7 Standout Thanksgiving Sides

A very veggie Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving will always hold a special place in my heart because 1) it “officially” kicks off the holiday season (officially is in quotes here because, well, I started playing Christmas music on November 1st and I’m staring straight at the light-studded garland I put up earlier this week), and 2) it’s really all about the food.

While I don’t have strong feelings about the turkey – other than feeling strongly that it’s an integral part of the meal – I do have lots of thoughts on the sides. The sides, you see, are where you can really have fun and serve something that will make everyone say wow. Turkey, I’m afraid, probably isn’t going to do that.

I’m sure you have your go-to recipes for all of the delicious, must-make classics, like stuffing and mashed potatoes and mac and cheese and sweet potato casserole and whatnot, and I am not here to tell you not to make those! But may I also introduce you to a few new ideas? Some of them are new takes on dishes you probably already know and love, and others are perhaps slightly unconventional choices for Thanksgiving. But, believe me, they are all delicious.

1. Boursin Potato Gratin with Gruyere and Breadcrumbs

Boursin is one of those things that makes everything taste better, and potatoes are no exception. We were always a boxed potatoes au gratin family growing up (which are fine and yummy!), but they’re honestly so easy to make from scratch. A mandoline will save you lots of trouble – here’s the one I use.

• 2.5 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced (preferably on a mandoline)

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 package Boursin Garlic & Herb

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for assembly

• 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter

• 4 tbsp bread crumbs (regular, panko, or homemade)

• 1 cup gruyere cheese

• Salt and pepper

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine heavy cream, Boursin, thyme, a generous sprinkle of salt and as many cranks of freshly ground black pepper as you like. Mash up the Boursin a bit and stir. Continue cooking just until Boursin is melted and everything is combined. Taste this – this will be seasoning your potatoes, so you want it to be a bit saltier than if you were going to be just eating it alone.

In a big bowl, combine the cream mixture with your sliced potatoes and mix until all potato slices are coated.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter your baking dish. Pour about a cup of the cream mixture at the bottom of the dish (you can just eyeball this). Arrange the potatoes by taking one small stack at a time and placing it in the dish upright until you have filled your pan. Pour the cream mixture over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Meanwhile, mix together melted butter and breadcrumbs. After 45 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle gruyere cheese over the gratin, followed by the butter and breadcrumb mixture. Garnish with fresh thyme and continue baking, uncovered, for 30 minutes or so until potatoes are completely tender and gratin is golden brown on top.

A few notes:

• I used a 9” round pie dish (this one – SO cute and only 12 bucks at Target) and I would not recommend using anything smaller. In fact, I would probably size up to a 9” square dish or even a 9” x 13” rectangular dish.

• You want to use up all of the cream mixture (or almost all – a few tablespoons left over is fine). This will ensure the potatoes have enough liquid to cook in and the dish turns out creamy at the end. Better to have a few leftover potatoes than a good amount of leftover cream.

• Do not overcrowd the potatoes. Ensuring they are evenly coated in the cream and have a bit of wiggle room while cooking will lead to the best results.

• Slice your potatoes as thinly as you can – the thinner the potatoes, the better they’ll cook (no one wants a crunchy potato in their gratin).

• Make ahead: you can make this a day ahead and store in the fridge, wrapped tightly in foil, until ready to cook. Add 5-10 minutes to the initial round of cooking if doing so.

2. Roasted Carrots with Olive & Walnut Salsa Verde

This one is really about the sauce, and trust me when I say you’re going to want to make extra. In fact, you can spoon it over any veggie you’d like – the carrots are just a suggestion. It is just so herby and zesty and mouthwateringly good.

For the carrots:

• 1 LB carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Mix together and place in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 420 for 20-25 minutes until fork tender, tossing halfway through.

For the sauce:

• 1 cup castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

• 3 anchovy fillets, mashed

• 1/3 cup walnut pieces, roughly chopped

• 1 garlic clove, microplaned

• Zest + juice of 1 lemon

• 3/4 cup of olive oil

• Salt + pepper

• Optional: chopped jalapeno if you like it spicy

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. You want this to be a spoonable but not soupy texture, so start with 1/2 cup olive oil and work your way up from there. Spoon over the carrots when ready to serve.

3. Couscous Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Crispy Chickpeas, Mozzarella, and Lemon Rosemary Vinaigrette

Israeli couscous salad is basically just pasta salad, and why wouldn’t you want to add that to the T-Day lineup? This salad is light and creamy at the same time, and the crispy chickpeas keep the texture interesting.

For the salad:

• 1 can of drained chickpeas

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt, paprika, garlic powder, pepper

• 2 red bell peppers

• 1 cup of Israeli couscous, cooked according to package directions

• 1 ball mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces

Mix chickpeas with olive oil, salt, paprika, and garlic powder on a baking sheet, then place bell peppers on top. Roast it all at 450 for 20 minutes, removed the chickpeas, then continued roasting the peppers for another 25-ish minutes until they’re soft and charred all around. Put them in a bowl and covered to steam, then remove the skins once they’re cooled and chop. (You can also use a jar of roasted red peppers in a pinch.) Add chickpeas, peppers, couscous, and mozzarella to a bowl, and mix with lemon rosemary dressing.

For the Lemon Rosemary Dressing:

• 3 tbs finely chopped rosemary

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

• 1 tsp honey

• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped

• Juice of 2 small or 1 large lemons

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients up. I used about half for the couscous salad, and the rest stayed in the fridge or a couple days!

