A Very Simple Thread Thanksgiving 2025

Better Than Casserole Green Bean Salad

By: Robert Beatty

Green bean casserole is a controversial dish. People love it, people hate it, while I personally fall into the neutral camp on it. One thing I do feel strongly about, however, is that green beans absolutely deserve a spot on the holiday table—and they can do so in better forms than the classic dish that comes to mind.

Ingredients

• 1 lb green beans
• 1 bunch radishes, tops removed
• 3–4 shallots
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 bunch dill
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cloves garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt

Directions

1. Boil a pot of well-salted water and prepare an ice bath.
2. Trim the ends off the green beans, then slice them into roughly 1-inch pieces.
3. Once the water is boiling, blanch the sliced green beans for about 2 minutes, or until bright green. Transfer immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking.
4. Slice the shallots, quarter the radishes, chop the dill, and mince the garlic.
5. In a large bowl, combine the green beans, shallots, radishes, dill, garlic, and sliced almonds.
6. Add lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and the Greek yogurt. Toss to coat.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

• This is a hearty salad that can be prepped ahead of time.
• You can make the dressing separately by mixing together the lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, and olive oil, then tossing with the salad just before serving.

Cranberry Sauce

By: Gwendolyn Schorling

Ingredients: Can of cranberry sauce
Instructions: Open can. Slide contents onto plate (enjoy the schlurp). Slice along factory-installed serving lines. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

But really, the only thing easier than opening a can of cranberry sauce is making cranberry sauce.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (1 bag) fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• Zest of 1 medium orange* (about 1 teaspoon)
• Optional add-ins:
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

*Or swap in another citrus if that’s what you have on hand.

Instructions

1. Prep the cranberries: Rinse the cranberries well, then drain off any excess water. Sort through and discard any soft or shriveled berries.
2. Cook the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, honey, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries have popped and the sauce has thickened to your liking—about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add flavor: Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest. For extra warmth or brightness, mix in a pinch of cinnamon or a splash of orange juice. Taste and adjust—if it’s too tart (it should be a little tart!), add a bit more honey, maple syrup, or orange juice.
4. Cool and store: The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

I love using the leftovers on my oatmeal.

My Cajun Great-Grandmother’s Dirty Rice

By: Lauren Davis

This recipe sounds absolutely insane on paper, but it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in my family without it. I never inherited a formal recipe – just a list of ingredients and a lifetime of watching my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother recreate the dish. I’ve done my best to capture it here, but as with all great family dishes, the fun is in adjusting the amounts to your taste.

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork sausage
• 1 lb good-quality ground beef
• Oysters — as many as you can afford (added at the end)
• Celery, chopped (about 2–3 ribs)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Kitchen Bouquet, a few dashes
• Wine, a splash (white or dry cooking wine)
• Lea & Perrins (Worcestershire sauce), to taste
• Tony’s (Creole seasoning), to taste
• 1/2 carton chicken livers, chopped
• Green onion, chopped
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice

Instructions

Day 1

1. Brown the meats: In a large heavy pot or skillet, sauté the pork sausage and ground beef until browned.
2. Add aromatics: Stir in the celery, green bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables soften.
3. Season well: Add salt, pepper, Tony’s, Kitchen Bouquet, a splash of wine, and a few good shakes of Lea & Perrins.
4. Add chicken livers: Stir in the chopped chicken livers and cook until they are no longer pink.
5. Finish with oysters: Add the oysters last and cook just until they begin to firm up—do not overcook.
6. Remove from heat. Cool and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors deepen.

Day 2

1. Reheat the mixture gently on the stovetop.
2. Stir in the chopped green onion and parsley.
3. Fold in 1 1/2 cups cooked rice until everything is well combined.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve warm.

Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Bread

By: Justin Etheredge

This is the kind of appetizer that disappears embarrassingly fast. It’s part stuffing, part cheese board, part showstopper—and it’s perfect for grazing while the turkey finishes up.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 large orange (or a mandarin orange)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1/8 cup sliced almonds
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 French bread boule or other round loaf of hearty, dense bread
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 (8-ounce) wheel of brie

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Make the cranberry relish:
   • In a food processor, add the cranberries, peeled Granny Smith apple, and orange.
   • Pulse until very finely chopped.
   • Stir in the sugar (add more or less to taste) and let sit until no longer gritty.

