9 Forgotten Classic Vegetable Sides That Used To Be Dinner Staples

When you're cooking up a feast, the sides are every bit as important as the main dish, and vegetables have traditionally played a starring role in many beloved dinnertime accompaniments. Veggie-forward sides like mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and creamed spinach are long-standing favorites for complementing roasted meats and fish, but other once-popular dishes don't feature as frequently on modern-day dinner tables. 

There are plenty of retro vegetable sides that have gradually faded from the spotlight, and in many cases, it's hard to pinpoint why their popularity has waned. Many of these dishes rely on simple ingredients and fuss-free cooking techniques, making them easy enough to recreate today. And while you might not see them quite as often now, these forgotten favorites are well worth revisiting. So, if you're looking to switch up your next home-cooked spread, or simply fancy leaning into the old-school vibes, give one of these nostalgic, veggie-packed side dishes a try.

Creamed corn might be a regular on your dinner table, but another dish that puts those sweet, sunny kernels to use isn't quite as common nowadays. Scalloped corn is a creamy, buttery bake with a wonderfully rich, comforting flavor. It's thought to have originated in New England, and it dates back to the early 1900s — a time when fresh corn was deemed a luxury. The dish remained popular throughout much of the 20th century, particularly in the Midwest, until it gradually fell out of favor.

Scalloped corn is made by combining fresh, frozen, or canned corn with butter, eggs, crushed crackers, and spices, and baking everything in the oven until set and golden. Some recipes also feature milk or half and half for added creaminess, and others are sweetened with a dash of sugar. For the topping, extra-buttery cracker crumbs are the go-to, and you can also throw in some shredded cheese for an even richer finish. 

The result is a warm, luscious casserole with a gloriously crunchy top and gooey middle. Scalloped corn offers a delicious balance of sweet and salty flavors, and it'll taste fantastic with smoky barbecued meats, crisp salads, and other cozy, veggie-based sides.

Allegedly inspired by the university itself, Harvard beets are a vibrant, tangy side dish with a straightforward prep method and plenty of old-fashioned charm. This New England classic dates back to the early 20th century, and it's thought to have been named after its deep red hue, which resembles Harvard's official crimson color. However, some argue that the dish actually has British origins, with its name arising from an American mispronunciation of an English tavern called Harwood.

This dish gets its sweet-tart flavor from a combination of vinegar and sugar, but what sets it apart from traditional pickled beets is the addition of cornstarch. This serves as a thickening agent, and it helps create a sticky, glossy sauce. Everything is simmered gently on the stovetop, and butter is melted in towards the end of cooking, creating a gorgeous, rich, silky coating for the beets. This veggie side dish can be served warm or chilled, and it shines alongside a wide variety of mains. Think pork chops, roasted chicken, or steak.

We've all experienced the joy of a bowl of perfectly fluffy, butter-laden mashed potatoes, but these aren't the only vegetables that lend themselves well to mashing. When whipping up a side of mash, turnips make for a delightfully earthy-sweet alternative to white potatoes. As well as offering a more pronounced savory flavor, turnips also boast a slightly more rustic consistency, and they're packed with nutrients, too.

Evidence suggests that humans were cultivating turnips as far back as 2,000 B.C., and these humble root vegetables were a dietary staple for centuries. Once viewed as a poor person's food, turnips became significantly more trendy towards the end of the 16th century, when they were first introduced to North America. Throughout the 18th century, turnips were still far more widely cultivated than potatoes and thus featured prominently in the diets of many American households. However, as potatoes became increasingly popular and easy to grow, they slowly took the turnip's place as the go-to root veggie.

Mashed turnips are prepared much like their potato-based counterparts, with the vegetables first peeled, diced, and boiled, before they're mashed with butter and seasonings. Or, if you have some leftover roasted turnips knocking about, you can also use these to craft a mash with an extra layer of sweet, caramelized flavor.

Move over, caramelized onions, because creamed onions are an even richer and more decadent way to enjoy this versatile vegetable. This dish has its roots in 18th-century England. At the time, it was often made with heavy cream and served alongside duck meat. Creamed onions later evolved to incorporate a lighter, milk-based sauce, and the dish featured heavily in American cookbooks throughout the 20th century. Creamed onions were once an essential part of holiday feasting for many, but now they're often overlooked in favor of roasted veggies and hearty casseroles.

Sweet, bite-sized pearl onions form the base of the dish. These are first boiled until tender, then combined with a creamy, Bechamel-style sauce that's made with a simple trio of butter, flour, and milk. Seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper, the sauce coats the onions in a rich, velvety layer, which complements the natural sweetness of the veggies beautifully. It's an undeniably comforting dish, and its subtle flavor profile means it fits right in with everything from roasted turkey and glazed ham to buttery greens and creamy mashed potatoes.

If you frequented Chick-fil-A pre-2013, you may well remember the chain's crunchy carrot raisin salad. This side dish hit the menu in 1967 (the same year that the chicken chain first opened its doors), but after 46 years, it was suddenly discontinued — much to the dismay of many devoted fans. During its heyday, carrot raisin salad was often recreated by home cooks, especially after Chick-fil-A published the official recipe. Today, however, carrots and raisins don't seem to be quite as much of a desirable combination.

