Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving Our Favorite 9x13 Thanksgiving Sides That Feed a Crowd By Mary Alice Russell Mary Alice Russell Mary Alice Russell is a Southern Living fellow who is starting her career in lifestyle journalism. Primarily focused on social media and digital production, Mary Alice is excited to hone her skills and dedicate her professional life to beautiful things, from homes to hearts.A recent graduate of Washington and Lee University, Mary Alice majored in journalism and art history. At W&L, she was co-editor-in-chief of her school paper, The Ring-tum Phi, with her best friend and interned for The Welcome Home Podcast. Now based in Birmingham, Alabama, Mary Alice is a Virginia native who is proud to hail from the land of ham and peanuts. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on October 9, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, everyone knows that the true star of the meal is not the turkey– but the sides. From sweet potato casserole to cornbread dressing to macaroni and cheese, we wanted to help you pick tasty recipes that will make your Thanksgiving a success. Southern Living has pulled together some of our favorite 9x13 side dishes that will make your holiday as hands-free and make-ahead as possible. These recipes are perfect for anyone hosting a crowd or bringing a side to the holiday feast. Cooking for a crowd is always a challenge, but with the right tools you can do it with ease and confidence. Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, and we promise you will be mighty thankful for these sides. 01 of 24 Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole This take on sweet potato casserole has the root vegetable sliced rather than mashed for a stunning presentation. Garnished with a brown sugar drizzle and crushed hazelnuts, everyone will love this refreshing take on the staple you cannot have Thanksgiving without. 02 of 24 Best-Ever Macaroni And Cheese Photographer: Stacy K. Allen. Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Recipe: Best-Ever Macaroni And Cheese You can never go wrong with a classic. Southerners are firm believers that this dish belongs on every holiday table, and Thanksgiving is no exception. Made with both white and yellow cheddar and a little bit of onion, this recipe can be made up until step two a day in advance. 03 of 24 Creamy Whipped Potato Casserole Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Creamy Whipped Potato Casserole We love plain-old mashed potatoes, but mashed potato casserole is a step above. 04 of 24 Scalloped Corn Casserole Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Scalloped Corn Casserole Does it get any more traditional than a scalloped side? We don't think so. With frozen corn, buttered crackers and mayonnaise, this dish makes us feel like home. 05 of 24 Broccoli Cheese Casserole Courtney West Recipe: Broccoli Cheese Casserole It's always good to have a casserole recipe in your back pocket, and this is the perfect one to have on hand. Cheese and broccoli are the perfect addition to any meal, and this dish will not disappoint. 06 of 24 Savory Corn Pudding Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Savory Corn Pudding We love this corn pudding dish for its delicate, dessert-like quality that just keeps us coming back for more. 07 of 24 Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Leeks Linda Puglies; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Leeks Green bean casserole is a must-make during the holidays. We love this recipe because it brings an elegant touch to the beloved classic. Save your canned fried onions for next year and use crispy leeks instead. 08 of 24 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 Make this casserole up to three days in advance (prepared up to step four), and then add the toppings and bake the day you're planning to serve. 09 of 24 Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Amy Burke Recipe: Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes Let's face it, potatoes and cheese make everything better. The hardest part of the job is peeling the potatoes, let the oven do the rest of the work. 10 of 24 Sweet Potato-Carrot Casserole Iain Bagwell; Styling: Amy Burke Recipe: Sweet Potato-Carrot Casserole Sweet potatoes and carrots is a combination that will have your guests raving. Topped with sugar-and-spice pecans and mini marshmallows, this dish will delight. 11 of 24 Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing This dressing is essentially Thanksgiving in a bite with the flavors of pecan, sage cornmeal, and flour all mingling together in one dish. 12 of 24 Sweetie's Sweet Potato Casserole Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Sweetie's Sweet Potato Casserole This recipe comes from chef and restauranteur Kelsey Barnard Clark's great-grandmother's kitchen, and there is a reason Clark has held onto this recipe. Not only is it delicious, assembling this dish is just about as easy as it comes. 13 of 24 Grits Dressing Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Grits Dressing A favorite recipe from 1993 that's still in our holiday rotation. You can make the grits two days before you put the dressing together to cut down on day-of prep. 14 of 24 Classic Cornbread Dressing Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Cornbread Dressing With homemade cornbread cooked in a cast iron skillet, this dressing is as true to tradition as they come. 15 of 24 Pumpkin-and-Winter Squash Gratin Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pumpkin-and-Winter Squash Gratin Pumpkin, potato, and butternut squash come together with cheese and delicious French bread crumbles for a savory favorite. 16 of 24 Parker House Rolls Photographer: Alison Miksch / Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn / Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman Recipe: Parker House Rolls These delicate yeast rolls sprinkled with sea salt will please your crowd, but do not count on having too many left over. 17 of 24 Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Savory and sweet potato are usually not paired together during the holidays, but trust us when we say this dish is delish. Sprinkled with a Parmesan-herb streusel topping, this recipe has the bite we love about traditional sweet potato casserole without all the added sugar. 18 of 24 Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon Macaroni and cheese is good on its own, but when you add bacon you have really made something special. This rich dish is perfect to serve your hungry guests and fill them up, too. 19 of 24 Old-School Green Bean Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Old-School Green Bean Casserole While there are other options for this dish on this list, we'll never shy away from the classic, canned fried onion version. 20 of 24 Savory Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Savory Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Meet the new family favorite in this hearty recipe, which features bread, sweet potato, and a cheesy Parmesan custard. 21 of 24 Macaroni Pudding Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Erin Merhar Recipe: Macaroni Pudding We have already explained why mac and cheese belongs on your Thanksgiving menu, but if you're looking for a richer dish, may we suggest this pudding. The best part? It's comes together with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. 22 of 24 Sweet Potato Rolls Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sweet Potato Rolls This recipe makes 15 perfectly pillowy rolls that will be the talk of the table. 23 of 24 Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole It is important that everyone at the table feels welcome, and seeing a cheese cracker-topped dish is sure to surprise the little ones. Bonus points for tasting delicious. 24 of 24 Two-Potato Gratin Hector Sanchez Recipe: Two-Potato Gratin In this recipe, you get the best of both potato worlds with sweet and golden potatoes working together in cheese harmony. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit