Two Sides to Serve with Your Turkey Dinner

Editor’s note: This is the first of two of dishes to add to your Thanksgiving menu.

We have two side dishes that will take your Thanksgiving dinner to the next level. A butternut squash soup with creme fraiche and bacon, which can be made ahead of time, and sweet potatoes and apple butter that only takes 15 minutes to make after the potatoes are baked, leaving you time to focus on the turkey.

Butternut squash soup with bacon and creme fraiche (Photo: Erin Kunkle)

Butternut Squash Soup with Creme Fraiche & Bacon

Make your usual butternut squash soup better than ever with two over-the-top ingredients. Topping each bowl of this soup with a dollop of crème fraîche and crumbled bacon turns a classic fall soup into something worthy of a special meal.

Roasting the butternut squash with honey and a touch of salt intensifies the natural sweetness of the squash. Take your time when browning the onions; cooking them low and slow deepens the foundational flavor of this hearty soup.

And if you are planning to serve this on Thanksgiving day, the soup can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to four days.

Ingredients

• 1 large (3-pound) butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup salted butter (4 ounces)
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 11 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 8 cups lower-sodium chicken broth, or as needed, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 6 thick-cut bacon slices, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Using a paring knife, score sides of squash in a crosshatch pattern. Arrange squash halves, cut sides up, on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush cut sides of squash with honey; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast in preheated oven until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Using a spoon, scrape squash flesh into a medium bowl. Discard peels.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium Dutch oven over medium until sizzling. Add onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Add carrots and sage; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
• Stir in cooked squash and 6 cups broth. Bring to a boil over high. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Ladle soup, in 3 batches, into a blender. Secure lid on blender; remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a kitchen towel over opening. Process until velvety smooth, about 30 seconds per batch. (Alternatively, puree soup in Dutch oven using an immersion blender until smooth.) Return pureed soup to Dutch oven over medium heat, and stir in paprika, pepper, nutmeg and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in remaining 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 4 minutes.
• Divide soup evenly among bowls. Top each with a spoonful of crème fraîche, and sprinkle each serving with bacon, parsley and paprika.

 
Active time:
1 hour 10 minutes
Total time:
2 hours 45 minutes
Yield:
8 to 10 servings

Mashed sweet potatoes with apple butter. (Photo: Lucy Schaeffer)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

What is more quintessentially fall than sweet potatoes and apples? This recipe takes the usual mashed sweet potatoes up a notch by adding in sweet apple butter.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds sweet potatoes
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• Salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until very tender.
• Peel the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until creamy, then mash in the butter and apple butter. Season with salt and serve.

 
Active time:
15 minutes
Total time:
1 hour 45 minutes
Yield:
10 servings

Soup recipe by Clare Carver; sweet potato recipe by Marcia Kiesel