Every time I ask my followers what they want to see in terms of holiday content, I get an overwhelming request for one thing. Easy side dishes to bring to houses for the holidays. And you know what? I feel you. I think we make this way harder than it needs to be though. Personally, I always want to bring something new and different that everyone will ooh and ah over. But it doesn’t have to be like that. And once you get over that misconception you’ll be golden.
I do have several great side dish ideas for you to bring over to friends’ houses and potluck dinners this holiday season. Some are good to go without any additional steps once you arrive, but some have a few tips. And I think that’s fine. Just make sure to ask the host if you can use their microwave or oven to do whichever step you need to. Likely, if they’re asking everyone to bring side dishes, they probably have a little bit of space. Just don’t request the oven for an hour! But a quick 20 minute heat up, or 10 minutes to brown the marshmallows is all you need, just ask!
Tips
I also wanted to share a few tips to bringing food over to people’s homes so things don’t go awry. Don’t always expect that they have serving utensils for everything. Bring them just in case so you have them available. And if you’re bringing something hot but don’t want to take up their oven, invest in a $20 thermal carrier. This one from Amazon is perfect! If you have a large lunchbox or even a regular cooler, that can work too. Anything that’s insulated will help keep things warm or hot.
And lastly, if you do need to heat something up, be sure to write down any information about the dish if need be. Does it need to be heated up for 10 min at 350? Put it on a post-it note and pop it on the top. This way if the host wants to handle warming things, they know what to do!
5 Easy Side Dishes To Bring To Thanksgiving
Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie
I love this simple side dish so much and is essential for Thanksgiving meals. It’s easy to whip up ahead of time and can be transported already heated up and ready to go. If you don’t want to fuss with the maple bourbon glaze, just leave it out and up the sugar a tad in the sweet potatoes.
Tip To Transport
If you can use your host’s oven, you can finish this off there with marshmallows on top for about 10-15 minutes. I recommend heating it up at your house first and transporting it so you aren’t taking up a whole 45 minutes of cook time in the oven. You can also add the glaze to the top before heading out the door and it’ll be just fine!
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Simple Green Beans
I’m telling you, you don’t have to go fancy and overthink this. Simple green beans with lemon and shaved cheese will be a perfect side dish. Everyone needs to eat their vegetables and this is a nice light side dish that looks pretty too.
Tip To Transport
A quick nuke in the microwave will bring these back to life. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and top with your cheese shavings.
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Roasted Beet + Farro Kale Salad
I haven’t made this in years and I’m about to change that. This salad screams fall harvest. With colorful roasted beets and carrots, hearty kale and chewy farro (a favorite grain of mine), this dish is a beauty. It can be served cold too so this is the ideal side dish if you’re looking to not fuss with anything at all.
Tip To Transport
Bring in a serving dish with serving utensils. The kale can withstand the dressing for a few hours without it getting soggy so feel free to make this the day of and bring when you’re ready.
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Butternut Squash and Shaved Brussels Salad
One of my favorite salads ever. I make this all year round it’s so good. This is a beauty of a dish and is actually fairly easy to transport! This dish can be served entirely cold if you like. But if you want the mix of hot and cold with the roasted veggies, you can totally transport it that way too.
Tip To Transport
If you want to keep your roasted veggies hot for this, just keep them separate from the salad after you roast them. Arrange the rest of the salad on your platter and cover with plastic wrap. When you get to your host’s house, pop the tupperware of roasted veggies into the microwave until heated (won’t take long!). Then toss over the salad and drizzle the dressing. It’s really not that complicated and I think worth the extra step.
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Baked Brie Mac & Cheese
This recipe is on my to-make list. I love mac and cheese and I love baked brie. Macaroni and cheese is always a really easy dish to whip up and transport. And who doesn’t love the cheesy goodness? Really, any mac & cheese makes for a great side dish to bring. But why not try a new one?
Tip To Transport
Heat at home and transport in a warmer. You can always add this to the oven to get it back up to temp for a few minutes.
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Featured image from Half Baked Harvest
