Skip to content

Top Navigation

EatingWell EatingWell
  • Healthy Recipes
  • Special Diets
  • Diabetes
  • Healthy Meal Plans
  • Healthy Eating
  • Healthy Lifestyle
  • Healthy Cooking
  • Shop
  • News
  • Videos

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Favorites
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Cooking Light Diet
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore EatingWell

EatingWell EatingWell
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Real Cost of Healthy Food

      Today, more Americans than ever—a staggering 50 million people—are experiencing hunger. EatingWell examines the barriers to getting healthy food and what is being done to help. Read More Next
    • 5 Dinners on a Shoestring Budget

      We break down some common go-to meals, along with cost-conscious homemade options. Read More Next
    • 10 Cheap & Healthy Foods to Buy, According to a Dietitian

      We've compiled a list of 10 cheap and healthy foods to help you keep those grocery bills down. Read More Next
  • Healthy Recipes

    Healthy Recipes

    See All Healthy Recipes
    • Healthy Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Healthy Lunch Recipes
    • Healthy Dinner Recipes
    • Healthy Snack Recipes
    • Healthy Dessert Recipes
    • Healthy Soup Recipes
    • Healthy Salad Recipes
    • Healthy Smoothie Recipes
    • Healthy Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Healthy Slow-Cooker & Crockpot Recipes
    • Healthy Kids Recipes
    • Healthy Holiday Recipes
    • Healthy Vegan Recipes
    • Healthy Vegetarian Recipes
    • Healthy Mediterranean Diet Recipes
    • Healthy Diabetes-Friendly Recipes
    • Healthy Low-Calorie Recipes
    • Healthy Weight Loss & Diet Recipes
    • More Lifestyle Diet Recipes
    • More Health Condition Recipes
    • More Dietary Restriction Recipes
    • More Nutrient Focused Recipes
  • Special Diets

    Special Diets

    See All Special Diets
    • Clean Eating Diet Center
    • Mediterranean Diet Center
    • Low-Carb Diet Center
    • Weight Loss Center
    • Dairy-Free Diet Center
    • Gluten-Free Diet Center
    • High-Fiber Diet Center
    • Vegan Diet Center
    • Vegetarian Diet Center
    • Heart-Healthy Diet Center
    • Cholesterol Diet Center
    • Diabetes Diet Center
    • High Blood Pressure Diet Center
    • Low Sodium Diet Center
    • Healthy Aging Diet Center
    • Pregnancy Diet Center
  • Diabetes

    Diabetes

    See All Diabetes
    • Meal Plans for Diabetes
    • Diabetes-Friendly Recipes
    • Diabetes Diet Center
  • Healthy Meal Plans

    Healthy Meal Plans

    See All Healthy Meal Plans
    • Meal Planning 101
    • Dinner Plans
    • Clean Eating Meal Plans
    • Mediterranean Diet Meal Plans
    • Low-Carb Meal Plans
    • Weight-Loss Meal Plans
    • Dairy-Free Meal Plans
    • Gluten-Free Meal Plans
    • High-Fiber Meal Plans
    • Vegan Meal Plans
    • Vegetarian Meal Plans
    • Heart-Healthy Meal Plans
    • Low Cholesterol Meal Plans
    • Meal Plans for Diabetes
    • Blood Pressure Meal Plans
    • Low Sodium Meal Plans
    • Anti-Aging Meal Plans
    • Pregnancy Meal Plans
    • Healthy Kids Meal Plans
    • ThePrep
  • Healthy Eating

    Healthy Eating

    See All Healthy Eating
    • Healthy Eating 101
    • Eat More Vegetables
    • 30-Day Challenges
    • Good Food Fast
    • Healthy Eating for Kids
    • Best Healthy Foods
    • Green and Sustainable Eating
    • The Beet
    • Transformed
  • Healthy Lifestyle

    Healthy Lifestyle

    See All Healthy Lifestyle
    • Wine, Beer & Spirits Guide
    • Entertaining
    • EatingWell in Real Life
    • Plant Your Plate
    • Healthy Pets
    • American Food Heroes
    • Future of Food
    • Food with Purpose
    • Obsessed
  • Healthy Cooking

