60 Easter Side Dishes to Go with Ham, Lamb and Everything in Between

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, low carb, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Have you heard? Brussels sprouts are the new potatoes. This six-ingredient wonder is practically foolproof. "Boil the sprouts until tender, flatten them with a cup, then roast on a sheet pan until golden brown and crisp around the edges," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen explains. "I opted for Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, but you could flavor them with any combination of seasonings."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, gluten free
• Serves: 6 to 8

"It's like a brighter, fresher version of that onion-topped casserole, with a tangy dressing that will make you rethink all your former opinions on green vegetables," Gillen says. It stars pantry staples like maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and mustard. Try it on Brussels sprouts next.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

Spice up your Easter side dish rotation with this Central New York favorite, which is like an Italian-American take on a typically hearty green vegetable. If you can't find fresh cherry peppers, use jarred; just be sure to wash the escarole well, since it grows in sandy ground. "I've found the easiest way to do this is to chop off the bottom of the head and separate the leaves before giving them each a thorough rinse," Gillen notes.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, sheet pan recipe, gluten free
• Serves: 3 to 4

I said it once and I'll say it again: Parm and black pepper for president. They really do make everything taste *that* much better. "It's a simple (15 minutes!) yet flavorful upgrade to your usual summer squash coins," Gillen asserts.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, one pan
• Serves: 4

Would the Easter Bunny protest if you borrowed his favorite snack for your brunch? I don’t think so. "The smoky, flavor-packed result makes an excellent side dish to salmon or pork tenderloin," former PureWow food editor Heath Goldman claims. "Should there be any leftovers, top them with a fried egg and serve with toast for breakfast."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <500 calories, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Everything is better when you top it with buttery breadcrumbs—it's just a fact. Add a creamy white sauce, butter and salty Pecorino to the mix, and you have an easy home run. "This au gratin is perfect for your holiday table, [since] it can be prepped in advance, in individual portions or in one big family-size baking dish," Goldman writes.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, low carb, gluten free
• Serves: 6 to 8

Put Parmesan cheese and black pepper together and they’ll work magic on pretty much any ingredient, Brussels sprouts included. This Easter side dish comes together on a sheet pan for peak-simple cleanup (and for impeccable browning).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser, <500 calories
• Serves: 6 to 8

Root vegetables never looked (or tasted) this good. They're cut super thin, stacked and arranged in a skillet to form a photogenic spiral. Bonus? There’s only one dish to clean, which means more time to enjoy that Easter basket.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <500 calories
• Serves: 10

Well, aren't you fancy? (The crust is store-bought puff pastry, but your shortcut is safe with me.) "It's best to use a sweet apple to complement the tanginess of the cheese," recipe creator James Rich writes, "so try a Braeburn or royal Gala instead of Granny Smith. You can either bake this as individual tarts or as one large tart, in which case just roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle."

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian, low sugar
• Serves: 6

This salad is packed with peas, asparagus and wild mushrooms to showcase the best produce of the Easter season. "Panzanella is usually made with stale bread that is a day or two old," Goldman explains. "If you're starting with fresh bread, toast it in a 300°F oven until it's dry (but not golden), about 10 to 15 minutes."

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
• Serves: 4

Crushed red pepper flakes and garlic give this simple, crowd-pleasing Easter side dish its signature kick. "This recipe calls for homemade breadcrumbs, which are an excellent way to use up the stale loaf of bread you can’t bring yourself to toss," Goldman says. "Simply tear up a loaf, blitz it in the food processor and use as needed to instantly upgrade a dish."

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, low carb
• Serves: 4 to 6

I love the combination of juicy cherry tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini, but feel free to switch it up based on your own Easter menu. "Roasting naturally sweet tomatoes and bell peppers makes them taste even more intense, while the eggplant turns soft, creamy and luscious," recipe creator Karen Tedesco explains.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegan, gluten free, sheet pan recipe
• Serves: 4

Flavorful? Check. Minimal cleanup? Check. Cute as can be? You know the answer. "The vegetables steam and come out on the firmer side of al dente, so if you prefer yours cooked a little more, add ten minutes to the overall cooking time," recipe creator Louise Kenney writes.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, <30 minutes, kid-friendly
• Serves: 4

