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Thanksgiving: The Sides!

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | November 9, 2019 24 Comments

Last updated on December 1st, 2019

Thanksgiving Side DishesLooking for Thanksgiving side dishes? Here are 18 delicious accompaniments that have appeared on my own holiday table over the years. Most are easy to make, some are gluten-free, and all are guaranteed to please!

18 Thanksgiving Side Dishes

pommes anna with chives garnish chive stems 9-04-16Pommes Anna with Chives (GF). Cooked briefly on the stove top and finished off in a hot oven, this French classic has a crisp, potato-chip-like exterior, and a soft and creamy interior. It’s beautiful to serve and unfathomably delicious to eat. Here’s the recipe.

Herbed Cottage Cheese Biscuits - Thanksgiving Side DishesHerbed Cottage Cheese Biscuits. These are perfectly perfumed and absolutely scrumptious. Don’t make me beg you to try them! The recipe.

Tian of VeggiesColorful Veggie Tian (GF). Red potatoes, yellow squash and green zucchini arranged in concentric circles in a shallow baking dish. An elegant side dish for the Thanksgiving table. And it’s quite simple to do. The recipe.

Gratin of Leeks -- Thanksgiving side dishesGratin of Leeks. Who can resist tender leeks when they are gloriously suspended in Sauce Mornay (white sauce with cheese), and topped off with crisp, buttery bread crumbs? You can assemble the dish several hours ahead of time, and then bake it off about 30 minutes before your Thanksgiving guests arrive. The recipe.

Carrot-Ginger-Orange Soup - Thanksgiving side dishesKevin’s Carrot-Ginger-Orange Soup.  This is a delicious, fragrant, and gluten-free brew.  I could sip it every day for the rest of my life. Make it for Thanksgiving, and everyone will think you’re a genius. The recipe.

Cecina - Thanksgiving side dishesCecina. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that at least one person at your Thanksgiving party will be unable to eat wheat. Why not surprise them with this gluten-free Tuscan flat bread? The recipe.

Bacon and Sauage Stuffing Balls - Thanksgiving side dishesBacon and Sausage Stuffing Balls (GF).  You can never have too many of these for Thanksgiving. They’re addicting! The recipe.

Timbale of BroccoliTimbale of Broccoli (GF). Even broccoli-haters will love this light, airy, nutmeg-scented side dish. It looks nifty, too!  The recipe.

Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine and Ginger - Thanksgiving side dishesCranberry Sauce with Red Wine and Ginger. This ain’t your Aunt Abigale’s cranberry sauce. It’s much, much better! I mean, just look at the main ingredients. The super-simple recipe.

Spinach, Fennel and White Bean GratinSpinach, Fennel, & White Bean Gratin. Is this a side dish or a vegetarian main course? Your Thanksgiving guests won’t ask such a question. They’ll just tuck into the colorful collage because…crunchy topping.  The recipe.

Mushroom, Spinach and Rosemary Tart - Thanksgiving side dishesMushroom, Spinach, & Rosemary Tart. If the Pate Brisee crust doesn’t slay you, the scented filling surely will! The recipe.

Homemade Spaetzle with Butter and HerbsHomemade Spaetzle with Butter & Herbs. Why settle for packaged stuffing when you can have these exquisite dumplings instead? The recipe.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes - Thanksgiving side dishesCreamy Mashed Potatoes. There’s only one way to make mashed potatoes. And that is with a bucket of butter and a river of heavy cream. My step-by-step recipe.

Apple Salad with Pumpkin Bread CroutonsApple Salad with Pumpkin Bread Croutons. Apples. Onions. Goat cheese. Cranberries. Put ’em together and what will you have? A salad worth serving on Thanksgiving Day. (And should I mention the salad’s orange-ginger vinaigrette?)  The recipe.

Blender Corn and Herb Souffle - Thanksgiving side dishes Blender Corn and Herb Soufflé (GF). This soufflé is a breeze to make. Just toss the ingredients into a blender and whir them into a puree. Then divide the puree between ramekins, sprinkle the tops with fresh herbs, and bake until puffed and golden. The recipe.

Quinoa with Leeks, Sage and Sun-Dried TomatoesQuinoa “Stuffing” with Leeks and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (GF). I made this for a dinner party recently, and everybody loved it. For an extra-festive version, substitute the tomatoes for dried cranberries.  The recipe.

Hominy au GratinHominy au Gratin. This creamy, comforting casserole is THE perfect accompaniment for a Thanksgiving turkey. It’s a dang delicious side for a humble hamburger, too.  The recipe.

Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup - Thanksgiving side dishesCaramelized Butternut Squash Soup. Everybody loves this perfumed potion of caramelized squash, smokey bacon, and savory thyme. It’s my favorite first course for Thanksgiving. The recipe.

18 Easy Thanksgiving SidesIs this lengthy list of side dishes helpful to you? Talk to me in the comments field below. Meantime, happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Comments

  1. 1

    Rosalyn says

    November 10, 2019 at 8:22 am

    What a treasure of wonderful recipes! Thank you so much. It must have taken a lot of time to set these up too. Much appreciated.

  2. 2

    GinaG says

    November 10, 2019 at 8:46 am

    Kevin — Some of the links are broken and you can’t get to the recipes. I’d like to see the soup recipe, thanks!!

