Assemble them ahead of time and Turkey Day will be a breeze. Maybe you’re trying to avoid a spicy mother-in-law and want to be sequestered in the kitchen all day on Thanksgiving (and more power to you). But for most people, the idea of having your house full of family and friends and being trapped standing at the stove the whole time isn’t ideal.
That’s where these make-ahead sides that actually reheat well come into play. You see, no one wants clumped-up, days-old, dried-out mashed potatoes on Turkey Day, nor do they want to be hand-mashing while everyone laughs and drinks in the living room. But with recipes like these, a happy medium is possible.
Sweet potato casserole is a must at every Thanksgiving feast. When else is it socially acceptable to serve a vegetable topped with marshmallows? All The Healthy Things’ recipe includes special notes of orange and brown butter, as well as a few notes about different ways to prep the recipe ahead of time and save yourself some work the day-of.
Just go ahead and whip up All The Healthy Things’ slow cooker mashed potatoes in advance; they’ll microwave beautifully, or fit right back into the slow cooker on “keep warm.” This way you can focus all your efforts on the turkey gravy. Make Simply LaKita’s corn pudding ahead of time so you can use that oven space for other things on Thanksgiving. Her reheating instructions say you can put the whole dish back into the oven at 300 degrees, or just put individual portions in the microwave.
Who knew you could make stuffing ahead of time? Just follow Damn Delicious’ recipe up to step five (which is when you combine all the ingredients in the baking dish). Instead of putting it straight into the oven, let it cool and pop it in the fridge overnight, then bake when you’re ready to serve the following day.
Just like the stuffing, you can make this green bean casserole from Damn Delicious nearly to completion — just hold off on popping the breadcrumbs and fried shallots on top until you’re ready to bake it. Then, they’ll come out crispy and perfect and right on time. Princess Pinky Girl’s scalloped potato recipe is perfect for planning ahead.
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