There’s something comforting, nostalgic, and really beautiful about carrying on traditions. For many families, Thanksgiving simply wouldn’t be the same without old-school holiday dishes like Grandma’s Southern Cornbread Dressing or our Great Aunt’s Candied Yams.
That being said, if we never thought outside of the blue box or traditional casserole mold, we never would have thoroughly modern (and totally delicious) variations on the theme like Southern Pimiento Mac and Cheese or Fried Mac And Cheese Bites. And if we were firmly wedded to the idea of a simple roast turkey, we never would have known about the time we could score via Spatchcocked Turkey or the ultra-juicy results that are possible when you Mayo-Roast Turkey.
A small adjustment can make a big difference to take a traditional Thanksgiving dinner recipe and transform it into something even better.
“A lot of my earliest holiday memories are connected to food. Whether that was big family dinners or baking pies with my Grandma, I love the way that food connects each of us. I tend to stick with the dishes that I know and love because they’re familiar and comfortable,” admits Hannah Johnson, sous chef of The Restaurant at RT Lodge in Maryville, Tennessee. “Still, while I love the classics, I’m always trying to figure out how to make them the best version possible without sacrificing the integrity of the dish. Small tweaks can go a long way to making a dish even better!”
With this in mind, we tapped professional chefs from across the South to dish about the single-ingredient additions they rely on to level-up vintage Thanksgiving recipes.
10 One-Ingredient Upgrades
Pay tribute to the classics while making them even more flavorful with these easy touch-ups chefs swear by. Chances are high that you have most of these in your kitchen as we speak!
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Sweet Tea
Since turkey is a fairly lean protein, many of our best Thanksgiving turkey recipes call for either a wet or dry brine to encourage the meat to retain more moisture as it cooks. Salt is the key ingredient that makes it possible for the turkey to stay tender and juicy, but for a wet brine, a liquid joins the party to lend even more moisture. Water is traditional, but for a Southern twist, Adam Terhune, chef de cuisine at Virgin Hotels Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee, suggests sweet tea. (Milo’s Famous Sweet Tea is his preferred brand.) “Sweet tea adds a hint of sweetness and helps create a crispy, caramelized skin, while the tannins in the tea tenderize the meat,” Terhune tells us.
Try our Test Kitchen pro John Somerall’s Sweet Tea-Brined Smoked Turkey for a from-scratch sweet tea brine, or give Terhune’s twist a go: “For a 10- to 12-pound turkey, combine 1 gallon of sweet tea with 1 cup kosher salt, 3 large quartered sweet onions, 4 sliced lemons, 8 peeled garlic cloves, 5 sprigs of rosemary, and 10 cups of ice. Let the turkey sit in the brine at least overnight,” he says.
Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Jalapeños
Six in 10 Americans prefer making Thanksgiving side dishes more than the turkey, and about 56% of us would rather feast on the sides rather than the bird, according to a 2024 survey by Campbell’s. So the rest of our Turkey Day upgrades will focus on just that: the stellar sides.
To give your cranberry sauce a welcome amount of kick, Sylvia Casares, the author of “The Enchilada Queen Cookbook” and the chef/owner of Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen in Houston, Texas, recommends, “putting very finely minced jalapeños in my cranberry sauce. The pieces are so tiny no one can see it, but the pepper pieces add another layer of flavor and some subtle heat.”
Try about 1 tablespoon of very finely chopped jalapeños for each 1 large bag of whole fresh cranberries you use in your recipe, Casares says, or give this concept a try in our Spicy Cranberry Orange Relish or a similar appetizer option, Cranberry-Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip.
Cherry Juice
If your crew isn’t keen on spice, try perking up your cranberries with another fruit, Johnson says. Instead of water in a homemade cranberry sauce recipe, consider cherry juice.
This offers a complementary fruit flavor and allows you to dial back on the sweeteners you add, so “the tartness of the cranberries can really come through,” according to Johnson. “Play around with the sweetener and adjust the amount as desired.”
For Johnson’s signature cherry-cranberry sauce, in a saucepan, combine 1 bag of cranberries, 1 cup of cherry juice, ½ cup of sugar, honey or maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and allow the mixture to boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir frequently until most of the cranberries have burst and liquid is syrupy, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the sauce stand for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate until chilled (about 4 hours).
Sparkling Wine
If canned cranberry sauce is a custom at your Thanksgiving table (hey, we love it, too!), Michael Sibert, executive chef at White Wine and Butter in Greenville, South Carolina, has a bubbly idea to breathe some extra life into each bite. Round up a bottle of bubbly, then save the rest to sip alongside dinner.
