Gobble Gobble Up These 6 Best Side Dishes For Thanksgiving

Once the thickness of the summer air starts to dissipate, there’s only one thing on everyone’s mind: the holiday season. It’s a windfall from Halloween, into Thanksgiving, and over to Hanukkah and Christmas.

However you choose to celebrate your season of joy, there’s one thing that’s inescapable: a delicious holiday menu.

Whether you’re planning for a large party of 50 or a small gathering of five, here are six Thanksgiving side dishes that are sure to encapsulate your holiday season in delicious memories.

Green Bean Casserole

We know what you’re thinking: what’s so special about a green bean casserole? Its magic is its simplicity, though. It’s a fan favorite and there are countless ways to dress it up.

The classic recipe calls for green beans, bread crumbs, cream of mushroom soup, and plenty of cheese. But, this year, why not jazz it up with a crispy shallot pecan topping?

As long as no one in the family has a nut allergy, this modern take on a classic dish may be just the thing that enriches your memories in the making.

Candied Yams

With the greens covered, it’s time to work on something savory and sweet: candied yams.

This recipe is as simple as it sounds: open up a few cans of yams; evenly distribute them throughout the baking dish; top it with some brown sugar (or maple syrup) and bake!

In just 25 minutes, all those glorious flavors will comingle to create a side dish that’s curiously sweet, yet still worthy of being a part of the main course.

Cranberry Sauce

While we’re on the syrupy and sweet train, let’s bring aboard some festive cranberry sauce. According to bon appétit, the easiest recipe is the best.

That’s hard to argue in this case. In ten minutes, with only cranberries, orange zest, sugar, and liqueur, you’re looking at a well-rounded dinner table with two deliciously sweet offerings that are bound to be crowd pleasers.

Dinner Rolls

Here, you could go for an easy win with a fan favorite: Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. But, if you have a family member who loves making new memories with hands-on activities, Gimme Some Oven has a wonderful recipe for from-scratch dinner rolls.

These buttery dinner rolls are advertised as “absolutely heavenly when served warm out of the oven.” Sounds pretty appealing, right?

The ingredients are simple: butter, milk, honey, yeast, and flour. That’s all it takes to bring heaven to the dining room table!

What’s even more delightful about this recipe is that you can, of course, use your KitchenAid mixer. However, the instructions to knead the dough by hand are also included. It all depends on how adventurous you’re feeling but, in the end, it’s guaranteed to create a magical memory.

Stuffing

While you’re in carb heaven, rotate in a heaping bowl of from-scratch stuffing. And, again, no one’s going to leave the table if you go with a classic box of Stove Top.

However, if you have a crowd of over-achievers, you can whip these up with your own two hands!

This recipe calls for the addition of sausage (or other meat). And it’s really well-rounded with other ingredients like chunks of fluffy white bread, chicken stock, onion, parsley, and sage.

If you’re up for the challenge, this could be a beautiful side dish that gives the turkey a run for its money. It might even cancel out any future attempts to pull out that ol’ box of Stove Top!

Creamed Spinach

This has been a lot of sugar and carbs. Let’s round out the dinner table with a little bit more green. Spinach is wonderful because it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals, including calcium and iron.

To dress it up, a creamed spinach side dish is sure to be another fan favorite. The Pioneer Woman knows how to bring a family together around a dinner table for everlasting memories.

Whipping up her version of creamed spinach with some butter, whole milk, and flour is only a 30-minute endeavor that might even make the kiddos scoop up some added greens this holiday season.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Lighting a fire, setting the table, and garnishing it with a hale and hearty meal is one of the best ways to embrace the holiday season.

This year, we hope these Thanksgiving side dishes will delight your family and keep people talking about the fancy new twist on the green bean casserole for years to come. Cheers to this year’s memories!