Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year? I have 25+ mouthwatering Thanksgiving food ideas for an unforgettable dinner that everyone will love.
25+ Insanely Delicious Thanksgiving Food Ideas to Make the Perfect Dinner
1. Butternut Squash Ravioli with Pecans and Brown Butter
Raviolis for Thanksgiving? Why not? These aren’t your usual ravioli that you’ll find in the store. You’ll make them from scratch (it’s easier than you think) and stuff them with a delicious butternut squash filling. Serve with a roasted butternut squash and brown butter pecan sauce that is amazing.
2. Gordon Ramsay’s Roast Turkey
No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a roasted turkey, right? This recipe comes from the famed chef Gordon Ramsay, and it’s surprisingly easy. You’ll stuff the turkey with onion, garlic, lemon and bay leaves. Adding herb butter under the skin is the secret to flavorful, juicy turkey. Cook in a roasting pan, and enjoy.
3. Buttery Herb Stuffing
Stuffing is the star side dish at every Thanksgiving table, and you’ll love this buttery herb variation. Forget the boxed stuff. You’ll make this stuffing from scratch with stale or toasted bread. Fresh herbs and a generous amount of butter make this dish the perfect complement for your turkey dinner.
4. Roasted Carrots with Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese
Need Thanksgiving food ideas for side dishes? You’ll love these roasted carrots, cooked with creamy goat cheese and sweet candied pecans. I love that the candied pecans are homemade, so you can adjust the ingredients to your taste. But if you want to save time, you can buy candied pecans. Make sure you’re using fresh carrots for this recipe and not canned or frozen.
5. Creamy Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish, and it’s easier than you think to make the “fried” onions from scratch (you’ll actually be baking them). I recommend using fresh green beans if you can get your hands on them. You need just a handful of ingredients to make this dish, and the homemade baked onions are so much better than their store-bought counterparts.
6. Mini Stuffed Pumpkins
How adorable is this dish? The presentation is sure to impress your guests, but these little stuffed pumpkins are delicious, too. The savory stuffing features tart apples, Gruyere cheese, cranberries and fresh herbs. Serve with the pumpkin tops and a few sprigs of fresh thyme on a pretty serving dish.
7. Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Who doesn’t love garlic mashed potatoes? I love that this recipe keeps the potato skins on, and the roasted garlic adds tons of flavor. Using half and half instead of regular milk makes these mashed potatoes so creamy and divine.
8. Mushroom Bread Pudding
Here’s a unique side dish to serve as your Thanksgiving dinner. Mushrooms, sage, leeks and other fresh, aromatics are cooked in a cognac sauce and baked with brioche and Gruyere cheese in a creamy, cheesy sauce. This dish is a labor of love, but it is absolutely worth every minute of effort.
9. Stuffed Butternut Squash with Sausage, Spinach, Pecans and Cranberries
Here’s an impressive side dish that looks just as beautiful as it is delicious. Each half of the butternut squash is stuffed with a savory sausage filling with dried cranberries, pecans, spinach and herbs. I like to top these with fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs to enhance the fall flavors.
10. Roasted Mushrooms in Browned Butter and Garlic Sauce
Mushrooms are such a great side dish to serve at Thanksgiving because they pair well with just about everything. These mushrooms are cooked in a wonderful brown butter sauce with garlic, fresh thyme and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with fresh thyme on top and in a pretty serving bowl.
11. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Pecans and Cranberries
If you’re looking for traditional Thanksgiving food ideas, you’ll love this recipe. Fresh Brussels sprouts are roasted with dried cranberries, bacon, and pecans for a dish that’s savory, sweet and nutty. The green and red colors of this dish are a feast for the eyes and stomach.
12. Harvest Wild Rice Salad
Salad may not be a traditional Thanksgiving dish, but this recipe puts a fall twist on things and adds wild rice into the mix. Dried cranberries, butternut squash, sliced almonds and a sweet and savory dressing make this dish perfect for the holiday. It’s a healthier dish to serve and easier than you think to prepare.
