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Choosing just the right recipe for your office Thanksgiving potluck (aka Worksgiving), calls for a few smart considerations. The best recipes for office potlucks must hold up well when made in advance, be easy to transport, and don’t need to be refrigerated or reheated if possible. Don’t forget to take into account any allergies or food restrictions your coworkers might have.
Whether you’re bringing the main dish or sticking with an appetizer, side, or dessert, these recipes are your best choice for impressing your coworkers.
Mains Beyond Roast Turkey
Roast turkey is delicious, but it can also be seriously cumbersome to haul to the office. It’s also just one of the many ways to get a Thanksgiving-worthy main on the table. Turkey meatballs and seasonal stuffed shells are ideal for potlucks, and a veggie-heavy pot pie is a good vegetarian option (and can be made vegan with a simple swap).
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Post-Thanksgiving Stuffed ShellsThis seasonal twist on classic stuffed shells keeps the tender cooked pasta, the ricotta, and the stringy, melted mozzarella cheese, but ditches traditional filling for the flavors of Thanksgiving. And we mean that literally! These shells are stuffed with stuffing, roasted vegetables, and even bits of leftover turkey.
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Root Vegetable Dinner PieRoot vegetables make a celebratory and seasonal filling for a vegetarian main dish, and in this case, they are dressed up with a showy puff pastry on top.
Sides That Travel Well
Just like Friendsgiving and your family’s Thanksgiving celebration, there is no such thing as too many sides at an office potluck. These side dish recipes are designed to serve a crowd and are easy to scale up (or down) as needed. Each one can be made the night before (or sooner!), pack up well, and are easy to transport to the office.
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Canadian-Syrian Thanksgiving Stuffing Commonly used celery is replaced by roasted chestnuts, and golden raisins are mixed with cranberries — but the tender pillow of soft bread remains. The result is a deliciously smoky-yet-sweet stuffing any turkey would love to be next to.
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Thanksgiving SlawThis easy, colorful slaw is the answer to this dilemma. It won’t wilt like other green salads and can sit out for a while, making it a great addition to the Thanksgiving buffet.
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Mashed Potato PuffsThese are a quick-as-a-snap breakfast side dish or appetizer. People love them — they are bite-sized and yummy, warm and creamy inside and crispy on the outside. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that!
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Cranberry SauceCranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple and often the only spot of brightness on a table full of brown, orange, and tan. While canned cranberry sauce is available year-round, fresh cranberries come to market in October, making it an ideal time to whip up a batch of this sauce — which is actually an entry-level jam — and have it waiting for your Thanksgiving table.
Snacks and Appetizers Made for Sharing
A few nibbles and light appetizers are always a good idea for any Thanksgiving feast, but especially at office potlucks where everyone is apt to pick and graze — even after the meal is over.
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Herb-Marinated MushroomsFor this low-maintenance marinated mushroom appetizer, we packed in tons of flavor, but kept the ingredient list nice and short. The best part about serving marinated mushrooms as a holiday appetizer is that it can be made a week in advance and tucked away in the back of your fridge until you are ready to serve.
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Herbed Goat Cheese Polenta BitesThese little appetizers add another option: they begin in much the same way that stovetop polenta does, but you then layer them into a small pan and allow to cool. When the polenta has cooled completely, this once-creamy dish is firm and sliceable, and you quickly coat the small squares in panko bread crumbs and pan-fry them.
Easy Make-Ahead Desserts
The beauty of the dessert spread at a potluck is the chance to taste a little bit of everything. I love this lineup of make-ahead seasonal desserts for exactly that reason. Each one is easy to cut into small portions and terrific for sharing with a group.
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Pear and Cinnamon Crumb CakeThis version, topped with spiced pecans and brown sugar crumbs, also gets a ripple of pear and cinnamon streusel through its center. Think of it as the snacking cake to take you through crisp fall mornings and beyond.
