3 Easy Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes

Thanksgiving appetizer recipes - pomegranate cranberry bruschetta

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, do you know what Thanksgiving appetizer recipes you are serving? If you’re hosting at your house, you’re probably knee-deep in what feels like a million tasks. I host a big family holiday dinner every year, and each time I get a little better with my ahead of time prep. That said, it’s still very stressful to get the dinner on the table at a precise time. My solution is to have delicious Thanksgiving appetizers out for people to munch on while putting the finishing touches on the main meal. Then they don’t mind (too much hopefully) that the main course isn’t ready strictly at 1:00.

3 Easy Appetizers for Thanksgiving

This year, I made three apps in addition to an adorable meat and cheese platter in the shape of a turkey. Here are the Thanksgiving appetizer recipes I used and bonus – you can make all of them ahead of time (this is a prerequisite when I’m planning out the meal).

Spinach Balls

Ingredients:

  • Thanksgiving appetizer recipes - spinach balls2 (10 ounces) boxes frozen chopped spinach, squeezed to get rid of as much water as possible
  • ¾ cup melted butter
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups seasoned panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll into 2” balls and chill on a baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Adapted from Food.com

 

Cheddar Cranberry Dip

Ingredients:

  • Thanksgiving appetizer recipes - cheddar cranberry dip2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (reserve 2 tablespoons for the top)
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup homemade cranberry sauce (recipe below)
  • ½ cup fresh cranberries
  • French Baguette, sliced on a diagonal

Cranberry Sauce – yields about 1 cup (you will have some extra – mix it into your cranberry sauce for the dinner or make double this amount for your main sauce)

  • 6 oz. fresh cranberries (½ a usual sized bag)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider
  • ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 cup water

Directions:

Make the cranberry sauce – place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, partially covered. Stir occasionally and cook until the sugar dissolves and the berries begin to burst – about 10-15 minutes.

Assemble the dip – mix the cheddar cheese and cream cheese in a bowl. Fold in the cranberry sauce and fresh cranberries. Transfer to an oven-safe baking dish. You can refrigerate overnight or you can bake right away. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes; sprinkle the reserved cheese on top and broil for 1-2 minutes. Serve with baguette slices – I didn’t toast mine but you certainly can for more of a crunch.

Adapted from Little Broken

 

Pomegranate & Cranberry Bruschetta

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh cranberries
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped mint leaves, plus more for garnish
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 jalapeño pepper (use a hot pepper of your choice; I seeded the jalapeno for less of a kick)
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • ¾ cup pomegranate seeds/arils (I bought them already seeded but you can seed your own pomegranate as well)
  • Baguette, sliced on the diagonal

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse together the cranberries, sugar, and hot pepper until coarsely chopped. Then add the pomegranate molasses and mint and pulse a few more times. Transfer to a storage container, add the pomegranate seeds and refrigerate for at least 2 hours – I let mine sit overnight.

To assemble the bruschetta, spread each baguette slice with some cream cheese and top with the pomegranate/cranberry relish. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

I chose to leave my baguette slices untoasted but I think it would be even better toasted. Because I might have gotten a little lazy 🙂

Adapted from Tabler Party of Two

Hope your friends and family enjoy these Thanksgiving appetizer recipes!

 

© Featured Photo by GourmetGiftBaskets.com