Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

Every year we spend weeks planning our Thanksgiving menu because food is our favorite thing and therefore Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday. For the past three years, we’ve taken a trip to Lake Arrowhead with our best friend and her husband, and it has quickly become our favorite tradition.

We don’t gatekeep over here so I wanted to recap the recipes we’ve made with a quick review, to lead you in the right direction…

2024 Recipes: 

Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie | Rating: 10/10

We we’re so worried about making a custard pie since there are so many eggs involved, and we do not like the taste, or texture of eggs. Thankfully the filling came together beautifully! Unfortunately, we used a storebought pillsbury crust and it was too shallow for all the batter, so it came out as more of a thin tart. We saw one of the reviews mentioned that she made a ginger cookie crust and we can’t wait to re-make this and get creative with the crust!

Image via NYT Cooking

Apple Cake | Rating; 10/10

We wanted both a cake and a pie this year, since a pie is on the smaller side and we’re a group of dessert people. I decided this apple cake would be a fun alternative to the apple pandowdy we usually make. This cake is very easy to throw together, when the apples are cut, and it was INCREDIBLE! The chunks of apple taste so fresh and crispy, and the cinnamon in the cake and the glaze are the perfect touch. It’s not too sweet at all- we had it for breakfast then next day!

Image via NYT Cooking

Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta With Kale | Rating: 9/10

We make this mac & cheese every year, but this year we wanted to switch it up, since pasta recipes are our favorite to make (being the most rewarding). This recipe has FOUR cheeses, pumpkin, and kale- so its a nice balance of creamy/heavy and light/fresh. It was a great pasta for fall but I think for Thanksgiving specifically we’ll stick with mac + cheese moving forward!

Image via NYT Cooking

Green Bean and Corn Almondine | Rating: 7/10

If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to green bean casserole, this is a great side dish. The corn was a nice touch and we bought the pre-toasted sliced almonds from Trader Joe’s, so this was very easy to throw together. It was just slightly bland compared to the other dishes we made, but again, very healthy!

Image via NYT Cooking

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Shallots | Rating 10/10

We needed another veggie side, and added these brussel sprouts to the menu last minute, and they ended up being a facorite dish! They’re incredibly easy to make and the sauce is sneaky good. We’re going to add these to our weekly rotation!

Image via NYT Cooking

Cornflake-Topped Cheesy Potatoes | Rating: 10/10

The cheesy potatoes are a hit every year and for good reason. They’re one of the easiest recipes we make and they are incredible the next day! This year we shredded our own sharp cheddar cheese and it made a WORLD of difference. So much creamier!

Broccoli and Garlic-Ricotta Toasts With Hot Honey | Rating: 10/10

We made these every year and also recently made them for Friendsgiving but I have two notes for you. One, make sure you’re using room-temperature bread. For Friendsgiving we used a frozen baguette that we dethawed and it didn’t quite crisp up the same. Two, make sure you’re following their recipe for Hot Honey. We tried to use Mike’s hot honey and it isn’t as flavorful as making your own fresh!

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Baked Three-Cheese Onion Dip with Chive and Peperoncini | Rating: 10/10

We made this dip a couple of years ago and added it back into the rotation because it is always a hit. Truly the most delicious, flavorful, creamy dip you’ll ever have.

Photo via Bon Appetit 

2023 Recipes:

Baked Three-Cheese Onion Dip with Chive and Peperoncini | Rating: 10/10

We made this dip a couple of years ago and added it back into the rotation because it is always a hit. Truly the most delicious, flavorful, creamy dip you’ll ever have.

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Broccoli and Garlic-Ricotta Toasts With Hot Honey | Rating: 10/10

We made these every year and also recently made them for Friendsgiving but I have two notes for you. One, make sure you’re using room-temperature bread. For Friendsgiving we used a frozen baguette that we dethawed and it didn’t quite crisp up the same. Two, make sure you’re following their recipe for Hot Honey. We tried to use Mike’s hot honey and it isn’t as flavorful as making your own fresh!

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Charred Scallion Mayo | Rating: 10/10

This was a new dish for us this year since we wanted a lighter side dish that still had lots of flavor. Everyone in the reviews raved about the dressing and for good reason. The horseradish is really the star of the show but the charred scallions offer the best grilled onion flavor, and it’s so creamy. The grilled sweet potatoes were amazing and I wish I could eat them every day.

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Stuffing Topped Baked Mac & Cheese | Rating: 10/10

We make this ABM recipe every year because it is truly amazing and fairly easy to make. We buy the cornbread stuffing mix from Trader Joe’s instead of making our own, so that also cuts out a whole step. We used the Organic Pasta Qunitet from Trader Joe’s and I swear it tasted better!

Photo via A Beautiful Mess

Cornflake-Topped Cheesy Potatoes | Rating: 10/10

The cheesy potatoes are a hit every year and for good reason. They’re one of the easiest recipes we make and they are incredible the next day!

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole With Butter Cracker Crunchies | Rating: 7/10

We made this recipe again this year since we loved it last year, and it didn’t quite live up to the hype! Maybe we tweaked it last year and couldn’t remember what we changed, but it was just a standard broccoli casserole. It was good but didn’t blow us away!

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Apple Pandowdy | Rating: 10/10

The apple pandowdy has become our favorite part of every Thanksgiving meal. We did it with pink lady apples this year and it made it even better. Another tip is to make sure you use enough lemon zest since it really adds to the flavor!

