A Classic Thanksgiving Feast

We rounded up our most-classic, tried-and-true recipes for a no-fail Thanksgiving meal –– the kind that will surpass guests' memories of their own family feasts.

Photo By: Adrian Mueller ©2012, Adrian Mueller / AMueller.com, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Adrian Mueller ©2012, Adrian Mueller / AMueller.com, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Tara Donne

Photo By: Armando Rafael Moutela ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved. 2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reseverved

Photo By: Adrian Mueller ©2012, Adrian Mueller / AMueller.com, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Tara Donne

Alton Brown's Squash Soup

Honey, nutmeg and heavy cream give this soup a decadent dessert-like sweetness, but the soup still offers the salty satisfaction of a savory side.

Get the Recipe: Squash Soup

Watercress Salad with Dried Fruit and Almonds

Tyler Florence's six-ingredient watercress salad couldn't be simpler to make and is extremely versatile. If you don't have dried cranberries on hand, feel free to substitute dried apricots, cherries or raisins.

Get the Recipe: Watercress Salad with Dried Fruit and Almonds

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

Flavored with garlic, lemon juice and parsley leaves, pureed cannellini beans make an excellent dip for pita chips, crackers or crudite.

Get the Recipe: White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Alton's recipe for the perfect turkey calls for a flavorful brine containing allspice berries, candied ginger and peppercorns, and for the cavity to be filled with herbs, fruits, veggies and spices.

Get the Recipe: Good Eats Roast Turkey

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Kelsey Nixon's no-fuss potatoes are simply mashed with half-and-half and sour cream for subtle tang. Chopped chives infuse the spuds with mellow onion flavor, intensifying as they sit in the fridge.

Get the Recipe: Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Glazed Carrots

Alton coats these carrot coins in a sweet reduced-ginger-ale glaze with a secret kick: chili powder.

Get the Recipe: Glazed Carrots

Best-Ever Green Bean Casserole

This much-loved recipe form Alton tops green beans with crispy, breaded onions, a lightly creamy sauce and earthy mushrooms.

Get the Recipe: Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with a bacon, walnut, maple vinaigrette

Michael Symon infuses these sprouts with subtle smokiness by whisking bacon fat into his tangy honey mustard vinaigrette.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with a Bacon, Mustard and Walnut Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Casserole

A rich, nicely spiced sweet potato filling is topped with a crunchy brown sugar streusel for an irresistible side dish that makes it on Nealey Dozier's family's table every year.

Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole

Creamed Corn cornbread

Sweet creamed corn forms a richer base for Alton's skillet cornbread — the ideal side dish for sopping up extra gravy.

Get the Recipe: Creamed Corn Cornbread

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

This made-for-turkey recipe is clean and simple: fresh cranberries, a bit of sugar, and both orange zest and juice.

Get the Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Roasted Cauliflower

Cumin seeds and panko breadcrumbs give roasted cauliflower exotic spice and lasting crunch.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower

Pommes de terre a la boulangere

These French baker's-style potatoes might sound fancy, but the recipe calls for little more than butter, onions, some beef stock and fresh thyme.

Get the Recipe: Pommes De Terre a la Boulangere: Potatoes a la Bakery

Better-Than-the-Box stuffing

Packaged stuffing mix becomes a special standout with some added texture and fresh herbs.

Get the Recipe: Better Than the Box Stuffing

Catherine's Cornbread Dressing

Why riff on dressing when you can go with a tried-and-true classic? This cornbread-based Southern dressing gets its richness from butter, and it's just begging to be drenched in bourbon and gravy.

Get the Recipe: Catherine's Cornbread Dressing

Maple Pecan Pie

What's better than Mom's pie? This take on pecan pie comes from Chuck Hughes' mom and is sure to have guests coming back for seconds.

Get the Recipe: Maple Pecan Pie

Apple Pie

Michael Symon uses lard to achieve a super-flaky crust; he fills his pie with tart Granny Smith apples, and a touch of heavy cream and butter thicken the mixture.

Get the Recipe: Apple Pie

Apple Crisp

Kelsey's apple crisp is our pick for the classic undone dessert. Her topping of oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts is perfectly sweet, crumbly and crunchy, especially when paired with vanilla ice cream.

Get the Recipe: Apple Crisp

Pumpkin Pie

Don’t mess with the classics. This traditional pumpkin pie recipe (which is made easy thanks to canned pumpkin) is an absolute showstopper.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

Leave it to Alton to take tradition in a new direction: steaming sweet potatoes (not roasting them) and blending them with yogurt (instead of cream) for a fluffy, not overly sweet filling.

Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie