Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the USA, and marks a moment of thanks as the harvest season draws to an end. It’s not tied to any particular reason, and is celebrated simply as a feast with family and friends, making it an incredibly easy one to get involved in. These are some of our favourite traditional Thanksgiving recipes, so that you can bring a taste of the day to your own dining table.

Sweet Potato with Marshmallow

In the UK, we see sweet potatoes as an almost entirely savoury affair, roasting them and chucking them into hearty salads, or mashing them and serving them on the side of a roast dinner. And so, this American favourite might seem slightly horrifying. However, it’s sweet, rich and slightly creamy, and makes a weirdly lovely accompaniment to your Thanksgiving dinner (it’s not a dessert, but instead a side dish).

The method of making this is simple—mashed sweet potato is topped with mini marshmallows and baked in the oven. However, we’re particular fans of Nigella Lawson’s version, in which the zestiness of the lime cuts through the sweetness a little.

Green Bean Casserole

When we think of green bean casserole, we think of a healthy side dish, and yet, this manages to….not be that. It was dreamt up by Campbell’s (of Campbell’s soup fame) in 1955, and has been a Thanksgiving staple ever since. It’s a combination of green beans, Campbell’s mushroom soup (weird that) and French crispy onions. If you’re going to make this, you may as well try the original recipe!

Roast Turkey

Just as we traditionally have Turkey on Christmas Day here in the UK, it’s the central part of most Americans’ Thanksgiving feast. Lots of people have their own favourite recipe already, but we love this classic one from Gordon Ramsay.

Cranberry Sauce

In America, canned cranberry sauce is very much a thing but we’re just not sure it should be. It’s incredibly easy to make your own thanks to simple recipes like this one. All you’ll need is some cranberries, sugar and an orange or two.

Pecan Pie

Every year ahead of Thanksgiving, the debate arises as to whether pumpkin pie or pecan pie should be served. We’re here to decide for you: pecan pie wins every time. There are already enough root vegetables involved in a Thanksgiving dinner, no more are needed come pudding time. This simple recipe includes shop-bought pastry because we all know there’s no time to be making your own when there’s so much more food to be prepared.