Believe it or not, you were cooking more than turkey and stuffing in November — and all of your favorite side dishes (Brussels sprouts and mac and cheese were loved last month) could fit just as perfectly in your Christmas buffet as they did in your Thanksgiving spread. (If it ain't broke … are we right?)
Plus, your belly-warming favorites — like Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup and Royal Shepherd's Pie — will surely come in handy in December.
1. Crispy Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Amanda Freitag of Food Network's "Chopped" adds bacon, parm and toasted breadcrumbs to her crispy Brussels sprouts — because why not? Watch her and Rach make 'em in the video above!
GET THE RECIPE: Crispy Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Rach's fool-proof mac and cheese base gets a tasty dose of garlic breadcrumbs in this yummy comfort food mash-up.
GET THE RECIPE: Garlic Bread Mac & Cheese
3. Baked Salt & Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
Gail Simmons shares an addictive (and SO EASY) recipe for Salt & Vinegar Smashed Potatoes from her cookbook Bringing It Home.
GET THE RECIPE: Baked Salt & Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
4. Basic Cheese Sauce for Mac 'n' Cheese
There’s not much that we wouldn’t put this cheesy concoction on, but it’s especially perfect mixed with al dente pasta, then baked with breadcrumbs on top.
GET THE RECIPE: Basic Cheese Sauce for Mac 'n' Cheese
5. Orzo Mac and Cheese With Black Truffle Butter
Amanda Freitag (coming through again!) makes the ultimate comfort food dish of orzo mac and cheese — with black truffle butter.
GET THE RECIPE: Orzo Mac and Cheese With Black Truffle Butter
6. Skillet Meatloaf With Korean Ketchup & Rainbow Chard Salad
Rach's skillet meatloaf is glazed with a spicy layer of Korean ketchup and served with a hearty helping of rainbow chard.
GET THE RECIPE: Skillet Meatloaf With Korean Ketchup & Rainbow Chard Salad
Classic tomato soup gets a kick from fire-roasted tomatoes, roasted red pepper, smoked sweet paprika and sundried tomato paste.
GET THE RECIPE: Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup
A tasty filling of ground beef, lamb and potatoes gets topped with a cheesy layer of mashed potatoes in Rach's "royal" riff on Shepherd's Pie.
GET THE RECIPE: Royal Shepherd's Pie
9. Beef with Candied Walnuts and Garlic
This yummy beef stir-fry is a fancy twist on Chinese take-out.
GET THE RECIPE: Beef with Candied Walnuts and Garlic
10. Crispy "Frizzled" Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta & Walnuts
Chef Anne Burrell makes a one-pan dish of Brussels sprouts leaves ("frizzled" in a skillet until crispy) and pancetta.
GET THE RECIPE: Crispy "Frizzled" Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta & Walnuts
