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| Make-ahead casseroles and sides, ready for the Thanksgiving table. |
Let's be honest, folks. Thanksgiving dinner is a lot of food, and there's only so much oven and so many hours in one day. The turkey gets all the attention, but it's the sides that fill the plate, and most of them don't need to be made the morning of.
Every Thanksgiving at my house, one side that everyone requests from me is my creamy corn. It is easy to make, and I have to make a giant crockpot just to meet the demand.
That's why I put together this list of 25 casseroles and side dishes you can make ahead. Some can be assembled a day or two before and baked on Thanksgiving. Others can be made completely in advance and just warmed up. A few can even go in the freezer weeks early. Get most of the work done before Thursday, and you'll actually get to sit down and enjoy your own dinner.
Pick a handful that sound good, mix hot dishes with cold ones so you're not fighting over oven space, and let the fridge do some of the work for you.
Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Basics
A little planning makes the big day a lot calmer. Here's a simple timeline:
- Up to a month ahead: Bake and freeze dinner rolls. Make and freeze gravy.
- Up to a week ahead: Make cranberry sauce and refrigerate it.
- Two to three days ahead: Bake cornbread for the dressing so it can dry out. Boil eggs for deviled eggs. Make creamed spinach and the cranberry orange relish.
- The day before: Assemble your casseroles and cover them, make the cold salads, and mash the potatoes.
- Thanksgiving Day: Add toppings, bake or reheat, and serve.
A few tips that help:
- Cover everything tightly and keep it in the fridge at 40°F or below until it's time to bake.
- Take casseroles out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking, or add 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time if they go in cold.
- Hold back crunchy toppings like fried onions, breadcrumbs and nuts until the last minutes of baking so they stay crisp.
- Use your oven in shifts. Most of these bake at 350°F, so put casseroles in while the turkey rests.
- Reheat leftovers and make-ahead dishes to 165°F, and don't leave food out for more than 2 hours.
Make-Ahead Potatoes and Starchy Sides
1. Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Make them up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat in a slow cooker on low for 2 to 3 hours, or in a covered dish at 350°F with an extra pat of butter and a splash of milk.
2. Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Assemble it up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Bake until bubbly, and add 10 to 15 minutes if it goes in cold. This one is a potluck favorite.
3. Scalloped Potatoes
Bake them the day before, let them cool, and refrigerate. Reheat covered at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Baking first keeps the potatoes from turning gray.
4. Sweet Potato Casserole
Make the sweet potato filling up to 2 days ahead. Add the pecan topping or marshmallows on Thanksgiving Day so they bake up fresh.
5. Twice-Baked Potato Casserole
All the flavor of a loaded baked potato, without stuffing individual potatoes. Assemble up to 2 days ahead and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Baked Mac and Cheese
Assemble it a day ahead, and stir in a little extra milk, since the noodles soak up the sauce overnight. Bake until golden and bubbly.
Make-Ahead Vegetable Casseroles
7. Green Bean Casserole
Assemble it up to 2 days ahead, but leave off the crispy fried onions. Bake it, then add the onions for the last 10 minutes so they stay crunchy.
8. Corn Casserole
Bake it the day before, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. It's sweet, creamy, and just about always the first dish empty at the table.
9. Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Assemble it up to 2 days ahead and keep the buttery cracker or breadcrumb topping in a separate bowl. Sprinkle it on right before baking.
10. Creamed Spinach
Make it up to 2 days ahead. Reheat on the stove over low heat, or in the oven, with a splash of cream to loosen it back up.
11. Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Slice and assemble it the day before, then bake on Thanksgiving Day. The cheesy, crisp top wins over a lot of folks who say they don't like Brussels sprouts.
12. Butternut Squash Casserole
Roast and mash the squash up to 2 days ahead. Spoon it into the baking dish, add the topping, and bake on the day.
13. Cauliflower Gratin
A lighter, creamy side that's easy to assemble the day before. Keep the topping separate until it goes in the oven.
Make-Ahead Stuffing, Rice, Rolls and Gravy
14. Sausage Stuffing
Cook the sausage and vegetables and combine them with dried bread cubes and broth up to a day ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge, then bake it covered and finish uncovered for a crisp top. Bake it in a dish and not inside the turkey.
15. Cornbread Dressing
Bake the cornbread up to 3 days ahead and let it dry out on the counter. Assemble the dressing the day before and bake it on Thanksgiving Day.
16. Wild Rice Casserole
Assemble it up to 2 days ahead and bake it covered. Add a splash of broth if the rice has soaked up the liquid overnight.
17. Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls
Bake them up to a month ahead and freeze. Thaw overnight, then warm them wrapped in foil at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
18. Make-Ahead Gravy
Build it on roasted turkey wings or good stock. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat it slowly and whisk until smooth.
Make-Ahead Cold and Chilled Sides
These sides stay in the fridge until dinner, so they free up your oven and hold up well when made ahead.
19. Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Make it up to a week ahead and keep it in the fridge. It thickens as it cools, so don't worry if it looks loose at first.
20. Cranberry Orange Relish
Fresh, tart, and no cooking required. It tastes better after a day or two in the fridge, so make it early in the week.
21. Seven-Layer Salad
Assemble it up to a day ahead, with the dressing spread over the top to seal in the layers. Add the bacon right before serving so it stays crisp.
22. Ambrosia Salad
A fluffy, old-fashioned potluck classic. Mix it the night before so the flavors blend and it chills well.
23. Broccoli Salad
Mix the dressing and the salad a day ahead. Stir in the bacon and sunflower seeds or nuts right before serving.
24. Deviled Eggs
Boil and peel the eggs up to 2 days ahead and make the filling a day ahead. Fill the eggs shortly before serving, and keep them chilled until it's time to eat.
25. Waldorf Salad
Toss the apples in a little lemon juice so they don't brown, and mix the salad a day ahead. Add the nuts just before serving so they stay crunchy.
Make-Ahead Thanksgiving FAQ
What Thanksgiving side dishes can I make ahead? Almost all of them. Casseroles like green bean, hashbrown, and sweet potato can be assembled 1 to 2 days ahead. Mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and cold salads can be fully made in advance.
How far ahead can I make Thanksgiving casseroles? Most can be assembled 1 to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Hold back crunchy toppings until the last few minutes of baking.
Can I freeze Thanksgiving casseroles? Some freeze well, like mashed potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls, and many baked casseroles. Salads made with mayonnaise, fresh vegetables, or crisp toppings don't freeze well. Thaw frozen dishes overnight in the fridge before reheating.
How do I reheat make-ahead casseroles? Bake covered at 350°F until hot all the way through, about 30 to 40 minutes, and uncover for the last 10 minutes to crisp the top. Check that the center reaches 165°F.
Which of these is a must-have on your table? Tell me in the comments, and share your own favorite make-ahead dish.
Keep On Cooking!
-The Recipe Guy
