10 Thanksgiving Salads That Bring Color and Crunch to Your Holiday Table

When your table is covered with mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, and endless pies, everyone will be thankful for a fresh, palate-cleansing salad this Thanksgiving.

By
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Rabi Abonour is a planner specializing in transportation, but has also been a photojournalist, writer, and editor for several online and print publications.
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Published November 09, 2024
Overhead view of warm brussels sprouts salad on a Thanksgiving

Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

On a table sagging under the weight of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and who knows what other dishes, a salad can easily go ignored. And it's especially easy to ignore it if the salad is an afterthought—something thrown together in a couple of minutes right before people sit down to eat.

But Thanksgiving dinner is a meal full of heavy dishes, and an artfully prepared salad can be a welcome addition to the spread, as both a palate cleanser and a delicious attraction in its own right. In that spirit, we've rounded up 12 Thanksgiving salad recipes worth saving room on your plate, whether it's crisp broccoli with a basil-pistachio vinaigrette, warm Brussels sprouts with bacon and hazelnut vinaigrette, or a toasted barley number with kombu and pepitas.

November 2018

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