The Best Unexpected Side Dishes To Serve At Thanksgiving Dinner

Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year, Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to come together and reconnect. And what better way to look back on the events of the past year than over a Thanksgiving feast. While the centerpiece of the meal is usually a juicy turkey, side dishes also play a significant role in the celebrations. Typical Thanksgiving accompaniments include stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and mac and cheese.

While for many of us Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without its classic favorites, culinary traditions associated with the holiday are evolving. More and more home chefs are choosing to venture beyond the traditional gastronomic lineup, infusing their menus with new and exciting flavors. Side dishes provide the perfect opportunity for experimentation — after all, they come without the pressure associated with perfecting the main course.

Ready to venture beyond the classic Thanksgiving fare? Take a look at our roundup of the best unexpected side dishes to incorporate into your next Thanksgiving meal!

Light and crisp, cabbage makes a refreshing contrast to the heavier dishes that so often dominate Thanksgiving meals. The veggie is also abundant in the fall, which means that it's both fresh and affordable by the time Thanksgiving comes around. Not just nutritious, red cabbage can also add a splash of vibrant color to your holiday dinner table.

Ideal comfort food for the cooler months, Oma's red cabbage is normally used as a side to bratwursts. However, this doesn't mean that it can't hold its own alongside a Thanksgiving turkey. For best results, look for medium-sized cabbage heads that are firm and crisp, with blemish-free leaves.

Aside from red cabbage, Oma's red cabbage calls for green apples, white onion, cloves, bay leaves, apple cider vinegar, red wine, butter, and sugar. Combined with the earthy and mildly sweet flavor of red cabbage, these tangy ingredients add a pleasant tartness to the final dish. Best of all, this accompaniment is also pretty easy to make. Simply braise the ingredients over medium heat for around an hour or until the cabbage turns soft and tender.

Perfect for sharing, cheese dips make a popular starter or side. Composed of melted cheese and a range of other ingredients, cheese dips are also versatile enough to cater to a range of taste preferences. Whether you prefer your food mild or with a zesty kick, you can rest assured that there is a cheese dip variation out there that will hit the spot. Best of all, the gooey snack can be paired with a range of dippers, including tortilla chips, crackers, bread, and vegetables.

Cheese dips needn't be complicated — many are made with just a few simple ingredients. For instance, the 3-ingredient chili cheese dip consists of just — drum roll — three ingredients. Aside from cheese, the dish is made with turkey chili and cream cheese. It's that easy. Simply layer the cream cheese at the bottom of a microwave-safe dish, top it with a layer of turkey chili (opt for the canned bean or no-bean variety), and sprinkle the dish with a shredded cheese of your choice. If time is of the essence, microwave the dish for around three minutes. If you prefer a crispier top and aren't pressed for time, cook the dish in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is nice and melty.

According to lore, the first cheese ball weighed 1,235 pounds. The massive creation was prepared by a Massachusetts farmer who gifted it to President Jefferson at the White House in 1801. However, cheese balls didn't become popular until the 1940s, when the snack began being served at wartime parties before slowly losing popularity sometime in the 70s.

Luckily, cheese balls are experiencing something of a revival. Contemporary chefs have reimagined the humble cheese ball, filling it with fancy cheeses like goat cheese or Camembert and unexpected flavors like bacon and jalapeño. Modern-day cheese balls are also often rolled in either nuts or other crunch ingredients.

The recipe for classic cheese balls is quite straightforward. Simply combine cream cheese, any other cheeses that strike your fancy, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to taste. Once the mixture is rolled into balls, place them in the refrigerator until they harden. To get the cheese balls ready for the Thanksgiving table, remove them from the refrigerator half an hour before serving and roll them in crushed or chopped nuts of your choice.

The fact that pumpkins are normally associated with Halloween shouldn't stop you from enjoying them in your Thanksgiving feast. While it may not be a jack-o'-lantern, pumpkin soup can make a warming side, particularly if it's seasoned with curry powder and red pepper for a zesty kick. Of course, you can go easy on the spices if you prefer milder flavors.

