By Mike Thayer
While the turkey is the star of the show for a majority of Thanksgiving celebrations, for me, the side dishes put on a better performance. Center stage on my Thanksgiving plate is the stuffing, potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, deviled eggs and more! The couple slices of turkey, while delicious (especially when smoked or fried), doesn’t play a lead role.
My first mouthful is usually stuffing or potatoes & gravy! That mound of mashed potatoes and gravy, is great for dunking a bite of turkey in. Slice off a piece of bird and then load up some stuffing on a forkful to savor. Green bean casserole with that crunchy onion topping combined with a little white or dark meat is a delight of texture and flavor. In my book, the turkey is the “side” for the sides!
Here are some Bachelor on the Cheap Thanksgiving side dish favorites. Some of these dishes are traditions that I grew up with, others I’ve added to my Thanksgiving menu since then.
Mashed Potatoes – This is the king of Thanksgiving sides, it’s on everybody’s plate. You can go with the convenience of instant potatoes and all the flavored varieties available, but you simply can’t beat traditional mashed potatoes done right. It’s a bit of work, but well worth it.
Peel potatoes. TIP: Slicing the potatoes into large cubes all the same size will reduce cooking time. And to ensure even cooking, add potatoes to cold water, then bring the water to a boil. You’ll need about a 1/2 pound of potatoes per person, so if you boil up a 5 pound bag, that’s about 10 servings, 12 if you stretch it. Cook in that boiling, salted water until fork tender. Drain and pat dry. Remove pan from heat. Mash the potatoes manually with a tater masher, or use an electric mixer on the lowest setting. Gradually add hot milk (don’t use cold, your potatoes won’t be as light and fluffy) as needed until you reach the desired consistency. Add salt, pepper and butter as desired. Optional: 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder. And if you want to kick things up a notch, instead of the butter, blend in 4-8 ounces of softened cream cheese, one beaten egg and 1-2 teaspoons of onion powder. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Top with melted butter and sprinkle with smoked paprika, regular paprika is great too. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Mashed potatoes is perhaps the cheapest side to make for the holidays, a 5 pound bag of potatoes typically goes for $2 and up. It depends on where you shop.
Green Bean Casserole – You can’t have Thanksgiving without green bean casserole, you just can’t. That’s like getting a new pair of gloves but they’re both ‘lefts,’ which on the one hand is great, but on the other hand, it’s just not right.
Ingredients:
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 2 cans of French cut style green beans, drained (makes for a nicer presentation and hangs on to the mushroom soup better)
- 1 can water chestnuts, drained
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 1/3 cups French Fried Onions (amount divided in directions below)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir all ingredients and 2/3 cup of the French Fried onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot. Give the casserole a quick stir and sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the onions are golden, brown and delicious.
This dish is also quite popular at Christmas time. Costing about $6, it only takes about 10 minutes to prep for the oven and feeds a bunch.
Scalloped Corn Casserole – I’m from Iowa, the Tall Corn State and this is a great celebration of corn goodness fit for the holidays.
Ingredients:
- 1 15 ounce can of whole kernel corn
- 1 15 ounce can of creamed corn
- 1 5 ounce can of evaporated milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs (divided)
- 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted (divided)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large baking dish, add the corn, beaten eggs and evaporated milk, stir to incorporate. Add all remaining ingredients, reserving (that means set aside for use later for those of you who live in Valley Center) 1/2 cup of the Panko bread crumbs and 1/2 the melted butter for the topping. Mix everything together to incorporate. Add a splash or two of milk if the mixture seems dry. Bake for 35 minutes. For the topping, combine the remaining Panko bread crumbs and melted butter and spoon on top of the casserole. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the topping is golden, brown and delicious.
As prepared, this dish will cost around $5 and you may not have any leftovers.
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup – This isn’t a traditional dish I grew up having as a kid, it was never on the Thanksgiving menu at my house. There were those occasions where we visited relatives for the holiday and sweet potatoes were on the menu, but they were candied and I hated them! Through my youth and into my young adult years, I didn’t want anything sweet potato, no thanks. Not until I started a family of my own, did I come to appreciate those copper/orange colored tubers, but only in a savory style. Here’s my recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Soup. I still hate candied sweet potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds of sweet potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 10-12 ounces of pepperoni, sliced into 1/4 inch slices, then quartered. Authentic stick pepperoni is best, but if not available, pre-sliced pepperoni is fine.
