a notch and unveils a layer of savory aromatics that doesn’t overpower or cloy the rest of the dish. 

Baby Carrot Soup Recipe

Smoky adobo sauce gives this creamy soup a subtle touch of heat that pairs well with the ham's sweetness.

Fresh Peas with Mint and Green Onions Recipe

The combination of fresh peas with mint yields a harmonious and nutrition side dish. Peas are in the legume family, and these vegetables are typically high in protein and fiber, yet low in fat and cholesterol.

Lemon Risotto with Peas, Tarragon, and Leeks Recipe

Pair this pleasantly tart side-dish risotto with roasted salmon or halibut. Garnish with long strips of lemon rind and fresh tarragon sprigs, if desired.

Asparagus and Butterhead Lettuce Salad Recipe

The texture of butterhead lettuce keeps this salad light and delicate. You can use any tender, sweet lettuce in place of butterhead.

Two-Cheese Squash Casserole Recipe

This squash casserole recipe is a hit with our users who make it for everything from family dinners to holiday buffets. It's rich, creamy, and sure to satisfy.

Spring Risotto Recipe

Fava beans must be shelled twice. First they're removed from their pods, then blanched, cooled slightly, and pinched to remove the outer skins. Fresh beans taste the best, but canned fava beans will also work when fresh are out of season.

Lemon-Basil Orzo with Parmesan Recipe

Just 6 ingredients are all you need to make this fresh pasta side. The lemon and basil brighten the dish making it perfect for a spring gathering. Add cooked shrimp or chicken for a hearty lunch or light supper.

Two-Toned Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

Using both sweet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes gives classic, comforting scalloped potatoes a delicious upgrade. Perfect for family gatherings and holiday dinners at any point in the year, this impressive potato side dish delivers creamy richness, robust savory flavor, and a delightful crunch with a herby panko-pecan topping. You can assemble the dish (minus the topping) ahead of time and refrigerate up to 12 hours before you’re ready to bake. 

Sweet Potato Soldiers Recipe

This new take on glazed sweet potatoes looks as good as it tastes. We used the slender 'Garnet' variety commonly grown in North Carolina. If you can't find them, any petite sweet potato will work well in its place.

Parker House Rolls Recipe

Buttery, yeasty heaven you can enjoy at brunch, dinner, or whenever. 

Veggie Potato Salad Recipe

According to one of our reviewers, this salad is unique, fresh and delicious. She says that the lemon zest and buttermilk add a delightful zip to the flavor, and the veggies add a great crunch to the otherwise creamy texture.

Roasted Asparagus Salad Recipe

Add even more color by roasting squash, zucchini, carrots, or other favorite veggies with the asparagus.

Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

Mix up your usual potato salad recipe by using sweet potatoes. This dish is full of color and flavor from the jalapeño pepper, parsley, and hot sauce.

Carrot Soufflé Recipe

Because this dish contains no beaten egg whites, it is not a true soufflé. The name, carrot soufflé, is derived from its light airy texture. Similar in color and flavor to sweet potato casserole, it pairs well with ham or turkey.

Corn Fritter Casserole Recipe

This moist, sweet-savory side dish is a cross between corn bread and corn pudding. You can use 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels in place of the canned corn, if you prefer.

Marian's Apple-Fennel Salad Recipe

Raw fennel is crisp and tasty, a perfect complement to the sweet apples and peppery arugula.

Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter Recipe

Be sure to use true baby carrots with tops for best taste and texture; most bagged "baby" carrots will be too tough for this recipe.

Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes  Recipe

This highly comforting, classic dish has never been easier thanks to your trusty slow cooker. Yielding a creamy, savory potato side the whole family will love, this recipe for crock pot scalloped potatoes is sure to be a new holiday go-to. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Baked sweet potatoes are terrific with just a little butter and seasoning. Purists will love this recipe but if you need a little something extra, try sprinkling brown sugar or ground cinnamon over the top for a finishing touch.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Recipe

Brussel sprouts combine with smoky bacon to create one delicious and quick-cooking side dish.

