Dome to Table: Harvest-Inspired Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is traditionally the time for friends and family to gather together and share the harvest. Whether you still have these ingredients growing in your garden or thought ahead and preserved the harvest, we’ve taken a dive into our recipe archive and gathered some favorites to share with you. From appetizers and side dishes to desserts and ideas for that leftover turkey, get a jump-start on planning your Thanksgiving Day menu, fresh from the garden or pantry.

Start the Feast: Thanksgiving Appetizers & Small Bites

Maybe you have a late-day meal planned, or different parts of the family that will rotate through the afternoon because they have more than one dinner date. Here are a few ideas for appetizers and small bites. Some of the prep can be done ahead of time to allow flavors to blend and relieve some of the stress on the big day.

Stuffed Chard and Goat Cheese Mushrooms

These tasty morsels are a lighter version of your typical stuffed mushroom recipes. No sausage or breadcrumb-heavy filling; Swiss chard adds a fresh-from-the-garden component.

The mushrooms can be cleaned, and the stuffing can be made the day before. Stuff the mushrooms the next morning and hold in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. If you’re serving these as a side dish instead of an appetizer, they can be cooked in the oven as the turkey rests, so they don’t compete for that valuable space.

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Fried Green Tomatoes

It’s getting late in the season, but do you have some stubborn green tomatoes that either never fully ripened on the counter or are still clinging to the vine in your greenhouse? This flavorful pan-fried version can add a tart freshness to pair with the heavier dishes Thanksgiving is known for. Add a dollop of fig jam to the fried tomato and a crumble of goat or blue cheese.

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Sunchoke Chips with Rosemary & Roasted Garlic Dip

One of our favorite things to harvest in the fall is sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes. These we grow outside of the domes. Leave a few of the tubers in the soil for next year’s harvest, or save the largest and best-looking in a cool, dark space over the winter to replant in the spring when the soil can be worked.

The chips and dip can be made ahead of time. Roast the garlic and prepare the dip a day ahead to free up the oven on Thanksgiving. Store the dip in the refrigerator and bring it closer to room temperature before serving. Chips cooked in the air-fryer as the recipe suggests or in the oven as an alternative could be stored in an airtight container with a paper towel to absorb moisture or in a paper bag, at room temperature for a day or two; but they are better if made the same day. If they lose their crispiness, they can be reheated for 1–4 minutes. Keep a close eye on them since they are already cooked; they can burn more easily.

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A Cozy First Course: Butternut Squash Soup

Are you planning on serving in courses or buffet style? Either way, this creamy, vegan soup brings together the flavors of fall, including sage and rosemary. It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 3–4 days or frozen, and reheated when you’re ready. On the big day, bring the soup to a boil, and transfer it to a pre-heated slow cooker that can hold it at 140º or above, if you’re going for buffet-style. That keeps it piping hot for whenever your guests want to dig in.

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Garden-Fresh Thanksgiving Side Dishes

What would Thanksgiving be like without a smorgasbord of side dishes? We’ve got ideas for a fresh salad, flavorful vegetables, and a few unexpected additions to the Thanksgiving table.

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

So simple it barely requires a recipe. It’s the seasoning and glaze that make them unique and delicious. Trim and halve the Brussels earlier in the day, make the glaze ahead of time, and roast them while the turkey rests.

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Pistachio & Chickpea Caesar Salad

This fun twist on a Caesar salad relies on roasted chickpeas for the crouton crunch, allowing you to save the bread for another dish. The plant-based dressing also features another unexpected Mediterranean ingredient, tahini. Make the dressing the day before and chill in the refrigerator. This is a great way to let your dome-grown greens shine.

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Leek Sauté

Here’s an easy stovetop preparation that won’t compete with other sides for the oven space. Depending on the variety and succession planting, leeks can be grown throughout most of the year in a Growing Dome. If you froze some of your harvest, this is a great way to use it. The freezing process will naturally soften the leeks. The addition of kale adds some bulk and nutritional value.

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Pumpkin Squash Risotto

Risotto could be considered a dish too fussy and time-consuming for the Thanksgiving Day meal. Gradually adding the broth to the rice is the most involved task, but if you're planning a simpler, more refined menu with turkey, pumpkin risotto, and a fresh salad, you'll appreciate the cozy fall flavors this side provides.

If you do want to add it to a larger spread and want to get a jump on the cooking time, consider following along until step 4, where you add the broth. Only cook the rice to about 75% (tender on the outside with a firm, chalky raw bite in the center). Spread on a baking sheet to cool quickly, transfer to a sealed container, and refrigerate for a day or two. To finish, return the rice to a saucepan with additional warm broth and continue cooking until tender and creamy. Then proceed with the remaining ingredients, including the herbs and Parmesan cheese.

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Fig Jam

Tell me if you’re getting tired of me mentioning this recipe. I think of it every time I think of Growing Domes, knowing how many dome gardeners have planted fig trees. For Thanksgiving, you could consider it replacing the cranberry sauce or serving it alongside. Depending on how you make it, it can be lightly sweet and tart or full of the warming spices we associate with fall. Our recipe also uses green chiles and maple syrup. Plus, if you like sweet and savory, consider layering it onto that leftover turkey sandwich you’ll be eating on Black Friday.

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Beyond Pumpkin Pie: Garden-Inspired Desserts

Tired of the usual pumpkin or pecan pies? Interested in rounding out your dessert spread? Here are a couple of ideas for cakes that add an unexpected twist.

Carrot Cake

I’m a big fan of carrot cake, and you can lean into the pumpkin-spice-everything craze by adding more spices besides the cinnamon: nutmeg, ginger, cloves, or a premade pumpkin-pie-spice blend. This is a decadent, true holiday dessert.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake

If somehow you haven’t pulled your zucchini plants yet, or thought ahead and froze shredded zucchini for bread, soups, or other dishes, this is a soft and tender dessert addition. Not many will guess you hid your harvest in here.

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What to Do with the Thanksgiving Leftovers

These aren’t really new ideas that you’ve never heard of, but gentle reminders of ways to handle those turkey leftovers.

Pot Pie

Are you tired of looking at that turkey after all the fuss to buy it, prepare it, bake it, and carve it? Take the easiest way out and remove the meat from the carcass, bag it up into usable portions, and toss it into the freezer. If you have the room in the freezer, save the carcass and extract all of the last bits of flavor by making your own turkey stock. When you’re ready to revisit it, we’ve got a pot pie recipe for you. Use a refrigerated pie crust if you want to make this easier. You can even toss the baked pie back in the freezer for an easy weeknight meal down the road.

Think beyond the traditional peas and carrots. Add hardy greens like chard or spinach, mushrooms, precooked potatoes, corn, green chiles, broccoli, or whatever you have on hand that your family will enjoy.

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Turkey Soup

This recipe guides you through how to use that carcass and any leftover stuffing as a base for a hearty soup. You may even want to spoon it over a reheated rice casserole you had as a substitute for the noodles. If you plan to refrigerate or freeze the soup for later, keep the rice separate so it doesn't soak up too much of the broth.

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Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls

This is probably the most unique leftover idea out of the bunch that you might not have thought of. This layered casserole is much like lasagna with cabbage as the substitute for pasta. The recipe calls for ground beef or turkey. Skip the browning step. Shred or chop your leftover turkey and stir it into the tomato sauce before layering it in to avoid drying out the turkey. If you want to lighten it a bit, you can reduce the amount of mozzarella.

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More Recipes from the Garden

Still planning your menu? Find more of our Recipes from the Garden for ideas to bring your harvest to the table. I hope you've enjoyed this little exploration of our recipe archive, and I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!