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, slice the potatoes in half length-wise and dress with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the dressed potatoes flat side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the peels and set aside (the skins are great crisped up by frying in olive oil and used as a topper for the soup). In a soup pot over medium heat, sweat the pepperoni, cooking until it just starts to caramelize. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion to the pot, let the onion get all happy in that pepperoni oil, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened. Add the roasted potatoes and garlic, stir to incorporate, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, oregano, ginger and cumin, reduce heat to low and the soup simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender (a blender or food processor works too, but you may have to do the soup in batches), blend until the soup is smooth and creamy. Add the pepperoni, stir, and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Just before dishing up, stir in the butter to give the soup a nice sheen. Salt and pepper to taste. The red pepper flake is a nice add if you like a little extra kick. Serve warm, garnishing with sour cream, chopped green onion and the crispy potato skins.
This recipe isn’t as Bachelor on the Cheap wallet friendly as mashed potatoes or green bean casserole, but it’s frick’n delicious! In fact, it’s ANOTHER DOSE of YUM!
The carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms & sausage kicks the flavor profile up a couple notches!
Doctored Up Box Mix Stuffing – Some people call it stuffing, others call it dressing. What’s the difference? Stuffing is cooked inside the cavity of the bird so it can pick up the juices from the turkey, adding flavor. The flavor is great, but there is the risk of pulling the turkey too early, it’s not done, a rare turkey = rare stuffing, not good. Dressing is cooked outside the turkey, on the stove (hence the name “Stove Top Stuffing”) in a saucepan, oven baked in its own dish or even in the microwave. I prefer ‘dressing’ done in the oven, which gives you those crispy edges and corners, YUM!
Ingredients:
- 1 box of stuffing mix, prepared as directed
- Chicken stock instead of water per box directions (optional)
- 2-3 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1/2 pound pork sausage (optional)
- 4 ounces of white button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the stuffing mix as directed using the stove top directions and set aside. TIP: Using chicken stock instead of water adds a lot of flavor, but go with a low sodium stock so you don’t over do it on the salt intake. In a saute’ pan over medium heat, add the carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms, stirring until softened. During the last minute or so of the saute’, add the minced garlic, hitting the mixture with salt and pepper. Combine the stuffing and veggies in a large, greased baking dish, folding all the ingredients together. Using the saute’ pan, brown the optional pork sausage. After browning, add to the stuffing mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until edges are crispy to your liking.
This stuffing, a.k.a. dressing as prepared will cost around $6, but it’s so tasty, you probably won’t have leftovers and you’ll be asked for the recipe.
Mike’s Classic Deviled Eggs topped with bacon – because everything is better with bacon!
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 heaping Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- A pinch of Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Smoked paprika (garnish)
- 1/4 cup bacon bits (garnish)
- Sliced green onion (garnish)
- A splash of pickle juice (optional)
Directions:
Boil the eggs. Do you need directions on how to boil eggs? Really? Place eggs in a pan, fill the pan with cold water, about an inch above the eggs. Bring water to a hard boil, then turn off the heat and cover for about 10 minutes. Fill a decent size bowl with ice and water to make an ice bath (this is going to make peeling the eggs easier). Using tongs, remove the eggs from the hot water at that 10 minute mark and place them in the ice bath to cool for about 10 minutes. Gently tap the eggs on a hard surface and remove the shell, rinse and pat dry as needed. Slice the eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks, then mash them with a fork in a medium sized bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well and then spoon into the empty egg whites. Garnish with the smoked paprika, bacon bits and sliced green onion. Serving Option: There’s still going to be a little of the yolk mixture left in the bowl, add a generous splash of pickle juice to create a bit of a ‘crema’ and drizzle that over the top of the eggs. The ‘crema’ delivers a little extra twang on those deviled morsels of sinful delight!
I love these eggs because not only are they SO tasty, but they’re an excellent source of protein (about 9 grams in two prepared egg halves). Putting together this side will run around $4.
Not that jellied crap in the can Cranberry Sauce – Cranberry sauce, it’s a classic, but you either love it or hate it. I don’t care for that jellied stuff in a can, but I do like cranberry sauce made from scratch, it’s especially good on leftover turkey sandwiches and better yet, on waffles for breakfast.
