All about the Sides: Recipes for Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Are you all about the sides on Thanksgiving? I am for sure! I love all the deep earthy flavors in Thanksgiving side dishes – it’s just the best – and so comforting! While the star of this holiday may be the Turkey – I think the true talent is in the side dishes! Here are my favorite recipes on my family dinner table!
Slimmed Down Cream Corn
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
- 5 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1/2 stock
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- Chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese combined
Instructions
- Melt unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high; add minced sweet onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in fresh corn kernels and water. Cover and cook 10 minutes.
- Transfer half of corn mixture to a blender. Remove center of blender lid; secure lid, and place a clean towel over opening. Process until smooth. Add puree to skillet; stir in heavy cream, kosher salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium until thickened and heated through. Top with breadcrumb and parmesan mixture. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Cream Spinach Stuffed Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 3 butternut squash halved
- 2 tsp salt
- Olive Oil
- For the creamed spinach
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 3 lbs baby spinach washed
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese grated
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Place the halved butternut squash into a deep roasting pan then season with the salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place in the oven and allow to roast for 30-45 minutes until soft. Once roasted, scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh. Set aside.
- While the butternut is roasting, make the creamed spinach. Sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tsp of olive oil until soft and translucent.
- Add the spinach and cook until wilted then add the mascarpone and stir into the spinach. Pour in the milk and cream and stir until the sauce is smooth then add the cream. Allow to simmer gently for 7-10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and smooth. Season to taste and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the mozzarella cheese.
- Once the butternut is roasted, spoon the creamed spinach into the hollows of each butternut and top with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
- Place back in the oven and allow to cook until the tops are golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
Herby Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. red skin potatoes halved
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh chives chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic minced
Instructions
- Cut your washed and dried red skin potatoes in half.
- Place in a large pot and fully submerge with water. Add about a 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
- Turn to high heat and bring to a boil for 20-25 minutes or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork.
- Strain potatoes and place them back in the pot. Add salt, pepper, butter, Greek yogurt, cheese, garlic, and herbs. Use a hand mixer (a potato masher will work!) to mash potatoes and slowly add in milk until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
- Serve with another square of butter, more fresh herbs and enjoy!
Parmesan Garlic Roasted Green Beans
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans washed and trimmed
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 large cloves of garlic finely chopped or minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine green beans with olive oil, minced garlic, parmesan, bread crumbs, black pepper, and Italian seasoning and toss to combine.
- Spread the prepared green beans on the baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove roasted parmesan green beans from the oven, transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
Sausage and Herb Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds of good quality bread cut into 1-inch pieces day old bread if possible
- 1.5 tablespoon oil
- 1.5 pounds sage pork sausage or sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow or brown onions from 1 large onion or 2 small onions
- 1 cup chopped celery from 2-3 stalks
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 5 large cloves garlic minced (or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic)
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine optional — sub with 1/4 cup of broth
- 3 cups low sodium chicken or turkey stock
- 1 egg lightly whisked
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until dried and toasted. Transfer the bread cubes to a very large bowl.
- Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sausages over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes.
- In the same pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary or thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the wine (if using) and allow the wine to reduce down to half (about 4 minutes).
- Take off the heat and mix in the stock to combine all of the flavors. Add the beaten egg and pour into the bread, mixing really well with a wooden spoon until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Pour the bread stuffing into a 9×12-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle.
Pumpkin Ricotta Filled Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Equipment
- Kitchen Aid
- Kitchen Aid Pasta Attachment
Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 4 large eggs – beaten
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
Filling
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- Freshly grated nutmeg
Sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 10 sage leaves chopped
- Salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer add the flour. Form a hole in the center and add eggs, water, and salt to the well. Using your hands, slowly incorporate flour as you mix, until the mixture begins to come together and starts to become a loose dough. Bring the rest of the dough together with your hands. Knead the dough with the hook of the kitchen aid mixer for about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- While the pasta rests, prepare the filling. Combine ricotta, pumpkin puree, egg, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Once the dough has rested, use a pasta machine or a rolling pin to roll the pasta out into wide sheets. Place tablespoons of the filling on the dough, and top with another sheet of pasta dough. Seal the edges around the filling and cut the ravioli. I used a ravioli stamp to make my ravioli. Refrigerate ravioli until ready to cook.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a good amount of salt. Boil ravioli in batches for about 2-3 minutes (until ravioli float to the top). Drain the ravioli and set aside.
- While the ravioli is cooking, brown the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add sage and cook for a few extra minutes. Transfer ravioli to the pan and toss in the sauce. Serve immediately and garnish with a couple leaves of sage.
Bedazzled Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs Brussels sprouts trimmed and halved (quartered if large)
- 4 oz pancetta visible fat discarded and pancetta minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt & pepper Each
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Toss together Brussels sprouts, pancetta, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper to taste on a large cookie tray – you may need to use two trays.
- Roast in upper third of oven, stirring once halfway through roasting, until sprouts are brown on edges and tender, about 25 minutes total. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
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