Sometimes dinner is ALL about the side dishes. Sure you could have slaved over a roast chook but EVERYONE is hanging for the potato bake. Anyone at a BBQ will tell you they look forward to the salads everyone brings the most. Right? Here are 12 stellar side dishes that are fair dinkum show stoppers!
The best way to get fruit or vegetables into fussy (or just plain resistant) bellies is to make them DELICIOUS. And if they look good, that’s the perfect starting point. After all, we eat with our eyes first.
Here are 12 epic side dishes you’ll want to pair dinner with this week!
1. Smashed Cheesy Garlic Sweet Potatoes
Combining everyone’s favourite flavours of garlic and cheese, the whole family will agree that these sweet potatoes are oh-so-good. If you’re ready for a hit of vegetables – this smashed cheesy garlic sweet potatoes recipe is a top 10 HIT.

2. BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado
Oh my. All of my favourite things are in one bowl, sandwiched together in a delicious creamy dressing. You’ll be winning at life with this BLT pasta with avocado salad recipe, you’ll find it in our 10 epic salads roundup post!

3. Baked Potatoes
The side dish that is often SO MUCH MORE than just a side dish, you can’t go wrong with baked potatoes. Keep them simple or add a whole lot of flavoursome toppings, the choice is all yours!

4. Mexican Layered Salad
Can you top a salad with crushed Doritos and still call it a salad? YES, YOU CAN! Full of flavour, and texture and with a definite Mexican slant, people are going to be requesting the details for this steller Mexican layered salad recipe in droves!

5. Baked Zucchini Chips
The low carb friend of the humble chip, these baked zucchini chips never fail to impress – don’t forget the spicy dipping sauce for a real taste sensation!

6. Garlic Bread Cob Loaf
Because sometimes you just need to pull out all of the stops when it comes to serving garlic bread. This garlic bread cob loaf recipe promises to feed a crowd and is loads of fun to pull apart. So go forth and break bread!

7. Crunchy French Onion Roast Potatoes
You really can’t go wrong with roast potatoes as a side dish – as long as they’re crunchy! Here’s the not-so-secret secret to making flavoursome and crunchy roast potatoes, every time.

8. Garlic and Herb Naan Bread
The ultimate side dish to any curry, HAS to be naan bread. And you don’t know naan bread until you’ve made your own – it’s truly next level. Never made it before? You’re in luck, try this garlic and herb naan bread recipe on for size!

9. Maple Roasted Pumpkin, Rocket and Feta Salad
Is it a veggie side dish or a salad side dish? The jury is out on that one, but one thing we do know for sure is that this maple roasted pumpkin, rocket and feta salad is delicious all year round!

10. Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad
This is always one salad I say don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. This watermelon, feta and mint salad is full of flavour which pairs beautifully together to deliver a crisp and cool salad for when the weather is fine and the sun shines, a summer fave.

11. Baked Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
A real treat for the mushroom lover and a low-carb alternative for baked potatoes, baked stuffed portabello mushrooms are where it’s at and are an excellent choice if you’re trying to cut back on meat portions!

12. Fries Board
Perhaps the ultimate fun of side dishes, the fries board takes the cake. More of an arrangement than a recipe, this is one side dish (or board) that’s going to wow the crowd. Everyone dig in!

That’s it, folks, 10 show-stopping side dishes to get on the table sometime soon. You won’t have any regrets, promise!
For a twice-weekly dose of Mum Central, subscribe to our newsletter here.