Ingredients:
- 1 twelve ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- Dash of black pepper
- Sugar to taste at the finish
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the water and sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries and orange juice, bring back to a boil, cooking until the cranberries burst. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sugar to taste, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. TIP: This is a side dish you can prepare the day before Thanksgiving and it actually develops a more robust flavor the longer it chills.
This is one of the cheaper Thanksgiving sides to make, running about $3.
Meat drippings always make the best gravy
Thanksgiving Gravy – The holiday would be incomplete without it, after all, there are mashed potatoes and stuffing to cover and more importantly, if by chance, somebody over-cooked the bird, you’ll need some gravy to top that dry turkey with. When it comes to making gravy, you can do the cheat and use those ready made packets where all you have to do is add water, heat and stir (I call that Hurry Up Gravy), but gravy really isn’t all that hard to prepare and making it from scratch is so much tastier.
An ingredient list isn’t really necessary for this one, you’re basically combining meat drippings, flour and some seasoning. Remove the turkey from the roasting pan, pouring the drippings into a bowl or large measuring cup, leaving about 3 to 4 Tablespoons of it in the pan, to include those crusty bits on the bottom – that’s flavor! Add about a 1/4 cup of flour, blending it with the drippings and breaking up those crusty bits using a whisk. Place the pan over medium heat, add the remaining drippings (you need about 2 cups, add warm chicken stock if needed or use the stock instead of the drippings if reduced fat is desired) to the pan, stirring constantly until bubbly, reduce heat to simmer. Stir in some salt and pepper to taste, a dash of garlic powder, onion powder and thyme if desired, letting it simmer and stirring constantly for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat, boat and serve.
Hurry Up Gravy – If you insist on using one of those package mixes, a jar of the ready stuff or heck, even a can of cream of chicken soup, be sure to use some turkey drippings with it. And by the way, making scratch gravy is actually cheaper… ‘jus say’n.
Ham Gravy – If ham is being served, it’s the same scratch recipe as above, using the ham juices instead of turkey. Brisket, prime rib, roast beef, same thing…
This is perhaps the cheapest Thanksgiving side there is, costing you a bit of flour, seasonings and maybe some stock, items you probably already have in your pantry.
Offering a lettuce salad offers a refreshing contrast, a balance if you will, to some of the heavier items on the menu.
Salad – I’m talking lettuce salad, there’s no jello ‘salad’, no Watergate salad (a.k.a. Green Goop, or Green Fluff), Ambrosia or Waldorf salad crap on my table… It’s the green, leafy stuff. And I do a cheat here. I use bagged salad. It’s the smarter play. 1. I can mix three different varieties together to make one fantastic salad, a classic mix, an iceberg mix, a romaine mix for example. 2. I can portion out those bags to best accommodate the size of the dinner crowd. 3. A variety of bagged salads doesn’t take up near as much space in the refrigerator as buying up all the ingredients individually would. 4. Any remaining salad can be stored in it’s respective bag, which lends itself to specific salad desires by guests the next day or two. 5. It minimizes, if not avoids all together, veggies going bad in later days. I present a mixed salad in a serving bowl, with a variety of self serve dressings and toppings.
Another inexpensive side dish that is SO easy to ‘prep’ and serve, with three bags of mixed greens costing around $6 at Aldi.
Everything is better with bacon!
Brussels Sprouts w/bacon – These tiny members of the cabbage family go GREAT with bacon!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of Brussels Sprouts, halved
- 4 ounces of thick cut bacon (that means 1/4 of a 1 pound package for those of you who live in Valley Center) cut in bite size pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the Brussels sprouts on a large, parchment lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Toss to get good coverage, then place each sprout flat side down to get that great caramelization from roasting. Add the bacon pieces. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, toss, adding the Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the sprouts are fork tender. Serve immediately.
This dish is a real crowd pleaser, even for those who THOUGHT they didn’t like Brussels sprouts. They’ve never had them like this. This side is wallet friendly too, costing a bit over $4 to prepare.
NO, not for Thanksgiving!
Mac-n-Cheese – Turning an everyday comfort food classic into a holiday special. We’re not talking Kraft Mac and Cheese here, we’re talking scratch made, ooey-gooey, cheese pull and a crispy top Mac-n-Cheese. Shout out to my oldest sister, who instilled in me an appreciation for the craft with a “C” that is scratch made Mac-n-Cheese.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of your favorite pasta, elbow, spirals, shells, penne, bow ties, whatever. I like spirals myself, the pasta clings to the cheese sauce and has a nicer look than elbow.
