In our house, nearly everyone’s attention turns to the delicious prospect of Thanksgiving dinner almost as soon as Halloween is over. There’s just something about this time of year that makes everyone feel ready to spend some quality family time together over what is possibly the best meal of the year! That’s why we’re already on the lookout for delicious recipes we might try this year that will help us keep our mostly-classic menu at least a little bit interesting and exciting as far as side dishes are concerned.
Just in case you could use a few suggestions for new Thanksgiving dinner recipes this year as well, here are 15 of the very best ideas, recipes, and flavour combinations that we’ve come across so far in this year’s search!
1. Roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and apples
If you ask us, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to get a little bit creative with vegetables in order to convince the younger members of your family to try things they might not usually eat otherwise. That’s why we always have our eyes peeled for delicious brussel sprout recipes that take the green little balls of surprisingly good flavour to the next level for those who are wary. These roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and apples from Wholefully were a huge hit in our house last year!
2. Sauteed French green beans with roasted almonds
Green beans are another vegetable that taste great at a Thanksgiving dinner but that our kids could certainly use some convincing to try once upon a time. One of the most delicious recipes we used to coax them into taking some onto their Thanksgiving plates was this one from Cherished Bliss, which teaches you how to make sauteed French green beans with toasted almonds!
3. Mom’s best sweet potato casserole
Sweet potatoes are a total Thanksgiving classic for just about everyone we know where we live, but we’ve never been ones to shy away from recipes that put a unique and interesting spin on our favourite things! That’s why we were so intrigued by this whole idea outlined on Six Sisters Stuff for making a sweet potato casserole. We’ll try just about anything that’s recommended by someone’s mom, since they always know best!
4. Filled acorn squash with walnuts and cranberry
If you’re going to put in all the time and effort it takes to make some kind of side dish that’s a little different than your usual Thanksgiving menu, would you actually much rather make it very unique indeed? Then here’s an awesome idea for the squash lovers out there! Take a better look at Let The Baking Begin to see how this delicious filled acorn squash with walnuts and cranberry was made.
5. Oven roasted sliced parmesan potatoes
We know that potatoes are a total Thanksgiving dinner classic and that not everyone likes it when you change up their favourite traditional things but, just in case you really feel like taking things in a new and mouthwatering direction, here’s a recipe we simply can’t get enough of! Check out the tutorial on Layers of Happiness to learn more about these oven roasted sliced parmesan potatoes.
6. Creamy homestyle mashed potatoes
Perhaps you’re actually a first time Thanksgiving host and you’re looking for the best recipes around that will help you make those very classics we keep talking about in the yummiest way possible for your whole family? In that case, we think you simply must take a look at the way Pass The Sushi outlines the simple steps for these extra creamy homestyle mashed potatoes that are so good we might drool just looking at the photo.
7. Perfect homemade turkey gravy made without drippings
Perhaps, despite the fact that so much of Thanksgiving is about food, you’re looking for a way to make at least a few parts of your meal a little bit more calorie conscious than they might normally be, preferably without changing the great flavour? Well, here’s a way that you can do precisely that with your gravy! Take a better look at Centre Cut Cook to see how this perfect tasting homemade turkey gravy was made without drippings.
8. Traditional sage and onion stuffing
Just in case you’re sill on the hunt for help with more traditional dishes, here’s another classic recipe for the beginners out there who really want to do it right! We’re big fans of the way this recipe and tutorial from Epicurious lay out the steps for making a fragrant and scrumptious sage and onion stuffing that won’t disappoint.
9. Homemade cranberry sauce
Since you’re already putting in all this effort to make your other side dishes from scratch, would you actually really like to apply that to your cranberry sauce as well, rather than serving the kind that comes from a can like you normally would? In that case, we think you’ll be very pleased indeed to see how easy this homemade cranberry sauce recipe from Closet Cooking really is to make.
10. Homemade Thanksgiving thankful rolls
Now, we understand that when you started looking for Thanksgiving recipes that your family might really enjoy, you probably weren’t expecting to find one that’s actually also interactive, but here we are! We were thrilled when we first came across this homemade dinner roll idea from The Idea Room that shows you how to bake tinfoil wrapped questions about gratitude right into your dough so the family can discuss what they’re thankful for as dinner starts.
11. How to roast the perfect Thanksgiving turkey
If you’re going to make your very first homemade Thanksgiving dinner for your whole family, it only makes sense that you’ll need a little bit of instruction when it comes to the main event of your meal too, right? That’s why we wanted to make sure we included this recipe from Buzzfeed as well, since it walks you step by step through the process of making a perfectly roasted Thanksgiving turkey!
12. Classic pecan pie
We’d probably say that it’s safe to assume you might be on the lookout for classic Thanksgiving desserts in addition to your search for guidance when it comes to traditional Thanksgiving dinner entrees. That’s why this wonderful recipe and tutorial for classic pecan pie, outlined step by step on Martha Stewart, caught our eye so well!
13. The ultimate pumpkin pie
Did your ears perk up the second we started talking about classic Thanksgiving pies but pecan wasn’t quite the recipe you were hoping to read about? Well, pumpkin lovers rejoice, because here’s the recipe for you! This tutorial from Sugar and Charm is the perfect one for first time Thanksgiving dinner makers to follow if you also want to make your family the ultimate pumpkin pie for dessert.
14. Traditional homemade apple pie
Of course, in lots of places, neither pumpkin nor pecan are the family tradition! If you come from a place where it’s much more classic to eat apple pie following your turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, then Simply Recipes has the tutorial for you instead. They teach you how to make a traditional homemade apple pie with a texture that’s just about as close to perfect as we’ve ever had!
15. Marble pumpkin cheesecake
Are you actually still feeling quite intrigued indeed by this whole concept of making dishes that have your favourite flavours but put some kind of unique twist on them, but you’ve been holding out and continuing to scroll because it was actually your dessert you were hoping to amp up somehow this year? Well, if you’re a pumpkin pie lover who wants to do things a little differently for once, then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how A Treats Affair made this delicious marble pumpkin cheesecake instead!
Do you have another favourite Thanksgiving dinner recipe that your family and friends always love but that you don’t see here on our list? Tell us all about it or link us to the recipe in the comments section so we can try it out as well!
