Thanksgiving Side Dishes?

[pjrose]

anyone have a good green bean casserole to make, freeze then serve?

I feel about green bean casserole the way some feel about brussels sprouts.

I guess I just like my vegetables lightly cooked and lightly seasoned and not all glopped up with other stuff.

 

[CapriciousC]

I had no idea you could make the mashed potatoes a day early! I will be doing that this year! What a pain those things are!!!

You are all so helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sue

Here's another recipe, if you're interested:

"Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes"

3 pounds potatoes (about 12 medium)
1 - 8oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs (beaten lightly)
1 tsp salt
dash pepper

In large mixer, mash hot potatoes. With lumps removed add cream cheese in small pieces. Add butter and beat until completely mixed. Then add sour cream. To the milk add eggs, then add to potatoes with salt and pepper. Beat well and place in a greased 9" casserole dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until lightly browned.

This is a recipe that has been a favorite in my family for many years. You can do all the prep work the day before, then refrigerate it overnight. Thanksgiving morning, pull the casserole dish out of the fridge and let it get closer to room temperature, then toss it in the oven when ready.

I have made this numerous times over the years for potlucks, dinner parties, etc. and have always gotten rave reviews.

 

[MuranoJo]

Oh!!!! All of these wonderful ideas...I never knew or thought of freezing or preparing ahead. Thanks for all the great ideas. I copied the recipes and will be using the great ideas this year...


anyone have a good green bean casserole to make, freeze then serve?

Here's one I found on a Cook's Illustrated newsletter, and it's Cook's Country, so I think they're related. Should be a good recipe (as much as you can expect from green bean casserole, )

Make-Ahead Green Bean Casserole
October/November 2008

Why this recipe works:To boost the flavor of our Make-Ahead Green Bean Casserole so it could stand up to freezing and baking, we doubled the amount of garlic in the recipe and added white wine and fragrant thyme to the sauce. Preparing the casserole with raw beans instead of canned produced a nice green color and surprisingly firm texture (not to mention brighter flavor). Tossing the beans with cornstarch thickened the liquid shed by the beans and produced a perfect, silky sauce. To finish off our recipe for Make-Ahead Green Bean Casserole, we topped it with a combination of canned fried onions and buttery bread crumbs (canned onions were too greasy on their own)


Serves 10 to 12

The topping and casserole can be frozen separately for up to 2 months.

Ingredients
Topping
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned fried onions
Casserole
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-ich pieces
1/4 cup cornstarch
Instructions

1. For the topping: Pulse bread, butter, and salt in food processor until coarsely ground. Combine bread mixture and onions in bowl, transfer to zipper-lock freezer bag, and freeze.

2. For the casserole: Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, broth, and cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.

3. Following photo at left, toss green beans with cornstarch in large bowl and transfer to 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Pour warm mushroom mixture evenly over beans. Let cool completely, wrap with plastic, cover with foil, and freeze.

4. To serve: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove plastic from baking dish and replace foil. Bake until sauce is bubbling and beans are tender, about 80 minutes, stirring beans thoroughly after 50 minutes. Remove foil and spread topping mixture over beans. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Serve.

 

[DeniseM]

I make the traditional green bean casserole and freeze it before I bake it. On TG morning I take it out of the freezer and let it partially thaw while the turkey is cooking. After the turkey comes out I bake it in the oven and it comes out perfect. I use fresh green beans and steam them before putting them in the casserole. We are having TG on Sunday, so I actually made it tonight.