10+ Thanksgiving Recipes! & FAQ
baked brie with fig jam, rosemary, and pecans; smashed fingerling potatoes; delicata squash pakoras; pull-apart rolls
Hi everyone!
I am currently writing this newsletter from Rio de Janeiro. I’m spending the week drinking fresh coconut water and tart caipirinhas; feasting on fried fish, feijão, and juicy tropical fruits; celebrating my friends’ wedding in Búzios; and soaking up every bit of warm sun (and rain, heavy rain) before heading back to the chilly East Coast.
By the time we return home to New England, Thanksgiving preparations will be well underway. So this week, in lieu of my typical weeknight/weekend newsletter, I’m sharing 10+ Thanksgiving recipes to get you in planning mode!
*Scroll down to skip to the recipes*
Have a cooking question? Submit a question to my cooking hotline; anything is fair game, from nailing that weeknight dinner to planning your Thanksgiving meal!
Let’s Talk Thanksgiving
Hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is almost upon us! Have you started planning your menu yet? Are you stressed even thinking about that question? To provide inspiration and make things feel a whole lot less intimidating, I’ve compiled a list of recipes, tips, and FAQs to help you through the process.
First, a little context. With the help of my family, I have been orchestrating and cooking Thanksgiving dinner since the age of twelve. We usually have a small Thanksgiving with no more than 6 to 8 people, which gives me plenty of freedom to experiment, get creative, and push the boundaries of traditional recipes. I wrote about this for Simply Recipes last year:
We stuck to the classics for the first few Thanksgivings, but at some point, the menu transformed from a traditional set of dishes to one of lofty experimentation .… One season, we swapped out pumpkin pie for pumpkin crème brulée. Another year, we put an Indian spin on each dish, from garam masala roast chicken to cardamom-spiced sweet potatoes. We tried rösti (Swiss potato cake), Korean-inspired gochujang glazed carrots, and Greek-style feta dip …. Come November, without fault, I scour the internet, magazines, and cookbooks for new recipes to try. After the meal, my dad appends the latest recipes to a worn binder filled with dishes from years past.
If you’ve been following me for a while, it should be no surprise that I love experimenting with recipes and giving them a fun, global twist. For me, Thanksgiving is no different. So, let’s get started!
Thanksgiving FAQs
Last year, I worked with Simply Recipes to compile a comprehensive guide on planning and executing a successful Thanksgiving dinner.
Some questions from this guide include:
“What should be on my Thanksgiving menu: How many mains? How many sides? Do I need bread?”
“What are some smart shortcuts I can lean on?”
“Is it okay to assign dishes or recipes for people to bring?”
“How should I get my kitchen ready for Thanksgiving?”
Check out the link below to see the complete list of questions and answers. Don’t see your question? Submit it to my cooking hotline, and I may be able to answer it in the coming weeks!
The Recipes
I love all these recipes, but the ones marked with an asterisk are reader favorites.
Appetizers
Baked Brie with Fig Jam, Rosemary, and Pecans: This baked brie is an absolute holiday crowd-pleaser! Brie is topped with fig jam and rosemary pecan butter, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked until the crust is golden-brown and the cheese is ooey gooey.
Change it up: Try apricot jam, thyme, and slivered almonds.
Sour Cream Dip with Spicy Tadka*: Classic french onion dip gets a makeover with a topping of sizzled spices.
Whipped Ricotta Recipe with Honey: Whipped ricotta is literally one of the easiest recipes, and it’s so creamy and delicious.
Change it up: Use a spicy honey, or infuse the honey with thyme or rosemary.
Sides
Spiced Squash with Labneh, Lentils, and Herbs: Squash is tossed with lots of warming spices and roasted until caramelized, then laid on top of lemony, herby lentils and a creamy bed of labneh.
Delicata Squash Pakoras: Pakoras meet tempura batter in this crispy fried seasonal take on the classic spiced fritter. Note: These pakoras are best served hot out of the fryer; I do not recommend having them sit out on a dinner table for hours.
Kale Caesar Salad*: A punchy, garlicky caesar salad dressing pairs amazingly with a heartier green like kale.
Pepperjack Mac and Cheese: Creamy pepper jack mac with pickled jalapeños and a crispy breadcrumb topping.
Smashed Fingerling Potatoes with Labneh and Garlicky Salsa Verde: Crispy potato skins, creamy spuds, garlicky Italian salsa verde, and tangy labneh are a perfect pairing of textures and flavors.
Breads
Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls*: Soft, fluffy dinner rolls with a buttery garlic parmesan topping.
Change it up: Sub the garlic parmesan butter with honey butter.
Crispy and Fluffy Focaccia*: This focaccia dough recipe has a crispy outer crust, a fluffy inner crumb, and a delicious flavor from an overnight rise in the fridge. It's a very forgiving, no-knead process that requires no special equipment!
Garlic Pumpkin Cheesy Bread: A super creamy cheesy bread made with store-bought dough, roasted garlic, and pumpkin.
Desserts
Basque-style Pumpkin Cheesecake*: Here’s what my editor, Ariel Knutson, wrote of this recipe when I published it last year, “This recipe…was the star of my Thanksgiving dessert table this year. It’s not fussy to make—there’s no water bath involved—and the texture and flavor is just spot on. If you’re not familiar with Basque-style cheesecake, it’s essentially a cheesecake that “self-crusts'' itself (so there’s no graham cracker situation going on). I can’t recommend it enough.”
Chocolate Pots de Crème: Chocolate pots de crème are luxuriously rich and creamy baked chocolate custards made for true chocolate lovers.
That’s all for this week!
- Karishma