The Best Side Dishes For Your Thanksgiving Feast
Side dishes are an essential part of any Thanksgiving feast. While the turkey is usually the star of the show, side dishes provide a chance to showcase the culinary skills of the host and add variety to the meal. When planning a Thanksgiving dinner, it is crucial to choose side dishes that will complement the turkey and satisfy all of your guests. Some classic Thanksgiving side dishes include roasted brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and cranberry sauce. However, there are endless possibilities when it comes to side dishes, so feel free to get creative. With so many delicious options available, choosing the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner can be daunting. To help narrow down the choices, we've compiled a list of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. From traditional favorites to modern twists, these side dishes are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. So whether you're looking for something classic or new, check out our list of the best side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds of Brussels Sprouts trimmed and halved
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions:
Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels Sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt. Serve with balsamic dressing.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
6 lbs of red skin potatoes
2 cups of whole milk
2 sticks (1/2 pound) of unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons of kosher salt
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions:
Wash potatoes well and cut them in quarters. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
Drain the potatoes, keep them in the pot, then place over low heat and mash with a potato masher or use an electric hand mixer.
Pour in the milk to reach your desired texture. Cut butter into chunks and mash them into the potatoes until well incorporated.
Lastly, stir in the scallions, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Buttery Garlic Green Beans
Recipe courtesy of https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/230103/buttery-garlic-green-beans/
Ingredients:
1 pound of fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
3 tablespoons of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon of lemon-pepper seasoning, or more to taste
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Wash green beans and place into a large skillet and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans just start to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and return to the skillet.
Add butter and stir until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add garlic; cook until tender and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Season with lemon-pepper seasoning and salt before serving.
Buttery Herb Stuffing
Recipe courtesy of https://www.howsweeteats.com/2020/11/best-stuffing-recipe/
Ingredients:
8 to 24 ounces of bread cubes, (1.5 loaves of bread, or about 12 to 14 cups) preferably toasted or stale
1 cup of unsalted butter
3 cups of diced sweet onion, roughly 2 large onions
2 cups of diced celery
6 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and pepper
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh sage
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary
2 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 large eggs
A mixture of fresh herbs for sprinkling
Instructions:
Use a mixture of different kinds of bread. For example, a mix of stale or fresh bread and sourdough or Italian. Doing this provides great texture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9x13 baking dish (you can also use a larger baking dish or a larger foil roasting pan too!) with melted butter, olive oil or spray with nonstick spray. Place the bread in a large mixing bowl (this may be easier for you to stir!) or the baking dish that you will bake it in. You can also separate this into two baking dishes if it's easier.
Heat the butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the onion, celery and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper - at least ½ to 1 teaspoon each. Cook until the onions and celery soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the sage, parsley and rosemary. Cook for another minute. Stir in 1 cup of stock.
Pour the onion celery mixture over the bread crumbs and toss well to coat.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 1 ½ cups stock and 2 eggs.
Pour that mixture into the bread cubes and stir and fold the bread cubes until thoroughly combined. Bake the stuffing for 45 to 50 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F. If the stuffing is getting too browned, you can tent it with foil.
You can also use this mixture to stuff the bird if you wish!
Cranberry Sauce
Recipe courtesy of https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cranberry_sauce/
Ingredients:
1 cup (200g) of sugar
1 cup (250ml) of water
4 cups (one 12-ounce package) of fresh or frozen cranberries
Optional: pecans, orange zest, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
Instructions:
Place the cranberries in a colander and rinse them. Pick out and discard any damaged or bruised cranberries.
Put the water and sugar in a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add the cranberries to the pot and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.
Once the cranberries have burst you can leave the cranberry sauce as is, or dress it up with other ingredients. We like to mix in a half a cup of chopped pecans a pinch or two of orange zest.
Some people like adding raisins or currants, or even blueberries for added sweetness. You can also add holiday spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice. If adding spices, start with a pinch of each and add more to your taste.
Remove the pot from heat. Let cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to a bowl to chill in the refrigerator. Note that the cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
6 oz of your choice of pasta. We prefer bow tie or cavatappi pasta
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
6 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
3 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
4 cups of sharp cheddar cheese shredded
2 cups of Gruyere cheese shredded
2 cups of Parmesan cheese shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp of melted butter
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking dish and set aside.
Combine all the shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
Cook the pasta al dente style according to the package instructions. You may add a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.
Remove from heat, drain the water, place in a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Melt butter in a large saucepan.
Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly.
Gradually add and whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Add salt and pepper taste.
Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese mixture at a time and whisk until smooth and creamy. The sauce should be nice and thick.
Add the sauce to the pasta and stir until the pasta is coated with the cheese sauce.
Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Place in oven and allow to bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
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