Russian Food Recipeub November 11, 2026 0 Comments

19 Vintage Thanksgiving Sides Nobody Admits to Loving but the Bowl Is Always Empty

Every Thanksgiving host has a quiet fear: what if my sides get the eye roll? Fluff salad, funeral potatoes, and green bean casserole sound old-fashioned, so it’s tempting to swap them for something that photographs better.

Here’s the funny part: people tease these dishes out loud and finish them in silence. My kids ask for the cranberry fluff before they even sit down, and that tells me more than any joke does.

Consider this your permission slip. These 19 vintage sides, from sweet noodle kugel to baked beans with apples to my husband’s grandmother Beatrice’s pickled beets, get teased a lot and finished every time. Put one on the table, then watch the bowl.

Two rectangular slices of light golden-brown cake with a slightly crumbly texture are placed side by side on a patterned plate. — Homemade Corn Casserole. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

Gluten-Free Carrot Soufflé

A slice of sweet potato casserole with a dusting of powdered sugar is served on a black and white plate. A gold spoon rests beside it. In the background is a casserole dish with more of the dessert and a white and blue towel. — Gluten-Free Carrot Soufflé. Photo credit: At the Immigrant’s Table.

Carrots for dessert? Almost. This soufflé is soft, fluffy, and lightly spiced, so it works as a side or a sweet finish. Baking powder gives it lift, gluten-free flour holds it together, and on Passover I swap the flour for potato starch.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Carrot Soufflé

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

A bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy and sprigs of thyme and sage. — Creamy Mashed Potatoes. Photo credit: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen.

Mashed potatoes rarely get the credit, and I think that’s unfair. Russets boil soft and whip up fluffy with warm butter and heavy cream, which leaves plenty of room for gravy.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Carrot Raisin Salad

Shredded carrot salad with orange slices and raisins in a white bowl, garnished with parsley. — Carrot Raisin Salad. Photo credit: The Kitchen Magpie.

Picnic tables saw plenty of carrot raisin salad long before Thanksgiving did. It’s a retro BBQ side, and its sweetness fits right in next to turkey and gravy.
Get the Recipe: Carrot Raisin Salad

Apple Pie Baked Beans

A spoonful of baked beans in rich sauce, held above a bowl filled with more baked beans. — Apple Pie Baked Beans. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

Baked beans with apples in them? I’d taste before judging. Bacon and molasses give the navy beans a sweet, smoky pull, and diced apples make the pot thick and a little like pie. Spoon some next to the turkey, and the plate feels less heavy.
Get the Recipe: Apple Pie Baked Beans

Green Bean Casserole

A casserole dish filled with cooked green beans and thin, crispy French fries, with a spoon lifting a portion of the mixture. Some fries and beans are coated in a dark sauce. — Green Bean Casserole. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

Green bean casserole takes the most teasing at the table, and the crunchy top is why it still gets passed around. Green beans and mushrooms sit in a creamy sauce, and people know it by that crunch.
Get the Recipe: Green Bean Casserole

Creamed Corn

A bowl of creamy yellow corn pudding, garnished with herbs, with a wooden spoon scooping some out—perfect for your Memorial Day side dishes. — Creamed Corn. Photo credit: The Kitchen Magpie.

Homemade creamed corn makes the canned kind taste sad. Sweet corn cooks right in butter, cream, and a splash of milk until it turns thick, so there’s no can in sight.
Get the Recipe: Creamed Corn

Broccoli Rice Casserole

At least this cheesy side has some green in it. Broccoli and rice bake in a homemade cheddar and cream cheese sauce, no canned soup needed, and it all comes together in about 45 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Rice Casserole

Beatrice’s Icelandic Pickled Beets

Beets with pomegranate seeds on a plate. — Beatrice’s Icelandic Pickled Beets. Photo credit: At the Immigrant’s Table.

Beatrice was my husband’s grandmother, and her Icelandic pickled beets taste like beets, loud and proud, with just enough sweetness and a little tang. I adapted her recipe slightly so it’s safe for canning, and I shared her original too, loose measurements and all. Beets are the side plenty of people claim they’ll skip.
Get the Recipe: Beatrice’s Icelandic Pickled Beets

Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

A wooden spoon serving cheesy casserole topped with crispy cornflakes and sliced green onions—a classic among church potluck recipes. — Cheesy Funeral Potatoes. Photo credit: Blackberry Babe.

