The Thanksgiving guest list is long and your free hours are few. How do you feed a crowd, and not even break a sweat?

Let someone else do the cooking—or at least supplement some options.

Meat-and-threes, barbecue restaurants, veggie specialists, and caterers throughout Alabama offer special holiday-themed menus for Thanksgiving and beyond. Sometimes, they even bring it to you.

Whether you need complete meals, or just some sides to supplement your main meat, here are a few places around the state to try.

And don’t forget the pie.

Across Alabama

Jim ’N Nicks BBQ – You’ll find all the classics at this Birmingham-born chain with 40 locations, including 16 in Alabama. Mac and cheese? Check. Green beans? Check. Mashed potatoes and gravy? Check and check. The holiday menu also includes smoked country ham or turkey breast, pies and other sides. It’s available through December 24 but 72 hours’ notice is required.

Birmingham area

Ashley Mac’s, which has five locations in Birmingham and its south suburbs, has a special holiday menu with meal bundles (including breakfast) and a la carte options including sweet potato casserole, cornbread dressing, turkey gravy, and its signature sour cream biscuits. Ashley Mac’s also routinely stocks a wide variety of frozen side dishes that are perfect for Thanksgiving, including squash casserole, brown sugar bacon green beans, and baked cheese grits.

Dothan, Northport

At The Blue Plate, a down-home restaurant with two locations in Dothan and one in Northport, the holiday menu offers pints (2–3 servings) and pans (15–18 servings) of sides including greens, butter beans, purple-hulled peas, creamed corn, cornbread dressing, and mac and cheese. No ham or turkey this year due to supply and pricing issues.

Huntsville

Show some love to a guest who doesn’t eat meat, or gather all of the sides you need for the entire meal from The Veggie. The Huntsville restaurant’s catering arm throws down for the holiday with garlic green beans with roasted carrots, candied orange sweet potato pie, cornbread dressing, cinnamon-scented cranberry sauce, and meat-free entrees like soy turkey with veggie gravy or harvest lasagna. Order for one, two, or more. 

Homewood

Nod toward the Big Easy with praline sweet potatoes from Homewood Gourmet, or go more broadly haute Southern with cornbread dressing, buttermilk mashed potatoes, or green bean casserole with bacon white sauce and onion topping. The restaurant’s solid holiday catering lineup includes snacks, pies, and desserts—even boudin sausage made in-house to use in your stuffing. 

Mobile

Mobile caterers like Georgia Roussos and Naman’s offer multiple options for bringing home Thanksgiving dinner or putting on holiday parties. Options at Georgia Roussos include turkey or ham meal packages, and a la carte dishes with Cajun (jambalaya, gumbo) and Greek (moussaka, pastitsio) influences. At Naman’s Catering, choices include complete meals, party trays, and sides ranging from spinach madeline to green bean casserole.

Montgomery

Feed a crowd with bulk orders from Martin’s, the Montgomery restaurant that’s famous for its house-cut fried chicken and Southern sides. Pick up dressing (you’ll need to bake it at home), veggies, potato salad by the pint, quart, half-gallon or full gallon. Brown or giblet gravy is available by the pint or quart. Holiday menu options also include sweet potato casserole, cornbread, or whole pies.