Five Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes To Gobble Up

ThanksgivingWe love Thanksgiving because it’s the perfect time to showcase seasonal, harvest ingredients in spectacular dishes. Cruciferous veggies, pears, apples and sweet potatoes are only some of the great foods in season right now. While you may have your main dishes lined up, they tend to take up a lot of time in the kitchen, which is why we’re serving up some simple Thanksgiving side dishes.

Roasted Cauliflower

What you’ll need:

  • 1 head of cauliflower, chopped florets
  • Your favorite infused or extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pine nuts
  • Garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste

Nothing is simpler than cutting up a veggie and tossing it in the oven. That’s exactly what you do with this delectable dish. Chop cauliflower into florets and toss in olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings you like such as garlic powder, salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pine nuts and serve immediately. This dish is savory, creamy and crunchy all in one!

Fennel Apple Slaw

What you’ll need:

  • 1 large apple sliced thinly
  • 1 fennel bulb sliced thinly
  • 1 shallot sliced thinly
  • 1 cup celery sliced thinly
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Poppy seed or olive-oil/vinegar-based dressing
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Toss thinly sliced apples, celery, fennel, and shallot in a bowl with fresh flat-leaf parsley and drizzle on your favorite poppy seed dressing for a quick and crisp side. The crisp and tart apples mixed with the licorice-like taste of fennel naturally balances out these fall flavors and offers a refreshing side to heavy, savory main proteins. This is a great recipe to try if you have a crowded oven on Thanksgiving day — no cooking needed! Recipe courtesy of My Recipes.

Sweet Potato Mash

What you’ll need:

  • 3-4 large sweet potatoes pierced with fork
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 8 sage leaves

Microwave pierced sweet potatoes for eight minutes until soft. Scoop out flesh into a bowl and mash up. Then, brown three tablespoons of butter in a skillet; add eight sage leaves and fry until crisp (remove leaves after they are crisped up); transfer to a plate. Drizzle sage-infused butter over the sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. The naturally sweet potato is balanced out with the earthy and herbal taste of sage, rounded out with a buttery taste that will leave you scooping up seconds—and that’s okay because this dish is a great healthy alternative to mashed potatoes.

Blue Cheese and Pears

What you’ll need:

  • Pears
  • Blue cheese
  • Honey

With just three ingredients, it doesn’t get much easier! This makes for a great side or appetizer. Simply slice pears about ½ inch thick and crumble a couple bits of blue cheese over the top. Drizzle with honey and store in the fridge until ready to serve. The sweetness and crispness from the pears is complimented by the tangy creaminess of the blue cheese, reinforced by naturally sweet honey. This is a crispy, creamy, tangy, sweet side sure to please all taste buds.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Walnuts

What you’ll need:

  • 2 lb brussels sprouts, stem ends trimmed
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

If you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts, think again! Roasting these mini-cabbages is a great way to bring out the crispiness of these petite veggies. Drizzle olive oil over Brussels sprouts and add in chopped walnuts, garlic and salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until sprouts begin to brown on the edges. Take out of the oven and squeeze lemon juice over the top. The earthy and savory roast flavor of the veggies and fresh kick of acid at the end gives this Thanksgiving side dish a refreshing twist.

Regardless of what dishes you and your family are gobbling up this Thanksgiving Day, we hope you have a wonderful holiday! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we want to thank our loyal customers and wonderful staff who support us. We are so grateful to all the folks who make The Original Pancake House Denver part of their breakfast tradition. Although our restaurants will be closed on Thanksgiving Day so our staff can enjoy the family with their loved ones, we look forward to seeing you for breakfast in Denver after the holiday!