Thanksgiving side dishes are the reason I go back for a second plate, and I will defend that position at any table. There are 32 of them here, from green bean casserole built from scratch to roasted brussels sprouts with a balsamic glaze, garlic mashed potatoes, honey butter cornbread, candied yams and a cranberry salad that is calling itself a salad very generously. My rule for a big dinner is to make a few things really well instead of twenty things adequately, and to prep everything I possibly can the day before, so I have flagged which of these you can build ahead and which come together in fifteen minutes flat. Perfect for a crowded holiday table, a small Thanksgiving for two, a potluck you volunteered for on the drive over, or any Sunday in November when you want the food and not the turkey!
1. Lemon & Sun-Dried Tomato Brussels Sprouts
Halved sprouts roast at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, until the loose outer leaves go dark and toasty, and that scorching is the good part, not a mistake. While they roast, lemon juice, water and chopped sun-dried tomatoes come to a boil and get thickened with an arrowroot slurry, so stir fast because it seizes in seconds.
Get the full tutorial at Little Bits Of.
2. Creamy Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
No canned soup anywhere in this one. The crispy onions get breaded in flour, egg and panko and baked at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes with two flips, and the beans are blanched so they stay green instead of going gray in the oven. The sauce is a real one, mushrooms and garlic thickened with butter, flour, broth and half-and-half. It serves eight and runs about an hour and twenty-five minutes start to finish.
Get the full tutorial at Sally's Baking Addiction.
3. Roasted Beet Salad with Feta and Dill
This is a make-ahead, which is worth a lot on a day when the oven is booked solid. Seven or eight beets get roasted, peeled and cut into wedges, then tossed with olive oil, the juice of a whole lemon, thin red onion, fresh dill, salt and pepper and parked in the refrigerator until dinner. The feta goes on right before it hits the table so it stays in crumbles instead of dissolving into pink.
Get the full tutorial at The Life Jolie.
4. Brown Butter and Garlic Roasted Peas
Roasted peas sound like a typo and then you taste them. Two bags of frozen peas go onto a rimmed sheet pan, six tablespoons of butter get browned until they smell nutty and go over the top, and twelve whole peeled garlic cloves roast right alongside at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Use the rimmed pan, not the flat one, or the butter ends up on the oven floor.
Get the full tutorial at Mantitlement.
5. Roasted Mushrooms In A Browned Butter, Garlic And Thyme Sauce
Mushrooms roasted hard until the water cooks off, then finished in browned butter with garlic and thyme, which is one of the few sides that tastes better sitting on the counter than straight from the oven. Give them a big pan and real space, because a crowded pan steams and you get pale, squeaky mushrooms instead of browned ones. Good with turkey, better with beef.
Get the full tutorial at Closet Cooking.
6. Cauliflower Alfredo Vegan Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
The cream sauce here is cauliflower, which sounds like a compromise and does not eat like one. Ten cups of florets boil in broth and water until fork tender, about 7 to 9 minutes, then go into a blender with sautéed onion, a lot of garlic and almond milk. Sweet potatoes sliced an eighth of an inch thick get layered with the sauce and baked at 400 degrees.
Get the full tutorial at Food Faith Fitness.
7. Bacon Parmesan Green Beans
Green bean casserole owns the Thanksgiving table, and there is room for exactly one green bean dish that is not it. Stacey at The Soccer Mom Blog blanches hers for 2 to 3 minutes in salted water, then roasts them at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, just long enough to melt the shredded parmesan on top. One more pot to wash, and it is why the beans come out bright green instead of squeaky. Ranch seasoning does the flavor work, packet or homemade, and a friend of hers calls the result crack green beans. When I plan a big menu I keep one dish genuinely simple, because all day cooking happens when every dish is a long one. Eight minutes in the oven, not two hours.
Get the full tutorial at The Soccer Mom Blog.
8. Nantucket Corn Pudding
Corn pudding sits between a casserole and a custard, and this one leans custard. Five cups of corn get folded into eggs, half-and-half, salt, white pepper and fresh nutmeg, then crushed oyster crackers and melted butter go in and on, with sharp cheddar and a dusting of paprika over the top. It bakes at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes and is meant to come out with crisp edges and a slightly loose center. Serve it right away.
Get the full tutorial at A Family Feast.
9. Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
Inch cubes of butternut squash tossed with olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, kosher salt and a full teaspoon of black pepper, which is the ingredient that keeps the whole thing from tasting like dessert. Roast at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, and start checking at 35 because the sugar takes it from caramelized to bitter quickly. Serves six.
Get the full tutorial at Chew Out Loud.