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded. Go with medium, or mild. Cheddar doesn’t melt as well the sharper it gets.
- 2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Fontina cheese, shredded (Monterey Jack is a good substitute)
- 1/2 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 Tablespoons Panko bread crumbs (for the topping)
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted (for the topping)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water, stirring occasionally and cooking about 1 minute less than the package instructions for an al dente pasta, drain. While the pasta is cooking, shred the cheeses and toss together to combine. Yes, shred your own, a pre-shredded bag of cheese won’t melt/blend as well in making the sauce. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the flour. Whisk to combine and continue whisking for about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, constantly whisking until smooth. Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisk until smooth and continue to cook and whisk until the sauce is thick and bubbly, remove from heat. TIP: Warm up the milk and cream before adding to the pot, it makes the blending easier and results in a smoother, creamier sauce. Stir in the seasonings and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted. Add another 1-1/2 cups of cheese, stir until melted and smooth. Add the pasta and another 1-1/2 cups of cheese, folding with a rubber spatula to combine and until you have good sauce coverage on the pasta. Pour the mixture into a greased, 3 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Top with remaining shredded cheese, bake for another 10 minutes. Top with the Panko bread crumbs and melted butter, broiling to get the topping golden brown and crunchy, about 2-3 minutes.
This side dish is one of the more expensive to make, considering the variety of cheeses, milk, heavy cream, etc., but it’s worth it!
Wild Rice – I love wild rice, in this case a mixed rice dish with wild rice in it, a nice blend. Wild rice packs a lot of flavor, it’s a shame it doesn’t find its way to a lot more dinner tables over the holidays or otherwise. Wild rice has delightful nutty-like, earthy flavor and when combined with mushrooms, it’s Another Dose of YUM! Similar to doctoring up a box of stuffing mix, I like to throw in a few extra ingredients when cooking up Ben’s Original.
Prepare the rice as directed, replacing the water with chicken stock and adding a Tablespoon of butter. While that is cooking, saute’ about 4 ounces and sliced button or baby bella mushrooms in 3 Tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally, cooking about 7-8 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of your favorite white wine (TIP: Cook with what you like to drink. If you don’t like the taste, don’t cook with it), cooking until the alcohol is evaporated, about 4-5 minutes. Top with chopped green onion and serve.
Another inexpensive Thanksgiving side, a box of Ben’s Original costs around $2.50.
Dinner Rolls – For the most part I’ve emphasized how scratch made is the way to go for most things Thanksgiving, but there’s no need to do anything from scratch here when there’s Rhodes Dinner Rolls available. If you aren’t already familiar with these you’ll find them in the frozen bread section of the grocery store. They taste fantastic, they’re low maintenance, they’re inexpensive and the best thing is, the easy peasy prep allows you to focus on other things like the sides and desserts. All you have to do with these is thaw, bake and serve per the package instructions. In my book, these are the best rolls out there. They only cost around $5 for a 36 count bag, making them very Bachelor on the Cheap wallet friendly.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
$pend Wisely My Friends…
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Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes – Bachelor on the Cheap – Bachelor on the Cheap
By Mike Thayer
While the turkey is the star of the show for a majority of Thanksgiving celebrations, for me, the side dishes put on a better performance. Center stage on my Thanksgiving plate is the stuffing, potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, deviled eggs and more! The couple slices of turkey, while delicious (especially when smoked or fried), doesn’t play a lead role.
My first mouthful is usually stuffing or potatoes & gravy! That mound of mashed potatoes and gravy, is great for dunking a bite of turkey in. Slice off a piece of bird and then load up some stuffing on a forkful to savor. Green bean casserole with that crunchy onion topping combined with a little white or dark meat is a delight of texture and flavor. In my book, the turkey is the “side” for the sides!
Here are some Bachelor on the Cheap Thanksgiving side dish favorites. Some of these dishes are traditions that I grew up with, others I’ve added to my Thanksgiving menu since then.
Mashed Potatoes – This is the king of Thanksgiving sides, it’s on everybody’s plate. You can go with the convenience of instant potatoes and all the flavored varieties available, but you simply can’t beat traditional mashed potatoes done right. It’s a bit of work, but well worth it.
