As Thanksgiving nears, finding the perfect food for the long-awaited feast can be difficult. There’s so many options from casseroles to bread rolls. How will you know what to choose? Read this list to know what’s the best and what’s… not!
S Tier
Turkey: The star of the show! Turkey is a staple in most Thanksgiving feasts. In some homes the tradition of carving the turkey is a big deal. Obviously it’s not everyone’s favorite but with some cranberry jam or gravy most can admit it’s pretty delicious!
Ham: Ham is one of the most loved main courses on Thanksgiving. If you have a honey baked ham, the sweetness of the honey and the tanginess of the meat itself makes for a nice and perfectly balanced flavorful dish!
Cranberry Sauce: Although it’s not technically a food, cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple! It makes appearances only once a year. Plus, it pairs so well with turkey and makes the flavors of the turkey stand out. How could you not enjoy it?
A Tier
Pumpkin Pie: The sweet pumpkin spice flavor and the graham cracker crust are the perfect combination. The sweet pumpkin filling and the sweetness of the graham cracker make this dessert irresistible. Adding a nice and airy whipped cream can help break up the heavy flavor profiles in the dessert.
Sweet Potato Casserole: The sweetest of sweet dinner sides is sweet potato casserole. The sweet flavor from the brown sugar mixed with the yam itself is just heavenly, plus if you add marshmallows on top, it adds yet another perfectly sweet touch. However, sometimes it’s just too sweet with all the desserts being eaten anyway, so adding the casserole to dinner seems wrong…
Green Bean Casserole: Even though it is somewhat hated, I have to say personally I love green bean casserole. Again, I understand that some people do not enjoy the green bean aspect of the casserole. However, the salty and savory flavors are perfectly balanced with the seasoned green beans and crumbles on top.
Yeast Bread Rolls: These buttery and fluffy rolls are so delicious. They go well with just about everything whether it’s gravy or even the sweet potato casserole. You can really do no wrong! When the rolls are fresh out of the oven they just taste the best.
B Tier
Gravy: Gravy has excellent flavors and pairs beautifully with potatoes or really any Thanksgiving dish! However, you can eat gravy all year round and it’s not a once a year topping like cranberry sauce, so it has a lower ranking.
Stuffing: This savory bread filled side is absolutely delicious. Not every feast has it though. The combination of high profile flavors are perfect and wonderful. In my opinion, the stuffing mixed with turkey and gravy are an irreplaceable trio.
Mashed potatoes: As one of the most popular dishes during the fall and winter months, mashed potatoes are just delicious. However, just by itself the mashed potatoes aren’t the best – they’re very plain, it just needs that extra flavor to make it even better.
C Tier
Mac & Cheese: I know there are lots of mac & cheese lovers out there… Let’s be real, it’s delicious, however, it is NOT a Thanksgiving food. If it’s a late night in the middle of the week, then fine, but for a nice Thanksgiving meal I think not. There are so many other foods to choose from that are only around this time of year… Besides, one day without mac & cheese will not kill you.