4. Loaded Kale and Cabbage Salad with Crispy Quinoa and Chipotle Red Pepper Dressing

Kale salad on Thanksgiving? Abso-freaking-lutely. This one’s loaded (hence the name) with lots of yummy things, like avocado and olives and crispy quinoa, so it’s far from your typical boring kale salad. Inspired by a fave at Mendocino Farms, it’s a crowd-pleaser. And you’ll want to drink the sweet-spicy-smoky dressing.

For the salad:

• 1/2 small head of cabbage and 1/2 bunch curly kale, pulsed in the food processor until finely chopped

• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

• 1 large Persian cucumber, chopped

• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

• 20 Kalamata olives, halved

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1 cubed avocado, plus more for serving

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa

For the crispy quinoa:

Mix together 1 cup quinoa and a generous amount of olive oil and salt, and bake at 375 for 30-ish min, tossing every 10, until golden brown.

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 roasted red peppers (I used jarred)

• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo

• 1.5 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

To assemble, mix together salad ingredients with dressing before serving (reserve about 1/3 to drizzle on top). Top with crispy quinoa, more avocado, and a drizzle of reserved dressing. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

5. Carrots Over Herby Rice with Garlic Labneh

If you’ve been subscribed to my newsletter for a bit, you’ve already seen this recipe, but it’s worth resharing because it’s a sleeper hit. The rice is spiked with herbs, butter, and jammy shallots, and the labneh adds a creamy tang. Layers and layers of flavor, I tell ya.

• 1 cup of basmati rice, rinsed

• 2 cups chicken broth (or sub veggie broth)

• 5 large carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise

• 4 shallots, peeled and quartered

• 1.5 cups parsley and dill, chopped

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 cup labneh

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 cup pepitas

• 1/2 tbs Aleppo pepper for garnish

Combine rice and broth (If your broth is unsalted, you’ll want to add salt here, too) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low, cover, and cook for 20 min. Leave covered for another 10 minutes (or until ready to use).

Meanwhile, heat oven to 420 degrees. Toss carrots and shallots with 2 tbs olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, mixing once, or until shallots are caramelized and carrots are starting to brown. Shallots may cook faster than the carrots, so keep an eye on them!

In a mortar and pestle, pound garlic cloves with salt until it forms a paste. Add labneh and stir to combine.

When rice is ready, fluff with a fork and add most of the chopped herbs, reserving a few tablespoons for garnish, as well as the 2 tbs of butter and the caramelized shallots. Add salt if needed. Spoon rice onto a serving platter, top with roasted carrots, garlic labneh, reserved herbs, pipits, and Aleppo pepper. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

6. Fried Eggplant Over Whipped Ricotta with Tomato & Olive Salad

Although this is a summery dish, it’s a show-stopper and you can find all the ingredients year-round in most places. Plus, who doesn’t love fried eggplant?

For the ricotta: 

• 1 8-ounce container ricotta 

Add ricotta to a bowl and using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. 

For the salad: 

• 2 cups small tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.), sliced 

• 1 cup wolves, pitted and roughly chopped or torn 

• ½ ball of fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces 

• ½ shallot, chopped 

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped 

• 1 cup parsley, chopped 

Dressing: 

• Olive oil 

• Red wine vinegar 

• Lemon juice

• Salt and pepper 

Add all ingredients to a bowl. For the dressing, I like mine very lemony and sour, so I add a good glug of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a splash of vinegar, lots of salt, and a little pepper. 

For the eggplant: 

• 1 eggplant, thinly sliced 

• 2 eggs

• Breadcrumbs 

• Salt and pepper 

• Neutral frying oil (I use peanut)

Season the eggplant on both sides with salt. Add the eggs to one bowl, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the breadcrumbs to another bowl and season generously with salt and pepper (you can also add in any other spices/dried herbs you like). 

If the eggplant slices have developed water droplets on the surface, blot with a paper towel (this happens because the salt draws the moisture to the surface). Dip slices in eggwash and then breadcrumbs. Heat an inch of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When it’s nice and hot, add eggplant slices to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry for 3-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel, season with salt, and repeat, working in batches, until you’ve fried all the eggplant. 

Grab a big serving platter and swish the ricotta on. Add your fried eggplant and top with the salad. Enjoy immediately. 

7. My Go-To Side Salad

I firmly believe that any holiday table needs a good green salad. Now I’m not talking about the kind loaded with cheese and butternut squash and creamy dressings galore (though those are fabulous and I love ‘em). I’m talking about something simple and bright. A produce-packed palate cleanser, if you will. This one is my go-to, and someone always asks for the recipe when I serve it because, despite being pretty basic compared to everything else on the table, it makes a big impression.

• Your favorite salad greens - I like baby butter lettuce here because it’s a little crunchy and a little tender

• Your favorite herbs – mint and basil are my favorites here

• 1 part lemon juice

• 1 part white wine vinegar

• 2 parts olive oil

• A drizzle of agave

• 1/2-2 cloves of garlic, microplaned (the more salad/dressing you’re making, the more you’ll need)

• Salt

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and dress your greens and herbs right before serving. The dressing measurements are in parts so that it can easily be scaled up or down, depending on your needs, and it keeps like a dream in the fridge for up to a week.

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That’s it for this week. Videos for all of these recipes can be found on my Instagram at instagram.com/saturdaytable. If you make one, please please please tag me on Instagram or email me a photo! Nothing makes my day more than seeing my recipes on your tables. Thank you for being here, for subscribing, and for making my recipes :)