21 Thanksgiving Potluck Dishes for a Table Already Full of Mac and Cheese : At the Immigrant’s Table

The family group chat asks the same question every year: “Who’s bringing what?” Three people say mac and cheese, and nobody says vegetables.

I host Thanksgiving every year, so I’m always glad when a guest brings a dish that travels well. My seven-layer dip needs no cooking at all, and it’s best cold or at room temperature, so it’s ready for the car ride.

These 21 potluck dishes carry well and bring something besides more mac and cheese. Reply to the group chat first, and bring the dish everybody asks about.

Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows and Pecans

Marshmallows on a vegetable? It sounds odd next to turkey, and it works. A creamy, spiced sweet potato base gets a buttery pecan topping and toasted marshmallows, and leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s the sweet side that gives mac and cheese some competition.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows and Pecans

Scalloped Potatoes

Thin potato slices baked in a creamy sauce turn soft inside and golden on top, which makes them a potluck-friendly side by nature. Assemble the dish ahead, and bake it right before you head out.
Get the Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

Cranberry Orange Scones

Not every potluck dish has to be a side. These scones take the bread basket slot, with flaky, buttery edges, chewy cranberries, and a fresh orange glaze. Bring them, and nobody misses another bag of rolls.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Orange Scones

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Green on a table full of cheese: broccoli and rice get tossed in a homemade cheddar and cream cheese sauce, with no canned soup needed. Put it together the night before, and you only have to bake it before you leave.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Rice Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Bring the green bean casserole, and you’ve covered the vegetable column. Fresh green beans and mushrooms bake in a creamy sauce under a crispy topping. Assemble it ahead and add the topping for the final bake, so it stays crisp.
Get the Recipe: Green Bean Casserole

Jiffy Cornbread Muffins with Creamed Corn

Muffins travel better than a pan of cornbread, and these use creamed corn, sour cream, and milk to stay soft and moist. They’re an easy match for chili, soup, or the turkey.
Get the Recipe: Jiffy Cornbread Muffins with Creamed Corn

Gluten-Free Carrot Kugel

You either love carrot kugel or hate it, and I was in the second camp until I made my grandmother’s recipe. Grated carrots, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and gluten-free flour bake into a soft kugel in one dish, and grating the carrots keeps a little bite. It’s gluten free, so everyone at the table can have a slice.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Carrot Kugel

Biscoff Brownie

Fudgy chocolate brownies swirled with Biscoff cookie butter and topped with crunchy Biscoff cookies are the dessert people hunt for on the sweets table. Bring a pan, and it’s a good alternative to yet another pie.
Get the Recipe: Biscoff Brownie

Crockpot Crab Dip

Lump crab, cream cheese, cheese, and Old Bay cook in the slow cooker for 2 to 3 hours until smooth and bubbly. Bring the whole crockpot, plug it in, and the dip stays warm and scoopable until the last cracker.
Get the Recipe: Crockpot Crab Dip

Sweet Kabocha Squash Casserole with Pecans

Kabocha holds less water than most squash, so a few eggs set the filling and it slices into neat wedges under a pecan top. Neat slices mean no soupy mess sloshing around in the car.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Kabocha Squash Casserole with Pecans

Cranberry Cheddar Sausage Balls

Bite-size food is the easiest thing to carry into someone else’s house, and these sausage balls pack right into a container. Sweet Italian sausage, sharp white cheddar, and fresh chopped cranberries bake in about 25 minutes. Bring a little cranberry sauce for dipping.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Cheddar Sausage Balls

Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Casserole

Tender broccoli and cauliflower in a creamy cheddar sauce, topped with golden breadcrumbs and baked until hot and bubbly. It brings the vegetables to a table full of cheese, with a good reason to eat them.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Casserole

Homemade Corn Casserole

Golden on top and creamy like cornbread inside, this corn casserole is our family’s comfort food. It’s quick to prep, and it works as a side dish or even a snack. It’s a great swap for the bread basket.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Corn Casserole

Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

Crushed cornflakes over cheesy hash brown potatoes make the crunch everyone looks for. Cream of chicken soup keeps the center creamy, which suits a long potluck table. It’s a cousin of mac and cheese, so bring it only if the table has room for another cheesy classic.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

Pecan Pie Bark

Pecan pie, minus the squished slice: butter, brown sugar, honey, and pecans bubble into a caramel that gets poured over graham crackers. Break it into pieces and pack it in a container, so there’s no pie to squish on the way.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie Bark

Classic Southern Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs vanish fast at a potluck. Yolks mashed with mayo, yellow mustard, and sweet pickle relish get piped back in and dusted with paprika and chives. Carry the filling in a bag and fill the eggs when you arrive, so nothing slides around in the car.
Get the Recipe: Classic Southern Deviled Eggs

Seven Layer Vegetarian Dip

My seven-layer dip stacks refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, and green onions, with no cooking at all. It’s best cold or at room temperature, so it’s made for a potluck table. Make it ahead, and add the tomatoes and green onions when you arrive.
Get the Recipe: Seven Layer Vegetarian Dip

Gluten Free Stuffing with Mushrooms for Turkey

When it was my turn to host, I wanted a gluten-free stuffing worthy of applause, and this mushroom one earned it. Day-old gluten-free bread soaks up onion, rehydrated mushrooms, dried cranberries, and herbs without turning mushy, and caramelizing the mushrooms gives it depth. It bakes in its own dish, which makes it easy to bring along.
Get the Recipe: Gluten Free Stuffing with Mushrooms for Turkey

Roasted Honeynut Squash with Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

Maple-pomegranate glaze, goat cheese, and crunchy pistachios turn a 25-minute roast into a squash side that’s easy for weeknights and pretty enough for Thanksgiving. It’s a side dish that looks like a vegetable.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Honeynut Squash with Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

Butterscotch Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is easier than pie, and it doesn’t need a fancy crust to look good. Granny Smith apples soak in a bourbon butterscotch sauce under an oat streusel. Bring extra sauce in a jar, so everyone can drizzle their own.
Get the Recipe: Butterscotch Apple Crisp

Pumpkin Roll Recipe

Pumpkin pie already claimed? A pumpkin roll still brings the flavor, with spiced pumpkin cake rolled around a sweet cream cheese filling in a pretty spiral. Wrap it in wax paper and chill it, and it keeps in the fridge for a day or two, so the car ride is easy.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Roll Recipe

If you spotted three pans of mac and cheese, would you bring a salad, a casserole, or something sweet?