59 Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes

In our home, we have some holiday favourites that we prepare each and every year, but there’s always room for one or two more new recipes too! In this collection of 59 Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes, you will find everything you need to make a complete – and impressive! – dinner. Let me share with you my favourite mains and sides and teach you how to make them for your family!

When it comes to this time of year, I can’t seem to get enough of homestyle cooking. And, for me, that is defined by the use of root vegetables like potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets, etc. I grew up eating those types of veggies at least once a week, so when I decided to share this collection of recipes, it was difficult to narrow it down to just a dozen or so. Therefore, these recipes are all of the favourites that I have shared with you over the years. These are the best 59 Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes anywhere!

There are a lot of recipes to share here in this post, so I’m going to stop talking and just jump right in! I have broken down the recipes into sections so that you can scroll quickly to the section you are most interested in. After all, not everyone is going to obsess over the brussels sprouts recipes, like me!

TURKEY – EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE THANKSGIVING MAIN!

I have 10 turkey recipes that I’m going to share with you in this section. I’ll start with my easy recipe for roasting a whole turkey, but then I’ll share a few ideas for turkey legs and thighs because not everyone wants – or needs – to prepare a large main. I’ve also got some really good recipes for using up that leftover turkey meat too!

IS TURKEY NOT YOUR THING?

Not every family likes a turkey dinner. Even though I think turkey is the most common main found at any home at Thanksgiving, I’m sure they are many families that would rather ham or even chicken. If that family happens to be yours, I’ve got some really great mains that could work well with many of the sides in this 59 Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes collection!

IS IT EVEN THANKSGIVING WITHOUT POTATOES?

We love potatoes, however, we never eat them more than once a month. I’m not counting fries in this, because we do have fish and chips or a burger and fries at least once a month. But, I’m talking about baked potatoes or mashed potatoes in this case. Here are some of my favourite ways to prepare potatoes!

GREEN BEANS

I’m not a huge lover of green beans, but I prepare them every Thanksgiving because John.e loves them. To be honest, I’m not sure if green beans are much of a traditional Thanksgiving side here in Canada, but I know in the United States, green beans are certainly a must in most homes.

CORN

Like green beans, corn is another one of those sides that may or may not be common on a Thanksgiving table. We love corn, in fact, I might say that it is one of my favourite vegetables! We love a side of corn that is seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in a little butter. But, for Thanksgiving, we need to jazz them up a bit. If you love corn, or if you have corn for Thanksgiving, try one of these recipes!

SQUASH

When it comes to a really good squash recipe, I’m all about roasted squash. You will never find me cooking with spaghetti squash; I just don’t care for the texture. But, when it comes to butternut squash or acorn squash, there never seems to be enough!

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Hate on me if you wish, but I have to say this – I love brussels sprouts! They are the perfect little cabbages with such a great flavour. If you don’t love them, it’s probably because you haven’t had them prepared the right way. And, none of this bacon nonsense! Stop using bacon to cover up the taste of an already delicious vegetable. Here are three of my favourite sprouts recipes. Please, do yourself a favour, and try at least one!

CARROTS

Carrots are another one of those vegetables that we absolutely love. In fact, we probably eat them raw more than we do roasted, boiled, or steamed. But, when it comes to Thanksgiving, they are present every single year. I think they deserve a section all their own in this list of my 59 Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes!

MORE THANKSGIVING-WORTHY VEGETABLES

I’m going to put everything that isn’t potatoes, green beans, corn, squash, brussels sprouts, or carrots into this next section. Here, I will include cauliflower, shallots, radishes, turnips, etc. All of these are delicious too, but not very common in terms of Thanksgiving recipes. Although, my mom would have disagreed completely. She never did let a Thanksgiving pass by without turnips!

IF THERE’S NO GRAVY, I’M NOT EATING!

When I was growing up, my mom probably served gravy with something at least once a week. That might have been a traditional Newfoundland Jiggs dinner, or she may have served it with roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. My favourite was when she prepared gravy with seal meat and served it over homemade fries. With John.e being a vegetarian, I’ve learned to make gravy without drippings and it’s wonderful!

TWO MORE MUST-HAVE SIDES IN OUR HOME

Who doesn’t love stuffing!? In our home, the words stuffing and dressing are interchangeable because most Newfoundlanders refer to stuffing as dressing. My mom would word it like this: “I’m stuffing the turkey with the dressing.” Here, I’ll share with you the dressing/stuffing that my mom used to make. It can be served on its own or you can stuff a turkey with it. The other is one that I made for the first time about ten years ago because I needed stuffing to go with John.e’s Tofurkey. That stuffing has become a family favourite and I make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.

SALAD AT THANKSGIVING? YES – WARM SALADS!

If you’re a smaller family, or if you’re not looking forward to preparing half a dozen recipes, you might want to opt for a warm salad. You can serve any of these alongside your turkey, ham, or chicken!

PASTA ON THANKSGIVING

In the last section, I mentioned that if in the case you didn’t want to make lots of sides to serve with your turkey, you might want to make a warm salad. However, if in the case you don’t want to prepare a turkey or a ham at all, you can still manage to prepare a meal fit to be called Thanksgiving dinner by serving a pasta dish! I have three pasta recipes that would easily compete with any Thanksgiving dinner!

NOW, PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!

Here’s how I suggest you do it. First, scroll through the recipes in this post and select your main. Are you going with the traditional turkey? Or are you thinking that this year you might want to roast a ham instead? Once you have decided on that, it’s time to pick your sides.

Scroll through each section and stop at the sections that appeal to you. If you happen to be one of those people who does not care for the taste of brussels sprouts, skip over that section and move on to the next. Pick a few sides – anywhere from 3-6 of them – and pair them with your main.

Lastly, don’t forget to select a gravy and stuffing recipe too. And, if at the end of it all, this seems overwhelming for you, then opt for a warm salad with roasted chicken. In fact, make the salad and pick up a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store if that pleases you! Finally, you could always make some Thanksgiving-flavoured pasta and call it a day.

I wish I could invite you all to my home for Thanksgiving dinner because I absolutely love to cook and I go all out with a turkey, a Tofurkey for the vegetarian, two stuffings, at least 4-6 sides, and sometimes, two gravies too! Ha! All I ask is that you bring dessert because I can’t make a pumpkin pie to save my life! Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Reader, to you and your family. Whatever you eat for dinner, I hope it tastes absolutely wonderful and fills your belly! Now, who’s ready for Christmas!!!!????