Christmas, Imma let you finish, but Thanksgiving is the best holiday of all time. I’m not sure why we’ve started putting Thanksgiving in the corner, but it’s time to bring this well-deserving holiday back into the spotlight. To help you out this year, I’m going to apply a personal passion of mine—working cheese into as many dishes as possible—to Thanksgiving favorites.
Purée Aligot (Cheesy Mashed Potatoes)
Photo Credit: Mimi Thorisson.
These seriously cheesy mashed potatoes—or Purée Aligot in France—from food blog Manger is a crowd pleaser. Traditionally this dish uses a tomme to create the delicious ribbons of potato-cheese magic, but you can sub in any cheese you choose!
Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Photo Credit: Skinnytaste
This recipe for classic Brussels Sprouts Gratin by healthful food blog Skinnytaste delivers crisp brussels sprouts with a light, creamy Gruyère and parmesan cheese sauce. This dish can get even the most picky of eaters around your Thanksgiving table to dig in.
Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing
Photo Credit: Half Baked Harvest
Can’t get the guys in your house to care about the cooking? This Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing from Half Baked Harvest may just pull them away from the game this year. The unique combo of beer bread, cheddar, bacon, and hot sauce is baked and then topped with more cheese—this time crumbled blue.
Cranberry Crostini
Photo Credit: Cookie and Kate
Swap out the store-bought, jiggly red stuff for a creamy, crunchy, tangy side dish (or appetizer!): Cranberry Crostini via Cookie and Kate. Cranberry sauce is unfortunately something I typically steer away from, mostly because I haven’t made the effort to spice it up a little. This recipe is delicious but, more importantly for me, fast and easy, so it’s actually manageable to make during the craziness of Thanksgiving.
Apple Pie & Cheddar
Photo Credit: Cabot Cheese
Last but certainly not least, add cheese to everyone’s favorite part of the meal: dessert. It’s no secret that apple pie and cheddar are a great pair. For dessert this year, we entrusted our friends at Cabot Cheese to deliver this recipe for Apple Pie & Cheddar. The tart apples and sweetness of the filling are perfectly complemented by the nutty cheddar. You can serve with a scoop of vanilla, or—like my poppy loved to do—plop your slice in a big ‘ol bowl of milk and eat it with a spoon.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Feature Photo Credit: Cabot Cheese
Marissa Donovan
Marissa Donovan is a former upstate New York girl living in a cheese-centric world. Although cheese is her day one, she doesn’t discriminate, as she adores all food. Similar to what Beyoncé advises, she likes food so much she put a degree on it—she’s a registered dietitian and master’s student in the nutrition communication program at Tufts. When she’s not filling her head with food info, she’s filling her belly with food and, as always, trying to bring up cheese in casual conversation.