10. Creamy Cauliflower Mash
Cauliflower mash that actually tastes like something, because the butter is cooked with five cloves of garlic and dried rosemary until it is fragrant before anything gets blended. Five cups of florets boil for about 15 minutes, drain, then go into the food processor with that butter, heavy cream and parmesan. Drain them properly or you will have soup. It comes with a keto gravy too.
Get the full tutorial at KetoConnect.
11. Parmesan Roasted Carrots
Six ingredients and half an hour, which is the kind of side that quietly saves a holiday menu. Carrots cut into sticks get tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme, then roast at 450 degrees for 8 minutes, get a stir, and go back for another 8 to 12. The grated parmesan is tossed on after they come out of the oven, not before, so it stays cheesy instead of burning onto the pan.
Get the full tutorial at Simply Stacie.
12. Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin
A proper gratin, meaning a real béchamel rather than a can. Onion and garlic soften in butter, then three more tablespoons of butter and a quarter cup of flour cook together until lightly golden before whole milk and heavy cream go in gradually with a whisk. Nutmeg is not optional in a cheese sauce, it is what makes it taste finished. Gruyère and parmesan, broccoli and cauliflower florets, baked at 400 degrees in a 9 by 13.
Get the full tutorial at PureWow.
13. Apple Cranberry and Almond Coleslaw
Something crunchy and cold on a table of soft warm food is worth more than it sounds. The dressing is Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, honey and apple cider vinegar, and thick yogurt matters here because a thin one waters the whole bowl down. Shredded cabbage, matchstick carrots, gala apples cut into matchsticks, green onion, sliced almonds and dried cranberries, with feta or sharp cheddar if you want it. Dress it within a few hours of serving.
Get the full tutorial at Cooking Classy.
14. Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Cranberries And Balsamic Reduction
Three pounds of sprouts, halved, spread over two sheet pans so they roast instead of steaming, 25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees until crisp outside and tender in the middle. The reduction is a cup of brown sugar simmered with three quarters of a cup of balsamic for about 20 minutes, and you want to pull it while it still looks loose, because it thickens as it cools. Dried cranberries over the top.
Get the full tutorial at Platings and Pairings.
15. Brown Sugar Bacon Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes roasted with bacon and brown sugar, which is the savory-sweet combination that gets a casserole dish scraped clean. It is a good one for people who think the marshmallow version is a step too far, and it holds its heat well on a buffet table while everything else is being carried out.
Get the full tutorial at Tinselbox.
16. Baked Cabbage Wedges
Cabbage is the cheapest thing on this list and the sauce here makes it behave like something expensive. Half a head cut into four wedges simmers for five minutes, then goes into a baking dish under a sauce of butter, spring onions, cream cheese, parmesan, dijon and cream, and bakes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The parboil is what keeps the middle from staying raw while the top browns. Parsley over the top.
Get the full tutorial at Divalicious Recipes.
17. Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Garlic
Want to know how to get brussels sprouts crispy? It is heat, not time. Karina at Cafe Delites roasts hers at 425°F for 25 to 30 minutes with diced bacon and four cloves of crushed garlic on one sheet pan, no boiling first. Cut side down, one flip, and give them room, because a crowded pan steams and you get sad khaki sprouts. French wine reductions are one of my favorite things to make and a balsamic glaze behaves the same way, so pull it while it still looks loose and let it set as it cools. Drizzle it on after they come out, never before, or the sugars burn and the pan turns bitter. Trim them a day ahead if you like, but roast at the last minute, because this is a Thanksgiving side dish that goes soft the moment it waits.
Get the full tutorial at Cafe Delites.
18. Coconut Creamed Spinach
Creamed spinach without any dairy in it, and it does not read as a substitute. Red onion softens in olive oil for five or six minutes, then garlic and fresh ginger go in for one more, then eight cups of spinach get added a few handfuls at a time and wilted down before the next batch. A cup of coconut milk simmers for four or five minutes until it thickens, with cayenne, curry powder and smoked paprika. Serve immediately.
Get the full tutorial at PureWow.
19. Creamy Confetti Corn with Bacon
Fresh corn off about seven ears, cooked in a tablespoon of reserved bacon fat with red bell pepper and red onion for six minutes, then Neufchatel and a third of a cup of milk stirred in until the cheese melts into a sauce. Add more milk a spoonful at a time if it tightens up. Green onion, parsley and the bacon go on at the end, half stirred through and half on top. Thirty minutes total.
Get the full tutorial at Cooking Classy.
20. Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries
Six ingredients, one pan, and the cranberries do the work. Six cups of chopped sweet potato and an eight-ounce bag of cranberries get tossed with melted coconut oil and a tablespoon of maple syrup, then cinnamon and half a teaspoon of salt, and roast at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. The other half teaspoon of salt goes on after they come out, which is a small thing that makes the sweetness land properly.
Get the full tutorial at Little Bits Of.