“In a pan, warm a can or cranberry sauce, add 2 tablespoons of orange juice and 2 tablespoons of Prosecco, Champagne, Cava, or sparkling wine, and garnish with orange zest,” Sibert says. “It can be our secret that it came from a can”…or not!
Marshmallow Fluff
North Carolina and Louisiana grow more than 80% of the U.S. supply of sweet potatoes, so this is one supremely Southern Thanksgiving ingredient. We want those roots to shine, but for many, sweet potato casserole isn’t complete without its holiday crown: marshmallows.
Our classic Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows is “always a hit,” readers tell us, but Kyle Perkins, chef de cuisine at the Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia, believes you can get even better results with another pantry staple: marshmallow fluff.
“I grew up with sweet potatoes, and my family would always bake them with marshmallow fluff on them,” Perkins tells us. “I have had a bit of a sweet tooth since I was a kid, and this really pleases the child in me.”
Use our Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole as the foundation, and spread 2 cups of marshmallow fluff over the filling and under the oat topping. (If you are preparing this in advance of the big day, avoid adding the fluff and topping until just before baking.)
Pineapple
Travis Milton, culinary director and executive chef of Hickory at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, Virginia, is also keen on marshmallows with his sweet potatoes, but he sticks with the typical minis. Instead, his upgrade involves canned fruit.
“My Great Grandmother used to make this amazing rice dish topped with pineapple and marshmallow, and I decided to apply the same thought to my sweet potatoes,” Milton explains. “The tangy pineapple balances the dish and creates a wonderful bridge between the earthy sweet potatoes and the sweet brown sugar and marshmallows,” he says. (As fans of Pineapple Casserole, we adore this idea!)
Over your favorite sweet potato casserole filling, Milton recommends adding 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained of its juices, for a recipe that serves 8. Don’t forget to sprinkle on your marshmallows before baking.
Apples
Americans polled in that Campbell’s survey say one side dish tops the rest: stuffing/dressing. Whether you use cornbread, yeast bread, or sourdough, the dish is delicious. But if you really want it to shine, David Rule, executive chef and owner of The Appalachian in Sevierville, Tennessee, advocates for adding apples.
“Adding honeycrisp apples—½ cup chopped per 4 cups of stuffing—brings a natural sweetness to the stuffing,” Rule says. “Since we actually stuff the bird, the apple pieces also help keep the turkey moist and juicy. As the turkey roasts, the apple aroma seeps into the drippings, resulting in a flavorful, fragrant gravy that’s hard to beat.”
We think ½ cup chopped apples would be a brilliant addition to Joanna Gaines’ Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing or this delightfully smoky and savory Sausage Stuffing.
MSG
While monosodium glutamate, aka MSG, “may be a four letter word to some,” explains Adam Stephens, chef de cuisine at Le Moyne’s Chophouse inside The Admiral Hotel in Mobile, Alabama, that reputation is quite unfair.
Of course, you shouldn’t consume any foods that don’t make you feel great. However, MSG naturally occurs in many foods, contains far less sodium than salt, and has been shown to be completely safe to consume at normal human consumption levels.
If you ask Stephens, “turkey stuffing is always better with a little bit of monosodium glutamate. The MSG adds a layer of umami to anything and it translates especially well with a protein- and vegetable-packed bread stuffing. Try ¼ teaspoon MSG per 4 cups of stuffing.”
Photogrpaher: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey
Fresh Lemon Juice
Our final two single-ingredient boosts spiff up the ultimate Thanksgiving condiment: gravy.
“Gravy never gets appreciated, and I truly think it’s the underdog of Thanksgiving. It’s the element that ties the whole dish together, though,” says Peyton Leffingwell, executive chef at the Sarasota Art Museum in Sarasota, Florida.
He relies on one of our solutions for how to fix salty gravy to make any gravy recipe pleasantly perky: fresh lemon juice.
After making Giblet Gravy, Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe, or your own go-to gravy recipe, stir in 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, taste, and add more if desired. (You don’t want it to be too sour.)
Cognac
Although he lives and works in Houston, Texas, as the chef/owner of Etoile Cuisine et Bar, Philippe Verpiand has roots in France, so he likes to invite some of those flavors to his holiday feast. For a gravy recipe that will leave everyone in good spirits, and one that “has a unique depth of flavor, add Cognac or Brandy,” he recommends. “Depending on the age of the spirit you are using, it adds a slightly different taste; younger Cognacs, for example, add some sweetness and older ones a hint of spice.”
For every 4 cups of gravy, stir in 4 ounces (½ cup) Cognac or Brandy, Verpiand encourages.