We’re going a little non-traditional this year for the holidays, forgoing the turkey and sweet potatoes, and even the cranberry sauce. So just in case you too are looking for something different this year, here are a few non-traditional sides for your holiday table – from my kitchen to yours.
Starters, Appetizers, and Salads
Cheese Pairing Suggestions – An exotic selection of cheese and complementary pairings from a cheesemonger.
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup – When used as a starter, a cup of this soup introduces the flavors of the holiday with celebratory notes of a dark lager.
Roasted Fennel with Cranberry Balsamic – This salad takes advantage of the seasonal fennel and pomegranate enhanced with the flavor of cranberries. A beautiful salad for any holiday table.
Orange and Persimmon Salad – Simple and elegant – a true palate cleanser that resets your taste buds so you can enjoy every bite of each and every dish on the table.
Apple Salad with Green Chile Dressing – Crispy sweet apples combined with crunchy celery pair very nicely with a spicy sweet vinaigrette.
Blistered Shishitos with Garlic and Pinon – A robust starter bite that says “Let’s get this party going!”
Vegetable Sides
Bourbon Carrots – With four different seasoning choices, these bourbon carrots can be adjusted to complement any and all of your holiday dishes.
Stewed Cushaw -Talk about something completely different! Stewed cushaw introduces an earthy and buttery flavor to your meal.
Leeks Braised with Preserved Lemons and Tarragon – This simple dish proves that the leek is more than an ingredient. Adding a touch of preserved lemon and herb to braised leeks yields a delicate and savory side.
Blooming Onion with Hatch Chile and Cheese – For those of you who must have green chile at every meal – Onion, green chile and cheese introduces a spicy and aromatic component that you’ll swear was created with turkey in mind.
Herbaceous Mushrooms – Just like leeks, mushrooms are more than an ingredient and this dish proves it. When braised with a little butter and a few herbs, the umami of mushrooms helps to counterbalance the saltiness of other dishes while bringing out their best flavors.
Peperonata (Stewed Sweet Peppers) – Just the colors alone sell this dish, but the flavors are not to be missed. In one dish you introduce salty and sweet, acid and savory. A great dish that is best when made the day before and allowed to rest.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Red Chile Gravy – Still need that chile fix but you prefer red chile over green? Make a red chile gravy to go with your holiday potatoes. It’s great with both white and sweet potatoes.
Cheesy Corn Casserole with Pepper Jack Cheese by La Belle Vita Cucina
Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots by Healthy World Cuisine
Southwest Cauliflower Rice Pilaf with Toasted Pepitas by Savorying Today
Grains and Pasta Sides
Smoky Polenta with Aged Cheddar – Polenta is a nice substitute for potatoes, and when made with aged cheddar cheese and smoked paprika, you have a dish that will make your guests not even notice that potatoes aren’t on the table.
Lemony Orzo Salad – If you are looking for a simple dish that makes A LOT for a large group, this is it. Orzo with a variety of vegetables, preserved lemon and feta might just be the only side dish you really need.
Preserved Lemon Rice – OK…I absolutely love preserved lemon! They just add so much flavor to the simplest of ingredients that it’s not hard to make them a staple. Preserved lemon rice with a few artichokes, transforms rice into a delicate and superbly flavorful dish.
Herb Bread – What holiday table couldn’t use a hot loaf of herby yeast bread? Just use whichever herbs work best with the turkey and the rest of the meal.
AND for a totally different type of holiday table bread: Pumpkin Chilli Mini Cakes with Nutritional Yeast and Herbs by Angie’s Recipes
For the relish tray:
Quick Pickled Cucumbers – Oh these are so good! Great on salads, sandwiches and as a item in your holiday relish tray. Crunch, with a little sweetness and acidity.
Sweet and Spicy Pepitas – Finger licking good pepitas (pumpkin seeds)! Place a couple of small bowls of these pepitas around the house for your guest to nibble on, or add to relish tray. Great sprinkled on a salad or vegetable.
Quick and Easy Pickled Chile Peppers – Add a little spice to your relish tray with these pickled chile peppers or chop a few up and add to other items on the tray.
A little something sweet on the side:
Spiked Poached Pears – A different poached pear – poached in apple cider with a hint of orange and spice. A light bite that makes a nice starter, side or dessert.
Persimmon Cranberry Parfait – Enjoy the seasonal persimmons with this lightly sweet parfait. A healthy, light, and enjoyable finish to a heavy and abundant meal.
Pinon Lavender Biscotti – A couple of hours after gorging on lots and lots of food, the only thing you may be in the mood for is a cup of tea and cookie. Lavender scented biscotti are perfect for this or for just ending the day with a touch of aromatic sweetness.
Spicy Chocolate Pudding – Who doesn’t like chocolate? If you want a little more than a couple of pieces from a chocolate bar, you might look into these creamy, chocolatey, and spicy pudding cups.
Cranberry Old-Fashioned Cocktail – A nice sipping cocktail for sitting by the fire at the end of your holiday meal, enjoying family and friends.
A Sparkling Raspberry Prosecco Cocktail by Cooking on the Ranch
AND – for a totally different dessert: Oatmeal Pie with a Black Bottom by This is How I Eat
Happy Holiday Planning!
