This is Georgia’s most popular Thanksgiving side dish, according to one study
Visions of sugar plums might dance in your head at Christmas, but this month it’s all about turkey and side dishes.
“Thanksgiving is the food holiday for the year,” according to the website Grill Cook Bake’s 2021 study. “It’s a time to gather together with friends and family to eat and celebrate being together. What’s so great about this holiday (outside of just all the delicious things to savor) is that every dinner is just a little different. Whether it’s that you serve broccoli casserole instead of green bean casserole, or you do a deep fried turkey instead of a roasted one, or if it’s because your family recipe has that special ingredient, no two dinners will look the same.
With that in mind, the site used five years of Google Trends search data to determine the most popular Thanksgiving side dish in each state. It used search interest data for the month of November 2016-2021, and examined 18 traditional side dishes and then averaged the search interest data for the five years. From that data, it determined the favorites.
The top side dish for Georgia — along with most of the East Coast — was macaroni and cheese. In all, 10 states prefer mac ‘n’ cheese, which equaled the number of states that picked mashed potatoes.
Some other interesting findings from the analysis:
- Green bean casserole was third with eight states, followed by stuffing with six.
- Rolls was an interesting one to round out the top five, with 5 states.
- Five dishes had one state each: broccoli casserole, cranberry sauce, creamed corn, dressing and white gravy.
- Of the 18 dishes analyzed, 13 were a favorite in at least one state.
This is the second year in a row the Peach State has picked the orange pasta as it’s preferred holiday side dish. In 2020, the website Zippia also analyzed Google Trends and found mac ‘n’ cheese to be Georgia’s favorite.
Our picks this week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is your No. 1 source for things to do, see, make, buy and eat through the holidays. Here are our recommendations:
LISTEN: What’s on Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ holiday playlist?
DRINK: Here’s the holiday spirit Atlanta’s sipping this Christmas
DO: Seven places to show off your ice skating moves in and around Atlanta
VISIT: Full AJC holiday guide for things to do, buy and enjoy
For our full coverage of holiday events around metro Atlanta, check out the AJC’s Things to Do page.
If you’ve never made macaroni and cheese from scratch before — anything with a powder doesn’t really qualify — try this recipe from J. Alexander’s corporate executive chef James Filaroski. The best part is you can prepare the sauce in advance and even cook the pasta ahead of time, then assemble and bake just before you want to serve.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced white onion
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 3/4 cup coarsely grated Gruyere, divided
- 1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1/4 pound dry small elbow or shell macaroni
- 2 tablespoons panko
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add olive oil, then add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a creamy paste. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until the mixture is smooth. Cook 1 minute or until the mixture thickens. Slowly whisk in cream. Add 1 1/2 cups Gruyere, Parmesan, lemon juice and sugar. Remove from heat. Allow to rest 10 minutes, then stir in sour cream and Tabasco.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- While sauce is resting, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to sauce, stirring to combine. Pour macaroni and sauce into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Gruyere and sprinkle with panko. Bake 30 minutes or until everything has heated through and the top begins to turn golden brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 481 calories (percent of calories from fat, 68), 15 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 37 grams total fat (21 grams saturated), 104 milligrams cholesterol, 533 milligrams sodium.About the Author
Nancy Clanton is a lead producer for The AJC's platforms team, but also writes stories about health, travel, events and entertainment. A native of Knoxville and graduate of the University of Tennessee, she has worked at the AJC for 24 years.
