30 Thanksgiving Dishes That Travel Well

30 Thanksgiving Dishes That Travel Well

Traveling with food is a cooking conundrum, but we've got the recipes to make sure you don't show up to Thanksgiving dinner empty-handed.

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Most of us are traveling for Thanksgiving. Some are hopping on an airplane to meet family across the country and aren't expected to bring anything more than a bottle of wine. Others are meeting friends across the street armed with their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, still hot from the oven. But for those of you traveling a distance somewhere in between, you have a unique challenge when coming up with dishes to contribute to the Thanksgiving table: traveling with food. Most Thanksgiving recipes aren't designed to sit in the car for three hours. To remedy the roadblock, we curated a collection of dishes that travel well for Thanksgiving.

Before You Start

The main thing you want to keep in mind when you're choosing a dish to bring is temperature. Your best bet for a recipe that you can transport is to choose something that can be served at room temperature or doesn't call for milk/cream, eggs, or meat (depending on the type of meat you want to serve); those are items that tend to spoil faster than grains and vegetables. But the problem with "room temperature" is bacteria.

I don't want to turn this into a lecture on bacteria, but that's what we're fighting here. Bacteria in food grows exponentially when it sits at temperatures between 40℉ and 140℉, the "Temperature Danger Zone." Government regulators suggest putting away any food that's been left out at room temperature for two hours and to throw away anything that's been out for four hours. I, personally, like most of my food at room temperature and I frequently eat things that have been out for six hours or more and I've never gotten food poisoning. I might just be lucky — you might not want to take the same kind of risk.

The Thanksgiving dishes we selected are made to buy you a little bit of time, but to ensure your food is safe to eat, keep the hot food hot and the cold food cold.

Appetizers

If you're tasked with bringing appetizers, you might consider looking in the direction of Italy where they've mastered the art of room temperature appetizers.

Antipasto Cheese and cured meats like salami and prosciutto were designed to last a long time without refrigeration, making the antipasto platter an excellent option for riding in the car for several hours.

Antipasto Skewers RecipeAntipasto Skewers Recipegreen olives, Italian seasoning, salami, Kalamata olives, italian salad dressing and 4 more
Antipasto RecipeAntipasto Recipechopped celery, pitted green olives, pearl onions, carrots, tomato paste and 10 more
Keto Antipasto Salad RecipeKeto Antipasto Salad Recipered onion, Swerve, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, pepperoni and 11 more

Bruschetta Bruschetta is easy to make ahead as long as you don't assemble the toasts until you arrive at your destination. You can toast the bread an hour before you leave and store it in a paper bag instead of plastic to keep it crunchy. The tomato-garlic mixture can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator until you leave. A couple of hours in the car will even give the tomatoes time to absorb the flavors of the herbs.

Bruschetta with Heirloom Tomatoes, Olives and Basil RecipeBruschetta with Heirloom Tomatoes, Olives and Basil Recipegarlic, freshly ground black pepper, baguette, extra virgin olive oil and 5 more
Easy Bruschetta RecipeEasy Bruschetta Recipefrench bread, kosher salt, extra virgin olive oil, shredded Parmesan cheese and 5 more
Rainbow Tomato Bruschetta RecipeRainbow Tomato Bruschetta Recipeextra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar reduction, salt, fresh basil leaves and 7 more

Tapenade Along the lines of bruschetta, olive tapenade is a great spread for toast or bread. The salt in the olives is enough of a preservative to keep the spread safe at room temperature for extended periods.

Black Olive Tapenade RecipeBlack Olive Tapenade Recipefresh thyme leaves, lemon juice, parsley, extra-virgin olive oil and 6 more
Olive Tapenade RecipeOlive Tapenade Recipepitted kalamata olives, flat leaf Italian parsley, red pepper flakes and 5 more
Olive Tapenade RecipeOlive Tapenade Recipeolive oil, brine-cured olives, chopped parsley, garlic, ground black pepper and 3 more

Side Dishes

For side dishes, you might want to lean into spice and flavorings. Like acid, there are some spices and ingredients that actually kill bacteria. About 20 years ago, researchers at Cornell University dug a little deeper into spices and figured out which ingredients help kill bacteria. This is the list of Cornell's top 30 spices and ingredients with antimicrobial properties.

Ingredients with Antimicrobial Properties
GarlicOnionAllspice
OreganoThymeCinnamon
TarragonCuminCloves
Lemon grassBay leafCapsicums
RosemaryMarjoramMustard
CarawayMintSage
FennelCorianderDill
NutmegBasilParsley
CardamomPepper (white/black)Ginger
Anise seedCelery seedLemon/lime

When you're looking for recipes that travel well, look for those ingredients. If you haven't used Yummly's filtering function, you can pick out dishes with the right ingredients. The filter gives you the option to include and exclude ingredients for just such an occasion. But here are a few examples of side dishes you might like to bring to Thanksgiving dinner that require minimal refrigeration.