While I wish Ina Garten (and Jeffrey) could grace my Easter table, I'll settle for one of the Barefoot Contessa's recipes instead. "“The combination of green vegetables and cheese is a good idea but I prefer roasting broccolini (it’s sweeter and more tender than broccoli) and, instead of making a sauce, I simply melt good sharp cheddar on the broccolini," she explains.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, <500 calories
• Serves: 4

The tangy-sweet-spicy dressing is pretty much impossible to mess up—just blitz all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. "I like to shave the raw vegetables very thin on my mandoline," recipe creator Kirsten Buck writes. "It makes for a beautiful salad with lots of color and texture."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, low carb, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

Easter brunch wouldn't be complete without at least one eggy dish on the menu. And these two-bite handhelds have a secret, flavor-packed ingredient: store-bought salsa. "It adds great flavor that complements sweet potato, bacon and broccoli," Buck explains. "Make the muffins ahead of time and store them in the fridge to have a grab-and-go option for busy weekdays."

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 12

Ditto for rolls. These are 1,000 times softer and more buttery than the kind from a tube. Plus, the baking method makes them easy to pull apart, and guarantees a golden brown, crisp exterior and pillowy interior.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 8

Why are these potatoes the best, you ask? Well, they’re smothered in cheese and cream for one, and they can be prepared ahead. Allow me to I refer you to the boatload of Gruyère cheese if you have more questions.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, low sugar, vegan, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

The natural sweetness of the beets and citrus complement the peppery arugula to a T. To keep your hands from turning bright pink, you can peel the beets' skins with paper towels. But if you're trying to be eco-conscious, use a dish towel that you don't mind staining instead.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, low sugar, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

"I love crispy potatoes in all forms," recipe creator Whitney Otawka writes. "When serving potatoes as a side dish, I find it incredibly appropriate to make them such an irresistibly crunchy delight that you can't put them down." The TLDR? Save the mashed potatoes for another holiday.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 12

The flatbread itself is simple to prepare, which leaves you with ample time to create an Easter masterpiece with the decorative garnishes. "It's a simple flatbread—a lot like making pizza dough or focaccia, and it only needs an hour to rise," recipe developer Erin McDowell says. "It's just a few ingredients, but with some thoughtful arrangement of scallions and chives on top, you get this almost blooming garden effect."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

A potato side dish is always a beautiful thing, but this one is especially so. "They're delicious with a steak, obviously," recipe creator Alex Jackson says, "but since these are potatoes cooked in butter, they are delicious with anything." If you have a mandoline, use it to make the slices super thin.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes (plus soaking time)
• Why I Love It: vegan, gluten free, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Even if you’re not vegan, you’ll be blown away by this creamy dressing, which is made without dairy. "The cashew dressing is one of my go-to recipes for so many dairy-free variations," recipe creator and author Aran Goyoaga told PureWow. "You can even reduce the amount of water to two or three tablespoons to create a more spread-like consistency."

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, no cook, vegan
• Serves: 8

This refreshing Easter side dish is a combination of a few of my favorite things: kale, Brussels sprouts, slaw and Caesar salad. But TBH, you can use pretty much any winter greens or cabbage you'd like—just be sure to shred them as thinly as possible.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegan
• Serves: 4

Why not use Easter as an excuse to kick off grilling season? It's never too early, if you ask me. "By chargrilling [broccolini] in a drizzle of avocado oil, you're getting a dose of healthy fats, while a grating of lemon zest transforms the flavor," cookbook co-author Megan Hallett writes.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegan
• Serves: 4

Roasting the red peppers for the sauce gives them a rich, soft quality and brings out their color. But if your guests are coming in a few minutes, jarred roasted red peppers will work in a pinch. Make an extra batch of the sauce and keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to five days to spread on sandwiches, serve with seafood or use as a dip for any veggie you love.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

If I'm being honest, I was sold at the first mention of burrata. "Broccoli rabe is a wonderful bitter green that becomes less bitter the longer it cooks," recipe creator Jeanine Donofrio explains, "which is why I blanch it, then sauté it with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

