Easy-to-Make Thanksgiving Side Dishes Your Guests Will Love
A feast is not complete if it consists of just the main meal but not the sumptuous Thanksgiving side dishes. It should be a full course, including appetizers, desserts, and cocktails, but this is not usually the case for Thanksgiving dinners. The Savory stuffing, roasts, and mashed potatoes get all the attention.
Thanksgiving would be a lot more festive if your guests could select from an array of healthy and delicious side dishes. And like Superman, we’re always here to the rescue.
We’ve put together a detailed list of delicious side dishes you could dazzle your guests with and all the details you’ll need to prepare them. If you’ve got a vegan guest, there’s no cause to worry; we also have a selection of vegan side dishes, so there is a meal for everyone.
Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas with Marinated Feta
This is your option if you’re looking for a side dish to take the flavor selection to the peak. Not a carrot fan? This roasted carrot and marinated Feta would change your mind.
Throw your roasted sliced carrots (could be rainbow or just the regular orange carrot) into a sizzle with creamy feta cheese, shallots, Chile, vinegar, and fresh herbs to give it a rich taste.
It takes about 45 minutes to prepare, and it could basically pass a full meal, but it would also be a great addition to the dinner table.
Ingredients:
- 3 bunches of small, thin carrots (about 2 pounds), trimmed, scrubbed, and halved lengthwise if large
- 1 15.5-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry
- 5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 Fresno chile, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 4 oz. feta cheese, drained, patted dry, and cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp. fresh oregano, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh mint
Check out the Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas with Marinated Feta recipe here.
Escarole Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
As I said earlier, vegans are not left out. Salads are always a great way to add elegance to any feast and also help to dilute the feel of grease from every meal.
The Escarole salad is made of crisp, fresh escarole, blue cheese, and red pomegranate seeds, and what better way to serve this than with a glass of red wine to go? It takes about 15 minutes, so adding this to your dinner table as a side dish wouldn’t be tough.
Ingredients:
- 1 c. walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp. red wine or sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1/3 c. olive oil
- 1 large head escarole, torn into pieces
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 oz. blue cheese, broken into small pieces
- ¼ c. pomegranate seeds (arils)
Check the Escarole Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette recipe here.
Roasted Asparagus with Anchovy Breadcrumbs
Photo Credit: Goodhousekeeping.com
Roasted Asparagus has never tasted better than with breadcrumbs to beautify it. The salted savory taste blended with the wheat fiber would be a very explorative additive to the thanksgiving dinner, it might take away 35 minutes of time, but it’s totally worth it.
The Roasted Asparagus with Anchovy Breadcrumbs is quite a healthy diet and a fit for everyone regardless of preference.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lb. asparagus, trimmed
- 5 tbsp. olive oil, divide
- Kosher salt
- 8 anchovy fillets, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 2 tbsp. Tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 c. finely torn fresh sourdough breadcrumbs (from 1 to 3 slices sourdough)
- 3 tbsp. sherry vinegar
- 3 tbsp. golden raisins
Check Roasted Asparagus with Anchovy Breadcrumbs recipe here.
Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Add beautiful colors to your dinner table with these golden roasted potatoes. Potatoes are an all-around delicious food choice, whether you fry them, mash, or boil them, and now ill like to introduce roasted potatoes to you.
They are delightful small finger foods for every event and would be a good additive to your thanksgiving dinner table. To get the best from roasted potatoes, you have to first boil them before roasting; this would make them soft and tender in the middle while also being crisp and crunchy outside; then they can be served with shredded cheese, sour cream, and as much topping as you’ll like, anything would go perfectly.
It takes about 15 minutes to prepare, so make as much as you can cause your guests will gobble this up in no time.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ lb. new potatoes (about 20)
- Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for the pan
- Desired seasonings and/or toppings (try ranch or taco seasoning, pico de gallo, cheese, bacon, fresh herbs, hot sauce, etc.)
Check the Crispy Roasted Potatoes recipe here.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Almond-Thyme Gremolata
Apart from it being Thanksgiving, it also falls, and we can’t rule out all the fall specials and soups are at the forefront of that. The creamy cauliflower soup would warm you up from the inside and is also a great way to satisfy you if you still feel hungry after the feast.
The Cauliflower soup also has several nutritional values for your guest and gets even more vitamins and minerals when mixed with a selection of vegetables. Using Almond-thyme Gremolata gives the soup a particularly rich, crisp oomph to it.
