When relatives are driving in from three states away, the Thanksgiving menu needs enough variety to cover a full table. This collection brings together Southern staples, practical sides, casseroles, and desserts, with options for the gravy boat, bread basket, and sweet finish. The list spans quick salad assembly to longer-baked pies and casseroles, making it easier to plan a spread around different prep windows.
Turkey Gravy
The holiday plate gets a savory finish from Turkey Gravy, a 35-minute sauce built with butter, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and chicken or turkey stock. A smooth roux thickens it without requiring pan drippings, so it can be made even while the turkey is still roasting. Set it beside mashed potatoes, stuffing, and sliced turkey for a simple way to tie the meal together.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Gravy
Chess Pie
With its custardy center and browned top, Chess Pie is a Southern dessert suited to an abundant Thanksgiving table. The one-hour pie combines sugar, cornmeal, flour, melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, lemon, and vanilla in an unbaked crust. Its familiar pantry ingredients make it easy to plan alongside other holiday baking, and small slices pair well with coffee after a large meal.
Get the Recipe: Chess Pie
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Savory-sweet edges give Brussels Sprouts with Bacon a place beside the richer dishes, while frozen sprouts keep the side practical when refrigerator space is shared. The recipe takes about 35 minutes and brings together halved Brussels sprouts, chopped bacon, olive oil, garlic powder, and balsamic vinegar. Put it on a Southern holiday spread for a green vegetable with browned edges and a tangy finish.
Get the Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Green Salad
Cool greens provide a crisp counterpoint to a rich holiday spread, and Green Salad takes about 10 minutes to assemble. Mixed greens, pecans, and a maple-Dijon sherry vinaigrette bring leafy, nutty, and tangy notes without needing oven time. Keep it chilled until serving, then set it out between casseroles, biscuits, and mac and cheese for guests looking for a lighter forkful.
Get the Recipe: Green Salad
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
When oven racks and burners are occupied, Instant Pot Mac and Cheese offers a route to a familiar side in about 9 minutes. Elbow macaroni cooks with water and salt before butter, milk, cheddar, and optional garlic powder are stirred in. The quick timing helps with a crowded Thanksgiving kitchen, and the creamy pasta fits beside turkey, vegetables, or cornbread stuffing.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Banana Pudding
Chilled layers help balance the parade of hot casseroles, and Banana Pudding takes about 25 minutes to put together. Instant pudding, condensed milk, cold milk, vanilla, sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream form its creamy layers. Since it needs no baking, it can be made ahead and kept cold until guests are ready for a sweet finish after dinner.
Get the Recipe: Banana Pudding
Deviled Eggs
Picnic-style deviled eggs have a place on Southern holiday tables too, and Deviled Eggs take about 22 minutes. This version mixes eggs with sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, thyme, and warm spices including ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Chill them before setting out, so guests can pick one up while the turkey and other hot dishes are being passed around.
Get the Recipe: Deviled Eggs
Southern Cornbread
Tender crumb and browned edges make Southern Cornbread a useful partner for gravy, stuffing, or a holiday plate piled with vegetables. The 35-minute recipe combines yellow cornmeal, flour, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and leaveners for a classic baked loaf. Cut it into squares before dinner, then leave a basket nearby for guests who want bread alongside the casseroles. It gives guests an easy bread option that pairs well with rich mains.
Get the Recipe: Southern Cornbread
Sweet Potato Casserole
Two familiar toppings give Sweet Potato Casserole its place on the Thanksgiving table: pecan streusel and optional marshmallows. The one-hour bake starts with cooked sweet potatoes and a sweetened base, then adds a buttery pecan topping, marshmallows, or both. Set it among the savory sides as a sweet vegetable dish, giving guests a choice between a crisp topping and soft toasted marshmallow.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
Buttermilk Biscuits
Flaky layers and a buttermilk tang make Buttermilk Biscuits a welcome addition to a table with gravy and casseroles. They take about 35 minutes and use flour, baking powder, cold butter, and buttermilk, with the butter kept frozen before mixing for tender layers. Serve them warm in a cloth-lined basket so guests arriving hungry can start with a biscuit while the main meal is finished.
Get the Recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits
Four Cheese Mac n Cheese
On a crowded holiday table, Four Cheese Mac n Cheese makes a hearty side for a large Thanksgiving meal. The 45-minute recipe combines elbow pasta with cheddar, Gouda, mozzarella, and Parmesan in a butter-and-flour sauce made with whole milk. Add it to the buffet near the turkey and vegetables, where the creamy pasta gives guests another filling option alongside classic Southern sides.
Get the Recipe: Four Cheese Mac n Cheese
Cornbread Stuffing
Herbs and crumbled cornbread give Cornbread Stuffing a distinctly Southern place in the holiday spread. The one-hour dish combines cornbread cubes with onion, celery, garlic, sage, rosemary, parsley, broth, and eggs before baking. Set it out near the turkey and gravy, where its savory, herb-filled texture adds a substantial side for guests making full plates and can be portioned directly from its baking dish.
Get the Recipe: Cornbread Stuffing
Corn Casserole
Soft and spoonable, Corn Casserole spends about an hour in the oven. Creamed corn, whole-kernel corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, butter, and cheddar come together in one soft, cheesy bake. Set the dish beside turkey or ham, where its sweet corn flavor adds a familiar option for guests who want a scoop instead of another slice of bread. Its soft texture makes it easy to serve from a crowded buffet.
Get the Recipe: Corn Casserole
Red Velvet Cake
Deep red crumb gives Red Velvet Cake a festive place at Thanksgiving when the table has room for a showpiece dessert. The one-hour cake uses cake flour, cocoa, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and red food coloring, then gets cream cheese frosting. Bake it before the meal and slice after dinner, so dessert is ready while guests linger over coffee and conversation.
Get the Recipe: Red Velvet Cake
Squash Casserole
A crisp cracker topping gives Squash Casserole texture over its creamy yellow-squash center. The one-hour bake combines squash, onion, cheddar, sour cream, mayonnaise, and thyme, finished with crushed Ritz crackers and a little cayenne. Its golden top brings a familiar Southern side to the serving spoon, and it can be portioned alongside turkey or ham on a crowded holiday plate.
Get the Recipe: Squash Casserole
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Spiced custard tucked into a pie shell gives Southern Sweet Potato Pie a familiar place in a Thanksgiving dessert lineup. The one-hour pie uses cooked sweet potatoes, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and half-and-half for its filling. Bake it ahead to make dessert timing easier, then serve slices plain or with whipped cream after the main meal. Keep it with the other pies for a traditional sweet option.
Get the Recipe: Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Pineapple Casserole
Sweet and savory flavors meet in Pineapple Casserole, a 45-minute bake with pineapple chunks and tidbits, cheddar, butter, sugar, and crushed Ritz crackers. It brings a distinctive side to a Southern Thanksgiving menu and can be spooned beside turkey, ham, or other savory dishes. The golden cracker top adds a crisp finish, giving guests a sweet-fruit contrast to the heavier casseroles.
Get the Recipe: Pineapple Casserole