Easy and delicious, but maybe less common Thanksgiving sides?

November 22, 2024 9:00 AM

I always make the same thing: Large turkey leg, rice dressing, potato puree, asparagus, mixed green salad. Usually apple pie, but maybe pumpkin / butternut if we're up to baking and scraping a large gourd since we don't have pumpkin in a can here. Thinking about changing this up a bit...

It's just me and my husband, so that's why we keep it to a pretty low-key menu without a lot of fancy sides, but I'm considering looking at other ideas. Your thoughts about something a bit different without overdoing amount of food / amount of work involved?

No allergies, and we like pretty much everything – no real hated foods, but some rather hated techniques (boiled veg: no! Drake face! Baked or broiled, drizzled w/olive oil and lemon juice, and dusted with lemon zest or parmesan: yes!) We have stove, oven, microwave, blender, hand chopper, mandolin, hand mixer, and electric pressure cooker. No food processor or air fryer (no room!).

Also looking at Christmas menu, so ideas here might be shifted there!

posted by taz to Food & Drink (52 answers total)

For several years now, my husband and I have leaned heavily into "leeksgiving," or making a lot of leek and onion heavy recipes. It's a flavor that really fits in well with the Thanskgiving classics, for me. For instance:

Cipollini Onions with Balsamic Glaze
Braised leeks
Caramelized Leek, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Tart (When we made this one, we made it first thing in the morning, and it was like a snack throughout the day, while we got the dinner prepared. It's a bit much just for two people, as a regular side)
Easy Creamed Pearl Onions (Honestly, not a favorite. But maybe you would like to consider it?)
posted by meese at 9:10 AM on November 22, 2024 [7 favorites]

I feel like devilled eggs are always appreciated but take such effort that they are really Event Food - I bet they would go well with a Thanksgiving menu.
posted by hepta at 9:10 AM on November 22, 2024 [9 favorites]

You could do a southern theme. Turkey, cornbread, collard greens, roasted yams (in place of candied yams), and a side like Mac and cheese, beans, or grits.
posted by shock muppet at 9:20 AM on November 22, 2024 [5 favorites]

Cranberry relish: Zest and peel an orange, put orange and zest in food processor with bag of cranberries, add sugar to taste. Great color, good for perking up leftovers.

Brussels sprouts are much less bitter than they were ten+ years ago. Roasted, or shred for a slaw-ish salad, maybe with some pomegranate arils.
posted by momus_window at 9:27 AM on November 22, 2024 [8 favorites]

A delicata squash, sliced and roasted, would be easy and complementary. Delicatas are small, so a) you won't have a ton of leftovers, and b) they cook fast. Just cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and slice. Drizzle with olive oil and roast it like a half hour.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:29 AM on November 22, 2024 [5 favorites]

Is nobody suggesting stuffing? You should totally make stuffing! It's basically the only thanksgiving-classic dish I like. Surprised it's not on your regular list and that makes it extra perfect because now you can have it as a "new" addition to the table.
posted by MiraK at 9:29 AM on November 22, 2024 [4 favorites]

My family hails from southern Indiana and one of the Thanksgiving desserts from my childhood is persimmon pudding. No gourd scraping required. But you do need overripe persimmons.
posted by phunniemee at 9:39 AM on November 22, 2024 [3 favorites]

For me, thanksgiving is about fall vegetables (it's a harvest festival), ideally roasted.

Roasted brussel sprouts: pre-heat the pan on the stovetop, add fat, ideally lard, halved sprouts cut side down in a single layer, then into a hot oven after a couple minutes of browning. Once cooked through, splash with balsamic, return to the oven for a minute to remove excess liquid and serve. You can do the same thing with slices of cabbage as well.

Roasted squash: halve, roast, serve with plenty of butter melting on top and parmesan, if you like.

Roasted sweet potatoes: coat in olive oil, roast until a little browned and very soft.

You can also roast beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga and so on.
posted by ssg at 9:46 AM on November 22, 2024 [3 favorites]

Scalloped Corn!

All the recipes I am finding want you to put crackers on the top, which, no.

Creamed corn, egg, and some kind of milk. Think our family recipe uses evaporated milk, and not cream, but I can't remember. Mix it all up and bake it. It's so good. Ours also looks more "custardy" than what I'm finding.
posted by Windopaene at 9:49 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

Candied yams are delicious. I use an old family recipe the specifics of which I'm not at liberty to divulge, but basically it's like this: peel and chop the yams, boil until soft, add butter, orange juice, brown sugar, a bit of salt, a little Grand Marnier, and mash all together. Don't use marshmallows like many internet recipes say -- we use a mixture of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans for the topping. You can optionally add an egg yolk or two to the mashed yams if you like them extra rich. Spread the topping on top and bake for 50 min until the topping is crispy.
posted by number9dream at 9:53 AM on November 22, 2024 [4 favorites]

I often do a turkey roulade, with an herb butter as basting. You sear the breast in a cast iron pan and then add the herb butter as it cooks.