For an elegant twist on the usual glazed carrots, try harissa and honey. It's sticky, spicy and goes great with yogurt sauce. Not only does a yogurt moat look super fancy, but it also adds a ton of creamy richness and much-welcome tang to the Easter side dish.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, < 500 calories
• Serves: 4

Boiled green beans? Yawn. These babies are lightly blistered in a hot skillet for a major texture and flavor upgrade. "Cook them as fast as possible to blister the skin and keep their bright green color and crunch," recipe creator Abra Berens advises.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, low carb, <500 calories
• Serves: 6

Yes, you can serve ranch dressing at the Easter feast. After all, this one is made with goat cheese, so it's classy. The peas are also blanched, resulting in the perfect tender-crisp texture and a striking verdant color.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

This salad is simple on paper, but the contrasting textures (crispy chickpeas, sturdy greens, paper-thin shaved cheese) make every bite more exciting than the last. The dressing is much like a traditional Caesar, down to the anchovies.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <500 calories, low carb
• Serves: 6

Go ahead, skip the lettuce in favor of a seasonal vegetable. Asparagus is finally back in season, so spring for a fresh bundle from your local farmers market. (And don't you dare skimp on the Parmesan.)

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, one pan, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

While I love crispy Brussels sprouts, this creamy casserole boasts just the right amount of indulgence for a holiday. Think of it as a green mac and cheese topped with jammy, sweet caramelized onions.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 10

Alternatively, if you're not into creamy vegetable dishes, you should try pancetta-garlic breadcrumbs instead of sauce to jazz things up. The aromatic topping does double-duty in terms of both flavor and texture, delivering that extra crunch you crave.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <500 calories
• Serves: 6

They look like you spent all morning in the kitchen, but they start with store-bought puff pastry dough. No one will clock your cheater's shortcut under all that fresh spring produce and creamy ricotta cheese.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, <500 calories
• Serves: 8

I know sweet potatoes are more of a winter thing, but I love this spicy Easter side dish so much that I'm serving it at my own holiday dinner. "[The pesto] is spicy, tangy and salty, and it adds a bit of texture to roasted sweet potatoes," recipe creator Jake Cohen explains. “Chilis and pistachios bloomed in olive oil become the base, made from herbs and three types of citrus juice and zest."

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

I have a soft spot for savory pies, and this one is particularly delicious thanks to a layer of creamy cheese. Plus, it's a galette, aka a lazy hostess's rustic equivalent to pie that requires no fancy crimping or assembly.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes (plus marinating time)
• Why I Love It: no cook, make ahead, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

The longer this salad sits, the better it tastes. In other words, it's begging to be prepared in advance. "The feta provides salt, while its marinade becomes a dressing, which is quite convenient and makes the raw zucchini sing," recipe creator Charlotte Druckman explains.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: low carb, low sugar, <10 ingredients, vegan
• Serves: 4

Raw radishes are peppery and sharp, but pop them in the oven for 30 minutes and they become sweet, tender and Easter-ready. "I love them alongside roast chicken or slow-cooked salmon...or sliced on bread smeared with salted butter," Goldman adds.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

I bet you’ve never served onions as an Easter side dish before...but you should. “They taste super sweet and jammy and make a tasty foil for sharp black pepper, rich butter and a touch of salt,” PureWow food editor Taryn Pire says. "I started with the smallest yellow onions I could find in hopes that they'd fit in my muffin tin. Most were too big to fit snugly at the start, but they shrunk significantly in the oven anyway."

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6 to 8

Remember what I said about Parm and pepper? Yep, it works for cauliflower too. It's sort of like a decadent, low-carb alternative to mac and cheese, and it's only eight ingredients away (including salt and pepper).

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

Here’s proof that toast isn’t just for breakfast. Pair it with your farmers market haul and it becomes an Easter-ready side. When they’re in season, recipe creator Sarah Copeland uses Meyer lemon juice, or sometimes a combination of lemon and orange juice, for extra sweetness.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, low carb, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

I'll never say no to feta, no matter how it's prepared. But marinated and baked until melty just happens to be one of my favorite ways to make it. "This grazing-style dish is a filling lunch or a thrilling first course, served with toasted pita," Copeland writes.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Salads are a necessary part of the spread, but they aren't always impressive. This one is built on a cutting board so you can see all the pretty toppings and easily access them, instead of digging to the bottom of a giant bowl for them.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8

Easter is a celebration, and I like to celebrate with bread. "Making your own bread can feel really complicated, but the flavor and texture that you get is so worth it," McDowell writes. Make these buns on the smaller side (so you can eat more than one).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, high protein
• Serves: 6

It’s a veggie and a carb all in one bubbly, cheesy dish. What more could you want? "Swap spinach out for any kind of exciting fresh or frozen greens," recipe creator and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver writes. "I also sometimes add bread crumbs to the top for bonus crunch."