Peel potatoes. TIP: Slicing the potatoes into large cubes all the same size will reduce cooking time. And to ensure even cooking, add potatoes to cold water, then bring the water to a boil. You’ll need about a 1/2 pound of potatoes per person, so if you boil up a 5 pound bag, that’s about 10 servings, 12 if you stretch it. Cook in that boiling, salted water until fork tender. Drain and pat dry. Remove pan from heat. Mash the potatoes manually with a tater masher, or use an electric mixer on the lowest setting. Gradually add hot milk (don’t use cold, your potatoes won’t be as light and fluffy) as needed until you reach the desired consistency. Add salt, pepper and butter as desired. Optional: 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder. And if you want to kick things up a notch, instead of the butter, blend in 4-8 ounces of softened cream cheese, one beaten egg and 1-2 teaspoons of onion powder. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Top with melted butter and sprinkle with smoked paprika, regular paprika is great too. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Mashed potatoes is perhaps the cheapest side to make for the holidays, a 5 pound bag of potatoes typically goes for $2 and up. It depends on where you shop.
Green Bean Casserole – You can’t have Thanksgiving without green bean casserole, you just can’t. That’s like getting a new pair of gloves but they’re both ‘lefts,’ which on the one hand is great, but on the other hand, it’s just not right.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir all ingredients and 2/3 cup of the French Fried onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot. Give the casserole a quick stir and sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the onions are golden, brown and delicious.
This dish is also quite popular at Christmas time. Costing about $6, it only takes about 10 minutes to prep for the oven and feeds a bunch.
Scalloped Corn Casserole – I’m from Iowa, the Tall Corn State and this is a great celebration of corn goodness fit for the holidays.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large baking dish, add the corn, beaten eggs and evaporated milk, stir to incorporate. Add all remaining ingredients, reserving (that means set aside for use later for those of you who live in Valley Center) 1/2 cup of the Panko bread crumbs and 1/2 the melted butter for the topping. Mix everything together to incorporate. Add a splash or two of milk if the mixture seems dry. Bake for 35 minutes. For the topping, combine the remaining Panko bread crumbs and melted butter and spoon on top of the casserole. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the topping is golden, brown and delicious.
As prepared, this dish will cost around $5 and you may not have any leftovers.
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup – This isn’t a traditional dish I grew up having as a kid, it was never on the Thanksgiving menu at my house. There were those occasions where we visited relatives for the holiday and sweet potatoes were on the menu, but they were candied and I hated them! Through my youth and into my young adult years, I didn’t want anything sweet potato, no thanks. Not until I started a family of my own, did I come to appreciate those copper/orange colored tubers, but only in a savory style. Here’s my recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Soup. I still hate candied sweet potatoes.
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, slice the potatoes in half length-wise and dress with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the dressed potatoes flat side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the peels and set aside (the skins are great crisped up by frying in olive oil and used as a topper for the soup). In a soup pot over medium heat, sweat the pepperoni, cooking until it just starts to caramelize. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion to the pot, let the onion get all happy in that pepperoni oil, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened. Add the roasted potatoes and garlic, stir to incorporate, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, oregano, ginger and cumin, reduce heat to low and the soup simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender (a blender or food processor works too, but you may have to do the soup in batches), blend until the soup is smooth and creamy. Add the pepperoni, stir, and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Just before dishing up, stir in the butter to give the soup a nice sheen. Salt and pepper to taste. The red pepper flake is a nice add if you like a little extra kick. Serve warm, garnishing with sour cream, chopped green onion and the crispy potato skins.
This recipe isn’t as Bachelor on the Cheap wallet friendly as mashed potatoes or green bean casserole, but it’s frick’n delicious! In fact, it’s ANOTHER DOSE of YUM!
The carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms & sausage kicks the flavor profile up a couple notches!
Doctored Up Box Mix Stuffing – Some people call it stuffing, others call it dressing. What’s the difference? Stuffing is cooked inside the cavity of the bird so it can pick up the juices from the turkey, adding flavor. The flavor is great, but there is the risk of pulling the turkey too early, it’s not done, a rare turkey = rare stuffing, not good. Dressing is cooked outside the turkey, on the stove (hence the name “Stove Top Stuffing”) in a saucepan, oven baked in its own dish or even in the microwave. I prefer ‘dressing’ done in the oven, which gives you those crispy edges and corners, YUM!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the stuffing mix as directed using the stove top directions and set aside. TIP: Using chicken stock instead of water adds a lot of flavor, but go with a low sodium stock so you don’t over do it on the salt intake. In a saute’ pan over medium heat, add the carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms, stirring until softened. During the last minute or so of the saute’, add the minced garlic, hitting the mixture with salt and pepper. Combine the stuffing and veggies in a large, greased baking dish, folding all the ingredients together. Using the saute’ pan, brown the optional pork sausage. After browning, add to the stuffing mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until edges are crispy to your liking.
