As most plan to have a smaller Thanksgiving crowd this year, it can be a struggle to decide what to cook. While we still want to enjoy the classic Thanksgiving flavors, many of the dishes traditionally serve 5-8 people. Great Plains Communications has looked to our cable channel, Food Network and found some side dish recipes that can scale to the size of your gathering.
Stovetop Green Bean Casserole
This classic Thanksgiving recipe still provides the comforting creaminess of the mushroom sauce and the crisp green beans, but by cooking it on the stove top rather than in a baking dish, you can better control the portion.
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes provide that necessary sweet and savory dish that is always teetering on the line of dessert and side dish. By skipping the baking dish and doing this hasselback method, each person can customize their toppings, from nuts to marshmallows.
One-Pot Mac and Cheese
Not only are we cutting back on the amount of food this Thanksgiving, but who doesn’t love a dish that also helps cut back on dirty dishes? This one-pot mac and cheese skips the roux and instead, cooks the pasta in the milk to thicken it. You lose the mess of straining pasta without losing any of the gooey comfort mac and cheese provides to a Thanksgiving spread.
Mashed Potatoes 4 Ways
While mashed potatoes are already pretty easy to scale to your group size, by adjusting the amount of potatoes you cook, Ina Garten gives us some fun ideas on how to spice up those potatoes with things like parmesan or garlic.
Cranberry Sauce
This cranberry sauce is super simple to make with just a few ingredients and will add a sweet and tart note to all the rich and savory flavors of the other side dishes. If your family doesn’t use all of the sauce, this can also be used in festive drinks or cocktails.
Whoever you spend the holiday with this year, we hope you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!