Thanksgiving dinner does not have to take over your whole week. The core menu has six recipes: a roast turkey breast that cooks in about 2 hours, three classic sides, one spiced side for a little personality, and a pumpkin pie. Below them are six more classics, from green bean casserole to apple pie and make-ahead gravy, for a bigger spread. Most of it can be made ahead, and the plan at the bottom shows you exactly what to cook when, so Thanksgiving Day is mostly reheating and carving. It serves 6 to 8 people.
1. Herb Butter Roast Turkey Breast
A bone-in turkey breast with garlic and herb butter under the skin. It feeds 6 to 8 in about half the time of a whole bird.
⏱ 2 hr 30 min
Get the recipe2. Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Yukon Golds with garlic simmered right in the pot, warm butter and milk. Make them 2 days ahead and reheat.
⏱ 35 min
Get the recipe3. Easy Homemade Stuffing
Classic bread stuffing with onion, celery, sage and thyme, baked in a dish until the top is crisp.
⏱ 1 hr 20 min
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Four main ingredients and 15 minutes. It keeps for a week, so make it first.
⏱ 15 min + chilling
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Sweet potatoes roasted with garam masala and cumin, finished with maple, lime and cilantro. The side everyone asks about.
⏱ 40 min
Get the recipe6. Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Classic pumpkin pie with cardamom, ginger and a pinch of black pepper. Bake it the day before.
⏱ 1 hr 10 min + cooling
Get the recipeMore classic sides, bread and dessert
Cooking for a bigger crowd, or want the full traditional spread? Add any of these. They all fit the make-ahead plan below.
7. Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
A homemade mushroom cream sauce instead of canned soup, with crispy fried onions on top. Assemble it the day before.
⏱ 55 min
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Roasted sweet potatoes with vanilla and cinnamon under a crunchy brown sugar pecan topping. Marshmallow option included.
⏱ 1 hr 45 min
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Fluffy pull-apart butter rolls. Shape them the night before, or bake and freeze them weeks ahead.
⏱ 2 hr 40 min
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An all-butter flaky crust and cinnamon apple filling. Bake it the day before so it sets and slices cleanly.
⏱ 4 hr 50 min
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Rich gravy from roasted turkey wings, made days ahead and simply reheated. No last-minute gravy stress.
⏱ 1 hr 45 min
Get the recipe12. Slow Cooker Turkey Breast (Oven-Free Option)
Need your oven for the sides? Cook the turkey breast in the slow cooker instead, with an easy gravy from the juices.
⏱ 6 hr 40 min
Get the recipeMake-ahead plan
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 week before | Make the cranberry sauce and refrigerate it. Make the turkey gravy and refrigerate it (or freeze it up to 3 months ahead). Bake and freeze the dinner rolls if you like. |
| 3 days before | Move a frozen turkey breast to the fridge to thaw. Make the herb butter. |
| 2 days before | Make the mashed potatoes and bake the pumpkin pie. Refrigerate both once cool. Make the sweet potato filling and pecan topping and refrigerate them separately. |
| 1 day before | Dry the bread and assemble the stuffing. Cut the sweet potatoes. Assemble the green bean casserole without the fried onions. Shape the dinner rolls and refrigerate them overnight. Bake the apple pie. Cover and refrigerate everything except the pie. |
| Thanksgiving Day | Roast the turkey. While it rests, bake the stuffing and roast the sweet potatoes, and reheat the mashed potatoes and gravy. Bake the green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and rolls. |
After the big day
Leftover turkey keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Here are 8 easy ideas for leftover turkey, from fried rice to curry, or make a pot of leftover turkey soup with noodles.
Questions
How much turkey do I need per person?
Plan on about 1 pound (450 g) of bone-in turkey breast per person if you want leftovers, or about 3/4 pound (340 g) per person if you do not. A 6 to 7 pound breast serves 6 to 8 people.
What can I make ahead for Thanksgiving?
Cranberry sauce (up to 1 week), pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes (up to 2 days), and stuffing assembled the day before. That leaves only the turkey, stuffing baking and sweet potatoes for the day itself.
What temperature should turkey be cooked to?
Cook turkey until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.
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