This stuffing, a.k.a. dressing as prepared will cost around $6, but it’s so tasty, you probably won’t have leftovers and you’ll be asked for the recipe.
Mike’s Classic Deviled Eggs topped with bacon – because everything is better with bacon!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Boil the eggs. Do you need directions on how to boil eggs? Really? Place eggs in a pan, fill the pan with cold water, about an inch above the eggs. Bring water to a hard boil, then turn off the heat and cover for about 10 minutes. Fill a decent size bowl with ice and water to make an ice bath (this is going to make peeling the eggs easier). Using tongs, remove the eggs from the hot water at that 10 minute mark and place them in the ice bath to cool for about 10 minutes. Gently tap the eggs on a hard surface and remove the shell, rinse and pat dry as needed. Slice the eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks, then mash them with a fork in a medium sized bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well and then spoon into the empty egg whites. Garnish with the smoked paprika, bacon bits and sliced green onion. Serving Option: There’s still going to be a little of the yolk mixture left in the bowl, add a generous splash of pickle juice to create a bit of a ‘crema’ and drizzle that over the top of the eggs. The ‘crema’ delivers a little extra twang on those deviled morsels of sinful delight!
I love these eggs because not only are they SO tasty, but they’re an excellent source of protein (about 9 grams in two prepared egg halves). Putting together this side will run around $4.
Not that jellied crap in the can Cranberry Sauce – Cranberry sauce, it’s a classic, but you either love it or hate it. I don’t care for that jellied stuff in a can, but I do like cranberry sauce made from scratch, it’s especially good on leftover turkey sandwiches and better yet, on waffles for breakfast.
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the water and sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries and orange juice, bring back to a boil, cooking until the cranberries burst. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sugar to taste, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. TIP: This is a side dish you can prepare the day before Thanksgiving and it actually develops a more robust flavor the longer it chills.
This is one of the cheaper Thanksgiving sides to make, running about $3.
Meat drippings always make the best gravy
Thanksgiving Gravy – The holiday would be incomplete without it, after all, there are mashed potatoes and stuffing to cover and more importantly, if by chance, somebody over-cooked the bird, you’ll need some gravy to top that dry turkey with. When it comes to making gravy, you can do the cheat and use those ready made packets where all you have to do is add water, heat and stir (I call that Hurry Up Gravy), but gravy really isn’t all that hard to prepare and making it from scratch is so much tastier.
An ingredient list isn’t really necessary for this one, you’re basically combining meat drippings, flour and some seasoning. Remove the turkey from the roasting pan, pouring the drippings into a bowl or large measuring cup, leaving about 3 to 4 Tablespoons of it in the pan, to include those crusty bits on the bottom – that’s flavor! Add about a 1/4 cup of flour, blending it with the drippings and breaking up those crusty bits using a whisk. Place the pan over medium heat, add the remaining drippings (you need about 2 cups, add warm chicken stock if needed or use the stock instead of the drippings if reduced fat is desired) to the pan, stirring constantly until bubbly, reduce heat to simmer. Stir in some salt and pepper to taste, a dash of garlic powder, onion powder and thyme if desired, letting it simmer and stirring constantly for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat, boat and serve.
Hurry Up Gravy – If you insist on using one of those package mixes, a jar of the ready stuff or heck, even a can of cream of chicken soup, be sure to use some turkey drippings with it. And by the way, making scratch gravy is actually cheaper… ‘jus say’n.
Ham Gravy – If ham is being served, it’s the same scratch recipe as above, using the ham juices instead of turkey. Brisket, prime rib, roast beef, same thing…
This is perhaps the cheapest Thanksgiving side there is, costing you a bit of flour, seasonings and maybe some stock, items you probably already have in your pantry.
Offering a lettuce salad offers a refreshing contrast, a balance if you will, to some of the heavier items on the menu.
