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45 Thanksgiving Casserole Recipes to Get Your Guests in the Spirit (and Make Hosting a Breeze)

Bring on the veggie gratin

thanksgiving casseroles: baking dish of broccoli and cauliflower gratin
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Sure, the turkey gets all the attention. But Thanksgiving dinner would be nothing without the sides, namely casseroles. These handy, make ahead-friendly recipes typically come together in a single baking dish, making them a hostess's BFF before the big feast. That's why I've rounded up the 45 best Thanksgiving casserole recipes to have in your back pocket this holiday, both classic and unconventional.

Some of my favorites include marshmallow-topped Southern sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese with crispy Parmesan-phyllo crust and broccoli and cauliflower gratin. Bonus? Many of them can be assembled and frozen ahead or cooked and reheated, so you have one less thing to think about on the big day.

30 Easy Casseroles You Should Always Have in Your Back Pocket


1. Hasselback Honey-Glazed Squash with Pistachios and Chiles

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

It’s not a casserole in the traditional sense, but the squash is tightly packed into a single casserole dish to bake *and* it couldn’t be more appropriate for Thanksgiving if it tried. "You don’t want to slice all the way through the squash halves, so having a guide will be helpful," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen advises. "I like to arrange a chopstick lengthwise on either side of the squash to stop the knife from cutting to the bottom; skewers or even butter knives would work, too."

2. 3-Cheese Pumpkin Pasta Casserole with Spinach

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 6

Totally adding this Thanksgiving casserole to my list of Thanksgiving traditions. "It’s creamy, comforting and big enough to feed a crowd, but still feels modern thanks to dollops of ricotta and plenty of spinach," Gillen explains.

3. Creamy Fennel Gratin with Garlicky Breadcrumbs

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
  • Serves: 8 to 10

"If you need even more definitive proof that casseroles can be classy, make this recipe for creamy fennel gratin with garlicky breadcrumbs at your next holiday gathering," Gillen suggests. "It’s decadent, but a fresh, licorice-y bite from the fennel that reminds you it counts as a vegetable."

4. Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 6

Wondering how to get the kids’ table to eat some veggies? Smothering them in heavy cream, Gruyère and Parmesan should do the trick. (While this casserole takes over an hour to make, half of that time is cooking it in the oven, so you can focus on prepping the rest of your meal.)

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish with half a layered casserole, made from polenta, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

5. Polenta Ragu Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, gluten free
  • Serves: 6

For those families that always serve baked ziti at the holidays…but want to spice up the menu. Swap noodles out in favor of hearty, creamy polenta slabs, then wow your guests with beefy, homemade tomato sauce.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: three mini cast iron skillets filled with cheesy baked spinach and zucchini
Quentin Bacon/Cook Like a Pro

6. Ina Garten’s Baked Spinach and Zucchini

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
  • Serves: 6

Whether you serve this veggie-cheese-and-rice side in individual cast iron skillets or one big baking pan, your guests will ooh and ahh as if the Barefoot Contessa made it herself.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: half a baking dish filled with cheesy spiralized winter vegetable gratin, with a spoon taking a scoop out of it
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

7. Spiralized Winter Vegetable Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
  • Serves: 6

Parsnips, sweet potatoes and butternut squash unite under a blanket of bubbly Parm and Gruyère cheeses and a trio of cold-weather herbs. Look for pre-spiralized veggies at the supermarket to save time.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of turkey enchiladas topped with sliced radishes and pumpkin seeds
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

8. Spicy Turkey Enchiladas with Pumpkin Seeds

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 6

Skip the whole bird (or hefty turkey breast) in favor of these festive enchiladas, which are complete with cheese and seasonal trimmings. (Shredded rotisserie chicken works, too.)

thanksgiving casserole recipes: round casserole dish filled with butternut squash lasagna
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

9. Butternut Squash Lasagna

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
  • Serves: 6

Red sauce? You won’t miss it one bit, thanks to ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, garlicky spinach, nutmeg and a generous dose of fresh sage.

casserole dish filled with potatoes au gratin, with a spoon taking out a scoop
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

10. The Best Potatoes au Gratin Ever

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

The secret to my extra flavorful take on this iconic side? Grainy mustard. Go the extra mile by adding a flourish of breadcrumbs to the top before it’s baked for extra crunch.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of vegan lentil bake, topped with pine nuts and cashew cream
Nisha Vora

11. Creamy Vegan Lentil and Roasted Vegetable Bake

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan, dairy free
  • Serves: 8

Vegan food and comfort food are not mutually exclusive. Case in point: This stick-to-your-ribs lentil bake, which stars a beyond-rich cashew cream sauce.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of ravioli lasagna, topped with chopped basil
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

12. Ravioli Lasagna

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, high protein
  • Serves: 8

Because there’s always at least one picky kid who won’t eat *anything* on the menu. I have a feeling they’ll be fine with layers of store-bought ravioli, jarred marinara sauce and lots of cheese.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of roasted cauliflower mac and cheese, topped with breadcrumbs
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

13. Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
  • Serves: 6

Speaking of picky kids, this white cheddar mac is so darn tasty that they won’t mind my favorite cruciferous veggie making a cameo. Oh, and did I mention the buttery panko-Parm topping?

thanksgiving casserole recipes: large skillet of cabbage gratin
Kelly Marshall/Sunday Best

14. Green Cabbage Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
  • Serves: 4 to 6

A far cry from the boiled kind you have on St. Patrick’s Day. If your baking dishes are all spoken for (hi, apple crisp and sweet potato casserole), make this golden-brown beauty in an oven-safe skillet instead.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: three mini skillets filled with pasta in tomato eggplant sauce
Quentin Bacon/Cook Like a Pro

15. Ina Garten’s Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Eggplant

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, vegetarian
  • Serves: 3

The Queen of Chambray is nothing if not resourceful. Instead of using humdrum tomato sauce, the base for this recipe is her homemade tomato-eggplant soup. It’s worth the extra effort for that richer, more complex flavor.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: shepherd's pie
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

16. Shepherd’s Pie

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
  • Serves: 6

In case you want to do away with turkey this year, this cozy dish is packed with traditional Thanksgiving veggies and mashed potatoes, along with Guinness-infused beef stew.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: leek kale and goat cheese strata
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

17. Leek, Kale and Goat Cheese Strata

  • Time Commitment: 8 hours and 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, vegetarian
  • Serves: 6

Never had the pleasure of tasting strata? It’s basically a baked dish of bread, cheese and egg custard. Assemble it on Thanksgiving Eve so it has time to soak in the fridge overnight.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: half a casserole dish of cauliflower gratin
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

18. Easy Cauliflower Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, vegetarian, kid-friendly
  • Serves: 6

Save the cauliflower rice for another holiday—this versatile veggie is dying to be transformed into a decadent side dish for once. I'll be dousing mine in hot sauce, TYVM.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: oval casserole dish of kale, wild rice and cheese
Half Baked Harvest

19. Kale and Wild Rice Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
  • Serves: 6

There’s a ton of kale and mushrooms in this autumnal dish, but it’s far from health food, thanks to butter, heavy cream and alllll the Gruyère. Now that’s how I like my greens.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: large skillet of green bean casserole topped with golden brown sliced shallots
Damn Delicious

20. Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Fried Shallots

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

A timeless classic with a modern update. Frying your own shallots instantly gives the casserole an elegant vibe, or at least more elegant than store-bought crispy onions.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: close-up of sweet potato casserole in a baking dish, topped with large toasted marshmallows
Grandbaby Cakes

21. Southern Sweet Potato Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 8

You know how those teeny-tiny mini marshmallows are the tastiest part of sweet potato casserole? This recipe calls for full-sized ones, so you can get toasty, gooey goodness in every bite (and brown sugar-cinnamon oat crumble to boot).

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of lemon rice, topped with crispy chicken thighs and lemon slices
Grandbaby Cakes

22. Lemon Chicken and Rice Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: high protein, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
  • Serves: 4

Nothing beats knocking your main and side dish out in one felt swoop. Here, the rice cooks in chicken stock and cream of chicken soup, right alongside the thighs.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: sausage-kale baked ziti in a casserole dish with a spoon
Gimme Some Oven

23. 5-Ingredient Italian Sausage and Kale Baked Ziti

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6 to 8

Italian sausage has a ton of built-in flavor, so this dish doesn’t require much more than the absolute essentials to be delicious. Feel free to zhuzh things up with jarred pesto, ricotta cheese or crushed red pepper flakes.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: crockpot full of scalloped sweet potatoes
Well Plated by Erin

24. Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, vegetarian, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 8

I consider using a Crockpot on Thanksgiving to be a total hostess hack. If you have the potatoes going in the slow cooker, all your stove’s burners will be free to prepare the rest of the sides.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of sausage-bread stuffing
Spend with Pennies

25. Easy Stuffing Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 12

Stuffing, dressing, casserole—whatever you call it, I want it on my plate. Cook it ahead of Thanksgiving, pop it in the freezer and reheat it before dinner at 350°F for about 20 minutes with a bit of broth on top to keep it from drying out.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of green bean casserole topped with large fried onion rings
Foodie Crush

26. Green Bean Casserole with Onion Rings

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

If you think the crispy onions on top are what green bean casserole is all about, you’ll never stray from this recipe once you try it. And at this rate, I wouldn’t blame you for throwing some French fries in the mix too.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: glass baking dish filled with carbonara mac and cheese, topped with bacon
Spoon Fork Bacon

27. Creamy Baked Carbonara Mac and Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
  • Serves: 7

Something about bacon’s savory, salty, comforting flavor just screams fall to us. So, I'm making it a focal point of this year’s mac and cheese, which also has eggs, peas and lots of Parm and white cheddar.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: two pink plates, each with a slice of pumpkin-potato casserole
Averie Cooks

28. Pumpkin and Cheesy Baked Potato Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 12

Because pumpkin pie is only the tip of the gourd-loving iceberg. Think baked pumpkin purée topped with paper-thin potato slices and cheese of your choice.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish of white pesto spinach lasagna
Half Baked Harvest

