Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving 13x9 Casseroles That Deserve a Spot on Your Thanksgiving Table By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna Sims is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and ideates content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 18, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall We're thankful for our 13x9 casserole dishes every day of the year, but Thanksgiving is their shining moment. Most of our favorite holiday casseroles, like classic cornbread dressing, old-school green bean casserole, and our best-ever macaroni and cheese, come together with the help of our trusty 13x9 pan. Perhaps our favorite thing about these winning casserole recipes is that they can be prepared in advance to take some of the stress out of the Thanksgiving Day feast. Not to mention the size of the dish ensures that there will be plenty for everyone, and hopefully even some leftovers to enjoy the next day. 01 of 21 Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese No Thanksgiving spread would be complete without this classic dish. Macaroni and cheese casserole is best when you mix more than one type of cheese, so choose a combination of Gruyere, mozzarella, swiss, pepper jack, Colby, and gouda to make this dish. Personalize it to your taste buds by adding spices or a crispy topping. 02 of 21 Two-Cheese Squash Casserole Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Two-Cheese Squash Casserole Double the cheese, and double the flavor. Combine cheddar and parmesan cheeses for a creamy casserole dish perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish. Substitute zucchini for the squash or make a mixture of the two vegetables for variety. 03 of 21 Old-School Green Bean Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Old-School Green Bean Casserole Replace store-bought mushroom cream sauce with a handmade version to create a Thanksgiving side dish the whole family will appreciate. This classic 13x9 casserole is made better by the fact you can prepare it before the big turkey day. Try exchanging fried onion toppings for crunchy fried shallots for a unique spin on the traditional dish. 04 of 21 Cornbread 'n' Squash Dressing Southern Living Recipe: Cornbread 'n' Squash Dressing Combine two Southern classics—dressing and squash casserole—for one delicious dish. This enhanced dressing recipe adds a flavorful spin to its traditional counterparts, featuring crumbled cornbread, squash, bell peppers, and onions. Remember to make the cornbread in advance to allow enough time for it to completely dry. 05 of 21 Cornbread Dressing Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Cornbread Dressing This Southern-style dressing can be made up to a month in advance and stored in the freezer until you're ready to serve. Baking it in a skillet gives the cornbread a golden crust that's perfectly crispy. Just remember that Thanksgiving isn't complete without this classic side dish. 06 of 21 Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, Pecans, and Cornflakes Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, Pecans, and Cornflakes Sweet potato casserole is the perfect fall dish, which is why it deserves special attention during Thanksgiving. This recipe uses tender sweet potatoes and sweet marshmallows in a traditional casserole but adds a festive crunch with a cornflake and pecan topping. This casserole will be your new favorite way to eat sweet potatoes. 07 of 21 Savory Corn Pudding Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Savory Corn Pudding You can bake this dish two days before Thanksgiving and cover it with foil until ready to reheat and serve. As a Southern side dish staple, corn pudding belongs on your Thanksgiving table or at your next family gathering. While not technically a casserole, this dish is rich and full of delicious ingredients. 08 of 21 Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole Alison Miksch Recipe: Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole Perfect for serving guests on Thanksgiving morning or the day after. Plus, you can prepare this casserole four days before when kept in the refrigerator. Smoky sausage, quick-cooking grits, and cheddar cheese combine for a classic dish. 09 of 21 Broccoli-Cheese Casserole Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Broccoli-Cheese Casserole Everyone will eat their veggies in this creamy, cheesy casserole. Use fresh steam-in-bag broccoli florets to save time when making this classic side dish. Top the cheesy casserole with the cracker, butter, and parsley mixture for a crispy addition to this Thanksgiving (and every day) family favorite. 10 of 21 Bacon-Brussels Sprout-Green Bean Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Bacon-Brussels Sprout-Green Bean Casserole In addition to being topped with fried onions as traditional green bean casserole is, the recipe also calls for crispy bacon. Make the casserole up to three days before Thanksgiving, then add your toppings the day of your gathering and bake. Brussel sprouts, green beans, and mushrooms make a flavorful dish ideal for holidays. 