Thanksgiving ’25: What’s on your plate?
Growing up in rural Nebraska, our family Thanksgiving dinners included turkey and ham as co-main entrees. I’ve been told by others that’s a rarity in Nebraska. Some people have told me it’s a Southern thing. Mom may have brought it with her from Arkansas. Traditionally, turkey is served at Thanksgiving and ham at Christmas.
As an adult, when I’ve prepared dinner at Thanksgiving, I have included both meats.
Whether you’re Team Turkey or Team Ham, one thing is for sure, sides such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole and cranberries are guaranteed to find their way onto plates.
So, which side is the most popular served alongside the turkey? I’m a fan of it all. But, people have their favorite dishes. According to Campbell Soup, 63% of Americans prefer sides over the entrees.
Odds for your favorite dish
The Action Network – a wagering group (we do not condone gambling, but odds makers’ takes interesting) – released its list of the side most likely to be served on Thursday.
Believe it or not – the ghost of Jack Palance was not engaged in the making of this article – mashed potatoes is the No. 1 side. There’s a 36.97% chance that mashed potatoes will find a spot on your plate, edging out stuffing, which has 36.7% odds of being served as the top side. For me, they’ll have equal standing on Thanksgiving.
Palance would probably be aghast at my having to say that odds vary on which part of the country you live. Can you imagine a household in Langdon, North Dakota – the heart of potato-growing country – serving stuffing over mashed potatoes? The cook may as well as surrender their season tickets to University of North Dakota hockey or ND State football. However, as one of the top wheat producers in the world, stuffing vs. mashed potatoes may be as serious as the UND-NDSU rivalry.
The Action Network claims stuffing wins out in the Roughrider State. Nationally, 26 states prefer stuffing; yet, mashed potatoes topped the odds.
Regional favorites
In my home state of Nebraska, stuffing is considered the No. 1 side. In the 12 Midwestern states, it’s an even split of six states favoring mashed potatoes and six coveting stuffing.
Mashed potato states are: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Stuffing states are: Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio.
The West Coast, along with Alaska and Hawaii, seem to enjoy its mashed potatoes.
The Mountain states and the Southwest – from Montana to Texas – align themselves with stuffing. Colorado is the lone holdout, embracing the potato.
Northeastern states side with stuffing as the top side, while the New England states embrace mashed potatoes.
The Southeast bucks the odds, with mac and cheese as the top side. I’ve got a friend – no, I don’t have to pay them to be my friend (they prefer gift cards) – who is “known” for their mac and cheese – makes it from scratch for the holidays. Her mom is from the South.
Mac and cheese is actually the third-most served side in the United States, at 32.28%.
Other favorite dishes
Corn pudding – or corn casserole in the Midwest (thanks, Iowa, for turning everything into a casserole) – didn’t make the top 10, but is third on my list. When I made Thanksgiving dinner, I cooked extra corn casserole, so we could have leftovers for days upon days. Nationally, it ranked 14th, with a 7.8% chance of being served as a side.
Cranberry sauce (21.18%) and sweet potato casserole (19.01%) close out the top 5 sides.
So, what side is a must for you? The debate can easily be resolved with a “healthy” serving of all of the sides with your turkey and/or ham.
Regardless of your culinary leanings, Happy holidays! Enjoy your gathering with friends and family.