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 9

These biscuits have a secret: They're made from boxed mix and lemon-lime soda (and they're impossibly fluffy). "These biscuits are buttery, feathery and so fragrant while they're baking that people can't wait for them to come out of the oven," recipe creator Dora Charles raves.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, low carb, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

Make extra chile oil—it so good that you'll want to drizzle it over just about everything. While grilling will add a satisfying smoky note to the dish, you can just as easily cook it in your oven. Might I suggest using a grill pan indoors as a tasty compromise?

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, beginner-friendly, sheet pan recipe
• Serves: 4

Everything roasts on a single sheet pan, so you can relax after the big meal instead of worrying about the dishes. "If you have perfect sweet-tart tomatoes, feel free to leave them raw," Berens writes, "but roasting will evaporate the extra moisture and concentrate their acidity. Plus, you can make your oven do double duty while the cauliflower cooks."

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: one 12-inch loaf

Easter is as good a reason as any to whip up this savory monkey bread. "Each piece of the soft, buttery dough is stuffed with a creamy mixture of caramelized onions, goat cheese and herbs," McDowell gushes. "It's fantastic for weekends, game days or dinner parties—and it's best served warm."

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <500 calories
• Serves: 12

It's like your favorite dip, only in pielet form. Your relatives will be so charmed by the nostalgic, savory filling that they won't question the store-bought puff pastry base. Promise.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, low carb, <500 calories
• Serves: 12

For the record, I would devour these as an appetizer or a snack too, but they certainly work as an Easter side dish (especially if you're serving steak or lamb). Good luck stopping after one or two.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Swap the usual blue cheese dressing for vinaigrette and suddenly, a wedge salad sounds modern. It's zippy, refreshing and herbaceous, thanks to dried oregano and a handful of pantry staples that you likely already have in your kitchen.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

A filling side that you can make four days in advance? Happy Easter to you. It's bright, tangy and fruity, plus it lasts for up to four days in the refrigerator, fully assembled. (That means you should make it ahead to save yourself some stress on the big day.)

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, <500 calories
• Serves: 4

They're meatless, flavorful and ready in 30 minutes—the ideal accompaniment to any entrée. "The mushrooms practically create their own pan sauce while roasting in the oven," recipe creator Alex Snodgrass explains. "At the end of the cook time, I simply thicken the liquid with a slurry to create an almost gravy-like sauce." Might I suggest pork tenderloin or strip steak for pairing?

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, low sugar
• Serves: 12

Choosing between sweet and savory on Easter brunch? You couldn't possibly. Her recipe calls for a Belgian waffle maker with deep pockets, but you could use any type of iron really. Just adjust the cooking time as needed, removing the waffles when they're golden brown and cooked through.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes (plus chilling time)
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 8

You'll look like a professional pastry chef, and your guests will get to nosh on a rich, cheesy potato pie. That's a win-win, if you ask me. "Replace the potato with an apple, preferably one with red skin," recipe creator Dorie Greenspan suggests. "Or, for fun, make the tart with alternating slices of potato and apple."

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

These aren't your typical, mushy glazed carrots. Instead, they're crisp-tender, just sweet enough and brightened up with a touch of vinegar. The Easter Bunny would totally approve of this five-ingredient masterpiece, I'm sure of it.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

As it turns out, a little olive oil, salt and heat can work wonders for out-of-season tomatoes, so you can dream of summer even if there's still an early spring chill in the air. (Even so, I'm here for the mozzarella.)

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free
• Serves: 2 to 4

Poor celery almost never gets to soak up the spotlight, but I know you have some hiding in your fridge. Transform it into this unexpected salad, which hits all the right notes of creamy, crunchy, spring-y and bright.