13 Copycat Thanksgiving Sides & Casseroles to Make at Home

The turkey may get top billing, but the sides are what fill the plate. If you’re hunting for dishes that taste like the restaurant favorites you already love, you’re in the right place. I’ve spent more than 30 years recreating restaurant recipes at home, and this collection pulls together the sides and casseroles I think belong on a holiday table: Cracker Barrel’s cheesy potato and broccoli bakes, Boston Market’s sweet potato and squash casseroles, Piccadilly’s carrot soufflé, and Luby’s cafeteria classics.

Thanksgiving is November 26 this year, so you have plenty of time to plan. I’ve mixed oven casseroles with stovetop sides, a no-cook cranberry relish, and two breads, so you can spread the work between the burners and the oven instead of fighting over one rack. You can make several ahead or freeze them, and I’ve pointed those out below.

Scroll through, pick three or four that sound like your table, and let your guests wonder which restaurant you ordered from.

Boston Market Cornbread Recipe

Hands down, this is my favorite way to make cornbread. Jiffy corn muffin mix and Jiffy yellow cake mix combine for a sweet, fluffy cornbread that blurs the line between cake and cornbread. It bakes in an 8×8 pan in about 30 minutes and makes 12 servings. I serve it warm with plenty of softened butter.

Check out this recipe

Lawry’s Creamed Spinach with Bacon

This isn’t the bland, watery creamed spinach you may remember. It’s built on bacon, onion, garlic, and Lawry’s seasoned salt in a silky sauce, and it’s our family’s favorite at Christmas. Squeeze the thawed spinach dry so the sauce stays thick. It takes 20 minutes, serves 8, and can be made the day before and reheated, which frees up your stovetop on the big day.

Check out this recipe

Boston Market Sweet Potato Casserole Easy Copycat Recipe

I included this one because it has every layer you want: a brown-sugar sweet potato base, a marshmallow layer, and a buttery oatmeal cookie crumble on top. Baking the sweet potatoes whole instead of boiling them keeps the flesh dense and sweet. One 9×13 pan serves twelve, and you can bake it a day ahead and reheat it. Just don’t assemble it unbaked overnight, because of the raw eggs.

Check out this recipe

Easy Copycat Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheese Casserole Recipe

Rice, broccoli, and a silky American cheese sauce come together under a buttery Ritz cracker topping. I included it because it’s one of the easiest make-aheads here. You can assemble it up to 24 hours ahead and add the cracker topping just before baking so it stays crisp. It serves 8 and takes about 30 minutes.

Check out this recipe

Boston Market Squash Casserole

If you want a vegetable dish that isn’t green beans, this one bakes zucchini and yellow squash with crumbled Jiffy cornbread, American cheese, and thyme. The cornbread gives it real substance, and it’s an easy match for roasted turkey. It makes 12 servings, and the assembled casserole freezes for up to 3 months before baking.

Check out this recipe

Piccadilly Cafeteria Carrot Souffle – Sweet & Creamy Baked Carrot Casserole

I know that when I’ve made this dish for people, they can’t believe they’re eating carrots. It’s sweet, light, and doesn’t have an eggy taste, and a dusting of powdered sugar finishes it. It serves 8. I prefer not to make it ahead because the texture changes a bit, though it does reheat well.

Check out this recipe

Cracker Barrel Green Beans Easy Copycat Recipe With Smoky Bacon Flavor

The moment I taste Cracker Barrel’s green beans, I’m transported to my grandmother’s kitchen on Sunday afternoons. Three cans of green beans simmer low and slow for 45 minutes with bacon, onion, and a touch of sugar. It’s a one-pot stovetop side that serves 8, so it’s a good pick when the oven is already full.

Check out this recipe

Cracker Barrel Mac and Cheese Copycat Recipe

The first time I recreated this at home, my family gathered around the table in complete silence. It needs only elbow macaroni, American cheese, and evaporated milk, plus a splash of pasta water to help the sauce turn silky. It comes together on the stovetop in about 20 minutes and serves 8. Don’t swap in Velveeta for the American cheese.

Check out this recipe

Golden Corral Mashed Potatoes Copycat Recipe

The secret to these light, fluffy potatoes is whole buttermilk in place of heavy cream, which adds a little tang. You need just five ingredients, including russets, butter, and white pepper, and about 30 minutes. It serves 6. Mash only until the hard lumps are gone, or the potatoes turn gummy.

Check out this recipe

Luby’s Cafeteria Cranberry Relish

No-cook cranberry relish with fresh cranberries, apples, and oranges. Perfect tart contrast to rich holiday dishes. Make ahead!  

Check out this recipe

Rudy’s Copycat Creamed Corn Recipe

After countless attempts to recreate Rudy’s Bar-B-Q’s creamed corn, I finally cracked the code with just six simple ingredients. Heavy cream gives it a rich, velvety base, and cream cheese adds body and a little tang so it never tastes too sweet. It’s made entirely on the stovetop, which frees up your oven on Thanksgiving. It’s also easy to scale up and keep warm in a slow cooker for a crowd, and it freezes for up to 3 months.

Check out this recipe

Golden Corral Rolls Easy Copycat Recipe

These soft, buttery, slightly sweet yeast rolls are made with bread flour and make 12. I included them because you can get ahead on a big dinner: shape and refrigerate the rolls for up to 24 hours, or freeze them unbaked for up to two months. Brush them with melted butter as they come out of the oven. Plan on about 2½ hours total, including two rises.

Check out this recipe