21. Easy Garlic Herb Butternut Squash
Worth knowing before you plan your oven: this one is steamed, not roasted. Cubed butternut squash steams over an inch of boiling water for 13 to 15 minutes while garlic gets cooked gently in three tablespoons of olive oil for a minute or three, just until fragrant. Pour the garlic oil into a bowl, stir in a third of a cup of chopped parsley, thyme and rosemary, add the squash, season and serve. Twenty-five minutes, no oven space used.
Get the full tutorial at Healthy Seasonal Recipes.
22. Cranberry Ambrosia Salad
Every family has one dish that is sweet, calls itself a salad and gets eaten first, and this is that dish. Fresh cranberries go into a food processor until well chopped, then drained crushed pineapple, a cup of sugar, a cup of thawed Cool Whip and three cups of mini marshmallows get folded in.
Get the full tutorial at Mostly Homemade Mom.
23. Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes
Six ingredients if you count the oil, and five minutes of prep. Peeled sweet potatoes and beets cut into bite-size chunks get spread on a parchment-lined sheet with garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and a tablespoon of oil, roasted at 400 degrees, tossed at the 20 minute mark, then given another 20 to 25 until lightly browned. Keep the chunks the same size or the beets will still be hard when the potatoes are done.
Get the full tutorial at Know Your Produce.
24. Horseradish Mashed Potatoes With Caramelized Onions
Prepared horseradish and dijon in mashed potatoes, which sounds aggressive and is actually just enough sharpness to stand up to gravy. Three pounds of Yukon golds boil for 15 to 20 minutes while two diced yellow onions caramelize slowly for 10 to 20 minutes with thyme. Warm the cream and butter before they go in, because cold dairy makes potatoes gluey. Fold the onions through at the end. Serves six to eight.
Get the full tutorial at The Chunky Chef.
25. Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are non-negotiable, so here is our own version with the garlic boiled right alongside the potatoes instead of stirred in raw at the end. Red potatoes and peeled garlic cloves go into salted water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and let them steam dry for three or four minutes, which is the step that keeps them fluffy. Warm milk, cream and butter get folded in off the heat. There is a garlic confit method in the post too.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
26. Creamy Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Two kinds of potato in one pot, russets for fluff and Yukon golds for butter flavor, which is a trick worth stealing whichever mash you usually make. The cream, buttermilk and four smashed garlic cloves simmer down by about a quarter before they go in, so the liquid is hot, concentrated and already seasoned. Chives and more black pepper on top. Tangy, rich and not the same mashed potatoes as everyone else’s.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
27. Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole that never touches the oven, which on Thanksgiving is worth more than the recipe itself. Six ingredients go into the slow cooker and cook on high for two and a half hours. Save half the French fried onions and brown them in a dry skillet for about three minutes before scattering them over, because onions that sit in the casserole go soft and the ones you crisp on the stove are the whole point.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
28. The Easiest Honey Butter Cornbread
Cornbread baked in a cast-iron skillet at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, then brushed while hot with two tablespoons of melted butter mixed with three tablespoons of honey, so the glaze soaks in rather than sitting on the crust. Do not overmix the batter, and that instruction appears twice in this recipe for a reason: overworked cornbread goes tough. Sweet, salty and buttery all at once.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
29. Crockpot Southern Candied Yams
Four pounds of sweet potatoes simmered in the crockpot with butter, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, the juice of two oranges and a whole strip of orange peel, plus a squeeze of lemon. Three hours on high, stirred gently every hour so the slices stay whole. That citrus is what keeps candied yams from being flatly sweet, and the crockpot keeps them warm right up to serving, which makes this a good one to carry to a potluck.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
30. Easy Slow Cooker Collard Greens
Two and a half pounds of collards, two ham hocks, chicken broth and water, cooked down for about three and a half hours. Add the greens in two goes, half at the start and the rest once the first batch wilts, or they will not fit. The vinegar goes in at the very end, off the heat, and that is the difference between good greens and flat ones. Southern, slow, and it frees your oven entirely.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
31. One-Pan Roasted Vegetables
Bell pepper, carrot, potato, zucchini, red onion, cauliflower and sweet potato, all dressed in balsamic, herbes de Provence, smoked paprika, garlic powder and olive oil, then roasted on one sheet with no flipping halfway through. The dressing is what makes it, and the no-flipping part is what makes it a Thanksgiving dish rather than one more thing needing your attention. Fresh basil goes on after it comes out.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
32. Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes
Six ingredients and a hot oven. Baby potatoes get halved, tossed with a tablespoon of olive oil, then Italian seasoning, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper, and roasted at 425 degrees for 15 minutes before being flipped and given another 10 to 15. Spread them in one layer, cut side down, and dry the skins properly first, because wet potatoes steam instead of crisping. They disappear off the pan.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
