10 Easy Midwest Thanksgiving Sides

Let's be honest. Nobody fights over the turkey.

They fight over the sides.

A Midwest Thanksgiving table is casseroles, a "salad" that is mostly marshmallows, and more butter.   There's never TOO much butter.

I love it!

I went digging through my recipe binders and those national treasures, the church cookbooks, and picked the ten sides that are easy, mostly make-ahead, and never come home as leftovers. 

And yes, every one of them is better with real Wisconsin butter, cheese, and our heritage Duroc pork. I'll show you where.

1. Wisconsin Cheese Curd Mashed Potatoes

Regular mashed potatoes, plus melty little pockets of cheese curds folded in at the very end. This is the one people ask me for the recipe.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 6 Tbsp Wisconsin butter
• 3/4 cup warm milk or half-and-half
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups Wisconsin Cheese Curds, torn in half
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped chives for the top

Directions

1. Cover the potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook 15 to 20 minutes until fork tender.
2. Drain well and put them back in the hot pot for a minute to steam off extra water.
3. Mash with the butter and warm milk. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Fold in the curds right before serving and top with chives.

Louisa's tip: Don't stir the curds in too early. They'll melt away, and the whole point is finding a stretchy, cheesy bite. Make the mash up to 2 days ahead, reheat in a slow cooker on low with an extra pat of butter, and add the curds once it's hot.

2. Bacon Green Bean Casserole

Just like the one Nana made last week, with one upgrade: real smoked bacon.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 8 oz Duroc Smoked Bacon Ends and Pieces, chopped
• 2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and blanched (or 4 cans, drained)
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/3 cups crispy fried onions, divided

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Cook the bacon until crisp and drain on a paper towel.
2. In a 2-quart dish, stir together the soup, milk, soy sauce, and pepper. Add the green beans, half the bacon, and 2/3 cup of the fried onions.
3. Bake 25 minutes. Top with the rest of the onions and bacon and bake 5 more minutes.

Louisa's tip: Ends and pieces are made for recipes like this. Same smoky bacon, already in bite-size chunks.

3. Sausage and Apple Stuffing

If you only change one thing about your stuffing this year, make it the sausage.

Serves: 10 to 12

Ingredients

• 1 lb Duroc Pork Breakfast Sausage (or Duroc Apple Sausage, for a sweeter version)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 apples, diced
• 12 oz dried bread cubes (about 10 cups)
• 2 tsp dried sage and 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Brown the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up as it cooks. Scoop it into a big bowl.
2. Melt the butter in the same skillet and cook the onion, celery, and apple about 8 minutes until soft.
3. Add everything to the bowl with the bread cubes and herbs. Whisk the eggs into 2 cups of broth, pour it over, and toss. Add more broth if it looks dry.
4. Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered 15 to 20 minutes until the top is crisp.

Farm kitchen tip: Put it together the night before, cover, and refrigerate. Add 10 minutes to the covered bake time on Thanksgiving Day.

4. Corn Casserole

Five easy ingredients. Every potluck in Wisconsin has one, and there's a reason.

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) creamed corn
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 box (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix
• 1 cup shredded Wisconsin Medium Cheddar

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9x9 or 2-quart dish.
2. Stir everything together in one bowl and pour it in.
3. Bake 45 to 55 minutes until golden on top and just set in the middle.

5. Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

Sometimes we call these funeral potatoes. At our gatherings they're just the first pan scraped clean, just ask Josh.

Serves: 10 to 12

Ingredients

• 30 oz frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, plus 1/4 cup for the topping
• 2 cups shredded 4 Year Aged Sharp Cheddar
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cups crushed cornflakes

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the hash browns, soup, sour cream, 1/2 cup melted butter, cheese, onion, salt, and pepper. Spread in a 9x13 pan.
3. Toss the cornflakes with the remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and sprinkle on top.
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Farm kitchen tip: Shred your own cheese. The bagged stuff is coated to keep it from clumping, and it doesn't melt nearly as creamy.

6. Cranberry Fluff

Only in the Midwest do we call marshmallows and whipped cream a salad. Wisconsin grows more cranberries than any other state, so this one is practically required.  My friend Mary H used to make the best fluff salads, I miss her so much and think of her when I make this recipe.  Plus, Wisconsin Cranberries. 

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh cranberries, finely chopped in a food processor
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 apple, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped (or an 8 oz tub of whipped topping)

Directions

1. The night before, stir the cranberries, sugar, and marshmallows together. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Before serving, fold in the apple, nuts, and whipped cream.

7. Brown Butter Honey Carrots

Need something that looks fancy and takes 15 minutes? This is it.

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp Wisconsin butter
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced on an angle
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp honey
• Salt and a few sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Let it cook 3 to 4 minutes, swirling, until it smells nutty and turns golden brown.
2. Add the carrots, water, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook 6 to 8 minutes until just tender.
3. Uncover, add the honey and thyme, and cook a couple more minutes until the carrots are glossy.

Farm kitchen tip: Don't walk away from the brown butter. It goes from golden and nutty to burnt in about 30 seconds.

8. Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble

Marshmallow people versus pecan people. I'm not getting in the middle of that, too heated, so here's the pecan version with a marshmallow option.

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 3 lbs sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (or two 40 oz cans, drained and mashed)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp salt

For the topping: 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1 cup chopped pecans, and 1/3 cup melted butter

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Beat the sweet potatoes with the sugar, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt. Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan.
2. Mix the topping until crumbly and sprinkle it over the top.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the topping is crisp.

Marshmallow people: add a layer of mini marshmallows for the last 10 minutes. Nobody has to know.

9. Bacon Brussels Sprouts

For everyone at the table who swears they hate Brussels sprouts. Roast them with bacon and watch them go back for seconds.

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 8 oz Duroc Pork Smoked Bacon, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Toss the sprouts and raw chopped bacon together on a sheet pan with a little salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer.
3. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once, until the sprouts are browned and the bacon is crisp.
4. Drizzle with maple syrup right out of the oven.

10. Cheddar Garlic Drop Biscuits

No rolling pin. No biscuit cutter. If you can stir, you can make these.

Makes: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed, plus 2 Tbsp melted for brushing
• 1 cup shredded 4 Year Aged Sharp Cheddar
• 1 cup cold milk or buttermilk
• Chopped parsley

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 450°F and line a sheet pan with parchment.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. Work in the cold butter with a fork or your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the cheese.
3. Add the milk and stir just until combined. Drop 12 scoops onto the pan.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley.

Farm kitchen tip: Keep the butter cold right up until it goes in the bowl. Cold butter is what makes them tall and flaky.

My Make-Ahead Game Plan

• Wednesday night: Cranberry Fluff (step 1), assemble the stuffing, mix the corn casserole, and make the sweet potato base.
• Thursday morning: Mashed potatoes go in the slow cooker. Assemble the green bean and hashbrown casseroles.
• While the turkey rests: Everything bakes. Carrots and biscuits go last so they're hot.

Stock Up Before the Big Day

Everything on this list is better with the real thing. Grab Wisconsin butter, cheese curds, aged sharp cheddar, smoked bacon, and Duroc breakfast sausage in one order and your whole table is covered.

Order by November 16 for delivery before Thanksgiving.

Which side is non-negotiable at your table? I want to know!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours,

XOXO,

Louisa