Cipollini and Apples with Bacon Recipe

Tiny cipollini onions become tender and brown, pairing well with the slight crunch from the apples. And the browned onions and pink fruit look just lovely together and brighten up the table.

Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Homemade cornbread is the key to a great cornbread dressing. This one, full of rich flavor, is sure to become a holiday favorite.

Sweet Potato Soufflé Recipe

Sweet and comforting, this soufflé is the perfect holiday dish. The topping provides the perfect contrast in texture to support the soft and creamy soufflé.

Tarragon Asparagus with Eggs Recipe

Choose thick asparagus instead of thin for this dish. The wider spears have an excellent sweet flavor and can stand up to the bold tarragon vinaigrette.

Celery, Apple, and Almond Salad Recipe

Crunch rules in this fall salad. Cut the celery on a diagonal for long, thin slices that will match the shape of the apple slices. We like a tart-sweet Pink Lady or Fuji apple here.

Grilled Corn Pasta Salad Recipe

This vibrant, flavor-packed summer side dish combines a bounty of favorite seasonal flavors into a single, epic pasta salad. The recipe comes from our friends The Food Gays, and they developed this colorful grilled corn dish as a fresher, brighter alternative to the typical mayo-based pasta salads that often show up a summer parties. Packed with fresh produce and dressed in a light and zippy lemon-mustard vinaigrette, this grilled corn pasta salad is anything but boring. Give it a try at your next summer cookout and enjoy as the compliments pour in. 

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint Recipe

A simple, fresh watermelon salad says summer like nothing else. And with the addition of crumbled feta cheese, bright mint, and a chunky olive vinaigrette, the salty-sweet flavor balance of this watermelon salad is especially swoon-worthy. The secret to the salad's Kalamata dressing, which would be excellent with any blend of summer melons, is in the toasted walnuts. The robust nuts temper the intense brininess of the olives to just the right level, while also giving the dressing another layer of rich flavor. If you’re hesitant about salting your watermelon, just trust us on this one—sprinkling the juicy summer fruit with salt actually amps up its sweetness. 

Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe

This festively spiced twist on classic roasted acorn squash is easy, fun, and flavorful.

Frogeye Salad Recipe

It doesn't get more Southern than frogeye salad, which can't help but make eaters reminisce on church potlucks or childhood dinners spent at grandparent's house. 

Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe

While it might not be the best-looking dish on the holiday table, it will be incredibly popular. Super sweet and creamy, this dish will work just as well as a side as it will as a dessert. We guarantee there won't be leftovers. 

Easy Butternut Squash Casserole Recipe

This delightful twist on sweet potato casserole is sweet, warm, and comforting. If you're short on time, use Whole Foods' canned butternut squash purée instead of roasting your own. Marshmallows are optional, but recommended. 

Butternut Squash Noodles Recipe

This dish tastes as good as it looks. You can purchase pre-spiralized squash noodles at many grocery stores, so don't worry if you don't have a spiralizer. Trust us, you won't miss the carbs with these easy butternut noodles. 

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe

Soft, tender, pillowy, and buttery. What's not to love? Once you go homemade, it's hard to go back to store-bought dinner rolls. 

Ambrosia Fruit Salad Recipe

Whether you consider it a salad, side dish, or dessert, ambrosia is a holiday classic. It's quick and easy to make and can sit overnight if you like. 

Best Roasted Veggies Recipe

Parents of picky eaters, rejoice - the kids will actually want to eat these vegetables! It only takes a few pantry staples to transform roasted vegetables into a side everyone will enjoy. These are so savory and delightful, it's hard not to love them.

Braised Brussels Sprouts with Mustard and Thyme Recipe

If your sprouts aren’t equivalent in size, for larger Brussels, cut to a half size for even cooking.

