This Thanksgiving Dinner Staple Is The Top Side Dish On VA Tables

From classics like green bean casserole to rising stars like macaroni and cheese, one Thanksgiving Day side dish remains the favorite at holiday celebrations in Virginia.

Campbell's recently released its annual State of the Sides Report, which showcases the iconic side dishes that don’t just complement a Thanksgiving meal, but remain at the heart of it.

To determine each state's favorite side dish, Campbell's commissioned a survey of 5,000 U.S. adults 18 and older who celebrate Thanksgiving, with 100 Americans in each of the 50 states. The research was conducted in July and August of this year.

In Virginia, stuffing took the honor of the state's favorite Thanksgiving side, according to the report. Macaroni and cheese came in at No. 2, followed by mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and sweet potatoes.

According to Campbell's, this year's report revealed it's the sides, not the turkey, that remain the stars of the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Nationally, stuffing took the top spot as the most beloved side, followed by mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green bean casserole.

Some other key findings from the report include:

• 63% prefer eating side dishes over the turkey at Thanksgiving, up from 56% in 2024.
• 47% say they'd be perfectly happy with a plate full of sides and nothing else, up from 38% in 2024.
• 44% call green bean casserole the most iconic Thanksgiving side, with more than half of those who always cook the full Thanksgiving meal saying it's best made the traditional way. In fact, the dish is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and has been the second most-searched side for three consecutive years.
• 50% of the nation believes macaroni and cheese should be a staple at every holiday table, with Gen Z and millennials leading the charge.

See the full report here.