Cranberry Sauce If your Thanksgiving host is not making cranberry sauce, this is an excellent (and necessary!) dish that can go long periods without refrigeration. The acid from the cranberries help preserve the dish (it's also delightfully easy to make!).

Guided
Homemade Citrus Cranberry Sauce RecipeHomemade Citrus Cranberry Sauce Recipe
cranberries, navel oranges, water, lemon, sugar
Spiced-Brandied Cranberry Sauce RecipeSpiced-Brandied Cranberry Sauce Recipeorange juice, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, dark brown sugar and 7 more
Cranberry Sauce RecipeCranberry Sauce Recipecranberry juice, freshly squeezed orange juice, honey, fresh cranberries

Bean Salads Cooked beans mixed with some key spices and bacteria-killing ingredients can make an excellent portable meal. The Thanksgiving Lentil Salad calls for many bacteria-fighting ingredients including bay leaves, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and onions.

Thanksgiving Lentil Salad RecipeThanksgiving Lentil Salad Recipeolive oil, fresh parsley leaves, garlic, kale, kosher salt, butternut squash and 8 more
Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers and Avocado in a Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette RecipeBlack Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers and Avocado in a Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette Recipefresh lime juice, salt, lime zest, cayenne pepper, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and 7 more
Chickpea Salad with Cucumbers and Tomatoes RecipeChickpea Salad with Cucumbers and Tomatoes Recipecucumbers, extra virgin olive oil, fresh parsley, tomato, chickpeas and 3 more

Wild Rice Salads Rice can also be part of your moveable feast with the right ingredients. The Moroccan Butternut Squash Wild Rice includes coriander, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon for a flavorful dish.

Moroccan Butternut Squash + Wild Rice with Garbanzos RecipeMoroccan Butternut Squash + Wild Rice with Garbanzos Recipegarbanzo beans, water, toasted hazelnuts, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar and 17 more
Wild Rice and Pine Nut Salad RecipeWild Rice and Pine Nut Salad Recipepine nuts, kosher salt, fresh tarragon, olive oil, rice blend and 3 more
Beet Wild Rice Salad with Pistachios RecipeBeet Wild Rice Salad with Pistachios Recipered beets, fresh parsley, salt, lemon juice, pistachios, salt and 2 more

Other Dishes to Consider

If all that requires too much thought, there are some things you can prepare that are naturally safe at room temperature like bread and some desserts.

Bread

Cornbread Cornbread is a quick bread that you can make the night before. It requires no refrigeration and everyone loves it.

Homemade Cornbread RecipeHomemade Cornbread Recipebaking powder, cornmeal, sugar, butter, buttermilk, baking soda and 3 more
Sweet Country Cornbread RecipeSweet Country Cornbread Recipesalt, butter, baking powder, Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, milk and 3 more
The Best Cornbread RecipeThe Best Cornbread Recipeall purpose flour, large eggs, unsweetened applesauce, butter and 7 more

Dinner Rolls You can mix, knead, and proof your dough the night before Thanksgiving and bake your rolls before you leave. Just make sure to transport them in an airtight container so they don't stale.

Easy Dinner Rolls RecipeEasy Dinner Rolls Recipemelted butter, salt, all purpose flour, active dry yeast, granulated white sugar and 3 more
Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls RecipeGarlic Herb Dinner Rolls Recipegarlic cloves, all purpose flour, warm water, fresh rosemary and 8 more
Dinner Rolls RecipeDinner Rolls Recipeactive dry yeast, sugar, all purpose flour, unsalted butter, salt and 3 more

Desserts

Most desserts on traditional Thanksgiving tables don't require refrigeration. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, fruit crumbles, betties, and cobblers can all travel for hours at room temperature and be ready to serve when you arrive.

Guided
Classic Apple Pie RecipeClassic Apple Pie Recipe
granulated sugar, brown sugar, allspice, granny smith apples and 9 more
No-Fail Easy Cobbler RecipeNo-Fail Easy Cobbler Recipebutter, sugar, self rising flour, fruit, milk
Apple Brown Betty RecipeApple Brown Betty Recipesalt, light brown sugar, unsalted butter, nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt and 4 more

Transporting Traditional Dishes

If there's a dish you are determined to bring to your holiday potluck like corn casserole or you have a special recipe for broccoli pie, you can get a portable food warmer. They look like coolers with a cord that plugs into your car cigarette lighter to heat things up. With something like this, you could even transport a Thanksgiving turkey.

Guided
Homemade Green Bean Casserole RecipeHomemade Green Bean Casserole Recipe
salt, yellow onion, nonstick cooking spray, salt, garlic, all purpose flour and 8 more
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Praline Topping RecipeSweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Praline Topping Recipesugar, sweet potatoes, vanilla extract, butter, all purpose flour and 5 more
Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts RecipeGarlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipeblack pepper, salt, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and 3 more