Editors' Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes: The Savory: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

Polenta and Sausage Stuffing

Cornbread and grits are two of my favorite Southern foods, and this stuffing has elements of both: Buttery toasted polenta cubes are combined with a creamy, cheesy polenta. The mixture—studded with bits of Italian sausage—gets baked separately from the bird to ensure plenty of crisp bits. It’s only made better with a generous ladle of rich turkey gravy. —Alexis Touchet, Senior Food/Travel Editor

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Pumpkin Soup with Red Pepper Mousse

Everyone expects pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but I love the savory aspect of pumpkin just as well as the sweet. This Spanish-inspired soup is very colorful and rich but not heavy; the acidity of the mousse gives the soup a sophisticated brightness. —Ruth Cousineau, Test Kitchen Director

Photograph by Mikkel Vang

Baby Brussels Sprouts with Buttered Pecans

The poor, maligned Brussels sprout! It has such a terrible reputation: Long characterized as the quintessential vegetable of childhood food aversions, this homely crucifer is so historically loathed that even its staunchest supporters feel the need to issue disclaimers in its defense. Take, for instance, this recipe, which begins, “If you find it difficult to get excited about Brussels sprouts...” And so it would seem that only a sadist with big-time family issues would serve Brussels sprouts on Thanksgiving. But these tiny green jewels—completely lacking in bitterness, teamed up with sweet buttered pecans—are no ordinary sprouts. So if you’re among the haters, set aside old grudges and give this dish a try. I promise, you’ll be grateful that you did. —Sari Lehrer, Articles Editor

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Jeweled Rice with Dried Fruit

This is an extra side dish that is lighter than the traditional mashed and sweet potatoes but has all the perfect Thanksgiving touches—lots of dried fruits, some nuts, and lots of color. You can make it ahead of time, so there’s no last-minute rush, and everyone ALWAYS loves it. Truth is, I make it all year round. —Ruth Reichl, Editor in Chief

Photograph by Mikkel Vang

Parsley, Fennel, and Celery Root Salad

Not everyone’s cup of tea, but this salad has adorned my table many times. It seems parsley hasn’t quite come into the dining vernacular other than as a garnish, but this salad is crisp and refreshing; plus it’s a great addition to the heavy meals traditionally served for Thanksgiving. —Melissa Roberts, Food Editor

Photograph by Miki Duisterhof

Eggplant Lasagne with Parsley Pesto

This is one of my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dishes. For years, I had felt that my vegetarian nephew (who now eats meat because he’s in the restaurant business but ate none from age 11 to age 22) got the short end of the stick at Thanksgiving. Sure, he could eat all the side dishes, but that just didn’t seem very celebratory. And there were usually at least a couple of other vegetarians at the table each year who were in the same fix. So when senior food editor Alexis Touchet developed this elegant vegetarian main dish for the 2003 Thanksgiving issue, I decided to give it a try. It was the hit of the meal—delicious, unusual, hearty but not too filling. When we pushed back our chairs, there was still plenty of turkey on the table, but the lasagne had long since disappeared. Now it’s a standard for me. And besides, it reminds me of Calvin Trillin’s adage that the true national Thanksgiving dish should be not turkey but pasta carbonara. —John Willoughby, Executive Editor

Photograph by John Midgley

Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Scallion Butter

This is one of those dishes that became an instant we-have-to-have-this-every-year addition to my Thanksgiving table. For one thing, this is the easiest possible way to make sweet potatoes—you simply throw them into the oven and roast them (as an added bonus, you can squeeze them between the pans). Roasting brings out the lush, silken character of the sweet potatoes, and the miso-scallion butter (which takes about a minute to make) gives them an unexpectedly robust and masculine character. They’re so good, so simple, so satisfying, that I keep miso on hand so I can make them all year round. —Ruth Reichl, Editor in Chief

Photograph by Marcus Nilsson

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne

Whenever I have a Thanksgiving or Christmas party, this is the dish I turn to: It pleases meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. The buttery butternut squash, parsley, sage, and hazelnut filling is good enough to eat on its own; adding the rich white sauce along with the fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano puts it over the top. The filling and sauce can be made a day ahead, making the dish very easy to assemble at the last minute with no-boil lasagne noodles. —Diane Abrams, Director, Gourmet Books

Photograph by Beatriz da Costa

Creamed Leeks

The beauty of creamed leeks is that they are, at heart, a country dish, but they have an undeniable glamour that makes people fall on them with cries of joy. I think it must be the texture, which goes all lush and velvety once the leeks have been cooked in butter and then baked in cream. I think it’s also the surprise element: Leeks are usually considered an ingredient rather than a vegetable that can stand on its own. I would take creamed leeks, in fact, over creamed onions or creamed spinach any day. They’re delicious with turkey, of course, but are also wonderful with roast chicken or a gorgeous hunk of rare beef. —Jane Daniels Lear, Senior Articles Editor

Photograph by Roland Bello

Chestnut, Prune, and Pancetta Stuffing

Stuffing has to be delicious all by itself. Not just good smothered in gravy—although that never hurts. This stuffing definitely holds its own, with a sumptuousness and decadence befitting a holiday table. —Maggie Ruggiero, Food Editor/Stylist