Funeral potatoes have a gloomy name and a crowd-friendly reputation. Cheesy hash browns bake under buttered cornflakes, and that crunchy top is the first thing people dig for.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins

A slice of bread pudding on a decorative plate with a fork, topped with whipped cream. A baking dish with more bread pudding and a small bowl of cream with a spoon are in the background. A brown cloth is partially visible on the side. — Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins. Photo credit: At the Immigrant’s Table.

Counter space fills up with kids eager to stir this sweet noodle kugel, and I get why. Egg noodles meet a sweet cottage cheese mix and cognac-soaked raisins, then bake into a spiced pan that could pass as a side or a dessert. Give it 10 minutes to rest before you cut it.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins

Creamed Spinach

Order creamed spinach at a steakhouse, and no one blinks, so why not at Thanksgiving? Fresh spinach cooks down into a creamy garlic-and-Parmesan sauce that’s smooth enough to eat with a spoon.
Get the Recipe: Creamed Spinach

Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows and Pecans

Baked sweet potato casserole topped with toasted marshmallows in a round dish, partially eaten, with a metal serving spoon visible. — Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows and Pecans. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

Marshmallows on sweet potatoes still raise eyebrows, and the dish still goes fast. Mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar, toasted marshmallows, and crunchy pecans make a sweet side that nearly doubles as dessert. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows and Pecans

Classic Southern Deviled Eggs

Close-up of Southern deviled eggs on a plate, filled with a creamy yellow yolk mixture and sweet pickle relish, garnished with green chives and a sprinkle of paprika. The eggs are neatly arranged and appear ready to serve. — Classic Southern Deviled Eggs. Photo credit: Not Entirely Average.

Deviled eggs have been on holiday tables forever, and nobody owns up to how many they ate. The filling is just yolks beaten smooth with mayo, sweet relish, and a little mustard, with paprika on top.
Get the Recipe: Classic Southern Deviled Eggs

Scalloped Potatoes

Cheesy potato casserole in a white dish with a fork. — Scalloped Potatoes. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Nothing hides in scalloped potatoes: thin slices, a creamy sauce, and time. Bake them low and slow, and the slices go tender while the top turns bubbly.
Get the Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

Easy Cheesy Tennessee Onions

Close-up of roasted onion slices, golden and caramelized, sprinkled with herbs and seasoning. — Easy Cheesy Tennessee Onions. Photo credit: Not Entirely Average.

A pan of baked onions doesn’t sound like much, and that’s the surprise. Sweet Vidalia slices bake with butter and herbs under melted cheddar until the top bubbles. They sit nicely beside roast turkey.
Get the Recipe: Easy Cheesy Tennessee Onions

Gluten-Free Stuffing with Mushrooms for Turkey

Roasted turkey pieces and stuffing in dishes on a marble surface with herbs nearby. — Gluten-Free Stuffing with Mushrooms for Turkey. Photo credit: At the Immigrant’s Table.

The year it was my turn to host, I wanted a gluten-free stuffing people would clap for. Day-old bread soaks up the broth best, and caramelizing the mushrooms first gives it a deep, savory flavor.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Stuffing with Mushrooms for Turkey

Southern Pineapple Cheese Casserole with Ritz Crackers

A hand uses a spoon to serve fruit crumble from a white baking dish. — Southern Pineapple Cheese Casserole with Ritz Crackers. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Pineapple and cheese in the same dish sounds like a dare. Under a buttery Ritz cracker topping, the sweet fruit and the cheese turn into a Southern side that’s hard to describe and easy to finish.
Get the Recipe: Southern Pineapple Cheese Casserole with Ritz Crackers

Cranberry Fluff Salad

A bowl of pink cranberry salad topped with pecans, cranberries, and mini marshmallows. — Cranberry Fluff Salad. Photo credit: Thermocookery.

My kids ask for cranberry fluff before they sit down, and it takes about 10 minutes to make. Cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream get stirred together and chilled, so it’s cool, sweet, and a little silly next to hot turkey.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Fluff Salad

Homemade Corn Casserole

Corn casserole is our family’s comfort food, so I’m biased. Sour cream, cornmeal, eggs, and corn kernels bake into a golden top over a soft, cornbread-like inside. Call me biased, but the spoon keeps going back in.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Corn Casserole

People can side-eye the retro salad all they want, but an empty serving bowl tells the truth. Which vintage side would you defend?