These Thanksgiving side dish recipes are both familiar classics as well as a few surprise twists. They’re certain to be the talk of the dinner table—or rather, the oohs and aahs of contentedness at the table.

A classic green bean casserole with mushrooms and topped with fried onion rings in a cast-iron skillet.
Squire Fox
1 of 12

Classic Green Bean Casserole

This classic green bean casserole, made with green beans, mushrooms, and a cream sauce, is a Thanksgiving tradition. Just say no to the can opener.
Recipe
A rimmed baking sheet with rows of Southern buttermilk biscuits.
Joseph De Sciose
2 of 12

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

These Southern buttermilk biscuits are easy as heck to toss together from just three ingredients—self-rising flour, buttermilk, and butter—and turn out flaky and fluffy and just like grandma's. Maybe even better. Here's how to make them.
Recipe
A white oval platter topped with roast winter squash and shallots.
Karen Tedesco
3 of 12

Roasted Winter Squash and Shallots

This roasted winter squash and shallots is proof that good food doesn’t need to be complicated. Here, acorn squash and shallots are roasted until tender and finished with parsley, red pepper flakes, and a little balsamic vinegar.
Recipe
A dish of macaroni au gratin on a white paper napkin on a white plate with a stack of plates beside it.
Johnny Autry
4 of 12

Macaroni Au Gratin

This macaroni au gratin is no ordinary macaroni and cheese. Not at all. It’s still pasta in cheese sauce but blanketed with a layer of ooey, gooey blend of three cheeses. Easy and on the table in less than an hour.
Recipe
Tray of classic dinner rolls glazed with butter, bowl of melted butter with a brush
Sara Remington
5 of 12

Classic Dinner Rolls

These classic dinner rolls call for flour, yeast, honey, salt, and butter–plus more butter to slather on top, natch. You won’t believe how fluffy and soft these rolls are or how easy and quick they are to make.
Recipe
A bowls of green beans gremolata with a small dish of gremolata on the side.
Faith Mason
6 of 12

Green Beans Gremolata

Green beans gremolata is an easy way to gussy up green beans and make them seem fancy without being fussy.
Recipe
A person holding a spoonful of aligot potatoes over a copper pot.
Quentin Bacon
7 of 12

Aligot ~ Pommes Aligot

These aligot potatoes, made with creamy mashed potatoes, cheese curds, and mozzarella cheese, are the richest, cheesiest, and most comforting potatoes we've ever tried.
Recipe
A bowl of sweet potato puree with marshmallow, which is toasted with a torch, toasted buttered pecans around the edge
Ed Anderson
8 of 12

Sweet Potato Purée with Marshmallow

Say hello to this sweet potato purée with marshmallow, your newest go-to side dish, and not just on special occasions. Mashed sweet potatoes are topped with homemade marshmallow topping (or store-bought mini-marshmallows) and slid beneath the broiler until bubbling and toasted. Buttered toasted pecans add crunch.
Recipe
An oval serving dish filled with mashed potato gratin and a portion of it on a plate beside the dish.
Gemma and Andrew Ingalls
9 of 12

Mashed Potato Gratin

This mashed potato gratin is for anyone who revels in the ultra-creamy, buttery cheesiness of panko-topped mashed potatoes. Try it for your next family dinner and watch everybody swoon.
Recipe
A wooden bowl filled with roasted Brussels sprouts with guanciale.
Gentl & Hyers
10 of 12

Brussels Sprouts with Guanciale

These Brussels sprouts with guanciale is an easy side dish that combines the earthy flavor of roasted, caramelized Brussels sprouts with salty, crispy guanciale or bacon.
Recipe
Bourbon sweet potatoes in a white oval baking dish, sitting on a white and blue tea towel.
Ellen Silverman
11 of 12

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Only a Southerner, inheritor of the infamous Southern sweet tooth, would add massive quantities of butter and sugar to sweet potatoes and still regard it as a vegetable. Add a shot of bourbon? No problem.
Recipe
A saucepan filled with Ina Garten's mashed potatoes with lemon and black pepper and a whole lemon and zester next to it.
Quentin Bacon
12 of 12

Ina Garten’s Mashed Potatoes with Lemon

Cooking the potatoes in less water than usual and gradually mashing in bits of chilled butter are the details that make this recipe special.
Recipe



About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


Hungry For More?

Our 8 Best Skewer Recipes

Let’s not mince words here—food on sticks is awesome. We all know it, so grab some skewers and start lining up stuff to grill, roast, toast, and otherwise enjoy.

3 hrs 30 mins

6 Grilled Chicken Thigh Recipes

When you fire up the grill this summer, put these chicken thigh recipes at the top of your must-make list. You’ll be glad that you did.

1 hr 15 mins


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4 Comments

  1. We are having duck this year. Due to the fact there will only be two of us, I’m doing the legs sous vide confit and will have the breasts available to do pan seared but have not decided yet (got a whole duck). Can you recommend some possible sides that go with duck? Thank you.

    1. low and slow, the duck sounds like a lovely entree for a more intimate Thanksgiving dinner. Pretty much anything goes when it comes to Thanksgiving, but I’d suggest sticking with foods you enjoy and ones that don’t all need to be made at the last minute. If you prefer traditional sides, any of our mashed potato or stuffing recipes would be lovely alongside the duck, and the pan-fried green beans in the above recipes are an easy side that would be welcome on any plate, and provide a nice pop of color as well. This beet salad would also be nice alongside duck, and the acidity might help to balance out the richness of the meat. It can also be prepared mostly ahead of time. We have a few new recipes posting on the site this coming week that would also be good choices. Do let us know what you end up making and how your meal turns out.

      1. Thanks the wild mushroom dressing sounds good and will look forward to next week`s recipes.Do you think this recipe will work if it was halved? (Again just two of us)

        1. I think you’ll be able to halve it successfully, low and slow. Just keep an eye on it in the oven; you may find your cook time is shorter than the recipe suggests.