20 Great Thanksgiving Vegetable Dishes That Don’t Have Marshmallows

Chanterelle mushrooms and cipollini onions are worth the splurge, but you can substitute halved cremini mushrooms and frozen pearl onions and the results will still be very tasty. 

You can make this dish with regular green beans, but long beans look more handsome.

Sometimes the simplest of recipes are the most delicious. Plenty of garlic, some thyme, and really fresh green beans add up to more than the sum of their parts.

For an easy upgrade on steamed green beans, flavor fresh bread crumbs with a touch of Meyer lemon zest and create a quick dressing with the citrus juice.

Chestnuts are the quintessential holiday ingredient. Serving them with this popular vegetable and everyone’s favorite meat is a sure way to win devoted fans. 

This quick recipe for piquant brussels will save precious time this Thanksgiving, without sacrificing on taste.

These brussels sprouts are just 34 calories per serving, making them a healthy addition to your Thanksgiving meal. You need only a splash of oil on the leaves because you cook them quickly, like a warm salad, and they stay crisp.

Parmesan cheese and crunchy pine nuts will make a Brussels sprouts lover even out of those self-professed haters.

Tender, thinly shaved Brussels sprouts are sautéed with salty, crispy pancetta in this simple, crowd-pleasing side dish.

Broccolini is glorious roasted, and even more delicious with this hearty, unusual pesto. You can sub in roasted regular broccoli if you’d like.

Ancho chile powder and lime coat roasted broccolini, which stays crisp even if made a day ahead.

Roasting, as opposed to steaming, deepens the flavor and color of broccoli, and makes it a nice change from familiar steamed broccoli.

Whorled broccoli romanesco is an exotic treat, yet it’s very easy to prepare—just steam until tender. If you can’t find small heads, just break a full-grown head into florets (cauliflower works too). This recipe is adapted from one in Vegetable Literacy, by Deborah Madison.

The secret ingredient in this dish, inspired by one served by chef Matthew Dillon at the Corson Building in Seattle, is an easy-to-make Egyptian nut-and-spice blend called dukkah. Add protein-rich chickpeas for a more filling version.

Instead of baking cauliflower in a classic cream sauce, we’ve sliced it thinly and roasted it (with very little fat) to get a nicely toasted flavor–and keep it just shy of 40 calories per serving.

The skin of delicata squash is tender when roasted and very flavorful, so try it along with the flesh.

Tender carrots and crunchy pecans get tossed in a sweet brown sugar and ginger glaze for a quick side dish that’s easy and delicious.

Wilting the cabbage briefly brings out its color and flavor, and softens it. This recipe is based on one in Deborah Madison’s book Vegetable Literacy. She likes to add small mint leaves right before serving—they’re aromatic and cheerful.

Like cranberries, this colorful medley of small onions adds a sweet-tart note to a Thanksgiving dinner. Deborah Madison created this recipe for us based on one in her book Vegetable Literacy, and she vastly prefers small, regular shallots (about the size of a walnut in its shell) to the supersize ones. The small type are firmer and blend better with the other onions.

Mild white Japanese turnips are cooked with their greens along with white miso and butter for savory richness; maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness. If you can’t find Japanese turnips, use a mix of small radishes and mustard greens—regular turnips are too strong for this dish.