Photo via Bon Appetit 

2022 Recipes:

Stuffing Topped Baked Mac & Cheese | Rating: 10/10

We make this ABM recipe every year because it is truly amazing and fairly easy to make. We buy the cornbread stuffing mix from Trader Joe’s instead of making our own, so that also cuts out a whole step. The boys always say this is their favorite dish.

Photo via A Beautiful Mess

Charred Green Beans With Brown Butter Vinaigrette | Rating: 7/10

Carli wanted to make one gluten and dairy-free recipe so she decided to try these green beans. The charred flavor was great but overall we all felt like they lacked flavor but they were much better the next day!

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Cornflake-Topped Cheesy Potatoes | Rating: 10/10

Im not sure if cheesy potatoes are a Midwest thing, or if everyone is familiar, but essentially it’s a divine mixture or cream of potato soup, sour cream, cheese, and diced potatoes. It’s the easiest recipe we made and the taste is truly incredible. Add this to your yearly menu ASAP!

Unstuffed Mushroom Casserole | Rating: 6/10

We all love mushrooms so we decided to make a casserole dedicated to our favorite vegetable. This one was moderately complicated but overall we felt like it was much to dry. If we made it again I would omit all the breadcrumbs on top.

Photo via Smitten Kitchen

Pepper Jack Green Bean Casserole | Rating: 9/10

Since we move the ABM mac and cheese recipe so much we decided to try their raved-about green bean casserole. The pepper jack cheese is a nice addition but I think the onion and mushroom mixture is the start of the show. They add so much flavor. This dish was also even better on the second day!

Photo via A Beautiful Mess

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole With Butter Cracker Crunchies | Rating: 10/10

It’s no secret how much we love BA recipes but this one could take the cake. The broccoli was cooked perfectly and it was so cheesy and paired perfectly with the buttery crackers on top. We decided this one needed to be in the menu year after year. Sooo good!

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Cheesy Corn Casserole | Rating: 10/10

Another hit from BA! The jalapeno makes this dish incredible. You have creaminess, spiciness, and so much flavor. We made this in a 9/13 inch dish and next time I think we would have used a smaller pan since ours ended up being quite shallow.

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Apple Pandowdy | Rating: 10/10

this is a recipe we first made last year and it was an instant hit so we knew we had to make it again this year. It’s relatively simple but peeling and cutting the apples does take awhile so we like to start this one early in the day. Its almost like a deconstructed apple pie but the puff pasty is much better than pie crust IMO.

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread | Rating: 7/10

This one was challenging for us to make because our AirBnb had limited tools, so we have to improvise a lot. The actual pumpkin bread was really flavorful and dense, which paired well with the cream cheese.

Photo via Half Baked Harvest

2021 Recipes:

Rice Pilaf With Lemony Brown-Butter Mushrooms | Rating: 8/10

This recipe was the most challenging we made last year, but it was also the most unique. The lemon and brown butter make the mushrooms incredibly flavorful and the rise added such nice texture. Overall we felt like it wasn’t worth repeating since it’s so time-consuming but I would make this for dinner sometime for sure.

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Baked Three-Cheese Onion Dip with Chive and Peperoncini | Rating: 10/10

We’ve talked about this onion dip before but I guarantee it will be the most crowd-pleasing dip you’ll ever make. It’s so creamy and addicting. We didn’t make it this year since we wanted more main dishes but we do make this one often and it’s one of our favorites.

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Broccoli and Garlic-Ricotta Toasts With Hot Honey | Rating: 10/10

Carli actually made this recipe four years ago and it was an immediate yes from the rest of us. We all love broccoli and this was when hot honey was just starting to become a thing. I cant put into words how delicious these toasts are. Again, this year we wanted more main dishes but our boyfriends were rally sad these weren’t on the menu so we’ll have to make them soon!

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Apple Pandowdy | Rating: 10/10

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Cornflake-Topped Cheesy Potatoes | Rating: 10/10

See review above

Stuffing Topped Baked Mac & Cheese | Rating: 10/10

See review above

Photo via A Beautiful Mess

2020 Recipes:

Green Bean Macaroni Casserole | Rating: 6/10

Oddly enough this recipe was a miss for us. I think the noodles muted the flavor and overall it was just lacking that onion flavor that green bean casserole has. We definitely recommend the ABM pepper jack green bean casserole over this (see above)!

Photo via A Beautiful Mess

Dijon- Braised Brussel Sprouts | Rating: 7/10

These had amazing dijon flavor but they were a lot of work and the brussels ended up getting too soft, so we decided not to make them again.

Photo via Smitten Kitchen

Easy Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake | Rating: 8/10

This dessert was very good but as a group, we prefer the Apple Pandowdy so we never made it again. If you’re looking for a pumpkin dish I would give this one a go!

Photo via The Novice Chef Blog

Broccoli and Garlic-Ricotta Toasts With Hot Honey | Rating: 10/10

See review above

Photo via Bon Appetit 

Cornflake-Topped Cheesy Potatoes | Rating: 10/10

See review above

Stuffing Topped Baked Mac & Cheese | Rating: 10/10

See review above

Photo via A Beautiful Mess

The past two years we also ordered some side dishes from Home Chef that were amazing, but we don’t have the recipes to share with you. I hope you enjoyed this roundup and found some new recipes to try!

xx, Britta