11 of 21 Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole Alison Miksch Recipe: Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole Assemble this casserole the night before, so all you have to do is pop it in the oven the following day. A dish that combines some of our favorite ingredients, including sausage, croissants, and cheese, is definitely on our list of things to eat during the holidays. The trick to making this casserole is letting it chill overnight, or at least eight hours, to let the creamy milk mixture combine with the sausage mixture. 12 of 21 Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole Encourage your kids to eat vegetables by topping a casserole with crowd-pleasing Goldfish crackers. Underneath the sea of swimming fish lies yellow squash and zucchini in a mayonnaise and cheese mixture. Add paprika to the Goldfish crackers before the final topping on the casserole to help them stand out, and add some flavoring. 13 of 21 Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Leeks Linda Puglies; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Leeks Switch things up this Thanksgiving by exchanging your traditional green bean casserole for this one that uses crispy leek toppings for an elegant presentation. Bake this casserole the day before and prepare the leeks on the day of your gathering. Be sure not to over-crisp your leeks because they fry very quickly. 14 of 21 Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Thinly sliced sweet potatoes topped with a brown sugar mixture create a sweet casserole that deserves a spot on your menu. Hasselback casseroles are great for any time throughout the year, but the sweet potato alternative makes it an instant fall side dish. Bake in a creamy, brown sugar sauce until the potatoes are tender inside and crispy on the outside. 15 of 21 Mimi's Cornbread Dressing Southern Living Recipe: Mimi's Cornbread Dressing This Southern classic starts with skillet cornbread and can be made ahead and stored in the freezer for up to one month. The moist cornbread is perfectly seasoned with a combination of sage, parsley, and thyme. Crumbled cornbread and broth will resemble sand, but after adding the remaining ingredients and baking, you'll know it's complete when it's golden brown. 16 of 21 Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Parmesan-herb streusel topping replaces marshmallows in this sweet potato casserole. This topping substitution adds a savory twist to the traditional dish. In addition to the herb mixture, the topping uses day-old sourdough bread, adding a hearty and crunchy texture. 17 of 21 Hashbrown Casserole Southern Living Recipe: Hashbrown Casserole Creamy, cheesy, and so easy to make. Hashbrown casseroles are a Southern staple, making this dish for everything from holiday gatherings and potluck church dinners to funerals. (Hence the name "Funeral Casserole). Perfect for brunch or as a side dish, this cheesy potato dish is a must-try. 18 of 21 Aunt Grace's Famous Cornbread Dressing Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Aunt Grace's Famous Cornbread Dressing For best results, start making this dressing two days before Thanksgiving. This recipe, described as "silky smooth and ultra moist," will complement all your holiday meals. Prepare the bread, and chop the vegetables two days before. Next, mix the ingredients and refrigerate overnight the day before your gathering. 19 of 21 Two-Potato Gratin Hector Sanchez Recipe: Two-Potato Gratin This dish combines Yukon gold potatoes and sweet potatoes, hence the name, into one creamy and cheesy casserole. Enough to feed a large crowd, this recipe adds twice the flavoring to your Thanksgiving meal. You won't ever have to debate which potato casserole to serve again. 20 of 21 Mashed Potato Casserole Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Kay E. Clarke; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey Recipe: Mashed Potato Casserole Give your mashed potatoes an upgrade this Thanksgiving dinner. Mix Yukon Gold potatoes with Swiss cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese and top it with fresh breadcrumbs and crispy fried onions for a unique twist to this traditional side dish. You can customize this recipe to meet your preferences, including changing the Swiss cheese to Gruyere or sharp white cheddar. 21 of 21 Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes This cheesy scalloped potato casserole recipe doesn't require much hands-on time and has a short ingredient list, so it comes together quickly. Besides Yukon gold potatoes, whipping cream, and Parmesan cheese, the remaining ingredients include seasonings like parsley, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. You only need 20 minutes of hands-on time to make this dish. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit