Yeah I know, I’m a tad late to the Prep for Thanksgiving day party. But for all of you who might not know exactly what’s on your Turkey Day menu, let me throw a little yumminess your way. I don’t know about you, but as much as I whole heartedly adore the traditional Thanksgiving fare with sweet potatoes from a can covered in ‘mallows that great-aunt Whoever has permanent dibs on, to cranberry gel from a tin perfectly sliced and still yielding the indented lines – some years I crave something a little different. 

This year, I will be bringing an artichoke leek casserole to the table. Creamy, veggie filled and topped with mashed potatoes this should definitely be folding into your repertoire. Especially if you’re just needing a slight change of pace that still brings for the cozy and warmth of the Turkey day table. 
So, I give you Artichoke Leek Casserole.
For your grocery list include:
~ 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
~ 2 Leeks, or 8 small/medium leeks
~ 3 celery stalks
~ 2 9oz. packages frozen Artichokes, 
thawed and squeezed of excess water
~ 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
~ 1/4 cup White Wine
~ 1 brick Cream Cheese
~ 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
~ 1 package Simply Potatoes Garlic Mashed Potatoes*
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large non-stick skillet I heated up my tablespoon of olive oil until just shimmering and tossed in my thinly sliced celery stalks and leeks. 
After about 7-8 minutes they became soft and it was time to add in the artichokes.

Fresh from my bonus-mom’s garden. Drool.

 The artichokes were given a quick rough chop before going into the pan. Just for good measure.
And once they were incorporated into the rest of the veggies, the wine and chicken broth was added. Stir around and allow to cook down. When almost all of the moisture was evaporated it was time for the cream cheese. Blessed blessed cream cheese, I could eat you with a spoon. 

Fold the cream cheese into the mixture until it just melts and covers everything in it’s creamy beauty. 
Here is where I tested my first bite, and dang. Just dang.
Finally it was time to remove the mixture from the heat, top with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. 
Onto the top of these bad boys, I decided that sliced potatoes just weren’t going to cut it. Instead, a hefty dose of garlic mashers was called into duty. And what a fabulous choice it was. If you haven’t managed to polish off the remaining mashers from your Turkey Day dinner, utilize the leftovers into this dish, you won’t be sorry. 

After pouring the lot into a 9 inch pie pan I decided to give it a decorative flourish, breaking out a decorating bag and large frosting tip to do the handy work. 

Once piped on, the dish went into my pre-heated oven for 35 minutes to heat through and brown up.
It didn’t take long for me to dig in and polish off an entire serving. Ben was lucky to get one measly bite. I wasn’t giving this up. 

So, if you’re looking for something to bring to the Turkey Day table, add this one to the mix. A big dose of fall vegg and soft fluffy potatoes – you will be the star of the show. Promise.

*As part of the FoodBuzz Tastemakers program in conjunction with Simply Potatoes I was provided with a coupon for one of their products. But all opinions and recipes are my own. The convenience and taste of these not-frozen potatoes was fantastic and perfectly fluffy. Winner on those busy nights you don’t want to wait for fresh potatoes to boil*