Simple Homestead Thanksgiving Side-dishes

Thanksgiving is right around the corner…. and for me that means it’s time to start planning what special foods will make it on the Thanksgiving table this year! Diet restrictions can make this planning process a little tricky, but you don’t have to give up all those traditional holiday foods just because you’re on a special diet! Over the years I have come up with some delicious substitutes that I love to make every holiday season. Even my family members who aren’t on diet restrictions love these side-dishes! Some of these simple homestead Thanksgiving side-dishes are going to become a staple at your holiday gatherings!

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Grain-free Dinner Rolls

These grain-free dinner rolls are light and fluffy. Truly the best grain-free dinner roll I have ever made! I love the taste and texture of these dinner rolls and they are pretty simple to make. The rolls are grain-free, gluten-free, tree nut free, and can be made dairy-free. They would be the perfect dinner roll to serve at Thanksgiving with honey and butter (or homemade honey butter!).

• Otto’s Naturals cassava flour
• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Red Star active dry yeast
• Bragg extra virgin olive oil
• 9″ cast iron skillet

If you are looking for yeast free rolls, check out these grain-free cheese rolls or these grain-free bread rolls!

Grain-free Stuffing (or Dressing)

Stuffing or dressing, no matter how you like to classify it, is a classic Thanksgiving side dish that won’t be lacking even if you have dietary restrictions! In my family, we like to joke about whether we are making stuffing or dressing. Technically stuffing is baked inside the turkey and dressing is served beside the turkey, but I just end up calling it stuffing no matter how it’s baked!

To make a healthy version of stuffing, all you need to do is grab your favorite grain-free or gluten-free bread recipe, some homemade bone broth and a few other simple ingredients. I had never been able to have stuffing prior to going on a low inflammation diet, so when I tried this grain-free version, I was hooked! Yes, I am a stuffing lover now.

For a grain-free stuffing recipe, check out Otto’s Naturals grain-free stuffing which can be made with the grain-free or gluten-free bread of your choice! This version is grain-free, dairy-free, nut free, and gluten-free!

Otto’s Naturals also has many great grain-free bread recipes, or you can use the bread in my French toast recipe.

What You Need:

• grain-free homemade bread (or gluten-free bread)
• avocado oil
• onion, finely chopped
• celery, finely chopped
• garlic, crushed
• herbs: parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme
• homemade bone broth
• cast iron skillet
• casserole dish or glass dish

Mashed Buttercup Squash

Squash is a traditional Thanksgiving side-dish. I used to not be much of a squash fan, but since learning how to cook and bake with squash.. some of my favorite meals and sidedishes now involve this delicious fall vegetable! Make sure you check out this butternut squash soup recipe! Of all the squashes to eat plain, I find butternut squash to be my least favorite. However, butternut squash is most commonly served at Thanksgiving.

Thankfully, I came up with a solution. Buttercup squash is my absolute favorite squash and it looks just like butternut squash when it is mashed up! Buttercup squash has a less ‘squashy’ taste and is more like mashed potatoes. It is starchier and has a naturally sweet and nutty flavor.

Making mashed buttercup squash is just like making butternut squash. You bake the squash, scoop out the flesh, and mash it with some butter. Delicious! To make your mashed squash dairy-free, try using olive oil or coconut milk to still get the creaminess without using butter. Buttercup squash is also a sweet squash, so I don’t need to add any sugar to make it taste good, it already tastes fantastic without the sugar!

Mashed squash is a traditional Thanksgiving side-dish that can easily be converted to an allergy-friendly side dish and is super simple to make and prepare!

The Basic Prep:

1. Wash the squash, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and place it on a parchment paper lined tray.
2. Bake at 350°F for 40-60 minutes depending on the size of your squash. Insert a fork into the skin to see if the flesh is soft and done.
3. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter (or butter substitute) and mash with a fork or hand beaters.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Another traditional Thanksgiving side-dish that is simple and easy to make are mashed potatoes. While simple mashed potatoes are not necessarily bad, they are not an anti-inflammatory food. So if you are on an anti-inflammatory diet, a better choice would be mashed sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes can be mashed just like white potatoes. Did you know you can even make mashed sweet potatoes that look like white potatoes?!

I like to make mashed Japanese sweet potatoes with bacon and butter. Japanese sweet potatoes have white flesh and are not quit as sweet as regular sweet potatoes. I chop the Japanese sweet potato up into chunks, boil them until they are tender, then mash them with some butter using handheld beaters. I also like to add some bacon to the potatoes to add some more flavor! To make the mashed potatoes dairy-free, simply use olive oil or coconut milk instead of butter.

Mashed sweet potatoes are a great Thanksgiving side-dish that will pair perfectly with your grain-free dinner rolls and turkey!

The Basic Prep:

1. Wash your potatoes and place them on a parchment paper lined glass baking dish. Make a slit in each potato to allow steam to escape.
2. Bake the potatoes at 350°F for 25-30 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. The potatoes are done when you can easily insert a fork into the flesh.
3. Scoop out the potato flesh into a large mixing bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter (or butter substitute) plus a splash of coconut milk or coconut cream. Beat until the potatoes are creamy.
4. Optional: Mix in cooked bacon pieces for a tasty addition!

Root Veggies

A homestead Thanksgiving involves using the produce that is in season, which thankfully is bountiful and full of variety during the fall months! It’s nearly inevitable that some form of root vegetables gets added to my family’s Thanksgiving feast. Root veggies seem to have taken over the role of greenbean casserole in our family.