    Healthy Cooking

    See All Healthy Cooking
    • Healthy Cooking How-To's
    • Ask the Test Kitchen
    • Budget Cooking Guide
    • Thrifty
    • Family Heritage Cooking
  • Shop

    Shop

    See All Shop
    • EatingWell Cookbooks & More
    • EatingWell Frozen Meals
  • News
  • Videos

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Favorites
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Cooking Light Diet
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Healthy Recipes Chevron Right
  3. Healthy Holiday & Occasion Recipes Chevron Right
  4. Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes Chevron Right
  5. 22 Thanksgiving Recipes Just Like Grandma Used to Make

22 Thanksgiving Recipes Just Like Grandma Used to Make

Updated September 14, 2020
Skip gallery slides
Pin

These Thanksgiving classics will help transport you back to your childhood table. From turkey to mashed potatoes to pies, these recipes would make grandma proud. Make these classic Thanksgiving dishes to put something delicious and nostalgic on the table.

Start Slideshow

1 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Traditional Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Here's the best roast turkey recipe for your holiday festivities. To make the gravy, use instant flour (aka Wondra), which is flour that has been steam-treated then dried. You can use it straight from its package to thicken gravy for your Thanksgiving turkey without making a slurry, as you would have to with regular flour, to get lump-free results every time.

1 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Classic Slow-Cooker Stuffing

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Save space in your oven and use your slow cooker to whip up this easy, classic stuffing. Hearty whole-grain bread gets toasted in the oven for only 10 minutes (and you can toast the cubes ahead of time!) while your slow cooker does the rest.

2 of 22

3 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

In this easy vegetable side dish recipe, sweet potatoes are tossed with maple syrup, butter and lemon juice and are roasted until tender and golden brown. The delicious glaze that forms on these maple-roasted sweet potatoes transform this ultra-simple dish into something sublime.

3 of 22

Advertisement

4 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Slow-Cooker Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Thanks to fresh green beans, an easy homemade cream sauce and crispy onion topping, this green bean casserole recipe is healthier and more delicious than traditional recipes that use canned soup, beans and onions. Plus, the slow cooker saves you time cooking at the stove. Make sure to use fresh green beans, as frozen green beans will become mushy.

4 of 22

5 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This easy Brussels sprouts dish is flavored with intense balsamic and irresistible bacon. Simple and quick, you'll want to make this healthy side dish often!Ā 

5 of 22

6 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bacon Mashed Potatoes

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These bacon-studded chunky mashed potatoes get a lot of richness from just two slices of cooked bacon—but the flavor doesn't stop there! With the skins left on the potatoes and a bit of buttermilk, these potatoes channel Grandma in ways you wouldn't think possible.Ā 

6 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Creamed Onions

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

A holiday staple in many households, creamed onions are usually bathed in a rich white sauce made with heavy cream. In this version, we roast the onions for an added layer of flavor and lighten up the sauce with low-fat milk. The result is a luxuriously silky sauce with a sweet roasted onion flavor for far fewer calories and less fat. We like the smaller size of pearl onions, but boiling onions also work well.

7 of 22

8 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Slow-Cooker Potato Soup Four Ways

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Be sure to use waxy potatoes, such as red or Yukon Gold, in this crockpot potato soup recipe. The result will be creamier than if you use starchy varieties like russets. Load your bowl up like a classic baked potato or see Tip (below) for more ways to mix it up.

8 of 22

9 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Real Cornbread

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This traditional cornbread is made without flour, isn't sweet and has a crumbly texture. You can change the adaptable recipe to suit your cornbread preference. For a variation, substitute 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for the baking powder and use buttermilk instead of milk. If you're looking for a more muffinlike texture, substitute flour for half the cornmeal.Ā 

9 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This is our go-to recipe for homemade cranberry sauce. It's simple (just five ingredients!), is lightly sweet without being too sugary and has just the right amount of zesty flavor from orange peel. Plus, it's so easy—it goes from stove to table in just 20 minutes!

10 of 22

11 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These garlic mashed potatoes are extra creamy, thanks to the addition of both butter and buttermilk. To prevent the potatoes from getting gummy, be sure not to overmix them in Step 2. Mashed vegetables tend to get cold easily; keep all tools—the ricer and bowl—warm by running under hot water before using.

