Thanksgiving is our nation’s most gluttonous holiday — which is quite an achievement when you think about how much we Americans love to eat. But of all the Christmas hams, Valentine’s Day chocolates, and Fourth of July backyard barbecues, Thanksgiving takes the cake (no pun intended).
Still, many Thanksgiving dinners this year will consist of an extremely limited culinary selection: turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, etc. I don’t have anything against the classics, and I certainly don’t have anything against complex carbohydrates, but shouldn’t we embrace the spirit of adventure this season? After all, it was adventure (and religious persecution, but mostly adventure!) that brought the Pilgrims to America in the first place. So in that vein, here are a few of the most unique/underappreciated Thanksgiving foods for this year.
1. Green Bean Casserole
We’ll start with one of the relatively well-known underdogs: green bean casserole. All too often this dish is passed over in favor of the stuffing/mashed potato combo, with the chef justifying that surely that will be enough carbs for the rest of the year, right? Wrong! Green bean casserole, when done correctly, is the absolute best part of Thanksgiving dinner. Imagine fresh green beans sautéed with crispy slices of French-fried onions, then baked to perfection, when the beans are plump with flavor and the onions golden-brown. If your mouth isn’t watering by now, you’re just about as tasteless as white shoes after Labor Day.
2. Pumpkin Soup
Just because we’re past October doesn’t mean you can’t still put those pumpkins on your front porch to good use! Just kidding, you should definitely throw those out. But pumpkin soup really is a savory delicacy that can be enjoyed throughout the fall, including on Thanksgiving. The typical recipe calls for one or two pumpkins, chicken broth, and a couple of spices, which is just about as easy as you can get. For fans of easy pumpkin recipes in general, try checking out our article on five easy pumpkin desserts, including pumpkin cookies, cupcakes, and brownies.
3. Cranberry Salad
This one almost sounds healthy, but it’s not! For a brief interlude between mountains of turkey, potato, and bread, try some delectable cranberry salad. It’s a combination of maraschino cherries, Bartlett pears, mandarin oranges, diced pineapples, and of course, the elegant yet understated cranberries. Besides its vibrant color, this dish is also very sweet — so if you’ve got kids (or stubborn guests) who normally refuse anything with the word “salad” in it, perhaps this recipe will help them turn over a new leaf.
4. Glazed Butternut Squash
Another gourd-based dish, glazed butternut squash is a concoction of apple cider, butter, sugar, and toasted pecans, all used to coat the aforementioned squash in a layer of sugary goodness. Glazed butternut squash serves as a sophisticated yet scrumptious appetizer for a feast of many, as well as a hearty dinner for one. And total prep time for this recipe is less than an hour, so it can be prepared on fairly short notice, which makes it a solid backup course if your turkey (God forbid) falls through on the job.
5. Maple Sweet Potato Cups
To transition into dessert, we have maple sweet potato cups, which are an interesting variation on the traditional sweet potato pie. These conveniently sized portions are essentially just mashed sweet potatoes topped by meringue, culminating in a fusion of perfectly complementary flavors that would make Gordon Ramsay himself weep tears of joy. Indeed, maple sweet potato cups are the ideal final course for a Thanksgiving meal of great caliber, a small yet powerful punch to the taste buds that your friends and family will never forget.