Thank you to Minute® Rice for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to create delicious side dishes for my Thanksgiving feast.
Of course there are the usual Thanksgiving side dish staples, it’s hardly Thanksgiving without green bean casserole. But I’ve got some easy and delicious new Thanksgiving side dish recipes for you to try this year! Whether you host Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving, I know these are side dishes you want to have on your menu this year.
Living so close to my parents and my in-laws we alternate where we spend Thanksgiving each year. When we have Thanksgiving with my parents we often do the main dinner at my house. No matter where we have our Thanksgiving meal, the menu planning is usually a collaborative effort. As host I usually do the turkey, some side dishes, and a pie or two. Then I ask/assign other family members who are coming to bring additional side dishes, appetizers, pies, drinks, all the fixings.
I remember the first year that I hosted Thanksgiving, which also happened to the first time that I had ever cooked the Thanksgiving turkey. I quickly realized that cooking a lot of other items while the giant turkey was taking up all the space in my oven was a bit tricky. Which is why Minute® Rice is perfect for creating a side dish for your next family holiday get-together.
At a Friendsgiving party I attended I had my eyes completely opened to all the different ways you could prepare rice for Thanksgiving! We had Sweet Potato Rice Casserole, Pumpkin Apple Walnut Harvest Rice, and Pineapple Cranberry Holiday Salad.
Friendsgiving is such a fun gathering! Lots of friends who all get to enjoy amazing food. Of course I had to try a little bit of everything. Including a mini pecan pie not pictured, because I might have already eaten it. Oops.
Pumpkin Apple Walnut Harvest Rice and Sweet Potato Rice Casserole can both be made with the Minute® Brown Rice. Minute 100% Whole Grain Brown Rice is a delicious, nutritious option, as it has similar nutritional values as regular long cooking brown rice, but is ready in just 10 minutes, perfect for a last minute side dish for Thanksgiving or any day.
A great appetizer idea are these mini cheese balls served on pretzel sticks. For drinks create a apple cider station with glasses filled with cinnamon sticks. And a fun twist on pies, serve a mini dessert tray!
After trying so many delicious rice dishes at our Friendsgiving party, I wanted to come up with my own rice Thanksgiving side dish. Last year my Mom brought a warm cheesy broccoli rice dish to our Thanksgiving dinner. I thought I’d try something similar with zucchini and Minute® Rice Multi-Grain Medley!
Cheesy Zucchini Multi-Grain Rice Thanksgiving Side Dish
Ingredients
2 packages Minute® Rice Multi-Grain Medley
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 cup shredded sharper cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp milk
salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions
Add 2 packages Minute® Rice Multi-Grain Medley and 2 cups chicken both to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat and add the butter, zucchini, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and milk. Stir to combine. Add more milk is desired for consistency.
Salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without talking about what we are thankful for. Create a tree from branches and provide slips of paper for guests to write down what they are thankful for. If you can see the slip of paper that says ‘Good Food’, that might be mine.
Need idea’s for what to do with some of that leftover turkey? Minute® Rice can easily be paired with some of your leftover ingredients or other fridge and pantry staples to make a quick, easy and wholesome meal. And if you’ve never tried rice for breakfast then you are missing out. Cook the Rice in apple juice then add raisins, nuts honey for a quick and easy treat or a good start to your busy day.
Visit minuterice.com for over 400 recipe ideas, including the Sweet Potato Rice Casserole, Pumpkin Apple Walnut Harvest Rice, and Pineapple Cranberry Holiday Salad recipes.
Don’t forget dessert! Make this Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake!
Want to craft some Thanksgiving decor? Make these cozy pumpkins!
This recipe looks delicious- so many yummy textures with the rice and zucchini!
That looks so delicious and savory! Plus – I love the addition of some green!
Awesome collection! Pinned! Visiting via Wine’d Down Wednesdays!
This looks fantastic!!! Thank you for linking up last week to Creative K Kids’ Tasty Tuesdays. I have pinned your post to our Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest Board! I hope to see you again this week!