Create a Beautiful Holiday Spread: 4 Delicious Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Although the turkey is usually the highlight of the Thanksgiving dinner, the side dishes fill out the meal with a wide range of colors, textures and flavors. Your goal is for guests to each fill a heaping plate with foods they are excited to taste, whether they're classic Thanksgiving recipes or new twists on old favorites.

When selecting side dishes for your Thanksgiving menu, choose a balanced mix of starches, vegetables, and cheese, along with both sweet and savory options. This ensures that all of your guests find something they like. This year, use these four Thanksgiving side dish recipes to create a beautiful spread that will keep your guests coming back for more.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Getting some of the Thanksgiving preparation out of the way a day or two ahead of time is a great way to reduce chaos on the big day. Mashed potatoes are a must-have for many people, so make sure to include this classic side dish in your Thanksgiving menu. This particular mashed potato recipe is moist and creamy, and it's designed to be made at least a day early and refrigerated until you pop it in the oven to heat it up.

What You Need

·         4 lb. white or Yukon Gold potatoes (about 10), peeled, cubed

·         1 cup sour cream

·         1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) cream cheese

·         2 tsp. onion powder

·         1 slice bacon, cooked, crumbled

·         2 green onions, sliced

Make It

·         COOK potatoes in large saucepan of boiling water 10 to 15 min. or until tender; drain. Place potatoes in large bowl. Add sour cream, reduced-fat cream cheese and onion powder; mash until creamy.

·         SPOON into lightly greased 2-qt. casserole; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator 30 min. before baking. Discard plastic wrap.

·         HEAT oven to 350°F. Bake potatoes 1 hour or until heated through. Sprinkle with bacon and onions.

Sweet Potato Bake

These sweet and decadent sweet potatoes are a big hit with kids, especially because of the gooey marshmallows on top. Adults will also love the subtle hint of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg flavoring the dish. The recipe is super easy to prepare and requires only 10 minutes of prep time to keep you on schedule.

What You Need

·         3 cans (15 oz. each) sweet potatoes, drained

·         1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

·         1 tsp. ground cinnamon

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

·         3 cups miniature marshmallows

Make It

·         HEAT oven to 350°F.

·         BEAT potatoes, butter and spices with mixer until blended.

·         SPOON into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with marshmallows.

·         BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until potato mixture is heated through and marshmallows are lightly browned.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

Instead of green bean casserole, consider making this cheesy broccoli casserole for a new dish this year. The flavor is similar, but guests will love the combination of broccoli and stuffing, all held together by a delicious, rich cheese sauce. Plus, it's another simple recipe that will only take you 10 minutes to put together.

What You Need

·         1 pkg. (6 oz.) stuffing mix for chicken

·         2 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained

·         1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup

·         1 cup cheese dip

Make It

·         HEAT oven to 350ºF.

·         PREPARE stuffing as directed on package, using 3 tbsp. margarine.

·         MIX remaining ingredients in 2-qt. casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with stuffing.

·         BAKE 30 min. or until heated through.

Brussels Sprouts with Cider Glaze

The flavors of the fall come together beautifully in these sweet and salty Brussels sprouts in an apple cider sauce. Although this may be the most unusual of the Thanksgiving side dish recipes, the different colors and textures come together beautifully. Plus, this recipe is easy to prepare on the stovetop as you're waiting for the last few dishes to come out of the oven.

What You Need

·         4 slices bacon, chopped

·         1 tbsp. butter

·         1 small red onion, thinly sliced

·         2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved

·         3/4 cup apple cider

·         1/4 cup sugar

·         1/2 tsp. salt

·         1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

·         1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·         1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Make It

·         COOK bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tbsp. drippings from skillet.

·         ADD butter, onions and Brussels sprouts to drippings in skillet; cook and stir on medium-high heat 1 to 2 min. or until Brussels sprouts are lightly browned. Mix next 5 ingredients; pour over sprouts. Cook 5 min. or until liquid is evaporated and sprouts are evenly glazed, stirring occasionally. Stir in bacon.

·         SPOON sprouts into bowl. Top with nuts.

Author's Bio: Jennifer Williams works part-time as a bank teller and part-time as a baker. She has three beautiful daughters with whom she looks forward to spending the weekends. She is hoping one of her daughters has more success mastering the art of a perfect croissant than she has had :)

Disclosure:This is a guest post.