Also, it’s very easy to prepare and takes just around 45 minutes to prepare. It also has a long preservative lifespan, so you could prepare this beforehand and still be confident it’ll remain fresh.
Ingredients (for soup):
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 large leek (white and light green parts only), cut into half-moons
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and sliced
- 4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ c. heavy cream
Ingredients (for toppings)
- ½ tbsp. olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
- ½ c. sliced almonds, toasted
- ¼ c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp. chopped chives
Check Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Almond-Thyme Gremolata recipe here.
Brussels sprouts with Heaps of Bacon
This would be the gem of finger foods, in any event, a great way to blend the greens with bacon; they surprisingly go well together. Plus, your vegan guest could do a pick-and-choose on this too.
It takes about 40 minutes to prepare and would be great to diversify your dinner table.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp. canola oil
- 2 lb. Brussels sprouts halved
- Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Check the Brussels sprouts with Heaps of Bacon recipe here.
Vegan Caesar Salad
When it comes to aesthetics, the Caesar Salad doesn’t fail to beautify a dinner table. This salad is pleasing for everyone, and even meat lovers would appreciate this beauty.
Although it takes almost 2 hours to prepare, you can be sure it will get all the attention of guests. It is a fine blend of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, mustard, garlic, and capers, with nutritional yeast if you please. You can dress the salad with several toppings to make it a bit heavier and attractive for guests; make use of croutons and crispy chickpeas as toppings.
We advise you to make 2 sets of dressings and save them sealed tight in the refrigerator. Possibilities are; since everyone is taking a bit of it, it might not last so long on the dinner table, so it’ll be nice to have a fresh batch when one is done.
Crispy chickpeas ingredients
- 1 15-oz can of chickpeas
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
Ingredients for dressing
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 1/3 cup of lemon juice
- 1/4 c. tahini
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp. capers plus 1 tsp caper brine
- 1 small clove of garlic, finely grated
- Kosher salt and pepper
Salad Ingredients
- 4 thick slices of bread
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 small red onions, cut into thick rounds
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 bunches of small radishes
- 1 clove garlic, cut in half
- 2 heads gem lettuce or romaine hearts, leaves separated
Check the Vegan Caesar Salad recipe here.
Fig and Rosemary Cranberry Sauce
Who knew dried figs could make such a fine dish? With its extra sweetness and tenderness switched up with cranberry sauce would be the perfect sweet additive to the Thanksgiving dinner table.
With just 20 minutes, you can have this ready and served as a cream jammy sauce for everyone.
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 c. chopped dried figs
- 1/2 c. honey
- 1/2 sprig of rosemary
Check Fig and Rosemary Cranberry Sauce recipe here.
Thyme-Roasted Turkey and Gravy
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, there is no way to leave out turkey on your dinner table. With 3 hours and 20 minutes, you can prepare the main dish of your Thanksgiving dinner table. Since the turkey and gravy are what give the entire table its meaning, you can’t afford to go wrong with this.
Ingredients (Thyme-roasted turkey):
- 1 12- to 14-lb turkey (thawed if frozen)
- 4 small onions, quartered
- 1/2 bunch fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- 3 tbsp. softened butter or olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- 2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 stalks of celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- Red champagne grapes, kumquats, and pomegranates, for serving
Ingredients (Thyme-roasted turkey gravy):
- Roasting pan from roasted turkey and its contents (turkey removed)
- 1 c. dry white wine or hard cider
- 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
Check the Thyme-roasted Turkey and Gravy recipe here.
Turkey Stuffing
If you’ve got turkey, you’ll definitely need a unique and savory stuffing to go into it, and we’ve got just the recipe for you. It will take just about 1 hour to make a statement with your stuffing that’ll stick to the memories of your guest for a long time.
Ingredients:
- 1 small loaf (about 1 lb.) of country-style bread (about 1 lb.), cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 3 c. low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 c. sage leaves, chopped
- 1 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Check the Turkey Stuffing recipe here.
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Conclusion
We understand that Turkey and its stuffing are the most important thing about Thanksgiving dinner, and it also takes just as much time as attention. Still, your dinner table would be way too boring with delicious and unique side dishes for your guests to enjoy, whether they are vegans or meat lovers.
Select a few side dishes ideas from this list and make your Thanksgiving dinner one to remember.
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