Ask the Internet: Thanksgiving Recipes That Travel Well?

This week’s inquiry comes from reader Cam, who’s already gearing up for what my dad likes to call The Super Bowl of Eating.

Q: I've been asked to bring a veggie dish to Thanksgiving dinner. I have to travel about 3 hrs to get there. I was going to make the Ina Garten roasted brussels sprouts of CHG fame, but I just don't know how they'll reheat/travel.

I will have some access to an oven/microwave, but I would guess that I won't get more than about 20-25 min, while dodging the rest of the last-minute prep activities. Does anyone have any suggestions for a great veggie dish that will travel and reheat well?

A: Cam, I’m traveling for Thanksgiving for the first time ever, and I totally feel your pain. In regard to the Brussels sprouts, if you can prep them beforehand, it might work. They need a little longer than 25 minutes to roast, but other dishes can be cooking while they’re in there.

Beyond that, stuffing is tricky because the meat is laying out for so long, and mashed potatoes generally require a good chunk of cooking time. With that in mind, I might try these, always taking care to assemble the ingredients before you leave your house:

• Chunky Applesauce. It’s my mom’s recipe, and can be made well ahead of time. Goes over well with the seniors and kids. Serve hot or cold.
• Sweet Potatoes with Mini Marshmallows. This needs enough time to warm through and brown the marshmallows, but that’s about it. It is absolutely my favorite thing in the world.
• Honey-Glazed Roasted Carrots. Pretty much a roast-and-leave dish, though you would need a minute or two on the stovetop for the glaze.
• Pioneer Woman’s Cranberry Sauce. I know cranberry sauce can be kind of lame sometimes, but Pioneer Woman’s will make you forget every abomination you ever slid out of a three-year-old aluminum can. It’s seriously THE BEST.

If your guests are amenable to a first-course soup, those always reheat well. This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup will knock their collective socks off.

And with that, sweet readers, I turn it over to you. What are your favorite travelin’ Thanksgiving recipes?

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