30+ Thanksgiving Casseroles That'll Steal the Show

August 26, 2019
Photo: Iain Bagwell  
Turkey who? These Thanksgiving-ready casseroles will steal the spotlight on Turkey Day. From holiday classics like sweet potato and green bean to more unique options like loaded baked potato and fish and fennel, we've got Thanksgiving dinner (and beyond) covered. 
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1 of 31

Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

This holiday season, skip the usual marshmallow-topped casserole and serve this Savory Sweet Potatoe Casserole for a change of pace. Because sweet potatoes are so naturally sweet, they are nicely balanced by this savory Parmesan-herb streusel topping. The topping is made with day-old sourdough bread, but you can use another type of stale white bread such as country white, if you prefer. To cut down on sticky clean up, place the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet before roasting them. We promise, no one will miss the marshmallows.

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Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Not without a sweet potato casserole. Here’s a fun twist on the traditional sweet potato casserole. These thinly sliced potatoes bake in a creamy brown sugar sauce to until tender on the inside and crispy around the edges. For the most even results, choose fat, round sweet potatoes that weigh six to seven ounces each. You can prepare this casserole the day before Thanksgiving.

3 of 31

Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Leeks

Photo: Linda Puglies; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Leeks Recipe

You might have a go-to green bean casserole recipe, but you have to try this one. These thin, crispy fried leeks are an absolutely delicious casserole topper and look way more elegant than the canned fried onions. The leeks fry up very quickly; keep a close watch on them as they cook.

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Corn Fritter Casserole

Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke
Corn Fritter Casserole Recipe

This moist, sweet-savory side dish is a cross between corn bread and corn pudding. You can use 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels in place of the canned corn, if you prefer.

5 of 31

Cauliflower-Goat Cheese Casserole

Antonis Achilles; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay Clark
Cauliflower-Goat Cheese Casserole Recipe

This simple but hearty casserole has a good balance of sweet-vegetal cauliflower, deeply sweet shallots, and tangy goat cheese, while pine nuts provide some tastiness and textural contrast. Parcooking the cauliflower keeps it from mushing out in the casserole, and using a shortcut like pre-floreted cauliflower helps get this done super fast. Go for a goat cheese log instead of crumbles—it melts much more easily. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, but is tasty and comforting enough for a special occasion. 

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Hoppin’ John Casserole

Antonis Achilles; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay Clark
Hoppin’ John Casserole Recipe

Get all your New Year’s good luck in one dish with this casserole full of bacon, peas, rice, and collards. The mixture of soft rice with tooth collards and peas, plus chopped bacon makes for a nice variety of textures. It’s great on its own, but it’s also a great side dish for fried chicken or pork chops. 

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Cheesy Potato Casserole

Linda Pugliese
Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe

This rich and creamy casserole will be a new holiday (or weekday) favorite. Room temperature egg yolks and cream will blend into the mashed potatoes more easily; let them sit at room temperature 30 minutes before using. This cheesy casserole is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving dinner or a Sunday supper.

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Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Broccoli Cheese Casserole Recipe

We love a good broccoli casserole and this recipe is amazing to have on hand. This Broccoli-Cheese Casserole recipe is just plain decadent and delicious. You're sure to convert any broccoli hater with this creamy casserole. Fresh steam-in-bag broccoli florets make this comforting casserole come together even faster. We suggest using Club crackers for the topping because of their buttery quality. Your family will love this casserole recipe during the holidays, but we think it is a year-round winner.

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Green Bean Casserole

Caitlin Bensel
Green Bean Casserole Recipe

We’ve given the classic casserole an upgrade by swapping sodium-heavy canned soup for a rich and chunky homemade mushroom sauce. For bean blanching instructions, see the note on the recipe at left.

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Lower-Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole

Jennifer Causey
Lower-Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Our delicious casserole has 5 fewer teaspoons (20g) of added sugar per serving than traditional versions.

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Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole

Jennifer Causey
Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole Recipe

This fresher take on the traditional casserole is loaded with vegetables and comes together with a homemade sauce instead of sodium-heavy canned soup.

12 of 31

Broccoli-Artichoke Casserole

Jennifer Causey
Broccoli-Artichoke Casserole Recipe

Nothing says autumn like a hearty casserole—something you can make on a weekend afternoon, and have for leftovers over the next couple days. Here, rich Gruyere cheese marries with the bright acid of a dry white wine (try a Sauvignon Blanc) to bring a touch of elegance to this yummy comfort food.

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13 of 31

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro
Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole Recipe

Loaded out cheesy, chicken, and potato casserole is as easy as 1-2-3. For lighter and more sensitive palates, reduce the hot sauce measurement by half.
 

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Easy Butternut Squash Casserole

Photo: Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Mary Clair Britton and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
Easy Butternut Squash Casserole Recipe

This delightful twist on sweet potato casserole is sweet, warm, and comforting. If you're short on time, use Whole Foods' canned butternut squash purée instead of roasting your own. Marshmallows are optional, but recommended. 