Which is fine with me because I am a huge fan of fall root vegetables and have come up with several ways to make these fall veggies simple to make and delicious to eat! Here are a few of my favorite root veggie sidedishes:

• roasted parsnips and carrots
• oven-baked beet chips
• canned beets
• pan-fried beet and potato hash

The Basic Prep (for roasted veggies):

1. Prepare veggies accordingly (wash, peel, slice or dice) and place them on a parchement paper lined 9×13″ glass baking dish.
2. Cut up 1 tablespoon of cold butter and place the pieces randomly over the veggies. Sprinkle on some homemade herb seasoning.
3. Bake the veggie tray at 350°F for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your veggie pieces.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

Brussel sprouts and bacon are the perfect combination of flavors! You say you don’t like Brussel sprouts? This recipe will totally change your mind! Then again, add bacon to anything and it always makes it better!

Serve roasted brussel sprouts with bacon at Thanksgiving and you will quickly be making it year-round! I love how simple and easy this side-dish is to put together. Simply wash and slice the brussel sprouts, slice up some onion, add some bacon pieces, and bake it. This side-dish is loaded with flavor and is healthy for you.

Here is a great recipe for Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Bacon. This recipe is grain-free, gluten-free, dairy free, and loaded with good ingredients! It would make a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving menu!

What You Need:

• chopped bacon
• washed Brussel sprouts, cut in half
• a small onion, sliced thinly
• herbal seasonings as desired
• parchment paper lined baking sheet

Grain-free Focaccia

While not neccessarily made from scratch, another staple homestead Thanksgiving food on my family’s table is grain-free focaccia. Focaccia makes a great substitute for dinner rolls if you don’t want the hassle of making yeast rolls. While there are many great grain-free focaccia bread recipes that you can find by doing a quick search, sometimes resorting to the simplest is just easier when you have other Thanksgiving sidedishes to make.

Grain-free focaccia bread mix is a focaccia mix that I like to whip up for Thanksgiving. It is a great alternative to wheat dinner rolls. I also love how easy it is to make and that it only requires a few simple ingredients. All you have to do is add butter or coconut oil, eggs, and water. I have even made it without the eggs before and it turned out fine! Chebe is grain-free, nut free, gluten-free, and super easy to make!

What You Need:

• Chebe focaccia bread mix
• organic, pasture-raised eggs
• butter or coconut oil or avocado oil
• warm water
• a cast iron skillet or glass pie plate

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Sausage stuffed mushrooms are a staple at my family’s Thanksgiving every year! They are almost as important as the turkey. I’ll admit, I’m not much of a mushroom fan, but I could eat these sausage stuffed mushrooms all year long! They are so flavorful and delicious!

The sausage stuffed mushrooms are actually quite easy to make. I simply fry up the sausage, onion, and pepper in a frying pan, add the tapioca flour and stir until it gets sticky. Then I take my washed and de-stemmed portabella mushrooms and fill them with the sausage filling. Then all I have to do is bake them up! They taste delicious and are always a huge hit at family gatherings!

• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Braggs extra virgin olive oil
• 10″ cast iron skillet
• metal spatula
• 9×13″ glass baking dish
• unbleached parchment paper

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Bacon-wrapped asparagus is another traditional homestead Thanksgiving side dish that is a staple at my family’s Thanksgiving feast! Just like with Brussel sprouts, add bacon to asparagus and you’ll have even non-veggie lovers reaching for a second helping of these asparagus spears!

Making bacon wrapped asparagus is super simple. You take washed asparagus, wrap clumps of 3-4 spears in a slice of bacon and bake them up! The combination of vegetable and bacon always goes over well and the flavors are perfectly fallish!

The Basic Prep:

1. Wash a bundle of asparagus spears and snap off the base of each spear.
2. Wrap a bundle of 4-5 spears in a slice of bacon. Repeat until you run out of bacon or asparagus spears.
3. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until the bacon is done.

Homemade Gravy

For some, it’s just not Thanksgiving without a big bowl of gravy for garnishing sliced turkey breast, mashed potatoes, or biscuits! The good news is you can whip up a healthy, simple batch of gravy in no time at all! Homemade gravy can be made using the drippings from the turkey or from homemade bone broth.

Either way, all you need is a grain-free thickening agent and a little oil of your choice to make a rich, creamy gravy that is allergy-friendly and made from homestead-based ingredients. I have made homemade gravy using both leftover bacon fat or butter as my oil. Add a few homegrown herbs to the mix and you will have a flavorful gravy perfect for your homestead Thanksgiving!

I like to use Otto’s Naturals gravy recipe and have used tapioca flour instead of the cassava flour before. This recipe can be grain-free, gluten-free, nut free, and dairy-free!

What You Need:

• butter or ghee or avocado oil or bacon fat
• cassava flour or tapioca flour (3-4 T. depending on how thick you like your gravy)
• homemade bone broth or turkey drippings
• salt and pepper to taste
• complimentary herbs: sage, thyme, rosemary
• garlic powder
• small saucepan
• gravy pitcher
• whisk

These simple homestead Thanksgiving side-dishes are meant to make your holidays enjoyable and stress-free even if you have diet restrictions! I love making these side-dishes for my family’s Thanksgiving, and everyone seems to love eating them too! My first holiday season being grain-free and dairy-free was kind of scary, but I am so glad I found these healthy recipes that I could enjoy while being guilt-free. The simple, heritage ingredients make these side dishes perfect for modern pioneers who want to host a homestead Thanksgiving!

I’d love to know which side-dish you chose to try, or maybe you have some homestead side-dishes of your own that have become a holiday staple! Let me know!

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by Alexa