Happy Friday Reader!

When you ask, "What's for dinner?" you're expecting the answer to be about the main dish, right? I most definitely am.

But sometimes, the showstopper that takes everyone by surprise is a stunningly easy and delicious side dish.

Whether you're planning ahead for the holidays or just looking for something delectable to balance and complement your busy weeknight dinners, I think you'll love this week's easy side dish recipes!

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Our Favorite Easy Side Dishes for Fall

​Creamy Red Skin Mashed Potatoes​

The queen of all side dishes, this basic mashed potato recipe is absolutely sensational! It's creamy, buttery, comfort food perfection that works at any meal. The recipe calls for just four ingredients and is incredibly versatile. Make it with the peels on or off. Add garlic or don't. Decide on your favorite style to serve alongside dishes like my Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf Recipe, Creamy Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes or deliciously tender and juicy Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts.

Get the Easy Recipe: Creamy Red Skin Mashed Potatoes​

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​Quick and Easy Roast Beef Gravy​

No meal with mashed potatoes is complete without gravy and this easy recipe is the MVP of any dinner with potatoes as a side. (I've got a brand new slow cooker pork roast dinner with potatoes and carrots to share with you next week, and the formula for the gravy is very similar to this one. You're gonna swoon!) Quick and Easy Roast Beef Gravy is spectacular with meals like: Easy Slow Cooker Roast Beef, Hot Beef Sandwiches and Mississippi Pot Roast.

Get the Easy Recipe: Quick and Easy Roast Beef Gravy​

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​Oven Fried Potatoes and Onions​

You know I never met a potato I didn't like, and fried potatoes ...? Well, fried potatoes are foodie nirvana, my friend. Can you imagine biting through a salty, peppery, crispy potato to find its tender, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth center? Then, dear heart, we are kindred spirits. You're only four ingredients and a cast-iron skillet away from having these remarkable potatoes for dinner. (And this show-stopping side can easily become the main by pulling it from the oven, cracking eggs over the top and popping the skillet back in the oven until the eggs reach soft-cooked deliciousness.) Serve them with a House Salad and you're golden!

Get the Easy Recipe: Oven Fried Potatoes and Onions​

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​Best Cranberry Apple Salad​

The 2025 cranberry harvest is underway, and we can expect to see fresh cranberries in grocery stores starting in October. Fresh is what you need for this recipe that has become a staple at every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner I have served over forty+ years. It's a cool, crunchy, silky, sweet-tart Jello salad that is as welcome with chicken or pork as it is with my Crock Pot Turkey Tenderloins. It's an easy, refreshing break from heavier holiday dishes, and in our family, it's a delicious tradition!

Get the Easy Recipe: Best Cranberry Apple Salad​

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​Copycat Texas Roadhouse Green Beans (Green Beans with Bacon)​

Easy, buttery, bacon and garlic-studded green beans! These beauties need no explanation if you've ever enjoyed this scrumptious side-dish at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant. These delectable green beans deliver on all things comfort! From young to old, no one can get enough.

Get the Easy Recipe: Texas Roadhouse Green Beans​

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​Slow Cooker Creamed Corn​

Sweet corn — another side dish you can place right in front of me at the dinner table! This creamed corn recipe needs no space on the stovetop. Dump everything in the slow cooker and let it work its magic. This buttery creamed corn recipe also uses cream cheese for ultimate creaminess and flavor. Serve it with easy fall favorites like Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Pork Chops, Easy Slow Cooker Beef Cube Steak, or Easy Slow Cooker Maple Mustard Pork Loin.

Get the Easy Recipe: Crock Pot Creamed Corn​

More Fall Favorite Side Dishes

• ​Sweet Potato Casserole​
• ​Cauliflower Gratin (Cheesy Cauliflower)​
• ​Hashbrown Casserole aka Funeral Potatoes, Easy Side Dish Recipe​
• ​Easy Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce​
• ​Our Favorite Sweet Cornbread Recipe​
• ​Pumpkin Muffins​
• ​Biscuits | Quick & Easy Homemade Bread for Any Meal​
• ​Soda Bread Recipe​
• ​Easy Delicious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe​
• ​Air Fryer Green Beans with Garlic Butter Sauce​
• ​Green Beans and Potatoes Recipe, an Updated Classic​
• ​How to Cook Brown Rice Perfectly​
• ​Kale Salad with Apples and Roasted Butternut Squash​

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Fall side dishes can take center stage when they come from a list of delicious, easy-to-make recipes like this. I hope you'll find several to love as you plan which sides will complement your cool-weather dinner plans.

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend, dear reader. I hope it's filled with delicious food, loved ones to help you prepare and enjoy it, and someone who loves to do dishes! Hugs!

What's For Dinner?

This is the part of the newsletter where I share recipe ideas from some of my best blogging friends and myself to inspire you with what's for dinner at our houses this week. That gives you seven days worth of new recipes to inspire you for your own delicious meal plan. Enjoy!

• ​Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken from Laura at Little House Big Alaska
• ​Turkey Smash Burgers from Gen at Two Cloves Kitchen
• ​Slow Cooker Cube Steak from Glenda​
• ​Fettucine in Alfredo Sauce (No Cream) from Rupali at Caramel and Spice
• ​Instant Pot Beef Tips from Sue at Sula and Spice
• ​Southern Fried Praline Chicken Tenders from Lori at A Reinvented Mom
• ​Easy Crock Pot Enchilada Bake from Kristin at Dizzy Busy and Hungry

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Tools to Make Fall Favorite Side Dishes

These are Amazon and Walmart affiliate links to some of my favorite kitchen tools and ingredients for Autumn side dishes. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases. You can read my affiliate disclosure here.

• ​OXO Good Grips Chef's Mandoline - This is the one I use in my own kitchen. It's sturdy. The rubber legs keep it from sliding around the counter, and it gives me beautiful, even slices of potatoes, apples, onions — whatever needs slicing. It has a good-sized food holder to help protect fingers. The two-sided blade does straight and crinkle-cut. And there are blades built in to julienne vegetables or cut french fries. Set the blade to your desired thickness (there are several) and make up to 21 different kinds of cuts.
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• ​Best Crock Pot - 7 qts, so it can hold enough for a crowd. It features a removable crock, making it easy to clean. Simple controls, easy to use and affordable. Still my favorite even though I own fancier ones. This gets used every week!
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• My 12" Cast Iron Skillet​ - It makes heavenly fried potatoes and is essential to almost every meal I make year-round. But, this is especially handy in the winter for comfort-food cooking. It can be used on the stovetop and in the oven, so it's incredibly versatile.
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• My Deep Dish 9x13 Ceramic Baking Pan is perfect for casseroles, Magic Cookie Bars, cakes and more.​
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• ​Pyrex ​Mixing Bowls I use daily. Of course, they're great for stirring together the ingredients for a recipe. But, they're also perfect for storing leftovers and even for serving things like this scrumptious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad. Another great feature is that they come with lids, so leftovers can easily go straight to the fridge.
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• ​Sheet Pans - My favorite sheet pans are commercial grade and 13x18. This particular one comes with a bonus silicone baking mat.

Visit my Amazon Storefront to explore more of the tools and ingredients I love cooking with at home.