American Thanksgiving is just over a week away. As one of the biggest food celebrations in the US, it’s a perfect time to feature whole grains. Old favorites like mashed potatoes and stuffing can be given new spins with delicious whole grain swaps, or you can get adventurous and bring a new whole grain dish to the table. So whether you’re heading home to be with family, celebrating a Friendsgiving, or just making a turkey sandwich at home, read on for how you can make whole grains a part of the festivities.

Stuffing

This side can be as simple as some seasoned bread cubes, or an elaborate mixture of grains, fruits, and herbs. Starting with a whole grain bread as your base, however, works no matter what kind of recipe you use, and should require no changes to any of the other measurements. Simply cube up your favorite whole grain bread (or find one with our product finder), toss with your seasonings of choice, and prepare as usual. For readers who aren’t fans of a bready stuffing, the WGC has you covered with our Apple-Sage Wild Rice Stuffing recipe. Featuring wild and brown rice and autumnal herbs, this recipe makes whole grains the star of the dish.

Corn Bread

Many a Thanksgiving features cornbread, whether sweet or savory, as an indispensible component of the meal. With whole grain corn meal and corn flour, this is one easy way to introduce whole grain flavor to your Thanksgiving. You could keep things classic, or take things up a notch with our Sausage Corn Bread Dressing, which uses chicken sausage for a sweet-savory compromise in the eternal cornbread debate.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes seem like the last place to add some whole grains, but one of our favorite recipes is this Millet-Cauliflower “Mashed Potatoes,” which purees together its two main ingredients for a silky, savory take on the traditional side dish. It’s just as creamy and satisfying as the usual mashed potatoes, but you won’t have to spend twenty minutes with hauling out your potato ricer (or mashing things by hand): just a quick whirl in the food processor brings this dish together.

Dessert

The options for whole grain desserts Thanksgiving desserts are pretty much endless. Replace half the refined flour in your usual recipe for whole grain, make a whole grain crust for your pie, or branch out with a whole new whole grain recipe. Our Lemon Cake with Extra Virgin Olive Oil is visually stunning, and the bright, zippy citrus flavor will cut through even the heaviest of turkey comas.

Let us know how you plan to incorporate whole grains into your Thanksgiving plans down below! We’d love to hear your tried and true favorites, help you troubleshoot a new recipe, or just get excited together about all the good food ahead. (Rebecca)

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