20 Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is coming fast, and in this week leading up to the big day, it’s high season for grocery lists, planning, preparation, and cooking ahead. In case you’re looking for some recipes for the coming week, here’s a recap of my 20 favorite Thanksgiving recipes. I love Thanksgiving.

All the recipes are listed with links to the printables at the bottom of this post.

Start with something to tide them over in the morning–The Ultimate Breakfast Casserole.

Make it ahead to pull out and bake on Thanksgiving morning, leaving you with time to eat bon bons on the couch! Okay, probably not, but…. It really helps on a big holiday morning to have something easy–but delicious–for breakfast. Helps keep people out of the pie before it’s time.

You can also make ahead some Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing, which gives the flavors time to blend perfectly.

This is the way my mom made it. The way I make it, too. I’m in love with it.

This weekend would be a good time to can some cranberry sauce before the big cooking week hits. Have some homemade cranberry sauce ready to go.

It’s delicious. Find it here.

Of course, you need some Country-Style Green Beans.

I always want corn of some kind on the Thanksgiving table (it just isn’t Thanksgiving without it), and it’s usually one of these two dishes:

Scalloped Corn.

Or Corn Pudding.

If you love sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, you might want to try this take on Maple-Spice Butternut Squash.

Tis divine, I promise.

My absolutely favorite rolls for Thanksgiving are these Cornmeal Yeast Rolls.

They just say “Howdy, Pilgrim.” You can cook them in a handy pull-apart ring that makes a very pretty presentation. Also festive, however, are these amazing Herb and Swiss Crescents.

For your gravy this year, you might want to take a short-cut by adding White Sauce Butter Balls to your turkey drippings or chicken broth. And don’t forget the Holiday Mashed Potatoes to elevate everyday potatoes to spectacular.

Now, on to the truly important part of the meal and I don’t mean the turkey. PIE!!!!!!

Get your Foolproof Pie Crust here and wow everybody this year with your best pies ever.

My very favorite Thanksgiving pie is Pumpkin Pie with Rum and Walnuts.

Of course, don’t forget you can make Pumpkin Pie from Scratch.

Though it might be tied for my favorite with Maple Pecan Pie (with Bourbon).

As a twist on pumpkin pie, you might want to try Spiced Cushaw Squash Pie.

Cushaws are a bit sweeter than regular pie pumpkins, and this is a rich, flavorful recipe that will make your house smell like the inside of Autumn.

Always amongst my holiday pie objects of affection is Coconut-Oatmeal Rum Pie (with Walnuts). Everyone who tastes this pie asks for the recipe.

It’s an intoxicating concoction I dreamed up one day when I was making do (and baking) with what I had in the pantry. It’s one of the tastiest pies I’ve ever eaten in my life. I’ve made it over and over and over, and I never get tired of it. Hmm. I think I need to make it RIGHT NOW!!!!

If you’re still looking, you can see all my pie recipes here in my Pies & Pastries archives. I’m a pie lover.

And just a couple more ideas before I run into the kitchen to make that Coconut-Oatmeal Rum Pie–if you want to try something a little different for Thanksgiving this year, I have an awesome recipe for Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding.

Seriously, it doesn’t look like much in that picture, but it would be prettier in a nicer casserole dish. It is to die for and makes a great alternative on the dessert table. Another great companion dessert to the pies on the table, of course, is Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings.

You can make this dish in advance and freeze the pan of dumplings, unbaked. I’ve already got this in my freezer, ready to pull out and bake in a flash.

Because, aside from the holidays coming up, a person should always be prepared for an apple dumpling emergency. Just sayin!

Get the quickie printables on all these recipes:
1. Ultimate Breakfast Casserole
2. Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing
3. Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
4. Country-Style Green Beans
5. Scalloped Corn
6. Corn Pudding
7. Maple-Spice Butternut Squash
8. White Sauce Butter Balls (for easy gravy)
9. Holiday Mashed Potatoes
10. Cornmeal Yeast Rolls
11. Herb and Swiss Crescents
12. Foolproof Pie Crust
13. How to Prepare Fresh Pumpkin
14. Pumpkin Pie with Rum and Walnuts
15. Pumpkin Pie (classic)
16. Maple Pecan Pie (plus other pecan pie variations)
17. Spiced Cushaw Squash Pie
18. Coconut-Oatmeal Rum Pie (with Walnuts)
19. Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding
20. Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings

*****

You can order Chickens in the Road: An Adventure in Ordinary Splendor now!