This year, say aloha to a Big Island Thanksgiving dinner at home. Hawaiian bread stuffing, yam casserole, Haupia pumpkin pie – these dishes bring the taste of Hawaii right to your dining room table. They’ll have your whole family saying “let’s eat!” in no time.
Big Island Thanksgiving side dish menu:
- Hawaiian Sweet Roll Stuffing
- Pani Popo Hawaiian Rolls with Coconut Milk
- Big Island Green Bean Casserole
- Hawaiian Style Thanksgiving Yam Casserole
- Haupia Pumpkin Pie
Hawaiian Sweet Roll Stuffing
A simple and delicious stuffing recipe that features traditional Hawaiian flavors.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- One 12-count package Hawaiian sweet rolls, such as King’s Hawaiian, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
- 1 1/2 cups small-diced onion
- 1 cup small-diced carrots
- 1 cup small-diced celery
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 1/2 cups turkey stock, or more as needed
- 1 large egg
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Spread softened butter over a medium baking dish or gratin dish.
- Toss cubed bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil and Italian seasoning.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 10 minutes.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the sausage. Cook sausage, stirring and breaking up the meat, until brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat to medium and add onion, carrots and celery. Cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add rosemary and sage and cook for 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine toasted bread, sausage, vegetable mixture and raisins in a large bowl.
- Combine stock and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Add stock mixture to the bread mixture and fold together.
- Transfer stuffing to the prepared baking dish and bake until the top is crispy and hot through the center, 35 to 45 minutes.
Pani Popo Hawaiian Rolls with Coconut Milk
These fluffy dinner rolls baked in sugar and coconut milk make for a delicious Hawaiian compliment to and Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour
- 2 .75 ounce packets – or 4 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
- 2 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp. of milk
- 1 tbsp. sugar + 1 cup sugar for mixing with coconut milk later
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tbsp. butter – or margarine, Crisco
- 2 cans of coconut milk
Directions
- Add about 2 1/2-3 cups of flour and the yeast to large mixing bowl.
- In a saucepan add milk, sugar, salt and butter.
- On medium-low heat, cook until butter is almost completely melted (no hotter than 100 F).
- When butter is almost melted, add mixture to flour mixture and yeast. Combine. Add remaining flour gradually. Knead for about 6-8 minutes.
- Butter your hands and butter a bowl for dough to rise.
- Rub butter all over dough and set it covered in bowl for about 45 minutes.
- Then, gently degas by pressing down the dough.
- Form into little balls, placing them into two greased 13 by 9 pans.
- Let rise for at least 20 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Mix coconut milk with 1 cup sugar and pour over rolls.
- Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Brush melted butter on top of rolls while they are still hot.
Big Island Green Bean Casserole
A yummy and rich green bean dish with onions, mushrooms, and garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans
- 1 TBL olive oil
- 1 TBL butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 package (12 oz) Hamakua mushrooms, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- dash cayenne pepper
- 3 TBL flour
- 1 cup water (or vegetable broth)
- 1 cup milk
- salt & pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350. Blanch green beans in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.
- Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat in cast iron skillet.
- Sauté onion until soft, adding salt and pepper.
- Add mushrooms and cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook another minute.
- Add flour and stir to coat.
- Add water and bring to a simmer, then add milk and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Be sure to add salt and pepper along the way, tasting as you go.
- Add green beans and stir to coat. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown and bubbly.
Hawaiian Style Thanksgiving Yam Casserole
Add Hawaiian flair to your sweet potato casserole with this recipe that calls for macadamia nuts and toasted coconut.
Ingredients
- 4-6 yams
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 c coconut milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ c brown sugar
- Topping Ingredients:
- ¼ c coconut oil
- 3 Tbls all-purpose flour
- ¾ c tightly packed brown sugar
- ½ c chopped macadamia nuts
- ½ c unsweetened shredded coconut
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Peel and bake yams until soft. Then, mash in a large bowl and allow to cool.
- Add salt, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar to yams and stir.
- Transfer to baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix coconut oil, flour, brown sugar, macadamia nuts and shredded coconut Sprinkle over yams.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until topping is crisp and lightly browned.
Haupia Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 9-inch pie shell, unbaked
- 1 can (16 oz.) solid packed pumpkin
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4. tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 c. grated coconut, divided
- 1 package (3.9 oz.) Noh haupia pudding mix
- 1 c. whipping cream
- 1 TB sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In large bowl, combine pumpkin and eggs.
- Add sugar, salt and spices. Stir in milk and 1 cup of coconut.
- Pour into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, bake for another 40-45 minutes, until firm. Cool.
- Prepare haupia pudding mix according to package directions.
- Cool slightly and spread evenly over pie. Chill for 2 hours until set and firm.
There you have it – a Big Island Thanksgiving dinner everyone will enjoy. From all of us here at Kilauea Hospitality Group, Happy Thanksgiving! Planning a trip to Volcano? Check out our family-friendly – and affordable – accommodations.
big island thanksgiving