Thanksgiving is a great time to cook traditional favorites and also an opportunity to delight the family with something exciting and new. Each of these 16 Thanksgiving Recipes has a little something special that will brighten up your feast and make everyone at the table feel extra thankful.
Many people stick to the exact same Thanksgiving menu year after year, traditional dishes that everyone loves and looks forward to. While I have a lot of respect for nostalgia, I have a different approach. If I have a crowd coming over for a meal, whether it's a Friday night dinner party or Thanksgiving, I see it as an opportunity to get some new and exciting dishes on the menu.
This roundup includes some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, from appetizer to leftovers. Some are classics with a twist, such as Turkish yogurt-marinated turkey - a tender roast turkey with a spiced-up gravy - and the most scrumptious Italian sausage stuffing with broccoli rabe, parmesan cheese and zingy hot paprika, (yummm!).
If you're looking for some new fabulous festive side dishes that you can make ahead of time, try this wild rice salad with cranberries, apricots and pecans or this dazzling roasted squash stuffed with roasted vegetables.
Packed with flavor, each of these 16 dishes will bring delicious excitement to your Thanksgiving table. Click any of the thumbnail images below to get to the recipe and post, or scroll down for larger photos of each dish and more detailed descriptions. HAPPY FEASTING!
THE 16 BEST THANKSGIVING RECIPES FROM PANNING THE GLOBE
Roasted butternut squash baked with blue cheese (or goat cheese if you prefer) and sage, makes a fabulous festive Thanksgiving appetizer. Serve it with a sliced baguette or crackers.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Apples:
This curried butternut squash soup gets its deep rich flavor from sweet melted onions and tart green apples cooked with the buttery squash and fragrant Madras curry powder. If you’re looking for a great soup to start a holiday meal, this one will do the trick.
Minted Sweet Pea and Spinach Soup:
Start your Thanksgiving meal with a bowl of intense green goodness.“This rich elegant soup is a perfect beginning for an important dinner.” That’s how the authors of The Silver Palate Cookbook describe this soup. I agree. I’ve served it as a first course at many dinner parties and at Thanksgiving. It comes together fast and always stirs up excitement at the table.
My Favorite Holiday Salad:
A wonderful, refreshing seasonal salad with mixed baby greens, fresh oranges and toasted pecans tossed with bright cranberry orange vinaigrette. The perfect salad to start a hearty Thanksgiving feast or an elegant winter dinner party.
Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries Apricots and Pecans:
This wild rice salad is bejeweled with cranberries, apricots and pecans and dressed with orange shallot vinaigrette. It’s a great side dish for Thanksgiving or any festive meal.
Spicy Yogurt Marinated Turkey:
With yogurt’s natural tenderizing powers, this bird comes out tasty, tender and juicy with a flavorful, spiced-up gravy.
Olive Oil and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes:
Roasted garlic and fruity olive oil give these dairy-free vegan mashed potatoes their great flavor and texture, so there is no need for butter or cream. Whether you're vegan or not, these are totally delicious!
Italian Sausage Stuffing with Broccoli Rabe and Parmesan:
I took all my favorite Italian ingredients and turned them into stuffing. Sweet Italian sausages, broccoli rabe, onions, garlic (lots), parmesan cheese, and hot paprika for a spicy kick. All that incredibly delicious stuff is tossed with toasted bread cubes and broth and baked in or out of the bird or both. It’s rich and savory, spicy, garlicky, crispy edged, highly-addictive…a keeper.
Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry Maple Citrus Glaze:
Everything you already love about Roasted Sweet Potatoes just got even more exciting. Sweet potato rounds are dusted with chili powder and brown sugar and roasted in the oven until soft, sweet, spicy and caramelized. Then they’re topped with lots of chopped scallions and a warm ruby glaze made from fresh tart cranberries, orange juice, lemon juice, mustard and maple syrup.
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Fried Shallots:
Here’s one of my all time Favorite Veggie Side Dishes for Thanksgiving or any occasion. Brussels are shredded and pan-browned for maximum caramelization. Then loads of scrumptious crispy fried shallots are piled on top. It’s an incredible combo of flavors. I could eat the whole platter by myself, in one sitting!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Dried Cherries:
This dish is seriously addictive. Crisp, golden, caramelized roasted Brussels sprouts, smoky sautéed bacon and sweet tangy dried cherries. Cook this for Thanksgiving or anytime you want to make everyone at the table swoon.
Roasted Squash Stuffed with Roasted Vegetables:
This is one of my all time favorite holiday recipes – a rainbow of delicious healthy veggies piled into roasted squash halves. A beautiful, awe-inspiring vegetable side dish that’s perfect for Thanksgiving or any festive meal. And all of the chopping, roasting and stuffing can be done ahead of time!
Roasted Vegetable Antipasto:
A terrific starter or side dish for a holiday feast or dinner party. An exciting platter of colorful vegetables, cooked to perfection with sweet and sour onions, seared asparagus, and roasted rings of winter squash, carrots and fennel.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Almond Flour:
I love having sliced pumpkin bread on the table for Thanksgiving. This Pumpkin Bread is moist and delicious without white flour, sugar, or added oil. Almond flour, made from ground blanched almonds, is the key ingredient that gives this bread its tender crumb, rich flavor and healthy, gluten-free nutritional profile.
Turkey Soup with Kreplach:
Turn your leftover Thanksgiving turkey into a delectable turkey soup with turkey-stuffed dumplings called kreplach. It's easier than you might think!
Curried Chicken Turkey Salad:
This is my favorite chicken salad recipe - super easy to throw together and it works beautifully with leftover turkey!
Barb Kenslea
The wild rice salad is a favorite of mine and Mike's! too. I will definitely be making it!
Lisa
I'm so glad! Have a happy Thanksgiving!!
Jean
ALL your recipes are intriguing but this list of Thanksgiving sides is absolutely awesome! I have already pinned a few from other emails, but have not gotten a chance to try them. This Thanksgiving will be very small, due to COVID19, but I will definitely make some of these. The leftovers will be thrilling, for a change! Thank you for your very special recipes.
Lisa
I'm so glad you're inspired by some of these recipes Jean. Our thanksgiving will be small too - just 5 of us - but that doesn't mean we can't make a fabulous feast, right? I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. Thank you for your wonderful note 🙂
Holly Housman
The turkey soup and curried turkey salad look wonderful. I'll definitely make them for Thanksgiving!
Also, I'll try the pumpkin bread with almond flour. Wow, sounds delicious.
Thanks, for these inspiring recipes.
Lisa
Hi Holly, I'm glad you found a few recipes that interest you. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!