Made the Chick-fil-A way, this dish combines shredded carrots and canned crushed pineapple with raisins, mayonnaise, sugar, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. The fruit and veggie base brings a refreshing sweetness and crunch, with the raisins adding pops of chewiness, too. The mayo creates a creamier consistency, and the zesty brightness of the citrus works to cuts through the sweet notes. It's a seemingly unlikely mixture of ingredients that works remarkably well together, with the finished dish being beautifully balanced. Served with meat, fish, or vegetarian-friendly mains, this side salad is a lighter alternative to heavy, carb-based casseroles, and it's a colorful addition to meals of all occasions.

Succotash is an old-school Native American side dish that features an array of colorful, nutrient-rich veggies and legumes. It can be traced back to 17th-century New England, where indigenous communities introduced the dish to European settlers. The name succotash stems from the Narragansett term "msickquatash", which refers to boiling corn, and the sweet kernels have long remained a core component of the dish.

Cooked in a skillet, this dish comes together with minimal effort. The corn is traditionally paired with lima beans and other seasonal veggies, with everything sauteed in butter until tender. This recipe is highly adaptable, but summer squash, tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, and mushrooms are all popular add-ins. Bacon is often thrown in, too, for an extra boost of salty, savory flavor, while fresh herbs are great for adding a pop of freshness. When it comes to seasoning, you can keep it simple with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, or inject a touch of warmth with spices like cumin and cayenne pepper. Succotash makes an excellent accompaniment to hearty mains like barbecue ribs or breaded chicken, as well as carb-forward sides like potato salad or broccoli rice casserole.

A lighter take on scalloped potatoes, scalloped cabbage is a cozy, budget-friendly side that requires just a handful of simple ingredients. This dish was born out of the Great Depression, when it served as a satisfying staple for families looking to stretch their grocery budgets further. Much like with the popular potato dish, the term "scalloped" refers to the cooking style, which sees the cabbage combined with a creamy sauce and finished with a crispy topping. This term likely stems from an old-fashioned method of cooking oysters in scallop shells with similar ingredients, which later evolved into a layered casserole baked in a dish.

The dish begins with boiled, shredded cabbage, which is then sauteed with plenty of butter, salt, and pepper. The cabbage is then layered up with a white sauce and cheese, and baked until tender and gooey. The crispy top generally comes in the form of breadcrumbs or crushed crackers, although some recipes skip this element altogether. Either way, the resulting dish is rich, comforting, and loaded with savory flavor. Try serving it with crispy pork belly or herby roasted chicken.

Potato puffs are essentially the less fussy cousin of duchess potatoes — a rather fancy-looking French recipe first published in the 1700s. The original French dish sees a mashed potato mixture piped into decadent swirls before everything is oven-baked, and it remains a popular choice amongst chefs and dinner party hosts alike. The "puff" version takes a far simpler approach, with the piping step skipped, and the potato instead cooked in rounded dollops. Records suggest that home cooks were enjoying potato puffs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, though they appear to have declined in popularity since. Despite this, we'd argue that they're just as worthy of a spot on modern-day menus as their elegant French counterparts.

To help the mashed potatoes crisp up as they bake, they're generally mixed with beaten egg and a splash of milk or cream. Some vintage recipes also call for grated onion to amp up the savory flavor, and you could absolutely jazz the potato puffs up with extra herbs and spices if desired. Melted butter is another go-to for bringing a touch of richness, whether mixed into the potato itself or brushed on top before baking. 

These would also be great candidates for cooking in the air fryer for an ultra-crispy, golden finish. Pair the potato puffs with proteins and veggies of your choice, and you've got a well-rounded meal that's sure to please fans of old-fashioned home cooking.

This retro side dish was a mid-19th-century staple, crafted with convenient canned ingredients that were hallmarks of the era. As the name suggests, canned asparagus casserole starts with a humble can of tender green spears, which are combined with a few creamy and crunchy extras to transform the veggies into a crowd-pleasing side. 

There are plenty of variations on this dish, but in its simplest form, it requires just four ingredients. The drained asparagus is added to a baking dish, before canned cream of mushroom soup is poured over. Topped with crushed cheese crackers and dotted with butter, the casserole is baked until irresistibly golden and crispy on top. Other recipes might throw in extra veggies like canned peas or diced shallots, or they might boost the protein content with the addition of chopped, hard-boiled eggs. A sprinkling of grated cheddar, Gruyere, or Parmesan wouldn't go amiss either, and the crackers can easily be swapped for panko breadcrumbs if preferred.

The mild, savory flavor of canned asparagus casserole makes it especially versatile, and it feels just as appropriate for a simple weeknight meal as it does for an elaborate Sunday spread. It would sit particularly nicely alongside flaky fish, from baked cod to a decadent salmon en croûte, but there are few dinner table staples this nostalgic side wouldn't complement.