Sometimes instead of turkey I get a small rib roast. Honestly prime rib beats turkey anytime for me. All you need is a ton of butter and a good meat thermometer. Serve with popovers, mashed potatoes with the skins left on, (I don't like whipped, they get gluey,) roasted brussels sprouts, and a salad with orange or pear slices, avocado, goat cheese, and pistachios. My partner really likes stuffing so he always makes that, usually with oysters in it.

Pumpkin pie is de rigeur for dessert, but if you are too full it makes an excellent breakfast too. I like it with unsweetened whipped cream with vanilla added.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 9:54 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

We often have what I call Smallsgiving around here, with the "main" being dressing with the protein roasted over it. I might spatchcock a chicken, or just do bone-in thighs, or a turkey breast. I did not grow up in a mac and cheese holiday family but have adopted it now as the "creamy" component instead of green bean casserole or any kind of potato casseroleish thing.

Last week on NYT Cooking Sohla did a fried chicken Thanksgiving dinner, and my eye was particularly caught by the baked sweet potatoes covered in Mornay sauce and broiled. You could honestly put Mornay over chunks of cardboard and it would be delicious but this seems like an especially great option.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:56 AM on November 22, 2024 [5 favorites]

Brussels sprouts instead of asparagus - broiled with the cut side up and lemon + parm as per your directions!
Rice dressing - hopefully this is wild rice. I like to add sausage or mushrooms and at least one diced apple. Maybe a bit of bacon instead of sausage.
That salad should have some french fried onions on it, crumbled a bit more than usual, and some rye croutons.
posted by soelo at 9:57 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

Some "fancy" foods I love:
Yorkshire Pudding
Baked Brie
Cheese Fondue (fondue sets are cheap at thrift shops, and the readymade shelf-stable fondue cheese packs are quite decent!)
Roasted brussels sprouts
Lamb chops (pan fried, very rare, lots of salt, maybe with a dollop of something sweet like berry compote)
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:08 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

Is nobody suggesting stuffing?

My family uses the terms stuffing and dressing interchangeably when it comes to turkey dinner, so I believe the rice dressing is filling that role here.
posted by soelo at 10:12 AM on November 22, 2024 [3 favorites]

Totally make that cipollini onion thing! You could also do something like that with shallots as long as they are reasonably small shallots. Big shallots I am seeing on the market in the US are just like very nice onions, they roast fairly nicely but are not as delectable as small ones.

If you don't have pumpkin or squash pie, I feel like you could use something orange like glazed carrots or yams.
posted by BibiRose at 10:34 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

I like to make the holiday salads more wintry by using greens that are dark green (even some watercress) and tossing them with some white beans, walnut pieces, pomegranate arils, earthy stuff like that.
posted by BibiRose at 10:37 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

When you make mashed potatoes from scratch, boil half the amount of potatoes you normally would in water. Then boil similarly peeled and sliced pieces of celery root in milk in another pan. When they're soft, mash them together, add about a quarter cup of grated parmesan and tablespoon or so of a hearty mustard.

This will taste like mashed potatoes but discernibly better in a way no one will be able to exactly place a finger on.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:39 AM on November 22, 2024 [8 favorites]

Deviled eggs, but use a ziplock bag with the tip cut off to fill them, and add a little bit of liquid smoke to the filling. It will taste fancy while being very little work.
posted by corb at 10:47 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

I occasionally make a corn pudding for holiday meals and it is well-received. Edit: using scraped corn on the cob if possible.
posted by indexy at 10:51 AM on November 22, 2024 [6 favorites]

Ms. Windo says she does think our Scalloped Corn uses half and half, not evaporated milk.
posted by Windopaene at 10:51 AM on November 22, 2024

This is the scalloped corn recipe we make, but without the cheddar cheese.
posted by epj at 10:59 AM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

I always think a side of bread or roll is a must--try popovers or Brazilian cheese bread, if you want something pretty easy to make.
posted by carrienation at 11:03 AM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

Carrot Puff. Seasonal, but definitely off the beaten path.
posted by DrGail at 11:07 AM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

My mother got sick of making variations on traditional Thanksgiving dinners one year and just started making lobsters instead. Highly recommend.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:24 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

Scalloped oysters!
posted by jgirl at 11:27 AM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

I’ve been making this carrot recipe for many many years, and I’m making again this year!

Originally from the late great Molly O’Neill’s New York Cookbook
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 11:28 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

My yearly contribution to the Thanksgiving table has long been these Browned Brussels with Maple Butter. They never get old.

