We Dug to the Bottom of the Recipe Box to Find These Little-Known Thanksgiving Recipes

Recipe: Egg Custard Pie

This old-fashioned pie deserves a spot on your Thanksgiving table. Simple enough for novice bakers, this vintage pie will be a treat the grandkids can help prepare.

Recipe: Candy Roaster Squash with Sorghum, Black Walnuts, and Cranberries

West Virginia is the only state located entirely within the Appalachian Mountains, where winter squash varieties like the Candy Roaster grow. If you've never had this sweet, creamy squash, let this year be the time you try it.

Recipe: Cranberry Fluff Salad

If you took a poll of Southern grandmothers, we're willing to bet that 100 percent of them have a recipe for fluff salad in their collection. Though there are plenty of takes on fluff salad, this version was made for the holidays. Add an homage to Grandma to your table with this retro recipe.

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Turkey Gravy

Thanksgiving turkey and gravy traditionalists, this is the condiment recipe you need on your table. Simple and easy to make, this gravy is oh-so-comforting.

Recipe: Collard Greens with Garlic and Sippets

This recipe, inspired by Alabama native and author Eugene Walter's take on collards, includes "sippets," or tidbits of stale bread that are fried with cloves of garlic. You'll love this quick greens recipe that doesn't need to simmer on the stovetop for hours.

Recipe: Sliced Sweet Potato Pie with Molasses Whipped Cream

Though you might think of sweet potato pie as the creamy, custard-style version, many in Alabama know it as having a sliced sweet potato filling. "As an accomplished research scientist and educator at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute in the early 20th century, George Washington Carver featured a recipe for Sliced Potato Pie in an agricultural bulletin about sweet potatoes, which encouraged African-American farmers to cultivate the root vegetable as a cash crop and nutritional powerhouse," writes Nancie McDermott. "Every bite of this dessert tastes like autumn and reminds us what a generous genius Carver was."

Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon

This take on classic baked mac and cheese is familiar enough for traditionalists but has just enough pizzaz to surprise everyone at your Thanksgiving table. Our Test Kitchen recommends Tennessee's own Benton's bacon.

Recipe: Overnight Yeast Rolls

Every Southern baker needs a classic yeast rolls recipe on hand. Since you prep this recipe the day before, it's perfect for the busy holiday season.

Recipe: Simple Mashed Rutabagas and Potatoes

Chef and cookbook author Vivian Howard includes rutabagas among the Eastern North Carolina ingredients featured in her book Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South. In this recipe, we pair "bagars" with Yukon Gold potatoes for creamy texture.

Recipe: Transparent Pie with Whipped Crème Fraîche and Sugared Cranberries

Reminiscent of other Depression-era pies like buttermilk, chess, or egg pie, Transparent Pie hails from the bluegrass state, Kentucky. For our recipe, we kept the filling simple and classic but added two special toppings that are perfect for a festive Thanksgiving spread— Sugared Cranberries and Whipped Crème Fraîche. 

Recipe: Sea Island Crab Fried Rice

We adapted this signature Gullah Geechee dish from cookbook author Sallie Ann Robinson's first cookbook, Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way. It takes just 30 minutes to make, especially if you start with leftover rice, which our Test Kitchen recommends anyway.

Recipe: Old-School Squash Casserole

If you're looking for a recipe that tastes like Grandma's table, this Old-School Squash Casserole fits the bill. Some tips from our Test Kitchen for the best consistency? It's important to get as much liquid out of the squash during the initial cooking process as possible to prevent a watery casserole. When sautéing, stir the squash often to release steam and prevent browning. Don't overcook it, which will cause the casserole to be mushy – remember the squash still has to be baked. Gently fold the squash into the egg-cheese mixture to avoid mashing and breaking it into small pieces. Straining the squash helps to remove excess water that leaches out of the cooked squash, and it cools the squash before it is added to the casserole.

Recipe: Double-Decker Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Inspired by an early iteration of Texas Pecan Pie, which had an egg custard filling instead of today's corn syrup-based version, this creation combines the best of both. Pecan pie purists might be converted once they try a bite of this layered delight.

Recipe: Fried Arkansas Black Apples

Though many modern fried apple recipes call for "firm and tart" types, like Granny Smiths, we're partial to the deep sweetness of Arkansas black apples. Plus, they add a gorgeous hue to your sideboard.

Recipe: Georgia Peanut Pie with Peanut Butter Crust and Brown Sugar-Bourbon Whipped Cream

Around half of the country's peanut crop comes from South Georgia, and this peanut-filled pie is an ode to the region. A crunchy, cookie-like peanut butter crust is filled with a creamy, peanut butter-and-sorghum mixture and topped with salty cocktail peanuts for added texture. As if that wasn't enough, we went ahead and upped the whipped cream game by adding brown sugar, bourbon, and vanilla extract.

Recipe: Spicy Cornbread Dressing with Chorizo

This spiced-up version of classic cornbread dressing is inspired by James Beard Award-winning chef and Texan Hugo Ortega. Green bell pepper, cilantro, Mexican chorizo, and chopped jalapeno add zing to your go-to cornbread dressing recipe.

