North Carolina’s Favorite Side Dish For Thanksgiving

It's time to start thinking about the Thanksgiving feast.  In our house, that means lots of planning ahead and prepping all the food.  Most households serve turkey and dressing or stuffing.  I love a good traditional cornbread dressing like Mom made.  However, occasionally, I enjoy a type of stuffing.  But, the true star of the meal, in my opinion, are the sides. Every region and state has its own favorite popular dishes.  Casseroles by far reign supreme.  According to thrillist.com, certain casseroles fair better in certain states.  North Carolina's favorite side dish is the corn casserole, according to this report.  It is also the choice of Texas, Illinois, Indiana and a few others.  South Carolina favors the sweet potato casserole.  I agree wholeheartedly with that one.

Potato casseroles of one type or another gain popularity in the Southeast and along the East Coast.  It varies between sweet potatoes, mashed potato or cheesy potatoes.  California prefers vegetable based dishes.  And only one state chooses broccoli casserole.  If you are from Kentucky, broccoli is your favorite.  But, the number one casserole spot belongs to the green bean casserole.  It gains favor in the Midwest and West Coast.  The Northeast prefers squash based dishes.  Now that I know North Carolina's favorite side dish, I may have to search some corn casserole recipes!  Regardless, I'll be trying a little of everything, and I'm ever so thankful for it!

Thanksgiving is coming, so prepare for the food onslaught! Everyone gets excited about the turkey and all the delicious food that will be eaten on Thanksgiving. And almost better than Thanksgiving dinner, are those delightful leftovers the next day (and the days after that). Sometimes, when you store Thanksgiving food properly, it really gives time for the flavors to set in.

It's usually around day three where things go south. There is still a ton of food, but everyone is kind of "over it." But you don't want to waste food. Instead, try reimagining the ingredients into other delicious dishes. Here are some suggestions.

Tasty always has excellent recipes, and this gem includes stuffing, cheese, and maple cranberry sauce.

With this recipe, Tasty found a way to easily transform leftovers into a handheld treat, perfect for someone who needs a free hand to shop with on Black Friday.

Allrecipes has created a simple way to use up the leftover turkey the morning after Thanksgiving.

Similar to the recipe above, Sam The Cooking Guy has an easy way to reuse Thanksgiving ingredients for an omelette. Try this one with stuffing.

Sandwiches are a common day-after-Thanksgiving food idea. This version by The Hungry Winos is worth checking out.

This Thanksgiving pizza recipe by All Recipes looks insane. A Pizza with turkey gravy and mashed potatoes? Sign us up!

Another hearty leftover meal worth trying is this Turkey Gumbo that a viewer of the Rachael Ray Show submitted. They also explain how to make loaded mashed potato balls too.

This dip by Pop Sugar requires minimal effort, but looks delicious in the end. The dish also requires a lot of cheese, which is always a win.

No one should ever get sick of having pie as a leftover. But if you do, turn the pie into a shake. This Ziploc recommended recipe will give Starbucks a run for their money.