Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we know you’re working like a busy little bee to get ready for that special meal.
To help finalize your menu, or perhaps offer you a few new ideas on what dish to bring to your mother-in-law’s or Friendsgiving, we asked a few local restaurants to share their favorite Thanksgiving offerings.
Here are some Thanksgiving recipes to make your meal plucking fantastic!
Roasted Acorn Squash with Vegan Stuffing
Photo: Provided by MYLK Collective
Shared in 2019 by James Clark, Executive Chef, Mama Fu’s & Austin’s Pizza.
Ingredients for the squash (serves 4):
- 2 Acorn squash
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Directions: Heat oven to 400. Halve the squash vertically and scoop out seeds. Combine all spices with the olive oil and rub over all surfaces of the squash. Pour any excess onto a sheet pan and place the squash flesh side down on the pan. Roast squash for 30-40 minutes, until soft. Remove from oven and set aside.
Ingredients for the stuffing:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz vegan sausage (Lightlife brand in the tube is recommended – it’s got a neutral flavor that picks up seasoning well)
- 2 oz minced celery
- 2 oz minced carrot
- 2 oz minced red onion
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp minced fresh thyme
- ½ tsp minced fresh rosemary
- ¼ tsp minced fresh sage
- 12 oz cups diced dried white bread or bread crumbs
- 2 cups vegetable stock
Directions:
In an iron skillet or wide saucepan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Crumble and brown the sausage with a pinch of salt. Remove the sausage and set aside. Sautee the vegetables and aromatics until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown, then add the browned sausage and cook for two minutes. Reduce heat to medium, then add bread and continue to cook for two minutes while stirring. Remove from heat, add vegetable stock, and mix well.
Flip the acorn squash flesh side up and fill with stuffing. Return to oven for 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauteed greens and cranberry sauce.
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
Photo: Jessica Fradono
Shared in 2016 by TRACE at the W Hotel.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups roasted sweet potato
- 2 yellow onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3’’ piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1/8th cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 ½ cup vegetable stock
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt, black pepper, & nutmeg to taste
- Splash of Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Dock the sweet potatoes with a fork, wrap in aluminum foil, and place on a rack in the oven. Roast for two and a half hours or longer until the sugars begin to seep out of the potato and caramelize. Once the sweet potatoes are roasted, take them out of the foil, split them in half, and let cool.
While the sweet potatoes are cooling, julienne your onions, and slice your ginger. In a medium pot, add some oil and sweat down the garlic and onion until translucent. Deglaze with white wine and cook down until it’s almost dry. Add the sweet potatoes and stock, bring up to a simmer, and add heavy cream and maple syrup. Let simmer for 30 minutes then blend and pass through a chinoise. If one isn’t available that’s okay. Season the soup with nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar.
Hassleback Potatoes
Photo: Flickr
Shared in 2019 by SPREAD & CO.
Ingredients (use discretion on amounts):
- Hassleback Potatoes
- Raclette Cheese
- Parsley
- Black Pepper
- Chives
Directions:
Sprinkle Hasselback Potatoes with a healthy amount of melted Raclette Cheese over the top. Garnish with parsley, black pepper, and chives.
Corn Soup
Photo: Fonda San Miguel
Shared in 2016 by Fonda San Miguel.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels, cut and scraped from 5 or 6 ears of corn, or about 2 10 oz. package of frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 4½ cups milk
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Poblano Chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced *
- 6 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 6 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips and fried crisp
Directions:
Combine corn and 1 cup of the milk in a blender. Puree at high speed until smooth and set aside. In a heavy, 3-quart nonreactive stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat until melted and bubbly. Add the corn puree and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the remaining 3½ cups milk and the salt; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking. In each of 6 warm soup bowls, put 1 tablespoon each of the diced chiles and shredded cheese. Ladle the hot soup into the bowls and garnish with a few tortilla strips.
Cranberry Orange Chutney
Photo: Flickr
Shared in 2016 by South Congress Hotel: Café No Sé, Central Standard, Mañana.
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. cranberries
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup Ruby Port wine
- ¼ cup dried currants
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1 medium navel orange, peeled and chopped
Directions:
Combine cranberries, sugar, salt, and wine in saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium low and add chopped orange. Simmer until cranberries burst and mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add dried currants. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Add walnuts and enjoy!
Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad
Photo: Salty Sow
Shared in 2016 by Salty Sow.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup romaine, washed, dried, cut into 2” pieces
- ½ cup sliced Brussels sprouts, blanched in boiling water till slightly tender
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons candied almonds (any nut alternative will work)
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 – 3 oz. Caesar dressing
Directions:
Mix everything well, season salad with fresh cracked pepper, and add more cheese if desired. Serve immediately.
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
Photo: Brix and Ale
Shared in 2016 by Brix and Ale at the Sheraton Georgetown Texas Hotel.
Ingredients:
- 10 pounds raw boneless turkey breast
- 2 cups mayo
- 4 oz. fresh thyme
- 2 oz. fresh rosemary
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Directions:
Chop down the fresh thyme and rosemary. Add the fresh herbs to the mayo and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pull back the skin of the turkey breast and rub 1 cup of the mayo mixture on the bird. Lay skin back on the turkey breast and rub the rest of the mixture over the skin. Roast turkey breast in oven at 225° F, until internal temperature reads 165° Let rest for 25 minutes and enjoy with your favorite sides.
Walton’s Apple Pie
Photo: Walton’s Fancy and Staple
Shared in 2016 by Walton’s Fancy & Staple.
Ingredients:
For the crust –
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
- 7 to 10 tablespoons ice water
For the filling –
- 8 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ cup boiled cider or undiluted apple juice concentrate
- 2 tablespoons butter, diced in small pieces
Directions:
For the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Work in the shortening until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Dice the butter into 1/2″ pieces, and cut into the mixture until you have flakes of butter the size of a dime. Add the water, 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing with a fork as you sprinkle the water into the dough. When the dough is moist enough to hold together when you squeeze it, transfer it to a piece of wax or parchment paper. It’s OK if there are some dry spots in the pile. Use a spray bottle of water to lightly spritz these places; that way you’ll add just enough water to bring the dough together without creating a wet spot. Fold the dough over on itself three or four times to bring it together, then divide it into two pieces, one about twice as large as the other. The larger piece will be the bottom crust; the smaller piece, the top crust. Pat each piece of dough into a disk about 3/4″ thick. Roll each disk on its edge, like a wheel, to smooth out the edges. This step will ensure your dough will roll out evenly, without a lot of cracks and splits at the edges later. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling. Lightly grease a 9″ pie pan that’s at least 2″ deep. This will make serving the pie easier after it’s baked.
For the filling: Combine the sliced apples and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt, and spices. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples, and stir to coat them. Stir in the boiled cider or apple juice concentrate. Roll the larger piece of pastry into a 13″ circle. Transfer it to the prepared pan, and trim the edges so they overlap the rim of the pan by an inch all the way around. Spoon the apple filling into the pan. Dot the top with the diced butter. Roll out the remaining pastry to an 11″ circle. Cut decorative vent holes if desired or weave a lattice. Carefully place the pastry over the apples.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Roll the overhanging bottom crust up and over the top crust, pinching to seal the two. Crimp the edges of the pie, then place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up the crust while the oven finishes heating. Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the pie for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 40 minutes more, until you see the filling bubbling inside the pie. Check the pie after half an hour of baking time, and cover the edges with foil or a pie shield to keep them from browning too quickly, if necessary. When the pie is done, remove it from the oven and cool it completely before slicing.
Looking for holiday drink ideas as well?
Check out these hip holiday drinks from Austin’s top bars and brands.
