Winter Side Dishes

Served with a salad and warm, crusty bread, risotto makes for a wonderfully cozy dinner. Healthy butternut squash lends nutrients to this version, and kids can help out by keeping the pot stirred.

While risotto does require your attention, it is really quite simple to prepare, especially if you enlist your kids to help stir the pot. This variety is full of sweet butternut squash, and makes for a cozy dinner when served with a salad and bread.

This French Provençal stew is chock-full of vibrant veggies that work together to form a hearty dish. Serve with a crusty baguette and side salad for a meat-free meal that's good and good for you.

When roasted at high heat, Brussels sprouts caramelize ever so slightly, and become tender, sweet and delicious. When coupled with chopped apples and bacon, who can resist these delightful baby cabbages?

Though sweet potatoes might taste like dessert, they are actually packed with nutrients, including vitamins A and C, and most kids will readily gobble them up, especially when prepared this way.

Who can resist anything, even broccoli, when it's smothered in a delectable cheese sauce? This hearty side is so good, in fact, that your kids may find themselves arguing over the last spoonful.

This stuffing is a fun variation on a classic -- sausage, leeks and cornbread add moisture and flavor, while cubes of artisan bread and plenty of sage and celery please the traditionalists.

This classic holiday side gets an update with the simple addition of slivered fennel. The mild hint of licorice in the fennel adds wonderful flavor and texture to the creamy potatoes, and breathes new life into an otherwise plain side dish.

Everything about this dish says fall -- the sweet earthy flavor, the rich fragrance and the bright orange hue. It's a quick dish to throw together and is even faster when you buy a package of squash that's already cleaned, peeled and cubed.

This is an easy yet elegant side dish that compliments anything from a turkey dinner to a standing rib roast. Set aside some beans, before they're tossed with the mushroom mixture, for the pickier eaters at your table.

These mashed potatoes taste incredibly rich and creamy, but have less fat than the usual recipes. The buttermilk imparts a tangy flavor, almost like sour cream, but is much easier on the waistline.

Sweet and soft honey nut squash is deliciously divine.