50+ Side Dishes for Ham

September 26, 2019
Antonis Achilles; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay Clark
Browse our best side dish recipes for ham, including everything from tender spring veggies to creamy risotto. Ham dinners peak in popularity around Christmas and Easter, but are delicious year-round and are a great solution for group gatherings, family dinners, and easy Sunday suppers. Pairing your ham with a delicious side rounds out the meal nicely, so decide if you're more of a chilled side dish fan or prefer a warm side dish for your meal, then get started. 
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Pineapple Casserole

Photo: Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Mary Clair Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
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. 

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Easy Roasted Butternut Squash

Photo: Antonis Achilles, Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton and Sarah Epperson; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
Easy Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

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

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Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

Photo: Alison Miksch
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.

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Roasted Baby Spring Vegetables

Becky Luigart-Stayner
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.

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Roasted Baby Beet Salad

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Amy Burke
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.

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Scalloped Sweet Potato Stacks

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Amy Burke
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.
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Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts

Nina Choi; Styling: Lisa Lee
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.

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Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

Photo: Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Mary Clair Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
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. 

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Baby Carrot Soup

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Caroline Murphey
Baby Carrot Soup Recipe
Smoky adobo sauce gives this creamy soup a subtle touch of heat that pairs well with the ham's sweetness.
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Fresh Peas with Mint and Green Onions

Photo: Leigh Beisch; Styling: Merilee Bordin
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.

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Lemon Risotto with Peas, Tarragon, and Leeks

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
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.

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Asparagus and Butterhead Lettuce Salad

Photo: Leigh Beisch; Styling: Merilee Bordin
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.
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Two-Cheese Squash Casserole

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.

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Spring Risotto

Becky Luigart-Stayner
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.

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Lemon-Basil Orzo with Parmesan

Oxmoor House
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.
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Two-Toned Scalloped Potatoes

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners
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. 

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Sweet Potato Soldiers

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller    
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.

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Parker House Rolls

Photo: Antonis Achilles; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos and Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Parker House Rolls Recipe

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

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Veggie Potato Salad

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Amy Burke
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.

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Roasted Asparagus Salad

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Caroline Murphey
Roasted Asparagus Salad Recipe
Add even more color by roasting squash, zucchini, carrots, or other favorite veggies with the asparagus.

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Sweet Potato Salad

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.
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Carrot Soufflé

Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke
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.

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Corn Fritter Casserole

Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke
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.

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Marian's Apple-Fennel Salad

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Marian's Apple-Fennel Salad Recipe
Raw fennel is crisp and tasty, a perfect complement to the sweet apples and peppery arugula.
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Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
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.

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Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes 

Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Mary Clair Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
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. 

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Baked Sweet Potatoes

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck
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.

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Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Recipe
Brussel sprouts combine with smoky bacon to create one delicious and quick-cooking side dish.

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Cipollini and Apples with Bacon

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
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.

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Cornbread Dressing

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski
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.
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Sweet Potato Soufflé

Photo: Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Mary Clair Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
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.

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Tarragon Asparagus with Eggs