The 10 One-Pan Sides Our Readers Love Most—All Big Flavor, Zero Fuss

Your favorite one-pan side dishes.

By
Genevieve Yam
Genevieve Yam headshot
Genevieve Yam
Senior Editor
After graduating from the International Culinary Center, Genevieve cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se. Prior to joining Serious Eats, she was an editor at Epicurious. She grew up between Toronto and Hong Kong and is a graduate of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two cats.
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Published November 14, 2025
A bowl of creamy corn garnished with herbs on a wooden surface with golden utensils alongside

Serious Eats/ Lorena Masso

I'll be the first to admit that sides are often an afterthought in my house. I'm usually so focused on getting an entrée on the table—whether a sheet-pan meal, hearty stew, or pasta—that sides are often a well-dressed green salad or roast potatoes. They're simple, reliable, and delicious, but they do get boring after a while.

If you, like me, are in desperate need of side dish inspiration, you've come to the right place. Below, we've gathered the one-pan side dishes our readers have saved the most with MyRecipes, our free tool for saving and organizing recipes. They include a creamy corn casserole, meltingly tender cabbage, and crisp baked sweet potato fries. They're straightforward and unfussy recipes, proving that a great side doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming to make. 

Love these recipes? Join MyRecipes to save them. It's so easy—and free!

  • Sautéed Mushrooms

    Overhead view of a plate of sauteed mushrooms

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    For savory, meaty-textured, and deeply browned mushrooms, start by steaming them, which allows them to release excess moisture quickly and ensures they don't become soggy. Subsequently cooking the mushrooms uncovered drives off that moisture, leading to deep, flavorful browning. Add some aromatics like fresh thyme, garlic, and shallots, and you're guaranteed a dinner-party-worthy side.

  • Corn Casserole

    Overhead view of sweet and savory corn casserole

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

    This creamy casserole comes together in a single cast iron skillet, which allows a seamless transition from stovetop to oven. Incorporating both eggs and cream creates a custard-like consistency, balancing heartiness with a silky texture that binds the casserole.

  • French Onion Melting Potatoes

    Plate of baked appetizers topped with breadcrumbs and a fork with a slice of bread on a table

    Serious Eats / Brittney Cottrell, Food Stylist: Tricia Stuedeman, Prop Stylist: Keoshia McGhee

    These melting potatoes feature the classic French onion soup flavors you love, reimagined as a hearty side. Yukon Golds turn wonderfully creamy when roasted, and reducing the sauce on the stovetop concentrates its flavor and ensures a glossy, spoonable finish.

  • Three-Bean Salad

    Bowl of mixed bean salad with greens and utensils on a patterned tablecloth

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    This crisp-tender, tangy three-bean salad comes together in minutes—perfect for cookouts, potlucks, or any table that needs a fresh, easy side. A brief rest allows the beans to marinate in the vinaigrette, the onion to mellow and soften, and the flavors to meld into a balanced salad.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below

  • Melting Cabbage

    cabbage on a platter with plates, forks and green napkins, and cups on the sides

    Serious Eats / Jen Causey

    Searing the thick cabbage wedges before braising allows the exterior leaves to develop caramelized edges, enhancing their flavor and rich visual appeal. As the cabbage braises, it becomes silky and meltingly tender. Pair it with roast chicken or juicy pork chops, or serve it over a simple pasta or with rice.

  • Braised Asparagus

    Braised asparagus served on a plate

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    There are many ways to cook asparagus, but one of our favorite ways at Serious Eats is to braise it. Briefly searing the asparagus helps it develop savory, caramelized flavor, and cooking the vegetable with stock and butter over high heat creates a reduced, emulsified sauce that coats each stalk.

  • Creamed Kale

    A bowl of creamed kale on a red tablecloth

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Ward

    Spinach isn't the only leafy green worthy of a creamy spotlight. Kale, with its hearty leaves and faintly bitter, earthy flavor, works just as well. When softened properly, the vegetable retains just enough structure to stay lively in the sauce, instead of disappearing into cream the way spinach sometimes can.

  • Crispy, Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

    Hand dipping a sweet potato fry into a bowl of sauce sweet potato fries arranged on a plate

    Serious Eats / Mateja Zvirotić Andrijanić

    For sweet potato fries that actually stay crisp, all you need is your oven and a clever cornstarch trick. A simple cooked cornstarch slurry forms a thin, even coating on the sweet potatoes that crisps in the oven without turning dark or dusty, mimicking the light crunch of a deep-fried fry.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below

  • Patates Lemonates (Greek Lemon Potatoes)

    Closeup of a serving plate of Greek lemon potatoes.

    Vicky Wasik

    This classic Greek side of potatoes is the perfect foil to hearty roasted or grilled meats and seafood. Roasting the potatoes with a combination of chicken stock, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice—along with a healthy amount of dried oregano—produces their characteristic tender texture and sunny aroma.

  • Creamed Corn

    A bowl of creamy corn garnished with herbs on a wooden surface with golden utensils alongside

    Serious Eats/ Lorena Masso

    Put the cream back in creamed corn—with a Midwestern party twist. "Milking" the corn extracts the best flavor from fresh summer sweet corn while adding starch for a silky mouthfeel, and a mix of heavy cream and sour cream balances richness and tang.

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