Making pumpkin and spice soup is surprisingly easy, if you invest in a can of solid packed pumpkin rather than start from scratch with a whole pumpkin. In fact, the entire process shouldn't take much longer than 10 minutes, if you don't factor in the stirring. All you need is a stove top, a pan, an immersion blender, and a few ingredients. Aside from the pumpkin puree, this recipe calls for chicken broth, onion, half and half, and butter. For seasoning, invest in garlic, red pepper, curry powder, coriander, and a little salt. To enhance the final presentation of the soup, garnishing it with chopped chives and a dollop of sour cream.

If, like us, you're not a fan of peeling potatoes, this potato-based recipe has you covered. Whatever your take on potato salad, you can simply swap out the spuds for store-bought gnocchi. Alternatively, you can make your own delicious gnocchi at home by combining Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, flour, eggs, and salt. Whether you choose to buy them or make them yourself, gnocchi take around three minutes to cook.

Extremely versatile, gnocchi potato salad can be customized to suit any palate. For a German take on the dish that will go well alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, sauté the gnocchi in a skillet with roasted bacon and onion, adding apple cider vinegar, mustard, celery seeds, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. This said, what truly makes gnocchi potato salad unique is its adaptability. For instance, some of the other ingredients that are commonly added to the dish include olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, corn, chunks of mozzarella, and arugula.

Ramen noodles are typically associated with, well, ramen — a Japanese soup made with noodles, broth, and other ingredients such as sliced pork and scallions. The thin white noodles are usually made from wheat flour, salt, and a special alkaline mineral called kansui, which gives them their color and chewy texture. Luckily, there's no need to make ramen noodles from scratch, as they can be easily purchased at many grocery stores and Asian markets.

Beyond soup, ramen noodles can also be used in other dishes such as stir-fries and ramen noodle salad, where they are normally served at room temperature. Instead of being cooked, the instant noodles are crushed and softened by being soaked in the salad's zesty vinaigrette. To complete the dish, you'll also need a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw cabbage mix, slivered almonds, and roasted sunflower kernels. Mandarin oranges and chicken can also be added to the dish for extra flavor and texture.

A salad would be nothing without a dressing and this ramen noodle salad is no exception. Zesty and refreshing, this vinaigrette is made with olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, diced green onions, and — the secret ingredient — the seasoning packet that comes with your instant noodles. After all, waste not, want not.

Smooth, creamy, and mild in flavor, cream cheese makes a great base for other ingredients. In particular, the neutral taste of this versatile spread allows it to complement other flavors without overpowering them. As such, cream cheese is frequently used on sandwiches, as well as in sweet and savory creations such as cheesecakes and creamy pasta sauces. Cream cheese can also play a complementary role in your next Thanksgiving lineup.

Cheesy tortilla roll-ups make a great snack or a side dish due to their easy-to-eat format. Also known as pinwheels, these tasty bite-sized snacks are made by spreading a filling on a soft tortilla, rolling it up, and cutting it into neat, round pieces. While the contents of tortilla roll-ups are customized to taste, most home chefs agree that cream cheese is the one mainstay that helps to bind all the other ingredients together. Some commonly used roll-up additions include sour cream, green chiles, black olives, and shredded cheese. For best flavor and texture, refrigerate the roll-ups for an hour or two to let them firm up before slicing and serving.

A beloved part of Southern cooking, cornbread is often served alongside hearty meals. While cornbread makes an ideal side at a Thanksgiving feast, why not switch things up this year by replacing it with corn muffins. The fluffy, slightly crumbly texture of corn muffins makes them a perfect addition to stews and other dishes where they can be used to soak up other flavors. Moreover, adding a little honey to your corn muffins can give them a mild sweetness, providing a welcome contrast to the hearty flavors of your Thanksgiving meat.

If you don't have a lot of time on your hands, salty honey butter corn muffins are a perfect solution. They're very easy to whip up and you won't even need a stand-up mixer to complete the job. Simply combine cornstarch, milk, sour cream, butter, yellow cornmeal, flour, honey, salt, and baking powder together and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes. Once baked, brush the muffins with a topping made with melted butter, honey, and salt.

Delicious and visually striking, cheese-stuffed pumpkin might just give your Thanksgiving turkey a run for its money. This unique dish utilizes the entire pumpkin, providing a rustic centerpiece that both embodies the fall season and brings an element of creativity to the table.