  3. 3

    Peggy M. says

    November 10, 2019 at 9:19 am

    Corn souffle link broken too. BTW, love love love getting this newsletter. So glad I found you!

  4. 4

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    November 10, 2019 at 9:22 am

    Hi GinaG – I tested all of the links just now, and they worked for me. Which recipes are not appearing for you?

  5. 5

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    November 10, 2019 at 9:29 am

    Hi Peggy – Thanks so much. Corn Souffle link is working on my end. Try this link: Blender Corn and Herb Souffle.

  6. 6

    Kat Harper says

    November 10, 2019 at 10:20 am

    Thank you so much! I will definitely be trying a few of these this year. Brilliant!

  7. 7

    frederique jennette says

    November 10, 2019 at 1:23 pm

    Thank you! What a wonderful list of dishes to select from! Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

  8. 8

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    November 10, 2019 at 1:42 pm

    Kat Harper and Frederique Jenette – Enjoy!

  9. 9

    Marlyn Anderson says

    November 10, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    Blender Corn Souffle recipe is not working.

  10. 10

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    November 10, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    Hi Marlyn – Let me know if this link works for you: Blender Corn and Herb Souffle

  11. 11

    Lori says

    November 10, 2019 at 7:08 pm

    Hi Kevin! When I clicked the recipe for the Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup says Error 404, page not found. (Psst, why wait for Thanksgiving? Lol).

  12. 12

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    November 10, 2019 at 7:31 pm

    Hi Lori – Very strange indeed! When I click on the link, the page comes right up. Anyway, try this link and please let me know if it worked for you: Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup

  13. 13

    Philip Pascoe says

    November 10, 2019 at 7:59 pm

    Hi Kevin,
    You have just saved me a lot of time with your thanksgiving recipes. We don’t do Thanksgiving in Australia, but my partner is from not far from you (Rhinecliff, NY) so each year we have to have a celebration in the New England style. Some of these will make a great addition to serve with the customary turkey to our seven guests.
    Love you weekly emails and have done many of your recipes.

  14. 14

    Marietta says

    November 11, 2019 at 7:02 am

    I was lucky enough to get them all. Can’t wait to try them. Thank you so much!

  15. 15

    GinaG says

    November 11, 2019 at 8:46 am

    Hi Kevin, the link is broken for the caramelized butternut squash soup. When you click on that link you get an error page. I’d really like to try that soup, any chance you could reload that page or email it to me? Thank you!

  16. 16

    Kate says

    November 11, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    Kevin, can the butternut squash soup be made a day or so in advance, and can it be frozen?

  17. 17

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    November 11, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    Hi Philip – Welcome. Glad to be of service to you and your partner!

    Hi Marietta – Enjoy!

    Hi Gina – Soup link is fixed now. Click away!

    Hi Kate – Yes! Omit the cream, and the Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup will freeze perfectly well. (Add cream to reheated soup.)

  18. 18

    Lori says

    November 12, 2019 at 9:04 am

    Good Morning Kevin!

    Checked the new link and loved how detailed it is. Recipe is saved for printing, but I get to cheat, lol. I make sauce with my squash so I get to omit this step. And I learned how to quarter them bc I always bake them halved in the oven and throw in the food processor. Now I can make my sisters yummy squash bites. When she said peel, I took it as peeling with a scraper, lol. Not once thinking about peeling with a knife. Your way is a lot easier than the way I was thinking, lmho.

    I’m curious tho. Why is the spoon set on the left side? If that’s the only dish, why wouldn’t it be placed on the right side?

    Idea! You could do a proper way to set the table. I could do this at home dragging out my moms China set that has all the dishes I’d need for fine dining and treating my kids to a night of dress up.

  19. 19

    Mary says

    November 12, 2019 at 10:17 pm

    Thanks for compiling the sides all in one post. They look marvelous… What time are you serving dinner? Oh how I’d liked to be a guest at your table. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

  20. 20

    Mary DD says

    November 12, 2019 at 10:17 pm

    Thanks for compiling the sides all in one post. They look marvelous… What time are you serving dinner? Oh how I’d liked to be a guest at your table. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

  21. 21

    Betsy Williams says

    November 16, 2019 at 6:14 pm

    They sound delicious! Many thanks. I’m going to try the corn souffle in a day or two. It looks delicious.

  22. 22

    Antoinette says

    November 17, 2019 at 7:51 pm

    Kevin, what a veritable treasure trove of side dish recipes. We don’t celebrate your Thanksgiving here in Australia, but we mostly make our Christmas Dinner in the cold weather European style with hot food, even if the temperature is well over 30C. Having said that, seafood is becoming more and more popular, both as starters and indeed the whole meal. Although we are having our Christmas meal as guests this year, I will be printing off all these recipes to have at hand for any old day….might start baking today…
    Best wishes!

  23. 23

    Leslie says

    November 20, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    What would be an acceptable substitute for the sherry in the butternut squash soup? I’m not sure my friend, undergoing chemo, could tolerate the sherry.
    Also, can acorn squash be substituted for the butternut? I hate cutting butternut-like trying to slice a brick.
    Thanks for your help

  24. 24

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    November 22, 2019 at 9:46 am

    Hi Leslie – If your friend can’t have sherry, just omit it. Most supermarkets offer butternut squash already peeled and cubed. Enjoy!

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