Recipes: 5 Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is a holiday beloved by many. For most, it’s a day filled with good people and even better food and drinks. And, in comparison to other holidays, its sheer simplicity stands out. But when you’re tasked with bringing food to your Thanksgiving gathering, things can get complicated. We’re all busy in our own lives, and finding the time to cook something nice can be difficult—which is where these easy Thanksgiving side dishes come in.

Below are 5 easy Thanksgiving side dish recipes that are perfect for the busy person, beginners, and those who are looking for creative and not-so-basic food. These recipes are quick, flavorful, and bound to wow everyone at the dinner table this year. Each recipe is gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free to accommodate everyone with food allergies. Keep scrolling to learn the easy Thanksgiving side dishes that are perfect for every kind of chef.

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Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes:

1. Crispy Brussels and Bacon

A quick, flavorful, and crispy side dish that will be a big hit at the dinner table.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 6 slices bacon
• ½ tbs olive oil
• ½ large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved*
• Salt (to taste)

*Can use a 16 oz package of frozen Brussels sprouts as long as it is thawed.

HOW-TO:

1. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove from skillet and place on paper towel-lined plate. Pat dry with paper towels then crumble into tiny pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in same skillet used for bacon over medium-high heat. Once warm, add in onion, and stir until onion is soft.
3. Add bacon into skillet, and cook until bacon is heated through.
4. Add in Brussels sprouts and cook until browned, stirring occasionally (about 7-10 minutes). Season with salt to taste.

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2. Velvety Mashed Potatoes

Fair warning: You’ll never want to eat mashed potatoes any other way after trying these.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 8 high starch potatoes, like Yukon Gold or any “yellow” potato
• 1/2 cup butter (substitute a dairy-free/vegan butter like SmartBalance or Earth Balance if making dairy-free version)
• 2 gloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 cup cream (substitute dairy-free cream if making dairy-free version)
• Salt (to taste)

HOW-TO:

1. Fill large pot up with cold water, then peel potatoes. As each potato is peeled, place in cold water to clean. Once all potatoes have been peeled and cleaned, drain water from pot.
2. Dice clean potatoes into small, even pieces (try to get about 6 pieces per potato).
3. Fill large pot up with warm water, and place in diced potatoes so they’re fully submerged in water. Place pot on stovetop over high heat. Once potatoes start boiling, turn heat down to medium, and let potatoes simmer on this low boil for 12 minutes. Strain, and return potatoes to warm pot.
4. In a smaller saucepan, melt butter on stovetop over low heat until liquid. Remove from burner, then slowly mix butter into potatoes, stirring as you go.
5. Add cream and garlic into a saucepan and place over low-medium heat to simmer; once simmering increases, remove from burner and strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove garlic from cream. Add cream into mashed potatoes slowly, stirring as you go.
6. Season with salt to taste.

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3. Slow-Cooker Creamed Corn

This recipe elevates the classic Thanksgiving side dish and requires very minimal prep.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 ¼ (16 oz) package frozen corn kernels
• 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese*
• ½ cup butter*
• ½ cup milk*
• 1 tbs white sugar
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

*Use dairy-free/vegan substitutes to make dairy-free version.

HOW-TO:

1. In slow cooker, combine corn, cream cheese, butter, milk, and sugar. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Stir ingredients around well.
2. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

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4. Glazed Carrots

Not your average carrots.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
• ¼ cup butter (substitute dairy-free/vegan butter for dairy-free version)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper

HOW-TO:

1. Place carrots in a large saucepan, and fill with water so the depth reaches 1 inch. Place on stovetop and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender (about 8-10 minutes).
2. Drain carrots and place in separate bowl.
3. In same saucepan used for carrots, melt butter over low-medium heat, and slowly stir in brown sugar, salt, and white pepper. Continue until brown sugar and salt have dissolved.
4. Place carrots into saucepan with brown sugar sauce, and continue to cook and stir until carrots are tender and glazed with the sauce (about 5 more minutes).

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5. Autumn Salad

What kind of gathering would it be without a salad? This autumn salad is refreshing, fitting for this time of year, and guaranteed to give you all the compliments.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 8 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dry
• ½ cup candied pecans
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 green apple, thinly sliced
• 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
• Balsamic vinaigrette (for dressing)

HOW-TO:

1. In a large bowl, combine baby spinach, candied pecans, dried cranberries, apple, and goat cheese. Toss well.
2. Optional: lightly drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over salad and toss well, or leave on side.

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