The first step in making your stuffed pumpkin is hollowing it out. Begin by cutting a circular lid in the top of the pumpkin with a sharp knife and then use a large scoop to remove the pulp and seeds of the vegetable. To avoid wastage, save the pumpkin seeds for roasting and use the pulp to make broth or chutney.

Once your pumpkin is scraped clean, you are ready to fill it with stuffing. While the ingredients for the filling depend on individual preference, you may wish to try using sautéed mushrooms, onion, and veggies, as well as stale bread, white wine, butter, thyme, cream, and cheese. Next, replace the pumpkin's top, rub the pumpkin with olive oil and roast it for two to three hours.

Whether prepared at home or enjoyed at an Italian restaurant, garlic bread is a firm favorite of many diners. Typically served alongside pasta dishes, soups, and salads, at its simplest, the snack consists of toasted bread with a garlic and butter spread. While you could easily make garlic bread as a side for your next Thanksgiving dinner, why not take it up a notch and make garlic knots instead.

If you are worried that making knot dough is going to cut into a significant chunk of your Thanksgiving dinner preparation time, think again. This quick recipe uses Pillsbury Original Breadsticks or Pillsbury's Rolled Pizza Crust cut into strips and rolled into knots to save time. For the topping, simply combine melted butter, olive oil, chopped garlic, and herbs such as basil leaves and fresh parsley. Alternatively, you can use a ready-made dried herb Italian seasoning. Brush the knots with the zesty mixture and pop them in the oven for around 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

If you thought green stuff refers to a healthy dish with spinach, kale, or lettuce, you are mistaken. Sometimes called Watergate salad and shut the gate salad, green stuff is far from being leafy — or healthy, for that matter. In fact, the recipe for green stuff was first introduced by General Foods (now Kraft Heinz) in 1975 to sell two of its products: Cool Whip and Jell-O instant pistachio pudding. Very easy to whip up, green stuff also consists of crushed pineapples with juice and marshmallows. To make this unusual dish, all you have to do is mix the four ingredients together, refrigerate, and serve.

While green stuff is unlikely to steal the show at your next Thanksgiving dinner, it may provide food for thought and fuel for conversation. Being a sweet "salad," the creamy mixture straddles the line between dessert and a side. The dish's striking green color is also bound to catch the eye of curious diners, prompting conversations about its unusual names and contents.

Mashed potatoes are a Thanksgiving staple in many households. Creamy and buttery, the side dish is the perfect accompaniment to roasted turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving dishes. While we have all heard of variations on the dish, such as garlic mashed potatoes and sweet mashed potatoes, many of us may not be familiar with the bold taste of smoked mashed potatoes. Of course, you can also leave your smoked potatoes intact and load them with ingredients such as sour cream, bacon, and chives — just like you would a regular baked potato. If you choose to go this route, rub the potatoes with a little olive oil and seasoning before popping them in the smoker.

While any potato type can be smoked, if you are planning to mash them, we recommend using Yukon gold potatoes. Instead of placing the entire potatoes in the smoker, boil and mash them first. Mix in some butter, heavy cream, cream cheese, or any other ingredient that strikes your fancy. Next, smoke the mashed potatoes for around an hour in a cast iron skillet. For added flavor, mix the mashed potatoes with a little cheese just as they are about to come out of the smoker.

The sweet and smoky flavor of grilled fruit can make a surprisingly satisfying complement to typical savory Thanksgiving dishes like turkey, chicken, and ham. Whether you choose to grill pears, apples, or peaches, the caramelization process can add complexity to the fruit's flavor. While grilled fruits stand well on their own, they can be elevated with herbs, spices, and dressings. Last but not least, the vibrant color of the fruit accented with distinct char marks can add artistic flair to your Thanksgiving dinner table.

One of the best ways to showcase a variety of grilled fruits is by making grilled fruit kabobs. Just some of the fruits that can be threaded onto skewers include watermelon, bananas, pineapples, mangos, and strawberries. When making grilled fruit kabobs, it's important to cut the fruit into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking. Once the skewers are ready, brush the fruit with melted butter and grill them for five minutes on each side.