2 Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas for Friendsgiving

Happy November, friends! Can you believe we’re in Thanksgiving month? Just two more months left in this decade, and it’s flying by! One of my most requested posts this season, side ideas for Friendsgiving celebrations. Ask and you shall receive! Here are my 2 Thanksgiving side dish ideas for Friendsgiving gatherings.

I personally love to cook, but I know there are quite a few of y’all that aren’t interested in it. However, when attending a Friendsgiving you’re usually expected to bring a side dish for the gathering. With that being said, I decided to make two Friendsgiving side dishes – a boxed option, that’s very simple or a homemade option that takes a little more effort. Each are equally delicious and crowd-pleasers!

For the non-homemade option, I chose an easy-to-make Butternut Squash Risotto by Stonewall Kitchen. I love Stonewall products, they’re tasty and the directions are easy to follow. So even if your kitchen skills are far and few between, you can definitely make this risotto. Plus, if you garnish it with a little parmesan and fresh herbs, it looks like you slaved away in the kitchen for hours… no one has to know unless you tell them otherwise!

As for a homemade Thanksgiving side dish ideas for Friendsgiving, I went with one of my personal favorites, fresh green bean casserole. In my opinion, I think this recipe is relatively easy! Especially if you grab green beans that are pre-trimmed (cuts down on prep time).

I realize quite a few people love the tried and true green bean casserole made with a can of Mushroom soup. It’s personally not my favorite. This fresh green bean casserole recipe is one which the chef creates their own cream base – fresher and free of preservatives found in canned soup!

I did not use mushrooms in this recipe, but you could certainly add fresh, sliced mushrooms for additional crunch and flavor. Yum! Needless to say, this dish will be a crowd-pleaser and it’s rather easy to make ahead of time and reheat in the oven later.

How to video:

Find the full recipe below!

Print Recipe

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

An easy and delicious Fresh Green Bean Casserole perfect for Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving gatherings.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Side Dish

Keyword: Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 ½ bags fresh green beans washed and trimmed ends
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• ⅓ cup french fried onions

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a pot of water (with 1/2 tsp salt) to a boil.
• Add beans to boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes. While beans are boiling create an ice bath in a large bowl. Once 5 minutes have passed, drain beans in colander and plunge in ice bath. The ice bath prevents the beans from turning to mush, by stopping the cooking process. Drain again in colander and set to the side.
• In a skillet, melt butter and heat olive oil on medium-high heat setting. Add onion and sautee until translucent. Add minced garlic and sautee until fragrant. Add salt and pepper and cook for another minute.
• Sprinkle all-purpose flour onto onion & garlic mixture and stir together for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth, making sure mixture is lump-free. Whisk in half-and-half. Cook until the mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally (at a simmer) for 5-6 minutes.
• Pour sauce over bowl of beans and toss to combine. Transfer to your chosen dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, french fried onions, salt & pepper.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Keep an eye on the dish, as it may brown quickly. Simply cover with foil to avoid burning toppings.

And if you’re looking for some more Thanksgiving entertaining ideas, be sure to check out my friend Lilly’s beautiful and budget-friendly Thanksgiving tablescape. Everything for her table was under $150, seriously impressive.

Linking a few other Thanksgiving ideas found on Adored by Alex! My 2018 Thanksgiving tablescape and a delicious and fall-appropriate Clementine Margarita recipe.