42 Thanksgiving Casserole Recipes to Get Your Guests in the Spirit (and Make Hosting a Breeze)
Sure, the turkey gets all the attention. But Thanksgiving dinner would be nothing without the sides—some of our favorites including: marshmallow-topped Southern sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese with crispy parmesan-phyllo crust and broccoli and cauliflower gratin, which all come together in a single baking dish. That's why we’ve rounded up the 42 best Thanksgiving casserole recipes to have in your back pocket this holiday, both classic and unconventional. 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. Spicy Turkey Enchiladas with Pumpkin Seeds
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We 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.)
2. Mac and Cheese with Crispy Parmesan-Phyllo Crust
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 10
We don’t know about you, but we’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.
3. Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We 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.
4. Polenta Ragu Casserole
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Why We 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.
5. Ina Garten’s Baked Spinach and Zucchini
Quentin Bacon/Cook Like a Pro
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We 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.
6. Spiralized Winter Vegetable Gratin
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We 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.
7. Hasselback Honey-Glazed Squash with Pistachios and Chiles
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We 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* they couldn’t be more appropriate for Thanksgiving if they tried. We used butternut, but feel free to try delicata or honeynut instead.
8. Butternut Squash Lasagna
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 2 hours
Why We 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.
9. The Best Potatoes au Gratin Ever
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 8
The secret to our 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.
10. Creamy Vegan Lentil and Roasted Vegetable Bake
Nisha Vora
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Why We 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.
11. Ravioli Lasagna
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Why We 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. We have a feeling they’ll be fine with layers of store-bought ravioli, jarred marinara sauce and lots of cheese.
12. Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We 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 our favorite cruciferous veggie making a cameo. Oh, and did we mention the buttery panko-Parm topping?
13. Green Cabbage Gratin
Kelly Marshall/Sunday Best
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We 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.
14. Ina Garten’s Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Eggplant
Quentin Bacon/Cook Like a Pro
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We 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.
15. Shepherd’s Pie
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Why We 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.
16. Leek, Kale and Goat Cheese Strata
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 8 hours and 35 minutes
Why We 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.
17. Easy Cauliflower Gratin
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We 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. We’ll be dousing ours in hot sauce, TYVM.
18. Kale and Wild Rice Casserole
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We 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 we like our greens.
19. Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Fried Shallots
Damn Delicious
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We 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.
20. Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Grandbaby Cakes
Time Commitment: 55 minutes
Why We 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).
21. Lemon Chicken and Rice Casserole
Grandbaby Cakes
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We 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.
22. 5-Ingredient Italian Sausage and Kale Baked Ziti
Gimme Some Oven
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We 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.
23. Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes
Well Plated by Erin
Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, vegetarian, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 8
We 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.
24. Easy Stuffing Casserole
Spend with Pennies
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Serves: 12
Stuffing, dressing, casserole—whatever you call it, we want it on our 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.
25. Green Bean Casserole with Onion Rings
Foodie Crush
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We 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, we wouldn’t blame you for throwing some French fries in the mix too.
26. Creamy Baked Carbonara Mac and Cheese
Spoon Fork Bacon
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 7
Something about bacon’s savory, salty, comforting flavor just screams fall to us. So, we’re making it a focal point of this year’s mac and cheese, which also has eggs, peas and lots of Parm and white cheddar.
27. Pumpkin and Cheesy Baked Potato Casserole
Averie Cooks
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We 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.
28. White Pesto Spinach Lasagna
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 8
What sets this creamy, dreamy side apart from the rest? We’re 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.)
29. Hash Brown Casserole
Well Plated by Erin
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 10
We 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.
30. Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
Dude That Cookz
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We 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.
31. Creamy Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Yellow Bliss Road
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Serves: 8
Psst: Bookmark this to make with your leftovers on Black Friday. We’ll take our slice with a dollop of cranberry sauce, please.
32. Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin
Spoon Fork Bacon
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We 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).
33. Better-for-You Green Bean Casserole
Gimme Some Oven
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We 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.
34. French Onion Chicken Noodle Casserole
Damn Delicious
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 6
Any casserole topped with salt-and-pepper kettle chips is one we want on our holiday table. The recipe calls for shredding store-bought rotisserie chicken, so you won’t have to worry about cooking a second bird.
35. Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Grandbaby Cakes
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Why We 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.
36. Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
How Sweet Eats
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We 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.
37. All-in-One Thanksgiving Casserole
Gimme Some Oven
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, high protein
Serves: 8 to 10
Behold: We 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.
38. Hashbrown Chicken Vegetable Pot Pie Casserole
The Mom 100
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, kid-friendly
Serves: 10
Chicken and potatoes just got so much better.
39. Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Well Plated
Time Commitment: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Why We 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.
40. Sweet Potato Lasagna
Minimalist Baker
Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan
Serves: 8
Vegan or not, your Thanksgiving guests will most definitely be returning for seconds.
41. Roasted Acorn Squash Breakfast Pudding
I Am a Food Blog
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Serves: 6
Even though this was technically meant as a brunch recipe... we won't tell.
42. 3-Cheese Pumpkin Pasta Casserole with Spinach
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
Totally adding this Thanksgiving casserole to our list of Thanksgiving traditions.
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For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
