America’s Favorite Thanksgiving Sides to Eat
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Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and food is a huge, tasty part of that. Although turkey is the main course, Thanksgiving sides are just as important. What would Thanksgiving dinner be without mashed potatoes and gravy?
These are the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes, ranked by how many U.S. states prefer them, according to Google Trends data.
Honorable Mention: Cranberry Sauce
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Country of origin: United States
Year created: 1912
States where cranberry sauce is a favorite: Shockingly, none.
Why Cranberry Sauce Is Underrated
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It irks us that cranberry sauce didn't make the cut. It wasn't the most frequently searched side in any state, yet it's an indispensable element of every Thanksgiving dinner.
When your plate is already covered with savory options like turkey and mashed potatoes, plus sweeter sides like cornbread and honey or sweet potato casserole, the tartness of cranberry sauce rounds out the experience.
Try this cranberry sauce recipe.
17. Fruit Salad
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Country of origin: United States
Year created: Early 1900s
States where fruit salad is a favorite: North Dakota
Why Everyone Loves Fruit Salad
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North Dakota, we have questions. The state was the only one to name fruit salad as a Thanksgiving favorite.
We tend to think of it as more of a summery side, but there are simple ways of making a seasonal fruit salad with warm, wintery spices and dried cranberries.
Try this fruit salad recipe.
16. Glazed Carrots
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Country of origin: The Netherlands
Year created: 1500s
States where glazed carrots are a favorite: Rhode Island
Why Everyone Loves Glazed Carrots
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Kids tend to balk at veggies, but it's impossible to dislike sweet and tender glazed carrots.
They're cooked until they're almost the texture of a sweet potato, but with the earthier flavor of fresh carrots and a touch of honey.
Try this glazed carrots recipe.
15. Hash Brown Casserole
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Country of origin: United States
Year created: 1890
States where hash brown casserole is a favorite: Kentucky, Tennessee
Why Everyone Loves Hash Brown Casserole
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As we move down the list, you'll notice there's a pattern: People like carbs. A lot. They also like cheese, and hash brown casserole has both.
This crowd-pleaser is so easy to make. Just toss shredded hash browns with melted butter, cream of cheddar soup, sour cream, cheese, chopped onion and pepper into a casserole dish. Bake at 350. And watch it turn into a hot, bubbly work of crispy cheese art.
Try this hash brown casserole recipe.
14. Gravy
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Country of origin: France
Year created: 1300s
States where gravy is a favorite: Arkansas and Montana
Why Everyone Loves Gravy
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Gravy has been around for a long, long time, and we get why. Gravy is made with the juices left over from cooking turkey.
The flavorful, creamy dressing is the element turkey and mashed potatoes need to go from "this is good" to "wow."
Try this recipe for traditional gravy, or this one for white gravy.
13. Stuffed Mushrooms
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Country of origin: Italy
Year created: Late 1800's
States where stuffed mushrooms are a favorite: Alaska, New Jersey
Why Everyone Loves Stuffed Mushrooms
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We didn't expect to see stuffed mushrooms here, but both Alaska and New Jersey adore them.
Mushrooms can be stuffed with just about everything, but a blend of cream cheese, parmesan, Italian bread crumbs and garlic are a winning combo.
Try this stuffed mushrooms recipe.
12. Charcuterie Trays
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Country of origin: France
Year created: 1400s
States where charcuterie trays are a favorite: Minnesota, Missouri
Why Everyone Loves Charcuterie Trays
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Charcuterie trays are more like appetizers than sides, but we'll let it slide. Charcuterie trays are perfect for Thanksgiving because they offer a smorgasbord of different flavors, blending sliced fruit, Greek olives, cheese, crackers and deli meats into a single dish.
We recommend adding a variety of different cheeses, from palatable cheddars to more adventurous soft cheeses and spicy pepper jack.
Try this charcuterie trays recipe.
11. Creamed Corn
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Country of origin: Native American tribes
Year created: 1800s
States where creamed corn is a favorite: Kansas, Texas
Why Everyone Loves Creamed Corn
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A traditional Southern dish, creamed corn is like a scrumptious cross between a pudding and a soup.
With a base of sweet, tender corn kernels and velvety cream sauce, creamed corn can be spiced up with crispy bacon or diced jalapeno.
Try this cramed corn recipe.
10. Cornbread
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Country of origin: Mexico
Year created: Around 7,000 years ago
States where cornbread is a favorite: Louisiana, Mississippi
Why Everyone Loves Cornbread
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Come on, it's cornbread. How can anyone not like cornbread? It's not even remotely a new invention, originating in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico where it was made from corn meal thousands of years ago.
It's already lightly sweet, but every slice of soft, light cornbread is made better with garlic butter and a drizzle of sweet honey.
Try this cornbread recipe.
9. Macaroni and Cheese
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Country of origin: Northern Europe
Year created: 1700s
States where macaroni and cheese is a favorite: Virginia, Vermont
Why Everyone Loves Macaroni and Cheese
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We've already established that carbs and cheese are irresistible. That's literally all mac and cheese is composed of: perfectly cooked macaroni noodles in a thick sauce of sinfully delicious melted cheeses.