Cornbread is a common Thanksgiving side, but not like this: Sausage, Cheddar, andJalapeño Corn Spoonbread.
posted by capricorn at 11:37 AM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

Sweet Potato Turnip Gratin. I know it sounds strange to combine those, but OMG it's the thing I'm most excited for at Christmas.

Beet Terrine - Mary Berg's version specifically. I didn't believe basil and beets belong together, but I was wrong. It's very good. I shaped it once, it looks amazing, but for me it's too much work. Now I just chop the cooked beets and put it together as a salad. I personally skip the pistachios because I'm allergic.
posted by kitcat at 11:49 AM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

How about a savoury pie? I usually make one filled with Japanese-style curry but there's very little you can't put in a pie crust.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:02 PM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

Caveat: we don't have Thanksgiving often. Only my eldest daughter has actually lived in the US with me, and is also better than me at visiting my brother who still lives there. If she isn't interested, there is no dinner. Nobody else feels any attachment to American mores.

Lyn Never mentioned Sohla's chicken Thanksgiving, and I too think it is brilliant. Because I think turkey is overrated.

That said, I think I have sort of "invented" a new approach to dry, oversized birds that I have tried on goose and it worked like magic. It's an adaption of coq au vin, with white wine as in Alsace. Even though I normally prefer legs, this calls for breast, so much shorter cooking time and less stress. But you need turkey or chicken stock.
Season/dry brine the meat the day before and keep it uncovered in the fridge. I would keep the skin on, but I have tried the concept with skinless pheasant breasts, and it was fine.
On the day of, start by slicing a medium carrot and the white part of a leek. Fry these gently in lots of butter till the carrot slices are very al dente, and set aside for later.
Now pat the meat dry and cover it in flour and season with pepper and powdered ginger. Then fry the meat in the same butter as the vegs, basting frequently. You don't want to cook it through, just brown it on both sides.
Then pour over a glass of white wine, and add herbs of your choice. I like tarragon and juniper because I don't care about tradition, but sage or rosemary or thyme or all three would be fine too. When the wine has stopped smelling strongly of wine, add stock to almost but not quite cover the meat, and put the vegetables back into the pan. Now cook it, turning every now and then, until the meat is just cooked through. I use a sharp knife to see if the juices run clear, but the temperature at the thickest part should be 165 F. At this point, you can add a tbsp of some sort of fruity spirits for the holiday vibe: calvados or a quality gin or slivovitz. I usually don't bother. Taste the liquid which will very soon be gravy, and adjust the seasoning.
Take out the meat and vegs and place them on a warm platter. Turn off the heat and thicken the sauce with a mix of a half cup of full cream, 2 egg yolks and 1 tsp potato starch. Add lemon juice to taste. Slice up the meat, decorate with the vegs and pour over the sauce/gravy. Inspired by your question, I think I'll grate some lemon zest over this next time I make it. Chopped parsley is good too.

What about roasting some kuri pumpkin chunks as a side instead of baking a pie for dessert? Kuri pumpkins are delicious and easy to cook in all ways. If you have leftovers, you can make a blended soup out of them, using the leftover stock you should have as well, since it is a point to not drown the bird in stock.

Max Miller made a cranberry apple pie on Tasting History today and it looked so delicious I began thinking about making a Thanksgiving for one. But I'll probably just bake the pie...
posted by mumimor at 12:20 PM on November 22, 2024 [4 favorites]

Previously on the Green:

Thanksgiving vegetable side dish

Non-traditional Thanksgiving side-dishes

Low-effort Thanksgiving side dishes

Fabulous soft Thanksgiving food

Thanksgiving dinner or bust

Thanksgiving recipes

Thanksgiving sweet potatoes
posted by akk2014 at 12:28 PM on November 22, 2024 [4 favorites]

From one of my previous answers: Sprouts 225.
posted by dobbs at 12:42 PM on November 22, 2024 [3 favorites]

I always make pearl onions and Brussels sprouts- Thanksgiving is not the same with out them. I roast the sprouts, and I make balsamic glazed onions.

I make an apple crisp instead of an apple pie.

For Christmas, we have switched from a formal dinner to a big breakfast/brunch. I make cardamon Challah french toast. Supper yummy, and a much more relaxing day than making a big formal meal.
posted by momochan at 12:48 PM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

Do a search for "galette." There's LOTS of galette recipes involving fall vegetables, at varying levels of fanciness, and I find galettes less fussy to put together than pies or tarts are. They're pretty on the table, too.