29. White Pesto Spinach Lasagna

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

What sets this creamy, dreamy side apart from the rest? I'm so glad you asked. It stars a from-scratch Raclette cheese sauce that will blow your guests’ minds. (Provolone or fontina can be used in its place if need be.)

thanksgiving casserole recipes: close up of hash brown casserole in a baking dish with a slice missing
Well Plated by Erin

30. Hash Brown Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 10

I love mashed potatoes just as much as the next girl, but there’s one crucial thing they lack: crunch. Here, you’ll get spuds and all the crunch you crave, thanks to frozen shredded hash browns.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: slice of broccoli cheddar casserole on a plate
Dude That Cookz

31. Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

Broccoli cheddar soup in casserole form—swoon. Jasmine rice soaks up all the butter, cream of broccoli soup and cream of celery soup, while sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses hold the casserole together.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: creamy turkey and stuffing casserole
Yellow Bliss Road

32. Creamy Turkey and Stuffing Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
  • Serves: 8

Psst: Bookmark this to make with your leftovers on Black Friday. I'll take my slice with a dollop of cranberry sauce, please.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: oval casserole dish with tri-color rows of sweet potato, parsnip and beet gratin
Spoon Fork Bacon

33. Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

Sweet potatoes, parsnips and beets turn soft and tender after a swim in Parm-spiked heavy cream and a stint in the oven. Even your veggie-hating kids will be willing to take a bite (well, probably).

thanksgiving casserole recipes: healthy green bean casserole
Gimme Some Oven

34. Better-for-You Green Bean Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
  • Serves: 8 to 10

This lightened-up version of green bean casserole will still satisfy your relatives, promise. It calls for making homemade mushroom Alfredo sauce instead of using canned soup.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: skillet of french onion chicken noodle casserole topped with potato chips
Damn Delicious

35. French Onion Chicken Noodle Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6

Any casserole topped with salt-and-pepper kettle chips is one I want on my holiday table. The recipe calls for shredding store-bought rotisserie chicken, so you won’t have to worry about cooking a second bird.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: close-up of scoop of biscuit and gravy casserole topped with melted cheddar cheese
Grandbaby Cakes

36. Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
  • Serves: 10

You were planning on serving both anyway, right? Lean on easy canned biscuit dough and packet gravy if you must; it’ll taste so damn good that your guests won’t mind that you didn’t make them from scratch.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: close-up of sweet potato casserole topped with bacon, breadcrumbs and jalapeños, with a scoop missing
How Sweet Eats

37. Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 6

If you pick the mallows off your sweet spuds year after year, try this savory recipe on for size. The potatoes are crowned with bacon, breadcrumbs and crispy fried jalapeños instead.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: close-up of turkey, sweet potato, green bean and cranberry casserole in a baking dish, with a wooden spoon taking a scoop
Gimme Some Oven

38. All-in-One Thanksgiving Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, high protein
  • Serves: 8 to 10

Behold: I saved the ultimate Thanksgiving casserole recipe for last. This drool-worthy creation has it all, from sweet potatoes and green beans to cranberry-herb stuffing to turkey and mushroom gravy.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: Hashbrown Chicken Vegetable Pot Pie Casserole
The Mom 100

39. Hashbrown Chicken Vegetable Pot Pie Casserole

  • Time Commitment:  1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, kid-friendly
  • Serves: 10

Chicken and potatoes just got so much better. Pro tip: Substitute frozen hash browns to cut your prep time down dramatically. I won't tell.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Well Plated

40. Spaghetti Squash Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 25 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, paleo,
  • Serves: 6

Lo and behold: a light Thanksgiving casserole option for those looking to save room for dessert.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: Sweet Potato Lasagna
Minimalist Baker

41. Sweet Potato Lasagna

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan
  • Serves: 8

Vegan or not, your Thanksgiving guests will most definitely be returning for seconds. I don't know what I love more: the pesto drizzle or the fact that this dish requires just nine ingredients.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: Roasted Acorn Squash Breakfast Pudding
I Am a Food Blog

42. Roasted Acorn Squash Breakfast Pudding

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
  • Serves: 6

Even though this was technically meant as a brunch recipe...I won't tell.

thanksgiving casserole recipes: casserole dish with mac and cheese, topped with phyllo dough rosettes
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

43. Mac and Cheese with Crispy Parmesan-Phyllo Crust

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
  • Serves: 10

I don’t know about you, but I’ll take a bouquet of savory, shatteringly crisp phyllo rosettes over real flowers any day. If you don’t want to fuss with them though, just lay the strips of phyllo over the top.

44. Green Bean Casserole Galette

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
  • Serves: 10

"I've been making green bean casserole from scratch for a few years now, cooking down tons of mushrooms with cream instead of using the canned stuff," recipe developer Jake Cohen says. "By wrapping up the casserole in a flaky pie dough, you'll get a savory galette that gives new life to a classic."

45. Eggplant Parm Casserole

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6

This timeless classic is just as good for Sunday supper as it is for a holiday meal. It comes together in just under one hour, plus pairs with everything from pasta to Caesar salad to garlic bread.


taryn pire

Food Editor

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