Don’t worry, the heroes of Thanksgiving haven’t been dethroned yet. We still enjoy plates piled high with smoked turkey, our favorite Thanksgiving sides and plenty of dessert. But Thanksgiving salad recipes, whether built around leafy greens or root vegetables, deserve a spot on the holiday table, too. From classic to creative, the salads in this collection bring a welcome (and tasty) moment of lightness to the holiday table.

These salad recipes for Thanksgiving include simple lettuce and veggie tosses that you could make year-round, as well as some that highlight seasonal produce, like winter squash, apples and pomegranate. With toasted nuts, sprinkles of cheese and pops of red from cranberries and dried cherries, these salads look almost too pretty to eat.

There are warm salads with grains hearty enough to double as a side dish and cool, crisp ones packed with shredded Brussels sprouts, baby spinach or different lettuce varieties. Look for pre-cut squash or trimmed green beans at the store to save on prep time. You could even use your favorite bottled dressing, though we prefer homemade salad dressing recipes that you can adjust to your own taste. If you always pass on salad at Thanksgiving, take this as your sign to reconsider.

Taste of Home