13. Cranberry Honey Glazed Salmon
Looking for a turkey alternative to serve? Try this honey-glazed salmon, cooked in a sweet and sticky cranberry sauce. Just marinate, bake for 10-15 minutes on a baking sheet, and you’re ready to eat. This salmon dish is served with cranberry sauce on top, and it pairs well with most of the classic Thanksgiving side dishes.
14. Pumpkin Pasta Bake
Everyone loves a good pasta dish, and this recipe puts a fall spin on things – making it perfect for Thanksgiving.
Rigatoni noodles are cooked in a creamy pumpkin tomato sauce with a walnut-sage topping. Mushrooms and spinach add to the flavor to make this a truly special dish that everyone will adore.
15. The Ultimate Sweet Potato Casserole
Want Thanksgiving food ideas for a sweet side dish? This sweet potato casserole is perfect. It features a divine sweet potato filling with brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. The dish is topped with pecans, cinnamon and marshmallows.
16. Maple Pecan Roasted Sweet Potato Slices
Sweet potatoes and maple pecans are a great choice for a side dish this Thanksgiving. Easy and quick to make, you’ll need a chopping board, veggie peeler, baking sheet and a small mixing bowl to get started.
Toss the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet with some butter, salt and pepper.
Bake the potato slices, add a sweet maple syrup mixture and bake for about five minutes to allow the mix to fill the sweet potato slices.
17. Stuffed Acorn Squash with Creamed Spinach
Not sure what to do with all of the acorn squash your garden produced this year? You’ll stuff the acorn squash with a spinach and cheese mixture that’s made out of olive oil, fresh spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme.
18. Orange Cranberry Pork Loin
Perfect for a main dish on Thanksgiving, this orange cranberry pork loin takes an hour to cook but a mere 15 minutes to prep. What really makes this pork loin is the sauce, which is made with orange juice, orange marmalade, cranberry sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
If you’ve ever made a pork loin before, this recipe is easy to make with the sauce completing it.
19. Nut Roast
Savory and sweet, this nut roast combines dried fruit, fresh herbs, lentils, nuts and veggies. Unless you want to mash the ingredients by hand, you’ll want to use a food processor. And, as the recipe’s author recommends, adding a nice cranberry sauce on top of the nut roast really completes the flavor.
20. Cranberry Apple Stuffing
Cranberry apple stuffing requires sourdough bread, apples, dried cranberries, and quite a few fresh herbs, such as flat leaf parsley, fresh rosemary, thyme, sage and more. And if you don’t plan on making turkey this year, don’t worry – the stuffing tastes great at any time.
21. Vegetable Wellington
If you’re a fan of beef Wellington and have been looking for unique Thanksgiving food ideas, you’ll appreciate this vegetable Wellington. It’s a great compromise and packs an amazing flavor with roasted carrots, asparagus, peppers, onions, spinach, pesto and a soft puff pastry.
You’ll need a loaf pan for this recipe.
22. Pecan Pie Brownies
Brownies. Pecans. What an amazing combination, especially when you make them into a delectable brownie pie that everyone will enjoy. You’ll need a cake pan – like this one – brownie mix, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, corn syrup and pecans.
Since the recipe calls for brownie mix, it’s super simple to make.
23. Pumpkin Apple Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
A bit on the heavier, hearty side, this three-cheese mac and cheese adds pumpkin puree into the macaroni elbows, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, gorgonzola cheese, Gruyere cheddar cheese and a few other ingredients.
It’s a hearty dish, but it is a tasty one.
24. Savory Apple Thyme Tart
A savory tart that is Instagram-worthy. Each tart feeds two people and features caramelized apples, gruyere cheese, thyme, apple and a handful of other ingredients. Select any apple variety that you wish, but pink lady is a personal favorite of mine.
25. Vegan Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes
Eight ingredients are all that you need to make this Thanksgiving-inspired mashed potatoes. Creamy and delicious, you’ll need to peel your potatoes into long slices before boiling them. Once tender, you’ll strain and mash them.
While boiling, you’ll caramelize the onions.
Add coconut milk to the mixture while mashing, garlic powder, thyme, salt, pepper and butter.
26. Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
It takes less than an hour to make these acorn squash, which are perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves just yet. You’ll make acorn squash with two medium squash, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
And the caramelized apple will require two red and green apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, butter, thyme and some honey.