Everything but the Turkey: A Guide to Hosting Thanksgiving
Lindsey Botkin | November 15, 2023
If you are a holiday fanatic like I am you’ll know that the key to a good Thanksgiving is food that is rich with flavor and an atmosphere that is warm and inviting. I have never been a fan of turkey. To me, the true star of the Thanksgiving dinner table and the real excitement of the holiday comes from the side dishes that ooze with butter, thyme, rosemary, and complex flavor palettes that make you want to save room for seconds. This week I’ll be covering what my dream Thanksgiving dinner table looks like, complete with links to recipes that are sure to “wow” anyone you’re hosting this holiday season.
When you think of Thanksgiving, typically people think of some sort of potato dish. Whether you eat your potatoes scalloped, mashed, or baked, a good potato dish can add a twist to a classic recipe, or can elevate an age-old favorite. I have two potato recipes that are sure to knock the socks off of any guest. The first recipe is a make-ahead recipe because cooking for your friends and family for the holiday season should not be stressful! This “Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato” recipe from Half-Baked Harvest is sure to be a quick and easy way to incorporate potatoes on the table. The roasted garlic deepens the flavor complexity of the potatoes, making the dish an instant crowd-pleaser. The second potato dish I would recommend for a Thanksgiving spread is the “Roasted Baby Potatoes in a Homemade Mushroom Sauce” recipe from The Cookie Writer. This recipe will have even the most difficult-to-please food critic of the family smiling with every bite! As an added bonus it’s a one-pan bake, so you’ll only be sacrificing one burner on the stove to make these crispy fingerling potatoes and buttery mushroom sauce.
Moving onto something for the more picky eaters. My younger cousins are notoriously picky, if something doesn’t look appetizing they won’t touch it! This makes Thanksgiving a little difficult, but one thing that they never say no to is bread. I swear stuffing and dinner rolls are the kiddo's favorite foods during the holiday season. “Our Favorite Buttery Herbed Stuffing” from How Sweet, Eats is one of the stuffing recipes I swear by. The variation in texture of this dish is absolutely unrivaled and puts any boxed stuffing to shame. The crispy exterior, and soft, buttery interior of this dish means making two pans worth for my family! The second bread recipe I would recommend to please the picky eaters of the family would be the “Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls” from Half Baked Harvest. They are rolled before baking so the kiddos can really have fun pulling them apart to put butter, jelly, and cranberry sauce on them. Of course, you can’t have Thanksgiving without at least one recipe with a little bit of history. Before baking these rolls look into the history of the Parker House Roll.
Now that we have talked about carbs, let's discuss the veggies on the table. Green beans and corn are two staple dishes on almost every Thanksgiving table. The “Corn Pudding Casserole” from Southern Living is the perfect example of a classic dish that needs no alterations. This ultra-creamy dish is a must-have on any southern Thanksgiving table, but no matter where you are from this corn pudding casserole will be a hit. The green beans are one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. Whether you get them out of the can, or get beans fresh from the garden just as the harvest ends, green beans are a classic vegetable dish during the holidays. What could possibly make green beans better than they already are? Garlic and Parmesan of course! The “Garlic Parmesan Roasted Green Beans” from Eatwell101 will have your guests mouth watering far more than any turkey would. These beans have the best of both worlds, crispy and crunchy on the outside while remaining tender on the inside. I truly cannot recommend these dishes enough!
Thanksgiving isn’t complete without an abnormally large casserole dish full of mac and cheese. No matter how you make it, you cannot deny that it is a classic American crowd-pleaser. Growing up I was a mac and cheese connoisseur. Mac and cheese has always been the ever-changing dish in my family, only fueling my want to find the best mac and cheese. While I am still on the hunt for my absolute favorite the “White Cheddar Mac And Cheese With Brown Butter Breadcrumbs” from Blue Bowl Bakery has to be in my top five. Although it may not be a baked Mac recipe (my personal favorite) it shines in so many other ways. This creamy white cheddar mac has that cheddar cheese bite so many love, balanced by the sweetness the brown butter brings to this dish. It is absolutely irresistible.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a complete table without the sauces. The two classic sauces that are must-haves on the table are cranberry sauce and of course gravy. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the biggest fan of gravy, but the “Easy Vegan Brown Gravy” from Karissas Vegan Kitchen is a gravy recipe that I can get behind. The most brilliant part of this gravy recipe is that it can be made in ten minutes, and you can hardly tell that it’s vegan! Now I know that not everyone has time to handmake cranberry sauce for their Thanksgiving celebrations, however, I firmly believe that a good cranberry sauce can add so much to a Thanksgiving meal. “Ina Garten's Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce” recipe from Home is Where the Boat Is has to be the perfect balance of sweet, and tart, and is a fantastic addition to any leftovers you may end up with this holiday season.
If you still have room after all of that then get ready because we haven’t even covered the Thanksgiving battle of the pies. Whether it is pumpkin or sweet potato I’ve rustled up a few of the most outstanding pie recipes for this holiday. First, we have a classic pumpkin pie. The “Pumpkin Pie” recipe from Also the Crumbs Please is quick and to the point. Sometimes the best pie recipe is a true classic. Next, we have a sweet potato pie recipe. There are so many variations on this pie, so many different things you can add or change to alter the taste, texture, and presentation. My favorite alteration (if you have time) is to make this pie filling with purple sweet potatoes. I promise it will shock your guests and shake up this classic Southern dish. The “Sweet Potato Pie” recipe from The Cookie Rookie is not only delicious, but it also includes a recipe for a flakey pie crust you can use instead of the pre-made dough from the store. As a bonus recipe, I felt obligated to include a fruit-based pie for everyone who is sick and tired of pumpkin. The “Burbon Pear Pie” recipe from Healthy Little Cravings is an amazing recipe to try if you want to spice up the Thanksgiving table this year. I cannot stress how much I love this pie and the way the pears come together with bourbon to create this sort of rich “roasted” flavor that pairs with the light, floral, and earthy flavor that the pears bring to the dish.
I hope these recipes impress family members, and make the holiday season this year all the more enjoyable!