From roast turkey to pumpkin pie to endless recipes for the fall holiday, there is no shortage of food choices for Thanksgiving. It might even seem intimidating with how many options you have, especially if you’re hosting the feast this year. So we’ve made a list of some traditional Thanksgiving foods that everyone is sure to love.
1.) Roast Turkey or Ham
Roast turkey or ham is a Thanksgiving staple fit to feed a crowd. These dishes are easy to prepare while cooking other food. Both turkey and ham pair well with an abundance of sides, making them perfect as a main dish for your Thanksgiving feast.
2.) Stuffing
Stuffing is a great Thanksgiving side dish and is perfect to bring together the best parts of the meal. It is made with herbs, aromatics, butter, and carbs, which create a rich, savory, and moist dish with a classic Thanksgiving flavor. It can be customized in a variety of ways whether you change the type of bread used or herbs.
3.) Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are a staple for Thanksgiving for multiple reasons. It can balance out other flavors and also be filling. This staple is another great side to customize with different seasonings, herbs, and potatoes. Even more, mashed potatoes are an amazing comfort food that brings a homely feeling that everyone is sure to love.
4.) Mac n’ Cheese
Mac n’ Cheese is another popular Thanksgiving side dish known for being a comfort food. It can be prepared in a variety of ways such as on the stovetop or in the oven. Mac n’ Cheese can also contain secret ingredients like nutmeg, mustard, and egg. Some even say that it’s a Thanksgiving tradition that can be traced back to James Hemings, an enslaved African who prepared it for Thomas Jefferson after Jefferson fell in love with dish while visiting Europe.
Green Bean Casserole is a Thanksgiving classic that is easy to make and can be made ahead of time. It’s a colorful side to add to a Thanksgiving platter that everyone is sure to love as an add-on.
6.) Corn Casserole
Corn Casserole is a popular Thanksgiving side dish because it’s a festive way to dress up plain corn and can be made ahead of time. Corn casserole can add some excitement to your Thanksgiving meal that already includes the basics. The cream, cheese, and butter make it taste great and feel a little bit more festive for the giving season. It also pairs well with an abundance of other dishes.
Sweet potato casserole is a popular Thanksgiving side dish for multiple reasons, including its sweetness, creaminess, and nostalgic feelings. Its sweetness can balance out other rich flavors and its creaminess is an amazing way to enjoy the vegetable. Sweet potato casserole is a fan favorite to bring back the feelings of home and childhood with a bite of nostalgia. People also love to add marshmallows on top to provide a sweet and salty contrast to the rest of a Thanksgiving feast.
8.) Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple for its flavor, history, and health benefits. Its tartness easily cuts through the richness of other Thanksgiving foods like turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce has been a part of Thanksgiving since the first Thanksgiving in 1621. Native Americans taught early colonists how to use cranberries, which they used for medicine and dye. This dish is an old but delicious piece.
9.) Pecan Pie
Pecan pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert for several reasons, including the fresh pecans picked in November, Native American ingredients, Southern tradition, and more. Pecans are native to North America with November being their harvest season. This has helped it become a Southern tradition. Pecan pie has been a Southern staple in the United States since the 1930s. It is the perfect dessert to balance sweet and salty flavors with a gooey candy bar filling, a crunch of toasted nuts, and a flaky, buttery crust.
10.) Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is a staple for Thanksgiving for a multitude of reasons, including its historical significance, its connection to the changing seasons, and the flavor of the dessert itself. Pumpkins were one of the first foods that European explorers brought back from the New World, and Native American tribes taught the colonists how to prepare them. It represents the changing seasons with its use of pumpkins, a crop tied to fall harvests. Pumpkin pie is a delicious combination of flavor and texture that holds the significance–and the simple satisfaction of its burnt orange color–without dulling the taste.
And there you have it! The best dishes to make your Thanksgiving day feast something to never forget from the homey sides to sweet desserts to never-ending traditions.