Salad – I’m talking lettuce salad, there’s no jello ‘salad’, no Watergate salad (a.k.a. Green Goop, or Green Fluff), Ambrosia or Waldorf salad crap on my table… It’s the green, leafy stuff. And I do a cheat here. I use bagged salad. It’s the smarter play. 1. I can mix three different varieties together to make one fantastic salad, a classic mix, an iceberg mix, a romaine mix for example. 2. I can portion out those bags to best accommodate the size of the dinner crowd. 3. A variety of bagged salads doesn’t take up near as much space in the refrigerator as buying up all the ingredients individually would. 4. Any remaining salad can be stored in it’s respective bag, which lends itself to specific salad desires by guests the next day or two. 5. It minimizes, if not avoids all together, veggies going bad in later days. I present a mixed salad in a serving bowl, with a variety of self serve dressings and toppings.
Another inexpensive side dish that is SO easy to ‘prep’ and serve, with three bags of mixed greens costing around $6 at Aldi.
Everything is better with bacon!
Brussels Sprouts w/bacon – These tiny members of the cabbage family go GREAT with bacon!
Ingredients:
Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the Brussels sprouts on a large, parchment lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Toss to get good coverage, then place each sprout flat side down to get that great caramelization from roasting. Add the bacon pieces. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, toss, adding the Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the sprouts are fork tender. Serve immediately.
This dish is a real crowd pleaser, even for those who THOUGHT they didn’t like Brussels sprouts. They’ve never had them like this. This side is wallet friendly too, costing a bit over $4 to prepare.
NO, not for Thanksgiving!
Mac-n-Cheese – Turning an everyday comfort food classic into a holiday special. We’re not talking Kraft Mac and Cheese here, we’re talking scratch made, ooey-gooey, cheese pull and a crispy top Mac-n-Cheese. Shout out to my oldest sister, who instilled in me an appreciation for the craft with a “C” that is scratch made Mac-n-Cheese.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water, stirring occasionally and cooking about 1 minute less than the package instructions for an al dente pasta, drain. While the pasta is cooking, shred the cheeses and toss together to combine. Yes, shred your own, a pre-shredded bag of cheese won’t melt/blend as well in making the sauce. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the flour. Whisk to combine and continue whisking for about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, constantly whisking until smooth. Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisk until smooth and continue to cook and whisk until the sauce is thick and bubbly, remove from heat. TIP: Warm up the milk and cream before adding to the pot, it makes the blending easier and results in a smoother, creamier sauce. Stir in the seasonings and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted. Add another 1-1/2 cups of cheese, stir until melted and smooth. Add the pasta and another 1-1/2 cups of cheese, folding with a rubber spatula to combine and until you have good sauce coverage on the pasta. Pour the mixture into a greased, 3 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Top with remaining shredded cheese, bake for another 10 minutes. Top with the Panko bread crumbs and melted butter, broiling to get the topping golden brown and crunchy, about 2-3 minutes.
This side dish is one of the more expensive to make, considering the variety of cheeses, milk, heavy cream, etc., but it’s worth it!
Wild Rice – I love wild rice, in this case a mixed rice dish with wild rice in it, a nice blend. Wild rice packs a lot of flavor, it’s a shame it doesn’t find its way to a lot more dinner tables over the holidays or otherwise. Wild rice has delightful nutty-like, earthy flavor and when combined with mushrooms, it’s Another Dose of YUM! Similar to doctoring up a box of stuffing mix, I like to throw in a few extra ingredients when cooking up Ben’s Original.
Prepare the rice as directed, replacing the water with chicken stock and adding a Tablespoon of butter. While that is cooking, saute’ about 4 ounces and sliced button or baby bella mushrooms in 3 Tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally, cooking about 7-8 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of your favorite white wine (TIP: Cook with what you like to drink. If you don’t like the taste, don’t cook with it), cooking until the alcohol is evaporated, about 4-5 minutes. Top with chopped green onion and serve.
Another inexpensive Thanksgiving side, a box of Ben’s Original costs around $2.50.
Dinner Rolls – For the most part I’ve emphasized how scratch made is the way to go for most things Thanksgiving, but there’s no need to do anything from scratch here when there’s Rhodes Dinner Rolls available. If you aren’t already familiar with these you’ll find them in the frozen bread section of the grocery store. They taste fantastic, they’re low maintenance, they’re inexpensive and the best thing is, the easy peasy prep allows you to focus on other things like the sides and desserts. All you have to do with these is thaw, bake and serve per the package instructions. In my book, these are the best rolls out there. They only cost around $5 for a 36 count bag, making them very Bachelor on the Cheap wallet friendly.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
$pend Wisely My Friends…
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