Traditional and Nontraditional Dishes That Will Spice Up Your Thanksgiving Dinner By: Sophia Tao

As the festive season approaches, people start preparing for the prospects of families and friends gathering, warm and savory meals, and holiday trips. With Thanksgiving being even closer, people might be thinking of all the past dishes they will get to taste again, but also wonder what new dishes to add to the table. Thanksgiving is the perfect period to be spending more time with family. What better way to spend some quality time than helping with preparing some tasty meals and experimenting with nontraditional dishes?

The first dish that pops up when you think of Thanksgiving is a whole, roasted turkey with a crispy, golden brown skin. While the traditional way may be to roast and top it off with gravy and dressing, many prefer to charcoal grill turkey cutlets, make turkey pot pies, or add it to a salad with rice and your favorite toppings for a healthier alternative. Some also choose to forgo the turkey entirely and replace it with roasted honey ham, roasted duck (which can be topped with soy sauce, apricot chutney, cranberry sauce, or pretty much any sauce in existence), and other meats.

Other people often find their favorite flavors in the variety of side dishes offered. One traditional meal that everyone knows of is fluffy mashed potatoes, but this dish can easily be enhanced by topping it off with cheese, cranberry sauce, gravy, or truffle zest to add more flavor, or even mixed with minced meat to make a delicious Shepherd's pie. Stuffing is also a fan favorite due to the versatile combinations: the classic being bread, celery, carrots, and herbs. Some recipes, though, incorporate sausages, mushrooms, cranberries, or even cornbread to incorporate more savory and sweet flavors. 

To learn more about the types of dishes families eat on Thanksgiving, I created a short anonymous survey! While the majority usually favor classical sides like mashed potatoes or stuffing, many do enjoy some more nontraditional dishes. One individual and their family often has noodle soup, which they state, “tastes better than turkey.” Others like eating tamales or creamy macaroni and cheese. There was also one family who usually has strawberry jello as a sweet treat along with a unique dish consisting of a blend of sweet potatoes and melted marshmallows. 

My personal favorite side dish is a casserole, especially green bean casserole. Tender green beans chopped and stirred into a savory, creamy mushroom soup before being baked and topped with cheese and crispy onion chips, green bean casseroles are actually what inspired me to start experimenting more with different Thanksgiving recipes! If you aren’t a particular fan of green vegetables, there are also other ingredients you can incorporate into a casserole, like chicken and rice, turkey, and mashed potatoes. 

Not surprisingly though, most people look forward to the wide array of desserts brought out during Thanksgiving time. Pumpkin pies are velvety and not super sweet, which is great for people who want a milder dessert; apple pies have twice the crust as pumpkin pies if you want some extra flaky goodness; berry pies offer a bit of tartness and versatility since there are so many different types of berries you could use. While these pies are probably the first thing you think of when deciding what pie to eat, people also often have pies that incorporate sweet potatoes, chocolate, or coconut custard and cream. 

With so many dishes and desserts to choose from, there’s no excuse for not trying out something new. Even if you’re not a master chef, it is still rewarding to spend some time with family and friends by helping out in the kitchen, as long as you don’t burn the house down! Thanksgiving is almost here, so what do you plan on making?