Thanksgiving Casseroles

TV chef Carla Hall layers red beets, sweet potatoes, Yukon Golds and turnips for her fantastic vegetarian gratin, which she top with a crispy Parmesan cheese crust.

This gratin from F&W’s Kay Chun features long spears of squash topped with panko and cheese and baked until tender and crisp.

Who says that casseroles have to be starchy and heavy? This lightly seasoned tomato gratin is a perfect side dish for any hearty meal.

Inspired by classic green bean casseroles from his childhood, F&W’s Justin Chapple put a Spanish spin on this timeless favorite by topping the creamy beans with smoky pimentón de la Vera and toasted almonds.

Using old-fashioned, stone-ground grits gives the casserole a better texture and flavor than quick cooking grits.

This classic is updated with deep-flavored cheddar and a crunchy topping of crumbled crackers and toasted almonds.

Crookneck squash or pumpkin also works well in this recipe.

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

Chef Sam Hayward usually tops these lush onion-sweetened greens with an excellent aged raw-milk cheese from Vermont called Tarentaise. He says Gruyère or any other Alpine-style cheese is a great substitute but if you want to try Tarentaise you can order it from thistlehillfarm.com.

Sweet potatoes grow in abundance in Alabama, where sculptor Sandi Stevens' family eats them year-round. This casserole is a Stevens favorite: silky pureed sweet potatoes topped with a sweet and crunchy pecan-cornflake topping. If you don't have pecans or cornflakes on hand, Stevens says the topping can be made with whatever nut or cereal is in the cupboard.

Hot sauce and dashes of paprika make this delicious casserole a complex-flavored dish everyone at the table will love.

Delicious and easy to make and serve, this frittata-like casserole is just the kind of dish that F&W’s Justin Chapple likes to serve as a first course at dinner parties. He slices the baked casserole into bite-size squares and tops them with a dollop of crème fraîche to serve with cocktails.

We love the earthy porcini topping on this rich and creamy turnip gratin, but it would also be fantastic on mac and cheese or other root vegetable gratin.

Melissa Rubel Jacobson created this recipe to use up extra dried mushrooms and odds and ends of pasta. While the different pasta shapes cook at different rates in the water, they all become tender once baked.

This luscious squash-studded bread pudding is the ideal accompaniment to roasted meats and birds, or cut it into large squares and serve as a main course with a green salad on the side.

Sweet roasted slices of fennel topped with herbed bread crumbs make for a fabulous freezer-to-oven side dish.

Plus: F&W's Ultimate Thanksgiving Recipes Guide

More Thanksgiving Vegetable Side Dishes

Jose Garces says this dish best exemplifies his Thanksgiving menu: traditional at its core but with unexpected Latin accents. The gratin is silky and sweet, topped with gooey marshmallows and delightfully crunchy pecans flavored with chile powder.

Photographer and Alabamian Robert Rausch grew up eating vegetable casseroles—he and his mother are both vegetarians. The broccoli casserole his family ate is a step up from the standard church cookbook recipe, which calls for using canned mushroom soup: In place of that, he uses wild mushrooms. He still relies on Ritz crackers, though, for the crispy, buttery topping.

This squash gratin is a simple and fresh recipe that is perfect for fall.

Transform your leftover mashed potatoes to a delicious, cheesy casserole that is done in less than 45 minutes.

A sophisticated take on a holiday classic.

Thanksgiving Make-Ahead Tip: The potatoes can be baked up to 5 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in the oven before serving.

A terrific make-ahead breakfast strata from baker and pastry chef Zoe Nathan, who uses multigrain bread to add a distinct flavor to this satisfying casserole.