Probably one of the most important meals you’ll cook or contribute to all year, there’s a lot of thought and effort that goes into creating the perfect Thanksgiving Day menu. There are the heirloom recipes that are passed down from generation to generation and can only be shared with blood relatives. There are the dishes that no one would dare attempt save the person who does them best—usually Grandma, Mom, or a Great Aunt. And then there’s the mix of joy and stress that comes with joining a new family for the holiday and having to ask, “What can I bring?” If you’re joining your in-laws for a meal for the first time (or the fortieth) and are hoping to impress with a standout side dish (since we all know that’s the best part of Turkey Day anyway), look no further than this compilation of some of our greatest hits.
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Sweet potato casserole is a non-negotiable on the Thanksgiving table. This recipe swaps the classic marshmallow or pecan topping for a beautifully light and elegant merengue on top.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Cornbread or yeast rolls? Why not both? You can whip these muffins up in 30 minutes, which makes them a great addition to the rest of your menu. Serve with a side of honey and watch the platter disappear.
Stovetop Broccoli Casserole
Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Micah Morton, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner
Save some oven space by putting this comforting casserole together on the stove. With a buttery Ritz cracker topping, cheesy sauce, and a little bit of health built in from broccoli florets, this side might become your new favorite side.
Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn
This dish is the perfect way to add a pop of color and some brightness to your mostly-brown Thanksgiving plate. Roasting on high heat helps the beans cook fast so they don’t lose their color and creates a lovely Parmesan crust.
Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner
Pureed butternut squash creates a fall-flavored stand-in for a traditional mac and cheese white sauce. You get all the rich, cheesy goodness of mac and cheese with a healthy surprise of butternut squash.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
A quick marinade of Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, and a couple seasonings thrown over halved Brussels makes a simple, easy side that will pair beautifully with the rest of your meal.
Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Three ingredients bring big flavor in this surprisingly simple side. You can’t go wrong with butter and brown sugar, and after a turn in the oven, this winter squash becomes melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
It wouldn’t be a Southern Thanksgiving without deviled eggs to add to your plate—or to sneak in before the meal. Thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon slices add a salty, smoky, crunch to the classic appetizer.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
If you’re a sweet potato casserole purist, this recipe is for you. The puree of potatoes, butter, vanilla, eggs, and sugar is standard, but the real star is the topping. Alternating strips of roasted marshmallow and cornflake-pecan crumble give the perfect balance of crunch and pillowy goodness.
Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Southerners know not to throw away the giblets when roasting or frying a turkey. Instead, it has to be turned into giblet gravy that can be poured over everything from turkey to dressing to mashed potatoes.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
These fluffy yeast-based rolls get completely transformed in the oven, puffing into pure perfection. Mashed sweet potatoes contribute a subtle earthy sweetness and gorgeous color to boot.
Beth Dreiling Hontzas
The ingredient list for this dish is simple but the presentation of thinly sliced potatoes baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce is a showstopper. The key is baking uncovered for the last 15-20 minutes until the top becomes bubbly and golden brown.
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
A medley of carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, and red onion create a hearty side dish that shows off the best of the season. The addition of a spicy pecan topping adds some textural interest and a punch thanks to paprika, chili powder, and cayenne.
Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
A big feast requires all the gadgets. Break out your slow cooker to make this classic side. But be careful not to set it and forget it. Two pounds of green beans takes just three hours on high before getting mushy.
Emily Laurae
A variation of traditional cranberry sauces and relishes, this recipe combines the tartness of cranberries with pears, celery, pineapple, and toasted pecans for a fresh and well-balanced salad that tastes lovely alongside roast turkey.
Stacy K. Allen, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
This recipe may do away with Brussels sprouts’ poor reputation once and for all. With shallots, bacon, and a splash of sherry vinegar, it’s special enough for the Thanksgiving table but easy enough to make time and time again for normal weeknight dinners.
Alison Miksch, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
True Southerners know that baked mac and cheese far outshines any stovetop version. And they also know that all dishes are made better with bacon. This recipe proves both at once.
Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
This rich and creamy casserole is a wonderful accompaniment to your Thanksgiving meal. Think mashed potatoes, only better thanks to an addition of Parmesan cheese and time in the oven.
Emily Laurae
This pillowy morsels are so good they most be close to heaven. The secret is the combination of three types of leavening agents: yeast, baking soda, and baking powder. The blend of these powerhouse leaveners results in light, fluffy biscuits and guarantees a perfect amount of rising, making this an ideal recipe for any baker.
Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer
If you love a loaded baked potato, you’ll love this riff that swaps the spud for cauliflower. It’s warm, creamy, cheesy, and familiar without being too heavy.
Antonis Achilleos, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
We’ve streamlined this holiday favorite by cutting out the boiling and using a trusty 13×9 in the oven. This is that recipe that your older family members have to have, but everyone else secretly loves too.
Antonis Achilleos
This is the spinach recipe that even the staunchest veggie haters will love. Toasted pine nuts add just the right amount of crunch and nuttiness to the dish, providing a flavorful juxtaposition to the richness of the cream and cheese.
Iain Bagwell
Carrots in a rainbow of colors—crimson, bronze, and purple—make for an impressive add to your Thanksgiving spread. Not only will this dish look gorgeous on your table, but it’ll be a runaway hit thanks to its addictive honey-spice dressing.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
You may think of asparagus as exclusively a springtime vegetable (and they are great around Easter time), but they’re just as capable of pulling their weight at Thanksgiving. This staple recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes (from prep to finished dish), which may make it the easiest thing you eat all day.
Laurey W. Glenn
Why argue over cornbread or bread dressing when you can have grits instead? This dressing is the perfect match for the Thanksgiving turkey, but it would also pair well with baked chicken, pork roast, beef tenderloin, or wild game.
