Sometimes side dishes are so perfect and delicious, they outshine the main dish. That’s how we feel about these 11 Thanksgiving side dishes.  Who needs turkey when you have pumpkin mac and cheese, mushroom risotto, and orange zest green beans?

1. Roasted Delicata Squash & Tortellini Salad

Winter squash is a standard at every Thanksgiving dinner. Show it off in this creative and colorful dish with tortellini, cranberries and pepitas!

 

 

 

2. Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese is delicious all on its own, but add some pumpkin to it, and it’s on a whole new level of tastiness.

 

 

3. Quinoa Spinach Gratin

You can’t go wrong with this warm, hearty dish complete with Gruyère cheese, quinoa and spinach! Yum!

 

4. Roasted Vegetable Tart

Vegetable tarts are the best of all food worlds: a flaky, buttery delicious crust + nutritious and savory filling. It’s essentially a healthy dessert!

If you want to add more green in the mix, you can try its leafy green cousin: Chard and Feta tart.

 

5. World’s Best Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is a perfect make-ahead dish because of how it soaks up its flavors and tastes delicious the next day. That fact alone can make it ideal for the holidays, but it’s also claimed to be the “World’s Best.” Need you look any further?

 

 

6.  Spicy Curry Kale Salad

This dish has many things going for it, which make it the perfect side dish: It’s easy, healthy and delicious! All good things around this time of the year!

Is Kale not your vegetable? Try this sauteed spinach with pine nuts & golden raisins.

 

 

7. Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Warm Gorgonzola Dressing

Here’s one way to make everyone finish their salad.

 

 

8. Orange Zest Green Beans with Almonds

A great way to dress up that standard green bean dish!

 

 

 

9. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Brown Butter

It’s hard for me to understand how people could not like Brussels Sprouts. But for those who truly are averse, I implore you to try this recipe and not become fans!

 

 

 

 

10. Butternut Squash Pilaf

Grated butternut squash adds color and nutrients to this brown rice pilaf. Feel free to swap out the butternut squash for pumpkin (the cooking kind)!

 

 

 

11. Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Mash

We’ll end this post with a semi-traditional dish. Mashed potatoes are a definite at the Thanksgiving table, but this recipe adds a twist and combines both the sweet potato with the standard one: a delicious idea!

 

To obtain all the recipes for the above please go to: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-perfect-thanksgiving-side-dishes.html