Hasselback Beets with Tangy Dill Sauce and Caraway Recipe

Elevate sweet, earthy beets into a show-stopping side dish with a bold but balanced Eastern European flavor profile and a little hasselback magic. A handy trick for hasselbacking is to place your beets between the handles of two wooden spoons or two chopsticks in order to cut the slices well into each beet, but not all the way through to the cutting board.

Pickle Coleslaw Recipe

Dill pickles, along with a splash of pickle juice, provide a delectable, briny tang that will set this slaw apart from the pack. Fair warning, if you bring this Pickle Coleslaw to a potluck situation, you’re more than likely signing up to be the official coleslaw provider for all future gatherings.  

Instant Pot Melting Potatoes Recipe

You’ve seen the Internet-famous “melting potatoes;” now here’s how to do them in your Instant Pot—i.e. without cranking your oven up to 500°. Buttery, creamy, perfectly salty Instant Pot Melting Potatoes make for a divinely decadent celebration of potato—no cream or cheese necessary. If you want to double the recipe, you’ll need to brown your potatoes in batches, but can steam them all together. Feel free to garnish with a sprinkling of whatever herbs you desire; parsley, sage, or rosemary are all great options. 

The Ultimate Summer Tomato Salad Recipe

Everything about this stunner of a salad screams summer. Visit your local farmers’ market, favorite roadside produce stand, or get your hands on a CSA to bring this seasonal salad to life with the freshest flavors possible. With a variety of vibrant flavors and textures—all tied together with an addictive Herbed Avocado-Tahini Dressing—this dish puts a standard salad to shame. You’ll be sure to turn heads with this beauty at your next family cook out or weekend block party; of course, it’s totally worth making all for yourself, too… because it’s just that good, and you deserve it. 

Sheet Pan Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Peas  Recipe

This dish is all the best of potatoes au gratin packed into the convenience of a sheet pan supper. There’s plenty of crispy, cheese topping that’s got a nice element of fresh thyme flavor, the corners and edges maintain a nice crisp, and the potatoes are perfectly cooked in the center. The ham and peas make this a full meal, but not so much that anyone will feel like this is anything but comfort food. When you’re adding the cheese sauce, shake the baking sheet a bit to make sure the sauce permeates the potato layers and settles in—this will result in perfect distribution and prevent any overflowing in the oven. 

Brussels Sprouts Casserole Recipe

This solid casserole is perfect for a winter gathering and would especially be welcome around the holidays. The strong flavors of sharply biting Brussels sprouts and salty bacon are rounded our with creamy, cheesy goodness while buttery breadcrumbs add a nice crunch. It’d make a perfect side for roasted chicken or pot roast, but it’s also a nice addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas table. 

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Recipe

These sweet-and-salty slow cooker sweet potatoes could not be easier to prep on Thanksgiving morning. Whether you’re looking to save stovetop space or just want to streamline the side dish, these simple sweet potatoes are guaranteed to please. 

Rotel Potatoes Aligots Recipe

This is a marriage of two of the greatest comfort foods of our time: Rotel dip and mashed potatoes. We’re talking very satisfying and suuuuuuper-rich. This would be great served with a protein like pork chops, but you can also add a little milk to turn this into a dip. This method of mashing potatoes essentially emulsifies whole butter into hot potatoes, and it’s important that you work quickly and don’t let the potatoes get too cool. The potatoes will continue to break down as you add the butter, so don’t overmash them. 

Cauliflower-Goat Cheese Casserole Recipe

This simple but hearty casserole has a good balance of sweet-vegetal cauliflower, deeply sweet shallots, and tangy goat cheese, while pine nuts provide some tastiness and textural contrast. Parcooking the cauliflower keeps it from mushing out in the casserole, and using a shortcut like pre-floreted cauliflower helps get this done super fast. Go for a goat cheese log instead of crumbles—it melts much more easily. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, but is tasty and comforting enough for a special occasion.