The time has come to prepare our taste buds and bellies for Thanksgiving! Turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn and more are Thanksgiving musts - but, there’s always room for more, especially on this holiday! 

While already in the kitchen cooking heaps of food, there is no better time to try out some new Thanksgiving recipes that will surprise your dinner guests. 

Below are some mouth watering interpretations of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes. 

Pumpkin and Cheddar Scalloped potatoes 

For those who love both savory and sweet but have no idea how to combine the two, this one's for you! You can never go wrong with mashed potatoes, and when they are scalloped… even better. What better way to throw in that extra fall kick of pumpkin spice than with pumpkin puree in potatoes. 

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp flour

1 cup hot milk

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ cup + 1 tbsp pumpkin puree

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 large russet or yukon gold potatoes cut into ⅛-inch slices 

Instructions:

Slice the potatoes to about an ⅛-inch thickness 

Cream sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter and garlic over medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in warm milk and salt. Let the mixture come to a boil then simmer until thickened for about 3-4 minutes. 

Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Grease your baking dish and layer about half of the sliced potatoes into the dish. Season with salt and pepper as desired. 

Coat the potatoes with half of the pumpkin sauce, then with half of the cheese. 

Repeat this step until you are at your desired layer.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

Cover with foil and cook for about 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 

Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing 

This one is simple. Aside from some chopping and tossing, the slow cooker does all the work. This stuffing has all the flavor you can imagine satisfying every taste bud - fresh rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley accompanied by sausage and more. 

Ingredients

1 lb loaf French bread, diced into 1-inch cubes - allow to dry out for 12 hours

1 stick of unsalted butter diced into ¼-inch pieces (½ cup)

1 extra-large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small (2 cups)

1 cup celery, diced small

3 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced 

3 tbsp fresh sage, minced

2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced 

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 lb. ground italian sausage 

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf italian parsley 

Instructions

Put the dried bread inside a 6-quart slow cooker that has been prepared with lining or cooking spray. Let the bread become stale for about 12 hours.

After the 12 hours, add butter, onion, celery, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper and chicken broth to stir and combine

Crumble the raw sausage in pieces over the bread mixture

Cover and cook on low for about 4 to 5 hours, or until all the ingredients are cooked through 

Mix all of the ingredients together in the slow cooker

Add the parsley and stir 

Cover and cook for five extra minutes, then it is ready to serve! 

Brussel Sprouts Mac and Cheese with Bacon 

If you do not have mac and cheese on your Thanksgiving spread, you are quite frankly, wrong! This is the perfect mix of cheesy goodness and healthy greens. And, it is a good way to trick the kids into eating their veggies. 

Ingredients

8 ounces whole wheat pasta 

4 slices of bacon

1 lb. brussel sprouts 

1 tsp. Kosher salt 

1 tsp. Black pepper

2 cloves of minced garlic 

½ small zested lemon 

3 tablespoons of white whole wheat flour

1 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 

7 oz. of 2% greek yogurt 

⅔ cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar

⅔ cup coarsely grated part-skim mozzarella

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. Finely grated (ground) Parmesan cheese 

Instructions: 

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta in and cook until tender. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and coat your 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper or nonstick spray 

In a skillet, cook the bacon on low heat for about 10-15 minutes or until it is crisp 

Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel

Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat on the skillet 

Trip off the ends of the brussel sprouts, cut them into thin slices and add them to the skillet with the bacon fat. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add garlic and lemon zest to the brussel sprouts and cook for about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over them and stir for about 1 more minute. 

Splash in the broth ¼ cup at a time constantly stirring - prevent lumps from forming 

Let simmer until thickened 

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and cooked pasta 

Add in the greek yogurt, ⅓ cup cheddar cheese, ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese

Put the pasta mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the tip with the remaining cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan as well as the cooked bacon 

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and browned spots at the top

Cranberry Salad 

Of course, you cannot let a Thanksgiving spread go without desert! Here is another alternative to pumpkin pie or even a great addition to pie. This recipe is a fresh blend of cranberries, pineapple, marshmallows, pecans, coconut and apples mixed in a creamy dressing. The assortment of colors and flavors are perfect for the holiday! 

Ingredients 

12 oz. freshly chopped cranberries

⅔ cup granulated sugar

1 cup chopped apple 

1 cup chopped pineapple 

1 cup of miniature marshmallows

½ cup chopped pecans 

¼ cup shredded coconut

8 oz. frozen whipped topping (thawed)

Fresh cranberries, apples and marshmallows for garnish (optional) 

Instructions

Place the cranberries and sugar in a bowl (do not use metal) and stir to combine

Cover and chill for at least 3 hours

After chilling, add the pineapple, marshmallows, pecans and shredded coconut to the bowl

Add the whipped topping to the bowl, stir and combine all the ingredients  

If desired, garnish with additional cranberries, apples and marshmallows

Serve!