Our Best Side Dishes for Steak

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. 

Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

For a pan of classic, special occasion-worthy mac, our easy baked macaroni and cheese recipe is the best around. You’ll want to whisk warm milk into the flour mixture to ensure a lump-free sauce. We also recommend shredding your own cheese, rather than buying pre-shredded cheddar, for a creamier texture. (We tested this baked mac and cheese with Cracker Barrel Extra-Sharp Cheddar.) Follow these simple tips, and you’ll have yourself the perfect pan of golden, creamy macaroni and cheese, ready for any occasion, in no time flat. 

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. 

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. 

Wedge Salad On A Stick Recipe

Everything you love about a classic wedge salad, but in portable, party-perfect form. 

Cacio e Pepe Roasted Potato Salad  Recipe

Replace your standby potato salad with this riff on Cacio e Pepe pasta. Cheese and potatoes are an indisputably good combination—and this side's sure to become a picnic, cookout, and even a weeknight favorite. Try this peppery potato salad alongside a grilled steak and be sure to serve it immediately to retain the potatoes' crispy texture. 

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. 

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Bacon Recipe

If you thought you loved your Instant Pot, just wait until you make a rich and gooey bowl of macaroni and cheese within minutes. The Instant Pot’s pressure function allows you to skip the entire process of boiling water, cooking, and draining the pasta saving valuable time over a traditional stovetop mac and cheese recipe. And we keep the cheese sauce quick and convenient, as well as decadently creamy, by utilizing canned evaporated milk—an affordable staple that you may already have in your pantry. Plus, evaporated milk packs less fat than using heavy cream, which means you can feel a little better about all the cheese you’re pouring in to make a beautiful melty finish. We opted for a blend of cheddar and Gouda cheeses, but feel free to go all-cheddar or try adding another favorite cheese to the mix.

Roasted Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Tired of plain mashed potatoes? Cauliflower, milk, and butter are added here to create a rich, creamy side. Serve with gravy and a succulent cut of roast beef.

Brussels Sprout-and-Leek Slaw with Bacon and Pecans Recipe

Pomegranate, Avocado, and Citrus Brussels Sprouts Salad Recipe

Be sure to toss the salad gently so the pieces of orange and avocado keep their shape. Pair with a fall chili or tacos.

Roasted Broccolini Recipe

Leggy, small-flowered broccolini is a hybrid of regular broccoli and Chinese broccoli. It's great steamed, but glorious roasted: The color and flavor deepen, and the florets get delectably crisp--almost as though they've been fried. Roasted regular broccoli is also delicious, though it won't get quite as crisp.

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. 

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Recipe

Instant Pot Butternut Squash is the easy fall side dish recipe that everyone needs in their repertoire. This simple recipe is similar to your go-to roasted butternut squash, yielding browned edges and a melt-in-your-mouth tender interior, but made in your go-to countertop appliance. Make your own by adding your favorite spices and herbs to the cubed butternut squash. 

Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon and Pecorino Recipe

Haricots Verts with Warm Shallot Vinaigrette Recipe

Applying heat to the dressing allows the shallots to mellow and the mustard and rosemary to steep in the olive oil.

Roasted Baby Spring Vegetables Recipe

Use white balsamic vinegar to maintain the vegetables' vibrant hue. 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.

Grilled Corn in the Style of Oaxaca Recipe

It may seem unusual to spread sour cream and mayonnaise over grilled corn, but trust us - it's really good. Sweet corn combined with the creamy mixture, salty cheese, and spicy chili powder is an irresistible union of flavors.

Ultimate Crispy Ranch Smashed Potatoes Recipe

This practical (and much tastier) alternative to loaded potato skins is both fun and filling. The savory potatoes are crisp and salty on the exterior, and soft and creamy inside.

Parker House Rolls Recipe

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

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Recipe

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

Balsamic Onion Stacks Recipe

Kale Salad with Apple and Cheddar Recipe

The classic delight of sweet apples and extra-sharp white cheddar cheese meet in Kale Salad with Apple and Cheddar to give the vitamin-enriched green an extra boost of flavor.

Twice Baked Potatoes With Fontina and Chives  Recipe

If you’re ready to go beyond the standard pot of mashed potatoes, we highly recommend giving these cheesy, twice-baked spuds a go for your next dinner party or holiday feast. We love the nutty-rich flavor and creaminess that the combo of Parmesan and fontina provides, but feel free to switch up the cheese to include your favorites. This recipe is easily adaptable to include whatever stir-ins you’re craving—from crumbled bacon to wilted spinach. If you want to get a jumpstart on your prep, these potatoes can be made up to 2 days in advance through step 2 of the recipe. 

Green Salad with Olive Vinaigrette Recipe

This quick yet elegant salad, with its bracing bitter and salty notes, plays well with any rich, meaty main course. The recipe comes from Grant Crilly, head chef and cofounder of the free online cooking school ChefSteps. He developed it to go with his Beef Bourguignon "Steaks."

Creamed Curried Spinach Recipe

Curry powder adds warmth and earthiness to this speedy version of creamed spinach. Whole milk yogurt gives the side a luscious mouth feel and plenty of body. Serve with steak or with seared planks of spice-rubbed tofu.

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

Give your sweet potato fries a spicy kick with chili powder.

Lemon-Garlic Swiss Chard Recipe

This dish pairs nicely with steak or seared scallops.