3. Cook the onions:
   • In a pan, melt the butter and add the diced onion.
   • Cook until browned (or until you get tired of cooking it!).
   • Add the rosemary and garlic and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Remove from heat.

4. Prep the bread:
   • Using a serrated knife, cut the bread boule in horizontal and vertical slices about 1/2 inch apart.
   • Do not cut all the way through; you want the boule to stay together but be easy to pull apart.
   • Gently “fan out” the bread so the pieces can be grabbed and torn.

5. Stuff the bread:
   • Spoon the cranberry relish into the cuts in the bread, draining as much liquid as possible so it doesn’t get too soggy.
   • Cut the brie into small pieces and tuck them into the cuts in the bread along with the cranberry relish.
   • Spoon the butter and onion mixture into the cuts and over the top of the bread.

6. Bake:
   • Wrap the whole boule in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet.
   • Bake for 30 minutes.
   • Unwrap and bake for another 15 minutes, until the top is crisped and the cheese is melted.

7. Finish and serve:
   • Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top.
   • Serve immediately (or it’ll get soggy!).

Minta’s Ginger Cookies

By: Matt Kelly

This one comes from a beloved old recipe card—spills, smudges, and all. The cookies bake up soft, fragrant, and warmly spiced; they’re perfect for nibbling with coffee while the rest of dinner cooks.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Crisco
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. Cream the sugar and Crisco together until light and fluffy.
2. Add the molasses and eggs and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
4. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until combined.
5. Roll dough into balls about the size of walnuts and roll each ball in granulated sugar.
6. Place on a baking sheet.
7. Bake at 350°F for 8–12 minutes.
   • The original card suggests 12–15 minutes but also notes “cook about 8 min”—so keep an eye on them and pull them when the edges are set and the centers are still soft.

8. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 30–60 seconds before removing; they’ll be soft when they come out and will firm up as they cool.

Juniper & Cranberry “Turkey Brine” Cocktail

By: Tracy Simpson

Don’t let the name scare you off—I promise this tastes far better than its poultry-adjacent title suggests. The color was spot-on for the real thing when we invented it a few years ago, and the name just stuck. But with juniper, cranberry, and gin, it’s pure holiday cheer in a glass. A little garnish, and all anyone will notice is how good it is.

Ingredients

Juniper Berry Simple Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 4–5 strips lemon peel (optional)

Cocktail

• 2 oz gin
• 3/4 oz juniper berry simple syrup (or 1 oz if you prefer sweeter)
• Cranberry seltzer (to top)
• Ice
• Optional garnish: lemon twist, fresh cranberries, or a tiny rosemary sprig

Instructions

Make the Juniper Berry Simple Syrup

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and juniper berries.
2. Add the lemon peel if using.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves.
4. Reduce heat and let the mixture steep (not boil) for 10 minutes to draw out the juniper flavor.
5. Remove from heat and cool completely.
6. Strain out the berries and peel.
7. Store syrup in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Make the Cocktail

1. Fill a cocktail glass or rocks glass with ice.
2. Add 2 oz gin.
3. Add 3/4 oz juniper berry simple syrup (or up to 1 oz for a sweeter drink).
4. Top with cranberry seltzer.
5. Stir gently.
6. Garnish if you’re feeling fancy.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

By: Al Tenhundfeld

We all have nostalgia for the sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows on top, and it’s great! But when there’s already so much rich food on the table, I like to include some simple, delicious vegetables in the mix. This is one of those recipes that is incredibly consistent – both in its surprisingly tasty outcome and in people asking what secret ingredient you used. But there is no secret ingredient. The secret is the technique. Starting in a cold oven and partially steaming the rounds helps the starches convert to sugar, resulting in perfectly tender interior and crispy caramelized exterior.

Ingredients

• 2 lb sweet potatoes (small, skinny ones are best)
• 1-2 T neutral oil (avocado or something with a high smoke point)
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon (optional)