I've got this one cued up for next week.
posted by humbug at 1:01 PM on November 22, 2024 [3 favorites]

I love a green bean casserole at Thanksgiving. If you're able to get French's fried onions where you live, I heartily recommend Alison Roman's easy, mushroom-boosted take on a classic.
posted by little mouth at 1:04 PM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

Speaking of galettes, this Smitten Kitchen butternut squash and onion galette was a hit at my all-pie-themed Thanksgiving several years ago.
posted by doift at 1:12 PM on November 22, 2024 [3 favorites]

Homemade salsa is very easy and I find it livens up everything.
posted by SPrintF at 1:33 PM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

Harissa & Maple Roasted Carrots - I use more harissa paste than the recipe calls for & add extra lemons on top

Green Bean Almondine
posted by belladonna at 1:36 PM on November 22, 2024 [2 favorites]

Corn pudding has become a family staple after sampling it at a Friendsgiving years ago. My brother in law just texted to tell me to make a double portion for this year!

I think ours is similar to recipes up above, but here’s the copy/paste from our now official reference email. We do add sliced jalapeños rounds on top for some color

1 1/2 sticks butter (soften before adding other ingredients)
1 can whole corn (drained)
1 can cream corn
1 cup sour cream
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (you can find copycat recipes for the Jiffy, if you can't find it)
2 eggs (beat slightly before adding to other ingredients)
1/4 cup sugar

Mix well (that's all it says in the original recipe, I find that you should cream the butter and sugar together and then add the other ingredients). Bake at 350 degrees in a lightly greased dish for 45 min-uncovered (if you think the top is getting too brown before it is completely cooked through, you can tent it with aluminum foil)
posted by raccoon409 at 1:44 PM on November 22, 2024 [4 favorites]

This is my favourite brussels sprouts recipe: brussels sprouts with bacon and figs. It feels fancy, is easy to make, and is, most importantly, intensely delicious!
posted by burntflowers at 3:18 PM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

Succotash, perhaps with tomatoes and a mild hot pepper, is pretty tasty and very thematic.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:44 PM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

We always had a little dish of olives and baby gherkins on the table at Thanksgiving. Can't get easy than opening a jar.
posted by MadMadam at 6:51 PM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

We make this sweet potato leek soup. Simple to make and delicious.
posted by gudrun at 6:58 PM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

Duck is an alternate to the turkey leg, maybe a little much for two but I have done it for three and been happy with it.

This kale and gnocchi bake is on my list this year. And Thisroasted veggies with butternut squash, brussle sprouts, cranberry and pecans.
posted by AlexiaSky at 7:13 PM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

Duck is an alternate to the turkey leg, maybe a little much for two but I have done it for three and been happy with it.

Duck is the best, and today, Ottolenghi has a great-looking recipe for it.
posted by mumimor at 3:33 AM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]

Alton Brown does a variation of apple pie where, instead of using cinnamon/nutmeg, he uses grains of paradise (kind of lemony-peppery sort of flavor).
posted by Eikonaut at 8:28 AM on November 23, 2024

Fiery Sweet Potatoes. Also, while this doesn't answer your question directly: have you checked the babyfood aisle for pumpkin? That's the only way we can get it around here. Failing that, frozen (diced) pumpkin is still easier than raw.
posted by toucan at 10:31 AM on November 24, 2024 [1 favorite]

Rutabaga and carrots with lots of butter. Mashed. Salt and pepper.

Mashed sweet potatoes. Add bourbon, and toasted pecans.

Salad of belgian endive, plus mache or watercress, dressed with lemon, gorgonzola, olive oil.

Green beans, shallots, toasted pecans, gorgonzola, lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest.

Cubed butternut squash roasted with a diced white onion. Add creme fraiche and spinach towards the end. Remove when the spinach wilts.

Kohlrabi, minced shallots, rose vinegar, honey, olive oil, toasted hazelnuts, salt and pepper.
posted by pearl228 at 8:08 PM on November 26, 2024 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: WOW! Thanks so much for all these, for tomorrow, I'm definitely now adding Brussels sprouts, one of the carrot dishes, and maybe the Brazilian cheese bread (probably definitely, just not sure if I can find tapioca flour), and then re-mining this for xmas/new years menus. You guys are great, I love these ideas!
posted by taz at 1:27 AM on November 27, 2024

Response by poster: Oh, I meant to say, in the dressing vs stuffing wars, some people call our dressing "stuffing"; I think of stuffing as definitely bread-based, and dressing either another word for stuffing, or like our Rice dressing. I do love a bread-y-sage-y stuffing and do make it sometimes (cornbread stuffing, yes!), but wild rice dressing just beats it out for the holiday, and it's relevant both to US southern cuisine (where I was mostly raised), and Greek cuisine. We do wild rice and regular rice mixed, some turkey giblets if we have them, sausage bits, dried cranberries, raisins, apple, almonds or pecans (if we are willing to spend $$$$ to get them here. I used to get huge paper grocery bags of them for free from friends -- such luxury!!!) turkey drippings, shallots, mushrooms, parsley, maybe some butter, depending.
posted by taz at 1:42 AM on November 27, 2024

Response by poster: Also probably stealing Lawn Beaver's entire menu for New Year's.
posted by taz at 1:51 AM on November 27, 2024 [1 favorite]