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There's something comforting and nostalgic, perhaps, about sticking to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner menu, if that's what your family prefers. Chances are, this means your spread will include time-honored staples like green bean casserole and cornbread dressing. And if that's what your crowd prefers, this collection of classic Thanksgiving recipes includes everything you'd expect. These essential recipes hit the highlights of all the essential dishes your family has come to love over the years. No bells and whistles here ? this is a menu that will satisfy everyone at the table.
A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey
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Photo by mrs.americanhorse
Syd’s Simply Perfect Roast Turkey tastes precisely as good as you remember your grandma’s Thanksgiving turkey. The seasoning is simple — just salt and pepper — which really lets the poultry’s flavor shine. It also makes rich drippings for gravy.
The Best Turkey Gravy
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Photo by JULZBROWN
A classic turkey gravy can make or break your Thanksgiving dinner, so you can rely on this recipe to not let you down. Gravy requires a little bit of attention and hands-on whisking, but it’s the crown jewel of your meal. Recipe creator JULZBROWN keeps things simple so you don’t have to fuss with unnecessary steps or ingredients. Just be sure to save your turkey’s drippings; you’ll need almost two cups for this gravy.
Grandma's Cornbread Dressing
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Photo by SusanR
Feel at home again with this traditional cornbread dressing, which gets its flavor from aromatics like celery, onion, and dried sage. The additional ingredients are all purposeful — they highlight the cornbread's naturally nutty but warm flavor — but they won't overwhelm the turkey or gravy. Reviewers suggest you can make it a bit more rich by using leftover pan drippings for some of the stock, if you have any left after making your gravy.
Baked Ham
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Photo by Meredith
While turkey gets all the attention on Thanksgiving, ham is a strong second main. In fact, many families can’t imagine their holiday meal without baked ham. Auntie KK’s recipe can be made the day before — it does require the oven for several hours and hands-on work — but it can easily be heated up just before dinner time. Chilled ham is delicious, too, especially for sandwiches the next day.
Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
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Photo by bobagirl
Pam Reed's candied sweet potatoes are a happy medium between a sweet potato casserole and roasted sweet potatoes, two beloved traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. The potato rounds are cooked until just tender in a bath of butter and sugar, soaking up a bit of sweetness. It's a welcome contrast to the heavily savory plate you'll be putting together.
Best Green Bean Casserole
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Photo by Cynthia Ross
A Thanksgiving dinner without a green bean casserole isn’t a Thanksgiving dinner you want to attend. This variation from Jan is a bit different from the classic version — it uses french-fried onions and Cheddar cheese — but it retains all that’s great about this holiday dish: creamy dressing and crisp, juicy green beans.
Creamy au Gratin Potatoes
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Photo by lutzflcat
Smashed, casseroled, or baked — the potato dish at your family’s Thanksgiving meal is quite important to the entire spread. Here, Cathy Martin’s recipe lets potato rounds and onion rings tenderize in a cheesy, creamy sauce. Are the onions a bit unusual for your diners? Leave them out. They won’t be missed.
Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire
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Canned or homemade? It's a timeless Thanksgiving question, but once you try Leeza's homemade cranberry sauce, you will never set foot near the canned kind again. Though it's called cranberry sauce, this relish features several fruits, including pears, apples, and dried fruit. Warm spices round out those sweet-tart flavors. Reviewers suggest it's so good you might want to eat it by the spoonful.
Soft Dinner Rolls
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Photo by Lourdes Delgado
Fluffy and light, these dinner rolls are the final addition to your traditional Thanksgiving plate. The cooking time is brief, but you’ll want to plan for rising time so they bloom and turn into cloud-like bites of bread. Serve with lemon herb butter so guests can sop up every last delicious bit of gravy and sauce.
Chef John's Pumpkin Pie
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Photo by Vanessa Greaves
Look no further than Chef John’s Pumpkin Pie to complete your traditional Thanksgiving menu. The rich, custard-like filling is delicately sweet and warmly spiced. We call this the Perfect Pumpkin Pie for a reason — you’re not going to mess it up.
Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup
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Photo by jasperwoman
It's nice to have some options for dessert, so naturally we decided to include classic pecan pie in addition to pumpkin. What makes this particular recipe stand out? It's made without corn syrup.
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