Thanksgiving is a holiday centered around spending time with family, reflecting on what you’re grateful for, and enjoying some delicious food with family and friends. But which entrees, side dishes, and desserts are the best? Which ones will be a definite hit at this year’s gathering? Sure, there’s the traditional turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, but what other foods really complete a successful Thanksgiving dinner table?
First off, there’s a few factors to consider when ranking Thanksgiving foods. Obviously, taste plays a major role in how well a dish will be received at the dinner table. However, there’s a lot more that goes into it. Some other things to take into account are the texture, how well it pairs with other dishes, and (most importantly to me) how difficult it is to cook or bake. Each of these factors plays a key role in where the dish lands in the rankings. (Disclaimer: these rankings will be VERY biased towards what I like…)
Taking the top spot, without a doubt, is gravy. The taste? Savory and delicious. The texture? It can make even the driest of turkeys palatable. Versatility? Again, throw it on everything and it will absolutely improve your Thanksgiving dinner experience. Not to mention just how easy it is to make — just put some broth, corn starch, water, and spices into a pot and mix. Gravy is far and away the best thing you can bring to this year’s Friendsgiving. I don’t even need to say any more about gravy — we all know where it belongs on this list.
Next up, we’ve got one of the side dishes that just can’t be beat. Everyone loves them, whether it’s Thanksgiving or not. There are so many variations that every single person could bring their own take on these, and it would be a successful Thanksgiving. Of course, taking the second spot on our list is mashed potatoes. Not only do they always taste amazing, you can add literally anything you want to your mashed potatoes and they’ll be a hit. My personal favorite is to add a little bit of bacon, and top it all off with, you guessed it, some of that gravy mentioned earlier. Making mashed potatoes also couldn’t be any easier. The only real step is in the name itself — take some potatoes and mash them up. Overall, mashed potatoes are one side dish that just never misses the mark.
Third on the list may be a little controversial. I understand that fall is the time of pumpkins and pumpkin spice everything, but I think apple pie tops pumpkin pie ten times out of ten. If I could only have one dessert at Thanksgiving, there’s no doubt it would be a slice of apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. There’s something about the sweet, cinnamon-y, soft apple filling that really makes it a great dish. Now I will admit that apple pie doesn’t pair incredibly well with other desserts, but let’s be honest — you won’t even need another dessert if you’ve got a great slice of apple pie.
Finally on this list, we’ve got green beans. Whether they’re roasted, in a casserole, or steamed, green beans serve as a delicious way to almost feel healthy during Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, your plate is piled high with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, but there’s a green thing there too! Moms and grandmas love to see that. Green beans are the best compromise between taste and covering another food group.
And that’s my personal list for the top Thanksgiving foods. I intentionally left out some of the obvious ones to make it a bit more interesting — yes we all love turkey, but it’s kind of a given! I’m sure there are a lot of dishes that I missed out on, but these are just a few of my favorites. Either way, enjoy your break and have a happy Thanksgiving!