11 of 22

12 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Herb-Roasted Turkey

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This easy method produces all the good looks and moist flavor you dream of in an oven-roasted turkey. Make sure you show this beauty off at the table before you carve it. Garnish your serving platter with fresh herb sprigs and citrus wedges for a show-stopping Thanksgiving turkey.

12 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they're still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that's typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.

13 of 22

14 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Slow-Cooker Dinner Rolls

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These dinner rolls are baked in the slow cooker, then browned under the broiler for a couple minutes for a crisp crust. The results? Billowy, crusty, decadent rolls to serve with any meal.Ā 

14 of 22

15 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Our Best Traditional Pumpkin Pie

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Get the classic creamy pumpkin taste but less saturated fat and sugar with this lightened-up recipe.

15 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Cornbread stuffing, a Southern favorite, is a nice change from more traditional white-bread stuffing. Our delectable recipe uses Italian turkey sausage, rather than pork, and omits all the butter and cream to cut the fat by two-thirds. The stuffing is lower in sodium as well and so easy to make that it's sure to become a favorite side year-round.

16 of 22

17 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pecan Pie

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Give classic pecan pie a healthy makeover—this recipe replaces some of the corn syrup and uses a whole-wheat flour crust for a delicious dessert. Top with whipped cream to make it extra-special.

17 of 22

18 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sweet Potato Soufflé

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This scrumptious sweet potato soufflé is sweet without being cloying like some sweet potato casseroles can be. A crunchy pecan-and-oat topping nicely complements the creamy sweet potatoes. The casserole requires just 25 minutes of active time to prepare, so you can whip it up for Thanksgiving without a lot of fuss. And the filling can also be made up to five days ahead, so you just have to top it and bake it when it's showtime. With a sweet potato soufflé that's so easy, there's no need to serve it just for the holidays—try it with oven-fried chicken and green beans for a healthy dinner with a Southern accent.

18 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Candied Carrots

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

A combination of brown sugar and apple juice makes these easy candied carrots sweet but not cloying. Chopped fresh thyme brightens the flavor in this classic side dish, but feel free to omit it if you want an even simpler dish. Serve with chicken, pork or your Thanksgiving dinner.

19 of 22

20 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Slow-Roasted Rosemary Turkey with Peppercorn Gravy

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

A rub made of herbs, lemon zest, and garlic infuses every bite of this juicy bird. It's accompanied by a rich homemade gravy made from pan drippings and a touch of cream.

20 of 22

21 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sweet Potato Casserole

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This scrumptious sweet potato casserole gets fabulous flavor from honey and freshly grated orange zest rather than the traditional stick of butter. To complete the healthy makeover we sprinkle a crunchy pecan streusel spiked with orange juice concentrate over the top. You can save the marshmallows for s'mores.

21 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 22

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sausage Stuffing

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This classic stuffing pairs turkey sausage with the tangy sweetness of apples. By using turkey sausage instead of pork, we cut the fat content from 19 grams to 4.

22 of 22

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 22 Traditional Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy
2 of 22 Classic Slow-Cooker Stuffing
3 of 22 Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
4 of 22 Slow-Cooker Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions
5 of 22 Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
6 of 22 Bacon Mashed Potatoes
7 of 22 Creamed Onions
8 of 22 Slow-Cooker Potato Soup Four Ways
9 of 22 Real Cornbread
10 of 22 The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce
11 of 22 Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk
12 of 22 Herb-Roasted Turkey
13 of 22 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
14 of 22 Slow-Cooker Dinner Rolls
15 of 22 Our Best Traditional Pumpkin Pie
16 of 22 Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing
17 of 22 Pecan Pie
18 of 22 Sweet Potato Soufflé
19 of 22 Candied Carrots
20 of 22 Slow-Roasted Rosemary Turkey with Peppercorn Gravy
21 of 22 Sweet Potato Casserole
22 of 22 Sausage Stuffing

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
EatingWell

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing
  • Recipe Index
  • Jobs

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
© 2021 EatingWell.com is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. EatingWell may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. All Right Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.eatingwell.com

View image

22 Thanksgiving Recipes Just Like Grandma Used to Make
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.