Wow Your Guests with These Quick & Easy Thanksgiving Dishes

Wouldn’t it be great to spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying your Thanksgiving this year? While classic family recipes bring some fun nostalgia to the holiday, switching out a few traditional dishes with updated twists never hurts—especially when it can save you hours of cooking time.

Take these roasted sweet potatoes with honey and cinnamon from the Food Network, for example. They come together in just 15 minutes (most of that’s cutting) before going straight into the oven.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

•       4 sweet potatoes
•       ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes
•       ¼ cup honey
•       2 tsp ground cinnamon
•       Salt and pepper

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.     Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes
3.     Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle with oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
4.     Roast for 25 to 30 minutes
5.     Remove from oven, transfer to a serving dish, and drizzle with olive oil.

To make this meal even easier, use pre-cut, frozen sweet potatoes; just thaw before cooking!

Our next pick is a pumpkin cheese ball from Taste of Home that’s as delicious as it is adorable. Your work takes less than 20 minutes, and you can make it a day or two in advance to free up your Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

•       8 oz. cream cheese, softened
•       ½ cup canned pumpkin
•       8 ounces crushed pineapple, well-drained
•       2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
•       1 package (2 ½ oz) dried beef, finely chopped
•       1 Tbsp finely chopped onion
•       1 green pepper
•       Crackers or assorted vegetables

Instructions

1.     Beat cream cheese, pumpkin and pineapple.
2.     Stir in cheddar cheese, beef, and onion.
3.     Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic. Wrap the cheeseball with 4 pieces of string or rubber bands to create pumpkin-like indentations.
4.     Chill for at least 1 hour before unwrapping and placing on a serving tray.
5.     Remove the stem from the green pepper and place on the cheese ball to create a pumpkin stem.
6.     Serve with sliced green pepper, crackers, and other vegetables.

This treat absolutely shines on a large serving tray, surrounded by a colorful variety of crackers and veggies. It’s a fabulous way to replace a time-consuming side dish with something simple yet elegant!

Here’s to a stress-free and delicious Thanksgiving!