Great round up. I wish I had looked at this before I sent recipes to my SiL for ideas. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks Debra! There is a lot here that’s just not for the holidays. 🙂
salads are certainly a great idea for us here in australia. we are in the midst of a long hot dry summer with drought and bushfires! certainly not the weather for hot meals. have fun. cheers sherry
Thanks Sherry! Yuck…sorry to hear about the drought and bushfires! I’ve been reading some of Jane Harper’s books recently that are set in Australia. The weather doesn’t look pleasant down there in the dry season, which I’ll assume are the “winter” months. Hang in there!
MJ, such a fun idea to have a non-traditional dinner! Or at least to add some new dishes to the traditional holiday table. The persimmon parfait and the persimmon and orange salad really caught my eye – so pretty and delicious!
Thanks Kelly! You identified to of my favorites and not just for the holidays. That salad I could eat every day of the week, but I have to settle for orange/persimmon season. 🙂
I’m coming very very late, but I’m sure I can still find inspiration for New Year’s Eve! Actually I think I’ll go for pepitas since I have been snacking since Christmas and don’t intend to stop this now in the middle of holidays. I must check if I have them!
Thank you so much for inspiration!
Happy Holidays Sissi! Hope you are having a nice restful and fun holiday. We’ve been traveling and just got back in time to see the new year end and hope for wonderful 2018. I’m having some family over for the New Year’s eve and am planning on making the pepitas. I just can’t get enough them. 🙂 Happy New Year Darlin!!!
Wow most of this I havent actually tried, very interesting line up. Definitely tow or three of these can go to our holiday dining table
Thanks Raymund! Hope you have a great holiday season!
So much deliciousness on one page, don’t even know where to begin. Hope your holiday weekend has been lovely. Take care
Thanks Bobbi! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday as well!
Wow, so many great “unique” holiday side dishes, M.J. I wouldn’t know where to begin, but I think your bloomin’ onion might be where I’d start. Happy Holidays!
The blooming onion is a GREAT place to start! 🙂 Thanks!
What a wonderful assemblage of recipes and options! You clearly worked very hard on this. There’s something here for everyone. Thank you so much. Have a blessed Thanksgiving
Thank you very much Sharon! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!
My kind of post, I love to try different things for the holidays. And so many ones to try here. Tops would be Roasted Fennel with Cranberry Balsamic and Persimmon Cranberry Parfait. Happy Thanksgiving MJ!
Thanks Evelyne! Those are two good ones that you pointed out! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
Wow, so many of these recipes look delicious, and not just for Thanksgiving! I’m very drawn to the Sweet Potatoes with Chile gravy. that sounds like a fantastic combination!
Well you picked a good one. Sweet potatoes and red chile is an awesome combination so the pairing is a natural for this dish. Thanks!
What a beautiful gallery of truly unusual savory and sweet treats!
Thanks so much Katerina!
Nice…! its really nice and i love your idea, and your photography and i will trying to making this recipe like you. Thanks for sharing….!
Thanks Umakant!
Fascinating recipe list! Our Thanksgiving will be traditional, but these would be good for other menus too.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae! Happy Thanksgiving!
We go to our son’s home for the holiday. Even though they have the whole dinner planned I always like to bring something as a side and your ideas are great.
Thanks so much Karen. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Such a wonderful array of recipes, MJ! My family is stuck on all the same dishes, though I can shake up one of the pies each year. It kind of takes the fun out of the planning, but also experiment on them all the rest of the year! Hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving, my friend!! xoxo
Thanks Liz! Well, we’ll see how my family likes going non-traditional. We haven’t told them all yet, so I guess they’ll just have to eat it whether they want it or not. 🙂 But then, who would refuse smoked rib roast? Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Of course I’m focused on the desserts! The Persimmon and Cranberry Parfait has caught my attention. I never miss a chance to share persimmons with others. Happy Thanksgiving MJ!
Well, of course! When will it ever become the standard for the dessert to be served first? 🙂 Thanks Deb and a Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Yay for freedom of choice! I think we’ve cooked a turkey 3 times (maybe) in the past twenty years so I’m all for options. I just watched your preserved lemon video – so helpful and video worthy (is that your voice I’m hearing MJ? love getting personal glimpses 😉 and I still have time to do the preserving before Christmas! Also got my eye on those bourbon carrots…
YAY is right!!!! We do a turkey almost every year and this year both Bobby and I wanted to do something different. It’s been fun planning it. 🙂 Yes, that is my voice and my hands in the video. Bobby was behind the camera. 🙂 I tried putting up some preserved limes the other day, but they aren’t looking so good. I might have to stick with lemons, which isn’t a problem at all!
MJ, these all sound amazing! Not sure I can convince the crowd around here to go non-traditional for TG, but these sides are on my must-try list now. Great collection!
thanks so much Judy! We’ll see how the family reacts to the lack of turkey and traditional sides, but with this groups, I think we’ll be o.k. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Such a great collection of holiday treats! I love all of them, but NEED that pumpkin beer cheese soup ASAP!!
Thanks Angie! OH, that beer cheese is definitely a must have!
Sweet Heavens ! As I scroll down the things are getting better and better ! Love so very much your twists ! You are and excellent dancer 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing !
Thanks so much!! 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful holiday!