Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays…..well except for the ones I’ve worked. It’s a day to see family and friends, a time to come together and give thanks for all the blessings you have in your life. And I’m very happy to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you today.
When preparing our Thanksgiving Day Feast, I’m pretty traditional in the fare that I serve Lisa and our guests. Although I can be pretty creative, Thanksgiving is not the time I try to come up with new dishes.
For us, it’s the basics. Turkey & Gravy, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Cole Slaw, Green Beans and Cranberry Sauce. We don’t usually eat Sweet Potatoes, but this year I will be trying out one of the recipes I’ve shared today my Roasted Sweet Potato-Apple creation.
Of course, they’ll be a few pies for dessert, a traditional Pumpkin Pie with fresh whipped cream, pecan pie and my favorite Apple-Cranberry with a streusel topping.
Below you’ll find two of my Sweet Potato recipes, Roasted Beet Compote, Cole Slaw, and Cranberry Sauce to help you with your Holiday table. The first is really delicious and healthy, my Roasted Sweet Potato-Apple with onions……it’s yummy!
Of course, you can really jazz up your sweet potatoes and make them more family-friendly by mashing! And adding a few of your own touches will really liven up the flavors. In this version, I added apple butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
One of our family’s favorite vegetables are beets and making them in this delicious compote with apples and walnuts will get even the finicky eaters to try this flavorful combination!
It can’t be Thanksgiving without Cranberry Sauce, and in our house, you’ll always find Cole Slaw on our holiday menu.
Have a Great Holiday, no matter what you serve and remember to count your blessing and be thankful for all you have in your life.
If you’re looking for more delicious Thanksgiving recipes try these:
Thanksgiving Recipes
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Cole Slaw
- 1 head of cabbage – cored and sliced very thinly
- ½ small carrot grated
- ½ cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples
- 4 large sweet potatoes – peeled and sliced
- 3 large apples – peeled and sliced
- 1 small onion – large chop
- Sea Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- olive oil
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter
- 6 large sweet potatoes
- ½ cup apple butter
- 4 tablespoon butter
- sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
Apple Beet Compote
- 3 red beets
- 3 golden beets
- 1 fennel bulb
- 2 large apples
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Cranberry Sauce
- place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, allow to continue a slow boil for 5 minutes
- reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, the sauce will thicken
- allow to cool for about 20 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.
- Cranberry sauce will become jellied when fully chilled.
Cole Slaw
- Mix mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl, blend the ingredients completely. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes so sugar fully dissolves, then remix the ingredients
- Mix together cabbage and grated carrot, then add in coleslaw dressing and mix well to make sure the mixture is thoroughly coated.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Coleslaw needs to sit at least 4 hours before eating, and its best to make it the day before.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes into medium-sized chunks, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper add onion chunks and place on a cookie sheet in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes before adding apples.
- Peel and cut apples into medium-sized chunks, coat with brown sugar and cinnamon and place on a cookie sheet with sweet potatoes after they have cooked 15 minutes and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- remove from oven and mix both together, place on a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes into medium-sized chunks.
- Place sweet potatoes in boiling salted water and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender
- drain potatoes well and in a mixing bowl add the potatoes and butter and whip until butter is melted.
- Add in apple butter, salt, and cinnamon and whip until fully incorporated
- place in a serving bowl and serve immediately or keep warm in 200-degree oven until ready to serve
Apple Beet Compote
- preheat oven to 375 degrees
- clean and peel beets then cut into small chunks
- mix each color separately with olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and place into roasting pan.
- cut fennel bulb into the same size pieces and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper, then place in roasting pan with beets.
- Place the roasting pan into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until beets are soft*
- While beets are roasting, peel and cut the apples into bite-size pieces and place them in a saute pan with 2 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoon of brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Saute apples for 5 minutes just to soften them up some, set aside.
- In another saute pan add one tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoon of brown sugar and mix well.
- Add the walnuts and over medium heat. coat the walnuts with the brown sugar mixture* tossing to get them completely coated.
- remove the walnuts from the pan and place them on parchment or a plate to allow the sugar to set.
- When the beets are done, gently mix your compote together and serve warm.
Latricia
I absolutely love sweet potatoes but have never had them with apple butter. I want to try to make this. Thanks for these suggestions. I am always looking for new dishes to serve and mix our menu up a little
Terri
I haven’t heard of Cole slaw as a side dish at Thanksgiving yet I can see the allure. My family loves it! I just made cranberry sauce this weekend and I included dried cranberries for the first time. They are a little sweeter and add a little bit of social flavor to the sauce.
Monica Y
My sister in law and I will be hosting Thanksgiving, so I am going to follow some of your recipes, all looks delicious
Amy H
Oh, These are some great ideas for Thanksgiving Sides! I cant wait to try the roasted sweet potato and apples