This dish may seem a little out of the ordinary for Thanksgiving, but hear us out. This snazed up version of creamed corn adds bell peppers, bacon, and onion to the mix to create a one-of-a-kind party.
Molded Cranberry Salad
Hector M Sanchez
We’re happy to have left most molded Jello salads in the 50s, but something about this recipe keeps us wanting to bring it back. Said one reviewer, “Absolutely adore this recipe! Even my picky adult kids love it!”
Jennifer Davick
Squash casserole is a Southern staple that’s always appreciated on a Turkey Day menu. For a nice twist, sub half the yellow squash in this recipe for zucchini.
Rob Culpepper; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Assistant Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
You don’t mess with perfection, which is exactly why we left the ingredient list short (there are just five!) and the prep easy on this one. Just dump everything into a greased baking dish and let the oven work its magic.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
This is a recipe that actually that “freezes beautifully,” so you can prep it weeks in advance of Thanksgiving day and then just pop it in the oven on the day of. If you love hash brown casserole, this is the way to bring it to your holiday table.
Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
A perfect mashup of two beloved Southern dishes, you get all the goodness of squash casserole and cornbread dressing in one 13×9 with this recipe. You may have to make some permanent room on your sideboard for this one because after introducing it to the family, they’ll be asking for it year after year.
Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This is one of those “if you know, you know” recipes, which is exactly why Digital Editor Kaitlyn Yarborough’s family fights over it every Thanksgiving. Don’t let the odd ingredient list turn you away. Just trust us when we say, this one works.
Will Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners
We’re not afraid of a little mixing in the South, which is why we’ve fallen in love with this recipe. Corn casserole and baked mac and cheese combine for one dish that’s absolutely irresistible. Said one reviewer, “I wish I could give this more stars!! It was absolutely fantastic.” We agree.
PHOTO: VICTOR PROTASIO; FOOD STYLING: MELISSA GRAY; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS
Top Chef alum Kelsey Barnard Clark graciously shared her great-grandmother’s recipe with us, and we’re returning the favor to you. The sweet potatoes in this dish are cubed rather than mashed or pureed for a bit of extra bite compared to your average casserole.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
You can never have too many sweet potato casserole recipes. This one swaps the sugary-sweet marshmallow topping for a savory Parmesan-herb streusel topping that can be made with sourdough or any other day-old white bread.
Sausage Stuffing
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
We know Southerners are partial to dressing over stuffing, but the addition of smoky Conecuh sausage in this recipe might just be enough to swing the pendulum.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Southerners are the kings and queens of making dishes that straddle the line between side dish and dessert. This cranberry-apple casserole topped with a spiced oatmeal-nut crust is a perfect example. Serve it alongside your turkey, or top with ice cream for a perfectly seasonally appropriate dessert.
Antonis Achilleos, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
This is one of those recipes that you’ll be passing down for generations. Everyone Southern family needs a classic cornbread dressing on their Thanksgiving table, and this is one is ideal because it makes not one but two pans, meaning there’ll be plenty to go around for the entire extended family.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
The sweetness from the carrots meets a slight heat from the cayenne and the foamy eggs give it the soufflé-type fluffiness. This warm, comforting dish is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving line up, but is just as good made year-round.
Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn
We admit to using the word “salad” pretty loosely in the South, but this one is an honest to goodness green salad. For when your table needs a bit of brightening and lightening, rely on this simple combo of mixed greens tossed with seasonal produce like honeycrisp apples, roasted sweet potato, and dried cranberries.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
We’re aware of the fierce debate between homemade and canned cranberry sauce enthusiasts, but both can agree on that this recipe is a winner. A little fresh orange juice gives this a citrusy twist everyone will love.
Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
The clear winner when it comes to Thanksgiving potato dishes, mashed potatoes will have the number one spot in our hearts. This is our best-ever recipe, and we’re sharing it with you. Top with country white gravy, giblet gravy, or regular old turkey gravy—there’s no wrong way to eat these.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Collard greens will always have a place on a Southern table, even at the holidays. This version draws inspiration from classic creamed spinach, but adds some salty bite from thick-cut bacon to complement the heartiness of fresh collard greens.
Photo: James Ransom; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Christine Keely
If you’ve never heard of pineapple casserole at the holidays, this is the year to get acquainted with the Southern tradition. This variation on the classic recipe earned top marks from our readers. One even said it got “rave reviews” at Friendsgiving.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
What recipe can’t be improved with a little Cheddar cheese? This is a hit at Thanksgiving but also pairs really nicely with spiral ham if you want to keep it in mind for Christmas too.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Montiel
This recipe is simple but effective. Just make sure you have your cast-iron skillet seasoned and ready to go. Said one reviewer, “This is the best recipe, spot on for actual Southern cornbread!”
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Give us anything in casserole form and we’ll love it. This souped-up cinnamony apple cobbler, with its crunchy cracker topping and layer of gooey Cheddar, is no different. It may seem an odd choice for Thanksgiving, but once you make it, you’ll never go back.
HECTOR MANUEL SANCHEZ; PROP STYLING: BUFFY HARGETT MILLER; FOOD STYLING: WILLIAM SMITH
This side is as delicious to bite into as it is beautiful to look at. These herbed potato stacks are made with a short list of ingredients, but they completely transform the humble potato into an elegant side dish.
Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Micah Morton, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner
Run-of-the-mill canned corn gets a major glow up thanks to this excellent corn casserole recipe. Said one reader, “A total hit at our family Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone asked for the recipes and folks were fighting for the leftovers.”
Jessica Furniss
This recipe couldn’t be simpler or more effortlessly elegant. The fun shape of this squash means all you have to do is slice it up and give it a little roast in the oven for a stunning side in a matter of minutes.