Recipe: Buttermilk Spoon Bread

Spoon bread has been gracing Southern tables since the late 18^th century. "It's satisfying like cornbread, it's comforting like custard, and it creates anticipation and delight like an airy soufflé," writes Nancie McDermott.

Recipe: Old-School Green Bean Casserole

This home-style recipe skips the cream of mushroom soup and starts with everything from scratch. To help you out on the busy holiday, prepare the dish as instructed but wait to add the toppings and bake until you're ready to serve.

Recipe: Fluffy Corn Pudding

Inspired by Kentucky's Beaumont Inn's recipe for corn pudding, this one has the best texture of any corn pudding we've ever made. With just 15 minutes of hands-on time, this is an easy side dish to whip up the morning of Thanksgiving.

Recipe: Grated Sweet Potato Pudding with Pecans

Also known as a sweet potato pone, this is the old-fashioned grated pudding that you just might say goodbye to your sweet potato casserole for. Creamy, sweet pudding is topped with crunchy, chopped pecans, creating a flavorful and textured dish with a short ingredient list.

Recipe: Arkansas Black Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce

As if apple pie wasn't delicious enough on its own, we topped this version with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and homemade caramel sauce that's spiked with apple brandy. Your family will love the unique taste and color the Arkansas Black Apples give this Thanksgiving go-to, but if you can't find them in your area, Granny Smiths will work just fine.

Recipe: Onion Soufflé

This old-school onion soufflé recipe came to us back in 1979 from Mrs. James S. Tiffany of Dallas, Texas. This fluffy side dish gets just the right amount of sweetness from a touch of sugar. Chopped pecans add a welcome crunch.

Recipe: Molded Cranberry Salad

In the '60s, no gathering was complete without a jiggly congealed salad on the menu. This cranberry masterpiece was a mainstay for Thanksgiving. You only need five ingredients to take your family down memory lane with this recipe. 

Recipe: Cushaw Pie with Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce

Unfortunately, the cushaw, a delicate squash found in the Southern and Southwestern parts of the country, is at risk of going extinct. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on a cushaw, roast and puree it to make this distinctive dessert. (Or you can substitute plain canned pumpkin puree for the filling.) Either way, top each slice with our smooth and rich Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce and a few candied pecans.

Recipe: Cornmeal Angel Biscuits

Like a cross between a buttermilk biscuit and a Parker House Roll, these light and buttery biscuits will be a new mainstay on your Thanksgiving menu. The dough can be made up to one week in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Persimmon Pie with Pecan Streusel

Persimmons are a fall treat that the folks of North Carolina are lucky enough to harvest. This sweet, slightly spiced pie is topped with a dreamy pecan streusel for intrigue and texture.

Recipe: Shrimp-Stuffed Mirlitons

Beloved in Louisiana, mirlitons are pale green, pear-shaped squash that have roots in ancient Mayan and Aztec foodways. They risked being wiped out in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but thanks to passionate residents like Renee Lapeyrolerie, mirlitons have been revitalized in the area.

Recipe: Scalloped Oysters

Modern scalloped oysters likely have roots in oyster pie, a traditional Virginia dish that dates back to the 1700s, according to Bernie Herman, a renowned folklorist and professor of Southern studies at UNC Chapel Hill. You need just a few ingredients to put together this buttery, classic casserole.

Recipe: Caramel Tart with Brandy Whipped Cream

Renowned chef, cookbook author, and lifelong champion of the food of the South Edna Lewis's recipe for Caramel Pie inspired our Test Kitchen to create this tart. Of her pie, she wrote: "This is a very haunting dessert, so rich and sweet one could easily overindulge. It's great after a heavy meal, to be served as tiny tarts or in very slender wedges." We topped our "slender wedges" of tart with a dollop of whipped cream spiked with a little brandy.

Recipe: Classic Candied Yams

Candied yams are even more old-school than that sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top that your aunt always brings to Thanksgiving. One of the best parts about this side dish is that it only has 20 minutes of hands-on time, and you can assemble the dish up to 3 days in advance. Make the recipe through step 3, store it covered in the refrigerator, then bake it Thanksgiving Day. 

Recipe: Over the Moon Chocolate Pie

Inspired by Chattanooga, Tennessee's own MoonPies, we created this indulgent dessert with a graham cracker crust, a rich chocolate filling (with a touch of the state's famous whiskey), and a fluffy marshmallow meringue.

Recipe: Southern Cornbread Dressing

Every Southern cook needs a recipe for classic cornbread dressing, and this one is as traditional as it gets.

Recipe: Grapefruit Chess Pie

If Thanksgiving signals winter's arrival, it also lets us know that citrus season is here. What better way to show off fresh grapefruit than with an updated classic chess pie? This recipe, adapted from Matt and Ted Lee's cookbook The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen, features a festive autumn touch—a leaf-covered pie crust.