30 Thanksgiving Recipes to Master

By Bridget Hallinan
Updated October 23, 2019
Victor Protasio
Thanksgiving is basically one giant dinner party, and in this roundup, we cover all of the holiday’s greatest hits. There’s roasted turkey with Italian sausage stuffing, and dreamy Chantilly potatoes with a savory Parmesan crust; for dessert, we’d recommend a slice of creamy sweet potato pie, made all the more indulgent with a scoop of licorice ice cream. With 30 recipes to choose from, you’ll find plenty to fill your holiday table.
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Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin

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This gratin combines blanched chard and sautéed leeks, cooked until just tender in a creamy two-cheese sauce made with both Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Herb-Roasted Turkey with Maple Gravy

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Even though he’s lived in Los Angeles for years, Lee Hefter gravitates to people from the East Coast, who, like him, might have seen the fall foliage every year and watched maple syrup being tapped. He thinks adding maple syrup to gravy makes it go better with all the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes.

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Butternut Squash Rösti Cakes

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Adding shredded butternut squash to mini potato pancakes adds a touch of sweetness and a nice orange hue.

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Baked Camembert with Pears

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A splash of pear brandy plus maple syrup and Spanish almonds put a modern spin on baked Brie.

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Roasted Root-Vegetable Salad with Persimmons

Ray Kachatorian
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Chef Tom Fundaro looks forward to fall just so he can eat Fuyu persimmons as sweet as sugar. Fundaro features them in this satisfying and nicely bitter fall salad.

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Onion-Mustard Monkey Bread

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These buttery, onion-flecked, pull-apart rolls are an irresistible cross between Parker House classics and bialys.

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Chantilly Potatoes with a Parmesan Crust

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Maria Guarnaschelli likes to joke that when you cook French food on a regular basis, you need a cow in the backyard to provide enough butter and cream. This dairy-rich recipe calls for whipped cream and cheese.

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Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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This unbelievably simple side dish counters the slight bitterness of brussels sprouts with a sweet maple-syrup pan sauce.

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Collard Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits

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Cornmeal biscuits make a delicious crust for these smoky, spicy collard greens.

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Corn Bread Dressing with Brussels Sprouts

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This corn bread dressing includes plenty of brussels sprouts, so it's like two classic Thanksgiving side dishes in one.

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Squash Stuffed with Quinoa and Wild Mushrooms

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Chef Kevin Kathman stuffs maple-glazed roasted squash with quinoa and sautéed wild mushrooms. For a more substantial dish, serve it with roasted root vegetables brushed with the same glaze.

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Pickled Asian Pear Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

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Thanksgiving Make-Ahead Tip: The pickled pears, dressing and cleaned greens can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days. Slice the onion just before serving.

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Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing

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This is a marvelous turkey—simple, satisfying and completely delicious. Since Grace Parisi is a big fan of sweet Italian sausage (which was always in the rice-based stuffing she ate as a kid), she often adds it to the dressing; the fennel seed in the sausage truly elevates the dish.

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Spaghetti Squash Salad with Pine Nuts and Tarragon

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Spaghetti squash, which separates into spaghetti-like strands when cooked, is an excellent base for this easy salad from Patrick Stubbers. The recipe would also be good with roasted cubes of butternut squash.

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Creamy Lima Bean Gratin

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This deliciously rich gratin is Robert Stehling’s take on the Southern casseroles he refers to as “church-supper dishes.”

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White Polenta with Wild Mushrooms and Robiola Cheese

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With a variety of mushrooms and creamy polenta, this dish will hit the spot if you're craving something savory.

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Spicy Greens and Pear Salad with Pomegranate Gremolata

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Aida Mollenkamp packs tart (pomegranate), bitter (watercress, arugula) and sweet flavors (honey, pear) into this spicy salad.

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Cilantro Cream

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Thanksgiving Make-Ahead Tip: The squash and cilantro cream can be made a day ahead and refrigerated separately overnight.

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Baby Peas with Bacon and Crispy Leeks

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Pro tip—you can make the crispy leeks the night beforehand, and re-crisp them at 350° Fahrenheit in the oven day-of.

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Pumpkin Seed Bread Salad

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Crusty country Italian bread is the star of this dish, paired with pumpkin seeds, scallions, celery, and garlic with a touch of sherry.

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Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey

Greg DuPree
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A dry brine is not only an easier technique, but it also results in crispier skin and more flavorful meat than a classic wet brine. Those final six to 12 hours of drying will ensure crackling, crispy skin.

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Chestnut and Artichoke Roast

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Chestnuts, lemons, artichokes, garlic, and thyme come together in this fragrant roast, which is ready in an hour.

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Apple Cider Cream Pie

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This pie is a delicious combination of cream pie and apple pie, best served with baked apple slices.

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Warm Pumpkin Cake

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This cake is a riff on a traditional English steamed pudding. Warm, soft, spicy and simple, it may be one of the best pumpkin desserts you’ll ever eat.

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Cranberry Streusel Cake

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Cranberries usually appear on the holiday table as a condiment, but here they flavor a delicious cake, topped with a crumbly, buttery oat streusel.

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Sweet Potato Pie with Honeycrisp-Kabocha Salad

Marcus Nilsson
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With more eggs than a traditional pumpkin pie, this pie-version is much richer and matches the creamy texture of the accompanying licorice ice cream.

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Sweet Onion Challah Stuffing

Victor Protasio
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Baked in thin layer in a sheet pan, this nostalgic stuffing has plenty of deliciously crispy edges. When buying challah, look for a loaf that feels springy; when you poke it, the loaf should slowly bounce back to its original shape. The addition of orange juice adds a lightly sweet, floral flavor to this otherwise-traditional dish.

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Bacony Potato Puree

Victor Protasio
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To make these next-level potatoes, Food & Wine’s Justin Chapple first steeps cubes of double-smoked bacon in half-and-half, then folds the strained bacon-scented cream into boiled and riced potatoes. Pressing the potatoes through a ricer makes a deliciously light and extra-creamy potato puree.

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Garlicky Haricots Verts with Hazelnuts

Victor Protasio
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Fresh haricots verts are quickly cooked in beef fat just until they’re crisp-tender, giving them deeply savory flavor without overcooking them. The acidic lemon juice and licoricey tarragon add just enough bright, light flavor to this rich side dish.

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Coconut-Lemongrass Gravy

Victor Protasio
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Creamy coconut milk and a touch of sugar help to round out this fragrant and rich sauce, heady with the scent of lime and lemongrass.

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By Bridget Hallinan