Directions

1. Rinse and scrub sweet potatoes to remove visible dirt. You can peel them instead if you want, but the skin crisps up while cooking and is honestly my favorite part of the dish. Just try it with skin on.
2. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch rounds. Going smaller is fine; don’t go bigger. 1/3-inch is good; it just shortens roasting time.
3. Toss sweet potatoes in bowl with 1T of oil and salt. And cinnamon, if using. If they aren’t fully coated, add up to 1 more T of oil.
4. Line your largest rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Coat foil liberally with nonstick cooking spray or leftover oil. The rounds will stick. However you grease the foil, do it well.
5. Arrange potatoes in a single layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. The goal here is to keep in the steam for the first part of cooking.
6. Put the covered sheet of potatoes into a cold oven.
7. Turn oven to 425º and cook potatoes 20 minutes.
8. Check the potatoes. Be careful to avoid being burned by steam as you peel back the foil cover. If the bottom has started to brown, we’re ready for the next step. If they still seem wet on the bottom with no browning, reseal and return to oven for up to 10 minutes. This step varies depending on how quickly your oven heats up and how much moisture the potatoes have.
9. Once the bottom has started to brown, remove the foil cover and rotate the sheet front to back and return to the oven. Cook until the bottom side of the potatoes is a rich golden brown, 10-20 minutes.
10. Once the bottom is well-browned, remove the sheet from the oven and carefully flip each potato round over so the other side is on bottom. Return to oven and continue roasting for another 10-20 minutes, until the bottom is well-browned.
11. Remove from oven and serve whenever, ideally within 30 minutes to enjoy the crispy skin edges.

Notes

• The rounds will probably need more salt after cooking, up to another teaspoon of kosher salt. It depends on what type of salt you’re using and how thick you cut them.
• For extra decadence, drizzle a tablespoon of melted butter over the rounds once arranged on a serving platter.

Cornbread Dressing

By: Hope Norman

In south Georgia (and in many places across the Sunbelt), “dressing” is the indisputable centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, “dressing” is a baked cornbread pudding that many northerners and the NYT call “cornbread dressing”.  Those are the same people that think cornbread should have sugar in it (it should not).

Every household has their own dressing recipe.  My Mom’s recipe has bigger chunks of celery and onion (chopped roughly), and is paired with a giblet gravy.  My husband’s Aunt Gwen made a dressing that was notoriously sage-y.  My mother-in-law’s dressing was never quite as good as her mother’s dressing, according to most people in the family.  To the chagrin of my Mom, I liked my MIL’s dressing best.

I am not sure that Linda knew how to use recipes in general.  She definitely did not use a recipe for her dressing.  And since I never wrote it down while she was making it, I am using Kim Severson’s Cornbread Dressing recipe as a start, and modifying with what I can remember.  

Make the Cornbread

Ingredients

• 2-4 tbsp bacon grease (of course you save that in a Mason jar)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal, fine grind
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups full fat buttermilk

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 450 degrees. Put bacon grease in an 11-inch cast-iron skillet. Heat for about 5 minutes or until melted.
2. Separately, melt butter.
3. Whisk together cornmeal, salt and baking powder. In another small bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add buttermilk and stir until mixture is combined. Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and stir well.
4. Remove the pan from the oven, pour butter into the batter and stir until the batter looks uniform. Pour batter back into the pan carefully and bake for 20 minutes or until the top has begun to just brown.
5. Remove cornbread and let it cool on a rack. Tear or cut it into large pieces and place in a large bowl. Let it sit out overnight to dry out.

Prepare the Dressing

Ingredients

• Cornbread from the night before
• 3 cups soft white bread torn or cut into 1-inch pieces (do not pack)
• 1 cup cooked white rice (med grain, slightly over-boiled)
• ½ cup butter (1 stick), plus more for the pan
• 2 cups diced white onions
• 1½ cups diced celery (4 or 5 stalks)
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 6 eggs
• 2 tbsp dried herbs – thyme, oregano, parsley, whatever
• ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4- 8 cups rich chicken or turkey stock, preferably homemade

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cornbread, rice, and white bread in a large bowl, tossing to mix, and breaking cornbread into smaller pieces.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet, and add onions, celery and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes.
3. Add vegetables to bread mixture and combine. Lightly beat eggs and add to bowl. Sprinkle in herbs, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper and toss together.
4. Add 4 cups broth and stir well. Using your hands, work the mixture to get a very lumpy, thick, batterlike consistency. Add more stock if needed. The mixture should be very wet and pourable but without standing liquid.
5. Butter one or more 8-by-11-inch baking dish. Pour the mixture into the baking dish until it is a little over an inch deep.  Bake until the dressing puffs slightly and has browned well around the edges, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Mostly you just have to watch it to see if it is done.  You can shake it to see if it is still overly liquid.  If you have drippings from a roasted turkey, spoon some over the top about 30 minutes into the baking time.
6. Serve hot with good, smooth turkey gravy.