Like most food lovers I know, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I enjoy most how it gets everyone around the table, focuses on home cooking and the bounty of the harvest, and inspires us to think about all we are grateful for.
While cooking for the holiday can be a joyful experience, anyone responsible for pulling the meal together knows it can also be a lot of work and feel like more pressure than you bargained for. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can keep your meal fairly simple, and healthful, while making it holiday-specical too. These side dishes do just that. Each is easy to prepare, but has a festive flair that makes it shine on the holiday table. In fact, these three sides plus a turkey (or whatever protein you like) would make a simply beautiful, memorable meal. All you’d need to complete the picture is some pie.
Wishing you a joyful, fulfilling Thanksgiving!
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
This comforting, easy-to-make sweet potato casserole is a game changer. It is creamy and delicately sweet, with real sweet potato flavor shining through, and a crunchy topping of pecans. It's better-for-you too, with no cream at all and a fraction of the added sugar of the typical sweet potato casserole. It's a family favorite on my table, and I think it will be on yours too.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apple and Sunflower Seeds
Photo by Goran Kosanovic for The Washington Post
Turn simply roasted Brussels sprouts into a beautifully festive dish with a garnish of fresh apple and toasted sunflower seeds and a drizzle of vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar, grainy mustard and a touch of honey.
Spinach Salad with Roasted Squash, Roasted Grapes and Pumpkin Seeds
Photo by Sreal Borunchin
This salad is a true celebration of the tastes and colors of the season, with chunks of sweet, orange squash contrasting the juicy, sweet roasted grapes and nutty, toasted pumpkin seeds, all atop fresh leafy greens dressed in a maple-sweetened vinaigrette. It’s a stunning way to start your Thanksgiving meal.