Thanksgiving time is upon us and there’s nothing I am more thankful for than a ton of food. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. I’m obviously thankful for many other things, but being well-fed is definitely on the list. To make sure our menus around the office are ready to go, we asked Agents about their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and even asked for a little help with the recipes. As usual, they over-delivered.
6 Special Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes Straight From Agents:
1. Stuffing
“My favorite Thanksgiving dish is stuffing!!!! My mom prepares it with sausage and it’s so good. I was born the day after thanksgiving so, I say that I’ve been eating it for 37 years!!! It’s just comforting and such a nostalgic taste for thanksgiving. I never eat stuffing outside of thanksgiving, so it’s super special.”
Ingredients:
- 8 cups (14 oz) store-bought unseasoned stuffing cubes
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 cups diced yellow onion (from 1 large or 2 small onions)
- 1 cup diced celery (from 3 large celery stalks)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage (i.e., sausage with the casings removed)
- 2-3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter. Place the stuffing cubes in a large mixing bowl. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the vegetables to the stuffing cubes. (Don’t wash the pan but scrape out every last bit of vegetables, otherwise, they will burn in the next step.) In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a metal spatula while cooking (the largest pieces should be no greater than 1/4-inch). Add the browned sausage and fat to the bread cubes and vegetables. Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper to the bread cube mixture and mix until the bread is soft and moistened. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and bake for 65-75 minutes, uncovered, until deeply golden and crisp on top.
2. Potato Casserole
“My absolute favorite side dish is potato casserole. I make it every year, and every year it is the one dish that there are no leftovers of! We’ve been eating this ever since I began hosting Thanksgiving, about 10 years ago. It’s such a warm, cozy dish that reminds me of family and the holidays. It’s perfect.”
Ingredients:
- 1 (30 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup butter
- 3 cups crushed corn flakes
Instructions:
1. Pour the hash browns into a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the cheese, sour cream and soup. 2. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion with 1 stick butter and saute for 5 minutes. Add this to the soup mixture and spread this over the potatoes in the dish. 3. Next, arrange the crushed corn flakes over all in the dish. Melt the remaining stick of butter and pour this evenly over the corn flakes. 4. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour.
3. Sweet Carrots
“My favorite side dish is sweet carrots. I make it and I’ve made them for years. It just makes me feel like it’s holiday time.”
Ingredients:
1 pack of baby carrots
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of sugar
Instructions:
“Cook together till carrots are tender. Eat and enjoy!”
4. Turkey and Homemade Noodles
“Turkey and homemade noodles is my favorite side dish. We have had noodles every year since I’ve been alive. My grandma hand made them. After she passed, my great aunt made them. And now it is my responsibility to make the homemade noodles. They are so delicious and a family tradition.”
Ingredients:
- 3 c flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 c water
Instructions:
Knead, roll out and cut dough. Boil in juice (broth) from cooked turkey for 8 minutes. Add bits of cut up turkey. Yum!
5. Green Bean Casserole
“Green bean casserole. My mom has made it every year that I can remember and it would not be Thanksgiving without it! Even my kids have learned to love and look forward to that tradition.”
- 1can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell’s® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1/2cup milk 1teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 dash black pepper
- 4 cups cooked cut green beans
- 1 1/3cups French’s® French Fried Onions Step
Instructions:
Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.
6. Giblet Gravy
“My favorite Thanksgiving side dish is giblet gravy. I have been eating it for over 10 years. My mom prepares the dish every Thanksgiving and it gives the food an extra savory taste.”
Ingredients:
- Chicken gizzards
- Flour
- Water
- Bacon drippings
Instructions:
Cook the gravy by adding water, flour and bacon drippings until golden brown and a thickened creamy consistency. Boil the chicken gizzards until done then chop them up in small pieces and add them to the gravy.