As a professional eater, I took it upon myself to rank the BEST Thanksgiving dishes! I do not think I am a picky eater, but maybe I am. However, instead of sticking to plain flavored foods I prefer food with a lot of flavor. If it doesn’t have enough flavor, I’m not the biggest fan.
- Macaroni and Cheese – The smell and warmth of the cheesy mac and cheese on the table waft over your face as you focus on grabbing it first before anyone else takes it. Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? The creamy cheesy flavor mixed with the pasta never misses. It can be a variety of flavors-white cheddar or whatever cheese you like the most-and you can add extra toppings like bacon pieces as well. I give this a 1000/10.
“The only mac and cheese you should be eating at Thanksgiving dinner is baked mac and cheese.” – Zuriel Nyamustaka, 12th grade.
2. Bread rolls – Freshly baked, shiny bread gleams from across the table ready to be eaten, to soak up the gravy, and to be the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving feast. I LOVE garlic bread SO MUCH. Even plain buttered rolls are so good, especially if they are warmed. This dish always has me going back for seconds because it’s not extremely filling but very appetizing.I give these a 100/10, it’s almost as good as macaroni and cheese.
“It depends on the type of bread roll and depends on the type of butter.” – Jill Gunn, 12th grade.
3. Mashed potatoes – Mashed potatoes are one of my favorites, especially when they are smooth, creamy, and have a perfect amount of flavor. Some people aren’t the biggest fan of gravy but, in my opinion, British gravy-specifically Bisto gravy granules-is way better than American gravy, and you definitely should give it a try. Shoutout to Bisto for making the best mashed potato volcanoes of my childhood, maybe that’s why I love it so much. Also, you have to add salt and pepper and make sure it’s not too mushy. I give this a 9/10. However, my opinion does not seem to be shared with others.
“I do not like the texture of mashed potatoes at all.” – Makena Turner, 12th grade.
“Mashed potatoes kind of taste like mud sometimes. They have no texture at all and lowkey just mush.” – Zuriel Nyamustaka, 12th grade.
4. Roasted turkey – Turkey is known to be the center of Thanksgiving dishes and is one of the best dishes in my opinion. As long as the meat is not dry and full of flavor, that’s what puts roasted turkey in fourth place. If you are vegan, you can get the tofu version, which apparently tastes the same. I give this an 8.5/10.
“The seasoning is everything. No one wants a bland turkey.” – Makena Turner, 12th grade.
5. Pumpkin Pie – Pumpkin pie is the image of fall in dessert form. My dad makes it really well, and it is great with whipped cream. When I was younger, my cousins would make pies of almost every flavor for dessert after Thanksgiving and it was great, but pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors…other than maybe chocolate and apple. I give this a 7/10.
6. Stuffing – Stuffing is an overload of flavors, but in a good way. The bread pieces mixed together with the spices and vegetables make this a hit. I give this also a 7/10, but it might rate higher than pumpkin pie depending on the stuffing.
“I’m kind of indifferent to stuffing. It’s not what I’m reaching for necessarily, but I’ll have some.” – Makena Turner, 12th grade.
7. Roasted Brussels sprouts – This may be controversial, but roasted Brussels sprouts the way my parents do them aren’t bad at all. Unfortunately, I’m not really sure how they do it, but you have to make sure they are cooked until they are a little brown and burnt on the ends so that they are not as sour anymore. Adding some extra seasoning also benefits the taste. I rate this a 7/10. Both Naomi and Makena love Brussels sprouts.
8. Green bean casserole – I am not the biggest fan of the typical recipe-French onions, green beans, and mushroom soup-so in my opinion, so this gets a lower score. I also rate this a 7/10.
“I think it’s pretty good. I can make it and I like the recipe I use.” – Makena Turner, 12th grade.
9. Sweet potato casserole – Sweet potatoes are okay but not my favorite. I rate this a 6/10. However, I don’t know when the last time I had it so I didn’t rank it lower. Also, the combination of marshmallows and sweet potato is an interesting choice. However, it seems like others have a differing opinion.
10. Cranberry sauce – Another controversial one, but I think it’s so easy for cranberry sauce to not taste good. Specifically, I don’t really like sour food so when the sauce is on the sour side, it’s just not that appetizing. But when it’s sweet, it’s okay. Maybe I just had a bad experience. I rate this a 5.5/10.
Make sure to watch the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade on Thanksgiving morning. All of these foods in my opinion are great and it was very hard to rank, but this is what I thought. It seems like others have a slightly different opinion, so let me know if you agree or disagree!
