Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving day is a tradition celebrated to give thanks at the end of a harvest season. It gives the family and friends a chance to come together to mark this day with a scrumptious meal and to give thanks for what they have received. Traditionally Thanksgiving is all about comforting flavors of home, and though turkey recipes are always the stars, side dishes also play a very important role for making the dinner a success. When it comes to thanksgiving recipes, side dishes should be something that complement and accentuate the taste of the delicious turkey.

Most of us want traditional thanksgiving foods but trying out new thanksgiving recipes for side dishes will give variety to the traditional food. There are a lot of options for thanksgiving recipes for side dishes that are not only very easy to prepare, but also get you compliments from the guests!

Side Dish Recipes for Thanksgiving

Mashed Sweet Potatoes: The honey flavor and velvety texture of these colorful root vegetables will complement the flavor of the turkey perfectly. This is very simple to make and hence, one of the best thanksgiving recipes for kids to make. Their buttery fresh and sweet taste makes them enjoyable simply mashed.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes, 2
• Milk, cup
• Butter, 3 tbsp
• Light-brown sugar, 2 tbsp
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Take a steamer basket and set it in a large sauce pan. Fill water to come just below the basket. Bring the water to a boil and then place the sweet potatoes (cut into 2 inch chunks) in the steam basket and cover it. Steam for about 15 to 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain the water and then set them aside in the saucepan. Meanwhile in a small saucepan bring the milk, butter and brown sugar to a simmer and keep stirring it. Remove from heat once it turns into a sauce and add to the drained sweet potato. Mash just until smooth and season it with salt and pepper.

Cranberry Roasted Garlic Risotto: No thanksgiving meal can be complete without cranberry sauce. But instead of just cranberry sauce, try to make something different for thanksgiving recipes for side dishes. Also, cranberry roasted garlic risotto is a great choice for thanksgiving recipes for diabetics. The natural sweetness of the cranberries will allow them to have something sweet without affecting their health.

Ingredients:

• Butter, 2 tbs
• Roasted garlic cloves, 3
• Small onion diced, 1
• Rice, cup
• Chicken broth, 2 cups
• Original sweetened dried cranberries, cup
• Parmesan cheese,1 tbsp

Preheat oven to 425 F. Take a casserole dish and grease it, then melt butter in a large saucepan. Add the roasted garlic and onion and cook until soft. Add rice and cook for two minutes. Then add the broth and the dried cranberries and bring to a boil for two minutes. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes, then stir in the cheese and serve hot.

Pumpkin and Pecorino Gratin: This pumpkin gratin is one of the tastiest thanksgiving recipes for side dishes. It's also a great choice for thanksgiving recipes for vegetarians. The creamy texture of the pumpkin with the cheese is an unusual and delicious side dish.

Ingredients:

• White sandwich bread, 2 slices
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, cup
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Pumpkin puree, 3 cups
• Butter, 2 tablespoons

Start by preheating the oven to 450 F. In a food processor, combine the bread and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and pulse until large crumbs are formed. Season sugar and pumpkin puree with salt and pepper and put it into a one quart baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb mixture and butter and bake until crumbs are browned for about 15 to 25 minutes.

Sweet Potato Biscuits: Sweet potato biscuits are a great way to include sweet potato in the meal without the kids knowing that they are eating something healthy. They are a unique thanksgiving recipe for side dishes.

Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour, 1 cup
• Sugar, 2 tbsp
• Baking powder, 4 tsp
• Salt, tsp
• Mashed cooked sweet potatoes, cup
• Softened butter, cup
• Milk, 2 to 4 tbsp

Start by preheating the oven to 450 F. Take the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together and put in a bowl and in a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add a tablespoon of milk one spoon at a time to the mixture and continue to cut in and turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside looks smooth. Roll the dough out to - inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat the tops with melted butter, then bake for about 15 minutes.

These were just some thanksgiving recipes for side dishes. They are easy to make and will leave your guests licking their fingers. So go ahead and try these delicious easy recipes that will leave you with more time to celebrate the day with your family and friends.