7 Make-Ahead Holiday Side Dishes That Will Save You Time

Cooking for a holiday can be overwhelming, even for the uber-organized. Below are seven make-ahead holiday side dishes guaranteed to save you time. Thanks to Crystal Farms® for inspiring today’s Christmas side-dishes recipe collection.

"It just isn't a proper holiday meal if we don't have ____________." ← (Fill in the blank for YOUR family...)

• Candied yams?
• Homemade stuffing? 
• Mashed potatoes and gravy?
• Fresh cranberries? (Or maybe jellied cranberries straight out of the can? Yes, straight-out-of-the-can jellied cranberries ARE a holiday requirement for some people I know.)

The thing is, most of our holiday "must-have" dishes seem to be rooted in our childhood memories.

So when you pull extended family all together under one roof—and several loved ones have a special "must-have" dish request—it takes a great deal of planning, coordination, and patience. Preparing a holiday feast is surely not for the faint-hearted.

But make-ahead recipes can buy you TIME...

Time to greet your guests at the door, instead of being stuck prepping in the kitchen upon their arrival.

Time to spend being part of the lively conversations with your loved ones.

Time to simply breathe.

Being able to take that breath during the holidays is precisely what's going to help you stay calm and enjoy the day.

Below are SEVEN recipes (considered must-have holiday dishes for our family) that you can make ahead to save time.

7 Make-Ahead Holiday Side Dishes That Will Save You Time

But before we get to that list, I HAVE to ask how many of you make this holiday side-dish staple: Cheesy Green Bean Casserole?

It's one of my husband's must-have holiday dishes. Do you know this whip-it-together classic? The main ingredients are canned beans, condensed cream soup, Cheddar cheese and crunchy fried onions too.

Now, personally, I love freshly sautéed green beans. So the first time I tried this holiday favorite of my husband's made with beans from a can, I didn't think I'd like it. But I admit, there's something wonderfully comforting about the cheesy, gooey bottom layer under those crispy fried onions.

Since then, I've read variations of this recipe that use fresh, blanched green beans. But that would never fly at my house. For this must-have dish to be made "right," my husband assures me it, it MUST have three things:

1. Canned green beans

2. Melted cheddar cheese—LOTS and LOTS of Cheddar

3. Crunchy fried onions

French fried onions are required," says the man who hates onions. The man who can spot the tiniest piece of barely there, translucent diced onion in any dish I make the rest of the year, picking it out, so it doesn't "ruin" the mouthful on his fork.

I think he overlooks the crunchy onions because this side dish reminds him of his grandma pulling the steaming casserole dish straight out of that retro oven of hers...

Here's her Cheesy Green Been Casserole family recipe:

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 1 (10 oz) can Cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 oz) can Cream of chicken soup
• ½ teaspoon Black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon Seasoned salt
• ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
• 2 (14 oz) cans Green beans, drained
• 2 cups Crystal Farms shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups French fried onions
• Optional: 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray your casserole dish with a cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the soup, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, Crystal Farms Cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce (optional), and drained green beans.
3. Add the green bean mixture to the casserole dish, and top generously with French fried onions.
4. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

MAKE-AHEAD VARIATION: Mix the ingredients together and refrigerate in an air-tight container. When you’re ready to bake, add French fried onions. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 155Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 19mgSodium 422mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 6g

Disclaimer: Nutrition calculation is automatically calculated and may be inaccurate.

 

I love that you can make this dish ahead of time before any company arrives. Simply add some fried onions right before baking, and you're all set. This is a Thanksgiving and Christmas must-have side dish at our house.

A quick heads-up...

If you're baking multiple things at once on the big day, don't fret too much about the temp for this cheesy casserole. It simply needs to be warmed through. If you're baking at a higher temp, just be careful of burning the fried onions sprinkled on top. Or consider adding them in halfway through the baking process.

Make-Ahead Thanksgiving & Christmas Side Dishes

Here are a few other must-have comfort foods that you can make ahead as Thanksgiving and Christmas side dishes to help give you more family time...

1. Make-Ahead Sausage Stuffing
2. Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
3. Quick & Easy Cranberry Sauce
4. Make-Ahead Parkerhouse Rolls
5. Broccoli Cheese Bake
6. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow & Pecan Streusel
7. Cream Cheese Frosted Cranberry Bars

Make-Ahead Side Dishes For Ham (Christmas Dinner Side Dishes + Bookmark For Easter Dinner Sides Too!)

1. Easy Crockpot Honey Glazed Carrots
2. Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes <— Mashed potatoes are a must-have at our house.
3. Crockpot Mac & Cheese
4. Make-Ahead Scalloped Potatoes
5. Cheesy Potluck Potatoes
6. Hot-Crossed Biscuits
7. Butterfinger Pie: Easy No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe!

BONUS: Cheesy Green Bean Casserole (Of course!)

Now I'm not sure about your family's makeup, but ours has a pretty diverse assortment of world views. Let's be honest friends; this might be an interesting holiday season for us all. That's why I couldn't help but laugh when I came across this classic quote:

That being said...

Make sure you put smiles on everyone's faces this holiday season by serving their favorite must-have family recipes this year!

Cheers,

Love this collection of Christmas side dishes and the list of side dishes for ham? Sharing it would make our week.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Crystal Farms® Cheese. The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”