The easiest — and cheapest — Thanksgiving sides you’ll ever make

Thanksgiving has somehow earned a reputation as the culinary Olympics — all pressure, no podium and plenty of sweating.

Every year, home cooks everywhere find themselves elbow-deep in peeling, chopping and timing six different dishes to finish at exactly the same moment, as though Gordon Ramsay is about to burst through the door with a camera crew and a stopwatch. Let’s release ourselves from that, shall we?

You don’t have to spend a paycheck on side dishes. You don’t have to spend three days prepping. And you absolutely don’t need a sous-chef to pull off a beautiful, abundant Thanksgiving table.

What you do need is a handful of sides that are inexpensive, unfussy and wonderfully reliable — the kind that come together quickly, don’t require fancy ingredients, yet still make everyone at the table feel cared for.

This year, consider this your pre-holiday pep talk from me: Keep it simple, keep it affordable and let your sides work smarter, not harder.

We’re leaning on some frozen vegetables that are budget friendly, with minimal prep and oven temps that play nicely together. In fact, all three roasted vegetable sides below cook at the same temperature and for the same amount of time.

If you’re hosting a small gathering, you can roast 1 pound of each recipe, which should be half of the amount that is made, all together on one sheet pan, giving you three colorful, delicious sides for the time and effort of one.

Thanksgiving isn’t a performance; it’s a gathering. Simplify where you can.

Let these budget-friendly sides lighten your load. Go forth and feast. You’ve got this.

Honey Glazed Carrots

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 pounds carrots

1/4 cup honey or brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Procedure

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. Slice carrots on a diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces. In a mixing bowl, stir together honey, garlic, butter, oil and spices and toss the carrots to coat. Spread on a sheet pan; roast 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Serve warm.

To make Honey Glazed Cauliflower, substitute 2 pounds of frozen and thawed cauliflower for the carrots in the recipe, or fresh cauliflower cut into small florets and blanched.

Roasted Garlic Green Beans

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 pounds frozen green beans, thawed and well-drained

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

Heat oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment. In a large bowl, toss the green beans with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until tender-crisp and lightly golden around the edges. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.

Garlic Sautéed Spinach

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 (12 to 16 ounce) bag fresh spinach

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Procedure

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds — don’t let it brown. Add all the spinach at once. Toss with tongs to coat in garlic and oil. Cover for 1 minute to steam, stir, repeat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season and serve immediately.