For those who celebrate Easter, the holiday's food is a whole lot more than bunny-shaped marshmallows, giant chocolate rabbits and candy eggs. Instead, it's all about the real food — the substantial dishes that tear everyone away from the Easter egg hunt and get them to the table. This year, load up your menu with crowd-pleasing, seasonal Easter sides that will complement (and might just outshine) any ham, roast of lamb or holiday main dish you choose.

If your carrot dish has been pretty one-dimensional in the past, let these Marmalade-Glazed Carrots with Candied Pecans (pictured above) from Food Network Magazine change all that. Cooked in a buttery orange juice-marmalade glaze, this sweet and crunchy dish is extra-striking thanks to multicolored carrots.

There's a reason scalloped potatoes grace holiday table after holiday table on Thanksgiving, Christmas and even Easter. Creamy and comforting, the dish is highly luxurious and decadent, but all the while deceivingly easy to pull off. Though cold winter holidays need not much more than potatoes and cream, Easter deserves a scalloped potato recipe that ramps up the springtime brightness. That's where Food Network Magazine's Scalloped Potatoes with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers comes in.

It's officially spring, after all, so you should definitely be eating like it come Easter Sunday. Load up your menu with perfect in-season asparagus, and do more than just roast the spears. Mushroom, Barley and Roasted Asparagus Salad makes for a guilt-free holiday indulgence that's super-satisfying.

A big holiday demands something as comforting as macaroni and cheese be on the table, and Giada De Laurentiis' Venetian-inspired Macaroni and Cheese will have you going back for seconds. That's because this fresh-for-spring reboot is loaded with diced ham and chopped parsley.

It's probably not every day that you dig into home-cooked artichokes, but Anne Burrell's Braised Baby Artichokes from Food Network Magazine makes it super easy. Braised with lemon juice and garlic until tender, these springtime beauties are topped off with Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings for a nutty, salty finishing touch.

Get more ideas for Easter side dishes from our friends of #SensationalSides:

The Lemon Bowl: Roasted Asparagus and Tangerines with Toasted Almonds

Devour: Have a Hoppin’ Easter with These Remixed Brunch and Dinner Dishes

Creative Culinary: Deviled Eggs with Lemon Zest, Capers and Chives

The Mom 100: Spring Greens Salad with Kohlrabi and Golden Beets

Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Vanilla Pudding with Fruit Jam Topping

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Sauteed Broccolini With Garlic And Chile On Toast

Red or Green: Pasta With Kale, Garlic & Calabrian Chile

Big Girls, Small Kitchen:Fennel & Cherry Tomato Salad with Toasted Pistachios

Healthy Eats: 5 Spring Sides for a Healthier Easter Feast

Taste with the Eyes:Butter Lettuce Cups with Fried Goat Cheese, Green Apple, Meyer Lemon Cream

The Mediterranean Dish: Olive Oil-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Onions and Quick Polenta

The Wimpy Vegetarian: Creamy Feta and Asparagus Casserole with Orzo