I’m sure many people buck the green bean casserole trend; unfortunately, my family is not among them. Even DH, who has admittedly become quite a bit more crunchy along with me over the past couple of years, puts his foot down when it comes to what to make his family for Thanksgiving. And so, I can only imagine, what I would serve if the menu were completely up to me.
I love fall, with its winter vegetables and cozy recipes. These side dishes feature local produce and are great any time in the fall or winter but I think are especially great for family celebrations. Without further ado, here are my top 10 choices for unique T-Day side dishes:
- Root Vegetable Gratin with Gruyere
- Heirloom Beans with Leeks
- Au Gratin Cabbage
- Apple Carrot Salad
- Golden Carrot Bake
- Red Taters and Green Grannies
- Maple Glazed Parsnips
- Apple Rice Stuffing
- Butternut Sage Orzo
- Roasted Cauliflower and Sprouts
So what approach do you normally take? Traditional or different recipes?
I absolutely LOATHE! Green bean casserole! Have not served it even once since I left my Mom’s Thanksgiving table. I am also not a fan of the overly sweet mashed sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top.
My alternative to green bean casserole is roasted green beans, pearl onions, and mushrooms. Like the rest of the year, I try to keep Thanksgiving as fresh and natural as possible. Stop by and check out my recipe for super simple homemade cranberry relish.
Yum, sounds like my kind of Thanksgiving! I’m allergic to cranberries, though, so I won’t be making any relish 😉
I cook the whole Thanksgiving meal for my husband’s family from scratch. I make rolls, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole (I’m allergic to mushrooms so I put the green beans in a homemade alfredo sauce with cheese and bacon on top), and mashed potatoes. I love all the yummy food!
Oh, that sounds like a wonderful rendition of green bean casserole!
What an inspiring list, thanks. We tend to eat the same meal, as we look forward to it, but these are great dishes to keep in mind. I appreciate it.
YUM. And just what I’m looking for as I got the leftover choices for what to bring to Thanksgiving this year! 🙂
I think that it’s always good to have one new side dish at Thanksgiving. That way, everyone gets to have their old favorites, but also break some new ground. These look like tasty sides for any occasion, truth be told. Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.
I’d like to thank you again for sharing these recipes with the Hearth and Soul hop. They’re a wonderful group of sides, and I think people would love to use them beyond Thanksgiving as well, which is why I’ve selected your entry to be one of my Best of the Blog Hop post this week.
Woo hoo! Thanks!
If you still want to make green bean casserole, you can do it without using canned mushroom soup (but without the French’s onions, I’m not sure how successful you’ll be!). Substitute Cream of Anything Soup by using this recipe I made up long ago.
My recipe for “Cream of Anything” Soup
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, sliced
1 pound chopped vegetables of choice (mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers)
1 or 1 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth (or a small can, if using purchased stuff)
1 cup heavy cream
spices of choice* (see below) cracked black pepper, sea salt
Melt butter and saute onion and veggie of choice, until they sweat. Add broth and simmer about 20 minutes. Puree with a stick blender or whatever. Put back in pan, add cream, spices, pepper and sea salt. Heat through.
*I usually add a bay leaf if I’m going to simmer it for longer than 20 minutes, which I sometimes do. Other spices I have added is dill weed, just a small dash of garlic powder, italian seasonings, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, mustard powder, a dash of allspice or nutmeg.
Some of the other side dishes sound really good. I tried the roasted cauliflower and it was gross, but we liked roasted brussels sprouts when I prepared them in a cast iron skillet inside the oven. Guess I’ll try that with the cauliflower and see if we like that a little better!