Even those who don't consider mac and cheese to be a Thanksgiving side will probably be caught adding a scoop to their plate on Turkey Day.
Try this macaroni and cheese recipe.
8. Side Salads
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Country of origin: Ancient Greece and Rome
Year created: Over 2000 years ago
States where side salads are a favorite: Idaho, New Mexico
Why Everyone Loves Side Salads
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As much as we love sweet, carby goodness, too much cheese and starch is overkill. Side salads offer a respite from heavy, rich foods, with light, fresh greens and the bright flavors of pomegranate seeds, diced cucumber and feta cheese.
Of course, you can make any kind of side salad you want, which just adds to the fun.
Try this side salad recipe.
7. Stuffing
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Country of origin: Ancient Greece
Year created: Around 2,000 years ago
States where stuffing is a favorite: Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania
Why Everyone Loves Stuffing
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Stuffing has been around since around the first century A.D. when a chef named Apicius listed it in a cookbook. His recipes included several different meats stuffed with vegetables, herbs, nuts, chopped liver and even brain.
For the faint of heart, stuffing does not have to include brain, eyeballs or any other ultra-adventurous ingredients. Tasty stuffing can be made with all kinds of ingredients to spruce up turkey, like mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs and cornbread.
In some areas, stuffing is instead referred to as "dressing."
Try this stuffing recipe.
6. Sweet Potato Dishes
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Country of origin: United States
Year created: 1917
States where sweet potatoes are a favorite: Alabama, New York, South Dakota
Why Everyone Loves Sweet Potato Dishes
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The texture of an extra creamy baked potato but the flavor of a sweet dessert? What's not to like? While different states selected different dishes, including sweet potato and marshmallow casserole and baked sweet potatoes, every sweet potato dish is all but guaranteed to be gobbled up on Thanksgiving Day.
Candied sweet potatoes were allegedly first topped with marshmallows in a 1917 Angelus Marshmallow recipe booklet, and it was a stroke of genius.
Pro tip: Sprinkle chopped caramelized pecans on top for a pleasant crunch.
Try this sweet potato recipe.
5. Baked Potatoes
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Country of origin: Peru
Year created: Between 6,000 - 8,000 years ago
States where baked potatoes are a favorite: Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Why Everyone Loves Baked Potatoes
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While potatoes are often associated with Ireland, the first potatoes were cultivated by the Incas in Peru around 8,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C. After the Spanish conquistadors conquered Peru, the starchy staple was introduced to European cuisine.
Potatoes are amazing in so many different forms, but it's tough to go wrong with an old-fashioned baked potato topped with butter, sour cream, melted cheese and chopped green onions.
Try this baked potato recipe.
4. Collard Greens
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Country of origin: Europe
Year created: Around 2,000 years ago
States where collard greens are a favorite: Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina
Why Everyone Loves Collard Greens
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Collard greens aren't the most beautiful of all Thanksgiving side dishes, but they're a Thanksgiving dinner staple in many Southern states. Traditionally, spicy collard greens are served alongside cornbread and other Southern delicacies.
They're also packed with nutrients to balance out the veritable pile of pie that will come after dinner.
Try this collard greens recipe.
3. Green Beans
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Country of origin: United States
Year created: 1955
States where green beans are a favorite: Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Washington
Why Everyone Loves Green Beans
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Green bean casserole was invented by an employee working at Campbell Soup in their New Jersey headquarters. Her invention led to the creation of the Campbell Test Kitchen, so in a way, green bean casserole was the mother of tons of delicious soups.
While green bean casserole is the most popular way to serve the long, green legumes, cooking them until tender in olive oil and garlic is just as delicious.
Try this green bean recipe.
2. Rolls
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Country of origin: Ancient Rome, most likely
Year created: The Middle Ages
States where rolls are a favorite: Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska, Utah, West Virginia
Why Everyone Loves Rolls
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Biscuits and rolls have been around for centuries. At first, they were prized for how well they held up on long journeys by ship. Now, we appreciate them for their virtues of buttery, flaky perfection.
Six different states chose rolls as their favorite side, easily placing them toward the top of the list. Some states prefer crescent rolls. Others prefer soft, sweet dinner rolls.
We can all agree that every Thanksgiving table is incomplete without some variety of addictive bread.
Try this dinner roll recipe.
1. Mashed Potatoes
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Country of origin: United Kingdom
Year created: 1600s
States where mashed potatoes are a favorite: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon
Why Everyone Loves Mashed Potatoes
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Next to turkey, mashed potatoes are the most essential Thanksgiving food we can think of. Nine different states backed up our suspicions that mashed potatoes are a winning side, and we'd wager that they come in a close second in many other states as well.
Why they're universally adored needs no explanation. When made correctly, ordinary potatoes morph into light, fluffy, buttery mouthfuls of pure joy. Some people like to toss garlic into the mix, but we prefer to let mashed potatoes shine all on their own.
Try this mashed potatoes recipe.