Thanksgiving at our house has never been only about the turkey.
The turkey matters. It gets the Creole treatment, but sometimes it’s all the sides and extras that we enjoy the most. It’s what gets passed twice, and which dish somebody asks about before they’ve even sat down.
That’s why a good bean dish ended up at our Thanksgiving. It simmers while the turkey roasts, ready whenever the table is. If your table works the same way, here’s the whole spread, built from recipes I’ve cooked and published here. As I share new recipes, I’ll add them to this list so you can always come back to it.
The turkey.
Start here: my Creole Roasted Turkey and Holy Trinity Stuffing. It placed runner-up in Taste of Home magazine’s 2015 Thanksgiving recipe contest, and they published it in the magazine. All these years later, it’s still a favorite. If you want a turkey seasoned like we mean it and stuffed with the trinity, this is the one.
The beans.
Red beans aren’t just for Mondays. They are perfect at the holiday table, too. The one I serve is my Monday Red Beans and Rice. It’s the Monday tradition, brought to Thursday. Put it on while the turkey cooks and let the two of them keep each other company. Beans are better on day two, so you could always make this the day before, if you’d like.
If you want the splurge version, make New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice with Pickled Pork. The pickled pork gives the beans a bottom-end flavor you can’t get any other way. My only warning is that once you’ve had it, you’ll want pickled pork in every pot. Just know that you’ll need to start it seven days before.
And if the guest list grows at the last minute, the Vigo Red Beans and Rice Casserole is the quick, feeds-a-crowd answer. It’s a good weeknight recipe to keep long after November, too.
The sides.
A table needs sides that do their job without asking for the oven at the worst moment:
– Creole Style Green Beans — canned beans, bacon, and the trinity. Make them a day ahead and reheat.
– Creole Mac and Cheese — the dish the kids ask for first.
– Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Mayonnaise — don’t knock the mayonnaise until you’ve tried it. It makes them rich without a fight.
– Easy Sweet Cornbread Muffins — small, sweet, and gone before the turkey is carved.
– Collard Greens — potlikker and all.
– Lemon Roasted Asparagus — something bright on a heavy table.
– Creole Croutons — for the salad, or for snacking straight off the pan.
If you’re bringing a dish instead of hosting, start with Holiday Side Dish Ideas and the Ultimate Potluck Hero — the full sides roundup, built for exactly that job.
The day after.
Thanksgiving doesn’t end at the table. It ends at the second pot.
On Friday, make Chef Isaac Toups’ Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. It’s the pot that feeds whoever is still around, and it tastes like the weekend settling in. For a second main that stretches even further, there’s Chicken and Andouille Sausage Brown Jambalaya — my newest jambalaya — or the one-pot Red Bean Jambalaya if there are beans left to use up.
Cocktail time.
Whether the house is full or it’s just you and the leftovers, here are specialty cocktails from New Orleans restaurants:
– Wolf in Lambs Clothing — Hot Tin Bar
– Casserole Cocktail — DTB
– Underberg Sour and Thyme Is on My Side — Sac-a-Lait
– Garden Margarita and The Placeholder — Trinity
Questions I Get
Can you really serve red beans and rice at Thanksgiving?
It’s perfect as a side that simmers alongside the turkey. It feeds extra guests cheaply, reheats beautifully, and nobody has ever complained about a pot of beans next to the stuffing.
What can I make ahead?
The green beans (a day or two ahead, reheated), the red beans (better on day two), and the croutons. The turkey and the mac and cheese are day-of.
If you’ve had a chance to make any of these recipes, please let me know in the comments. Please share it on social media and tag me! I’d love to see it!
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Thank you for reading!
Keep the red beans cookin’!
Eric
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
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