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Italian-Style Green Bean Casserole

TIFS
Italian-Style Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Artichoke hearts, breadcrumbs and parsley add Italian-style flair to this holiday staple. 

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16 of 31

Broccoli and Rice Casseroles

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Broccoli and Rice Casseroles Recipe

Perfectly portioned and ready in 20 minutes, these mini casseroles will be regulars in your dinner rotation.

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Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Casserole Recipe

This healthy whole-grain spin on a comfort food classic is indulgent, creamy, and a guaranteed family-pleaser. Cost for 4: $10.31

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Zesty Broccoli Casserole

Zesty Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Regular breadcrumbs can be used in place of the panko in this casserole. If the broccoli florets are very large, cut them into bite-sized pieces.

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Green Bean Casserole with Cauliflower Cream

Jennifer Causey
Green Bean Casserole with Cauliflower Cream Recipe

Once simmered in milk and pureed, cauliflower transforms into a silky, luscious cream sauce—a dead ringer for the classic yet with a much better profile, saving nearly 500mg sodium and 4g fat per serving. We intensify the mushroom presence by using meaty cremini and shiitake mushrooms and roasting them first to cook out the excess liquid. If you can’t find shiitakes, use 2 (8-oz.) packages of cremini mushrooms. Skip the fried onions and use torn whole-wheat bread for a rustic, crunchy topper.

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Sweet Potato Casserole with Pumpkin Seed-Oat Crumble

Jennifer Causey
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pumpkin Seed-Oat Crumble Recipe
We use less sugar in this classic casserole and get sweetness instead from fragrant orange rind and vanilla. Turmeric boosts the orange color and adds a subtle earthiness to the sweet potatoes. Instead of an all-nut or marshmallow topping, an oat streusel made with pumpkinseeds adds crunch and contrast to the dish.

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Au Gratin Potato Casserole

Au Gratin Potato Casserole Recipe

Make a cheesy, creamy potato casserole for your next family gathering or holiday meal. Make it easy with frozen hash browns, cream of mushroom soup and cornflakes cereal. You can also make it ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.

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22 of 31

Bacon-Brussels Sprout-Green Bean Casserole

Victor Protasio
Bacon-Brussels Sprout-Green Bean Casserole Recipe
We combined two Thanksgiving side dishes, green bean casserole and Brussels sprouts, into one crowd-pleasing recipe.

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Lemon-Almond Green Bean Casserole

Victor Protasio
Lemon-Almond Green Bean Casserole Recipe
This is the perfect old-school green bean casserole for your holiday menu, but without any cream of mushroom soup. Every aspect of this casserole is homemade and perfectly good.

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Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

Photo: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart
Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole is ridiculously easy and goes into the oven in only 10 minutes, thanks to sweet canned yams. To boost flavor and add richness, we counter the canned spuds with luscious creme fraiche; chunks of almonds bring big brunch to our sweet potato casserole.

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25 of 31

Old-School Squash Casserole

Photographer: Paige Grand Jean ; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Old-School Squash Casserole Recipe
Many think that Southerners prefer their vegetables smothered in butter, cream, and cheese. That especially holds true for yellow squash, which more often than not is at the center of the classic squash casserole.

26 of 31

Squash and Green Chile Casserole

Photographer: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Squash and Green Chile Casserole Recipe

Filled with fresh zucchini and squash, this casserole doesn't require the oven.

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Fish, Fennel & Potato Casserole

Fish, Fennel & Potato Casserole Recipe

Dinner: Tuck into these low-cal feasts, and you'll forget you're even on a diet! 250 calories & under. This healthy recipe is featured in the dinner section of the new 5:2 Starter's Guide to The 2-Day Diet. The book provides a selection of over 100 tasty recipes to help you meet the daily 500 calorie allotment for the 2 days of intermittent fasting, as required by the 5:2 Diet.

 

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28 of 31

Chicken-Mushroom-Sage Casserole

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck
Chicken-Mushroom-Sage Casserole Recipe

Let this dish stand a few minutes after baking so the rice will absorb the liquid, yielding a creamy texture.

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Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Oat Topping

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Oat Topping Recipe

This classic casserole often straddles the line between side and dessert (indeed, we've enjoyed the leftovers both ways). We dial down the sugar to steer the dish back to savory territory, and add a crunchy oat and nut topper for texture. A final drizzle of maple syrup just before serving gives the casserole a lovely sheen. While we call for a ricer in our master mashed potatoes, a potato masher is perfectly acceptable here since the spuds will be bound with an egg, topped, and baked.

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Skillet Green Bean Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Skillet Green Bean Casserole Recipe

We've shortened (and lightened) this holiday classic by bringing everything together in one pan and using the stovetop and broiler rather than baking.

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31 of 31

Pumpkin-Poblano Casserole

Photo: Iain Bagwell  
Pumpkin-Poblano Casserole Recipe
Layers of flavor make this unexpected side dish a wow-worthy winner. A different spin on the classic gratin, sweet sugar pumpkin and spicy poblano peppers make for a creamy and hot casserole that will make you want a second helping.