Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and with all of the dinner invites and family gatherings, you’ve got to come up with a quick and easy dish to bring over because you can’t show up empty handed. So for those of you who are a bit domestically challenged, like us, we’ve got you covered with some simple and inexpensive Thanksgiving worthy side dishes. Keep on reading for our Top 5 sure-to-please recipes.

1. Cornbread - Never underestimate the necessity of any side dish in the flour family. Cornbread is a simple and scrumptious side that serves as a great companion to most meals. Just empty the cornbread mix into a bowl stir in enough milk to make a thick batter, melted butter (about half a stick) and 1 egg. Pour the mixture into a square baking pan and bake until the top is golden brown and a knife placed into the middle comes out clean.

2. Stuffing – When poultry of any kind is present, there’s always an excuse to have stuffing. Follow the recipe above for cornbread. Once the cornbread is done, break it up into a mixing bowl. Add some chopped and sauteed onions, green peppers and celery. Pour in a can or more if you desire of chicken stock. Be mindful of not making the mixture too soggy. Season with sage and black pepper. Sage can be quite strong, so use sparingly. Mix thoroughly and bake at 350º for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Cranberry Sauce - Buying a can of the weird cylindrical gelatinous cranberry sauce could very well be the easiest thing to do, but it would be so much more special and delicious if you whipped up a batch of homemade cranberry sauce yourself. All you’ll need is 12 ounces of cranberries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Over medium heat bring the sugar and water to a boil in a deep saucepan, add the cranberries, return to boil, reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, and cool at room temperature before refrigerating.

4. Mashed Potatoes – There won’t be a table during the holiday season that isn’t bearing this Thanksgiving staple. Boil a small bag of large white potatoes in salted water. When the potatoes are soft enough to be mashed, drain and add to a mixing bowl. Mash well and add butter and half a can of unsweetened condensed milk. Continue to cream the rest of the potatoes with regular milk until you reach your desired texture.
Tip: Boil a couple of sweet potatoes as well and add to the white potato mixture for a bit of a twist.

5. Instant Banana Pudding - If sides aren’t your thing, try your hands at a dessert. This is an easy, no-bake recipe for any dinner. Mix up a batch of instant banana or vanilla pudding by combining the pudding powder mix and some milk. Slice a bunch of bananas and set them aside. Take some vanilla cookie wafers to line a deep dessert pan. Add thin layer of pudding then a layer of bananas and more pudding (you can use a thicker layer of pudding here). Next add another layer of cookie wafers. Keep alternating layers until you get to the top of the pan. The last layer should be cookie . Add a fluffy layer of whipped cream (preferably not canned) and refrigerate until cookies are soft.

Here’s an estimated grocery list for the above recipes (and it’s under $20!):

1 box of cornbread mix-50 cents
1 bag of cranberries- $2.50
1 can of chicken stock- $1
1box of vanilla wafers- $3-4.50
Bananas- around 40 cents per lb.
1 box of instant pudding- 60 cents
white potatoes- $2.50 per 5lb bag
1 tub of whipped cream- $1.50
Sweet potatoes- 59 cents per lb.

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