I Tried Tom Hanks’ Favorite Thanksgiving Dish, and Now It’s Mine Too

Picking a favorite holiday dish is tough—I love the turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Most of the dishes that land on the table are foods I’m excited to make and eat. I recently learned that actress Rita Wilson also loves holiday cooking and often makes friend and filmmaker Nora Ephron’s Orange Praline Yams for Thanksgiving. The recipe sounded fantastic, and I wanted to see if it would be a worthy addition to my holiday spread too.  

In my early 20’s it was hard to escape home for Thanksgiving because of my job. I would often spend the holiday in my little apartment, eating a frozen dinner, trying not to feel sorry for myself. But one year, with friends in town, I made a full Thanksgiving spread in my tiny apartment. I cooked it all—the roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and green bean casserole, and I made it in my tiny apartment. It was fun, but a lot of work. Turns out, according to an interview in People Magazine, Wilson does this every year for Thanksgiving, for her husband, actor Tom Hanks, and their family. In an interview with Parade Magazine, she shared that she enjoys cooking and that Nora Ephron’s recipe for Orange Praline Yams is one of her favorites. 

My Honest Review of Nora Ephron's Orange Praline Yams

The recipe begins by cooking yams and mixing them with orange juice, orange rind, salt, ginger, and brown sugar. This mixture is poured into a baking dish, topped with pecans tossed in butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar, and baked at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

After a 10-minute rest (which was incredibly hard because it smelled amazing), we dug in. I knew as soon as my spoon hit the caramelized praline topping, I was in for a treat. The pecans were a perfectly crunchy contrast to the creamy yam filling, which was seasoned with just the right amount of salt, spice and sugar. We all went back for seconds (and thirds!). It was that delicious. 

I was right—this dish is definitely joining my holiday menu. It was easy to make and can feed a crowd, plus it’s absolutely delicious. Since there were no instructions on cooking the yams, I used the Instant Pot, which was a great time-saving hack. Otherwise, I’d consider it a “low-lift” recipe that anyone can make, holidays or not.