Favorite ingredients. Favorite recipes. Just in time for Thanksgiving! 

Chef, cookbook author, and dietitian Michelle Dudash “spills the beans” on some of her favorites: 

1. Canned foods
A big challenge Thanksgiving week is storing all of that food in your refrigerator. Canned foods free up space in your refrigerator. Michelle works with Cans Gets You Cooking and loves using canned foods in all sorts of recipes. 

Fresh fruits and vegetables are harvested at the peak of ripeness and canned within only four hours, sealing in their nutrition and flavor. Canned foods can also help you reduce food waste compared to perishable produce since most recipes use up the whole can.

Canned foods are ready to go straight into your recipes. They’re already prepped, meaning less time in the kitchen and more time with family. Michelle recommends buying them this week during your big Thanksgiving shop, instead of next week when stores are busy.

Recipe: Green Chili Corn Spoonbread Recipe

2. Fresh and dried herbs
Michelle recommends stocking up on a variety of fresh herbs to add flavor and aroma to make your Thanksgiving recipes extra special, like in her Classic Stuffing with Sausage recipe.

Fresh herbs: Flat-leaf Italian parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, 
Chives for finishing.

Whatever leftover herbs you have you can freeze or use in your turkey broth or turkey soup made from the leftovers.

3. Shallots
Elevate your green bean casserole with Crispy Shallots.

Green Chili Spoonbread 

2 (14.5-ounce) cans corn, drained and liquid reserved (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 (14-ounce) can creamed corn 
1 (4-ounce) can green chiles, drained
2 tablespoons butter or buttery spread
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
8-ounces shredded pepper jack cheese 
1/2 cup canned evaporated milk 
1/2 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal 

Preheat oven to 400°F. 
In a large bowl, combine the drained corn with the creamed corn and green chiles. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour until combined. Using a rubber spatula, continue to stir the mixture until it browns slightly, making sure to scrape the sides of the pan. 
Slowly add the reserve corn liquid and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the cumin and cayenne pepper and salt to taste. 

Reduce heat to low and add the pepper jack cheese, stirring until melted. Add the green chili-corn mixture and continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes. 
Meanwhile, whisk the milk and cornmeal together, with a pinch of salt. Add the cornmeal mixture to the pan and stir to combine. 

Transfer mixture to a greased 3-quart baking dish (preferably with tall sides) and bake in over for 40 minutes or until set. 
Cool slightly before serving. 
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 mins
Servings: 8

Crispy Shallots

3 medium shallots, very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one)
Canola oil

Place the shallots in a small saucepan and cover with the oil. Turn the heat on high until the shallots bubble in the hot oil. Then reduce the heat to medium until the shallots become golden. Remove the shallots and transfer to paper-towel lined plate.

Classic Turkey Stuffing (or Dressing) with Sausage

Cooking oil spray
12 cups Italian bread cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt 
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound pork sausage
2 cups finely diced celery 
1 medium onion, diced 1/4-inch
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter or vegan buttery stick
3 thyme sprigs
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary 
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage 
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
2 cups turkey or chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking oil spray. Spread the bread out on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

Brown the sausage in a large sauté pan, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Put the pan back on the heat and melt the butter. Add the celery, onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary, and cook gently until the onion is translucent and celery is tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the bread, vegetables, broth, and parsley to the bowl. Taste the stuffing for seasoning and adjust as needed. Add the eggs. Pour the stuffing into the baking inch pan. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 minutes, until crispy on top.

Makes: 15 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 1/2 hours

To learn more, visit www.michelledudash.com.