Turkey breasts are the most obvious option for those who enjoy a traditional feast, but don’t need 10 pounds of meat for two or four people at the table. However, if the idea of not eating turkey does not confuse your feathers, remove yourself from the hook. You don’t just have to serve it!
As a food professional who can’t care less about the bird personally, I’ve spent the last few years serving anything But Perfect turkey at my Thanksgiving dinner.
It’s a very convenient dish that can serve a crowd or just a few people – and you don’t feel the need to stick to turkey or even chicken. A vegetarian pot can be filled with vegetables like pies, potatoes, green beans, squash, corn and peppers, like thrills and fillings.
Stuffed Stuffed
Stuffed Peppers are for Weekly Dinner – Stuffed Squash are Showstoppers for Thanksgiving! The small squash varieties make for an elegant personal presentation that will embrace the turkey even if it is on the table.
Cut off the top of a round squash like carnival or acorn, or squash in half as long as a delicata, then cut out the seeds and strain inside.
The main dish is casseroles
For anyone who believes stuffing is the cause of the season, I’m here to say that translating this classic Thanksgiving sidekick into the main course is not a stretch.
Think more of Savory Bread Pudding instead of the regular side, with ingredient add-ins that increase the likelihood of its main meal with its more meals. Like stuffed squash, you can take stuffing casserole in almost any direction.
Squash lasagna
In many Italian American families, a slab of lasagna is a traditional starter or side dish with more widely accepted holiday dishes. But why not flip the script and turn Lasagna into a main attraction with a Thanksgiving twist?
Happy Easter or Passover
If your favorite holiday meal is Easter or Passover, there is no food law that says you only need to eat it once a year. The traditional ham or brisket that takes the stage in the center of those big festivals can easily lead to Thanksgiving.
Either way this big bargain cut goes well with the usual roster of Thanksgiving sides, from mashed potatoes to green bean casserole to roasted sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.
So if you have a favorite family recipe for brisket or have ham instead, by all means, make that meal for you.
M and k and cheese
Listen to me When made from scratch, muck and cheese are a delicacy even on a regular day. But if you have the option to make it more special, why not all this way?
In real dairy and crispy breadcrumbs make a hold-blocked m-k-and-paneer kserol, then top it with something thinner, like fried onions – hey, if it’s good enough for green beans, make sure they ‘ Will be great here again. Or go south-style with a barbecue stretched pork or brisket.
In fact, Brisket M & K and Paneer are what my husband and I will give this year at our two-person Thanksgiving. At a time when all bets are off, why don’t you choose a comfortable meal the most?
Casey Barber Is a food writer, photographer and illustrator; Author of “Pierrogie Love: New Tex Com No Old-World Comfort Food” and “Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: Treat Your Favorite Brand-Name 70 Homemade Versions”; And the editor of the website Good. Food. Stories.
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