I Always Use This Exact Formula for My Thanksgiving Menu Planning

Little known fact: I started my vocation successful catering. When I landed successful Austin astatine property 21, I scored a occupation arsenic an lawsuit planner astatine a catering company, having nary thought however overmuch I’d autumn successful emotion with the unreserved of making definite a high-pressure lawsuit went disconnected without a hitch. (And if something did spell wrong, making definite my lawsuit ne'er knew astir it!) I was azygous and surviving successful a caller city, and I tin retrieve staying up precocious astatine my vicinity java shop, pouring implicit menu ideas to make a nutrient acquisition that was the cleanable equilibrium of absorbing and familiar, satisfying without being heavy. To this day, I consciousness the aforesaid mode astir Thanksgiving paper planning.

It was during those late-night enactment sessions that my flimsy obsession with paper readying was born. For me, settling successful with my cookbooks and designing a paper for a meal enactment is simply a existent originative outlet. Over the years, friends person shared that they consciousness ill-equipped successful the area, and I get a batch of menu-planning questions from you guys present and connected IG—especially arsenic the holidays approach.

Intuition is simply a cardinal constituent successful my Thanksgiving paper readying process. However, erstwhile it comes to this vacation successful particular, I thin connected a tried-and-true look that checks each the boxes for what the radical want, without totally exhausting the host (me) oregon resulting in way excessively overmuch food. Some leftovers are good. But a monolithic casserole crockery that hardly got a dent enactment successful it? Not truthful much.

Read connected for my tried-and-true Thanksgiving paper readying formula, past get inspired with immoderate of my favourite recipes truthful you tin premix and lucifer to marque it your own.

Here’s the wide look I usage erstwhile deciding what we’ll beryllium serving each year. Thankfully, astir of my household members are large cooks, truthful I besides usage this look to divvy up what radical volition bring potluck-style.

• Turkey. Adam usually fries one, and I often roast a 2nd turkey for leftovers. If we’ve got a really large group, we’ll prime up a honey-glazed ham, too.
• Gravy. Not my favorite, but it indispensable beryllium done.
• Potatoes. Mashed, roasted, oregon scalloped.
• Dressing. Or “stuffing,” depending connected wherever you live. Cornbread, achromatic bread, chaotic rice, oyster.
• Orange Vegetable. Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, carrots.
• Green Vegetable. Brussels sprouts, greenish legume casserole, broccolini, sautéed greens similar collards oregon kale.
• Bread. Rolls, focaccia, cornbread. I usually prime these up from a section bakery.
• Pies. Pumpkin, pecan, chocolate, buttermilk, apple, I could spell connected and on.

Remember: if you’re having a smaller group, take your faves and permission the rest. Just due to the fact that it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you request to walk the full time successful the kitchen.

Now for the amusive part! Scroll connected for my favourite recipes for Thanksgiving. Choose 1 from each category, and you’ve got yourself a foolproof Thanksgiving paper each served up.

Turkey

Brined Roast Turkey

No substance however galore turkey recipes are retired determination (thousands? millions?) not a November rolls by that I don’t benignant “What’s the champion Thanksgiving turkey recipe?” successful my Google hunt barroom hoping to summation immoderate clarity. And though determination are galore delicious ways to navigator ’em, from stuffed to spatchcocked to fried, it’s hard to bushed the simplicity of a classical brined roast turkey—especially erstwhile it’s cooked to perfection with crispy tegument and an interior that’s juicy and flavorful. So, successful an effort to yet nail down the implicit best, foolproof method for a brined roast turkey, I called successful the pro: Michael Fojtasek, the owner/chef of award-winning restaurant Olamaie, present successful Austin.

Potatoes

Make-Ahead Vegan Mashed Potatoes

It’s hard to picture Thanksgiving without a savory vessel of buttery-smooth mashed potatoes connected the table. And this crowd-pleasing mentation tin really beryllium enjoyed by everyone. It conscionable truthful happens to beryllium vegan without sacrificing immoderate of the classical creaminess that they’re each craving. Perhaps the champion portion of these mashed potatoes is that they tin beryllium made a mates of hours up of the feast truthful you’re not scurrying to premix them up erstwhile everything other is going connected the table. Starring Yukon Golds, these person a velvety texture that’s to dice for. 

Faux Parmesan Cauliflower “Potatoes”

As a self-pronounced mashed murphy connoisseur, the thought of cauliflower mashed potatoes did not primitively excite me. How could they perchance unrecorded up to the existent thing? This look for faux parmesan cauliflower mashed potatoes from cook and author, Helene Henderson’s cookbook, Malibu Farm Sunrise to Sunset, alleviated each of my doubts. Not lone bash they look like cheesy mashed potatoes, but they sensation similar them, too. I person tried cauliflower mash aft cauliflower mash, and nary different look tin lucifer this one’s authentic murphy flavor.

Orange Vegetable Side

Roasted Honeynut Squash

Everything astir this roasted honeynut squash look makes it a top-tier enactment for your Thanksgiving paper readying options. Topped with pecans for the cleanable crunch and blistery chromatic for a spot of a kick, guests volition beryllium raving implicit this unsocial and flavorful side.

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Date Salad

Sweet potatoes are an evident prime for an orangish Thanksgiving broadside dish, but this crockery is thing but basic. Pomegranate seeds bring a tangy opposition to the savory flavors of the autumn basal veggie, and caramelized dates encapsulate the cleanable saccharine crockery topping.

Roasted Acorn Squash

When it comes to Thanksgiving sides, Tieghan Gerard, aka Half Baked Harvest, perfectly nailed this roasted acorn squash. Squash is ever a filling broadside that everyone loves, but isn’t ever prepped to its fullest potential. It’s balanced, sweet, and a small spot nutty. What much could you inquire for?

Blood Orange and Beet Salad

Have you ever seen a prettier colour combo? Bring the beets and oranges successful a vessel abstracted from the yogurt, past put connected a platter conscionable earlier serving.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Brown Sugar Cornflake Crunch

If you emotion a nostalgic instrumentality connected recipes, this classic Thanksgiving broadside dish was made for you. The filling is made of caller mashed saccharine potatoes and topped with a crunchy, brownish sugary topping for the eventual blend successful textures. One wound volition bring you close backmost to your aureate youthful days watching Saturday greeting cartoons and eating a large vessel of cornflakes. 

Roasted Delicata Squash and Kale Salad

Sheela Prakash shared her kale crockery look from her cookbook, Mediterranean Every Day. It’s warm, comforting and our favourite crockery to see successful our Thanksgiving paper planning. 

Honey Roasted Carrots with Sage and Pepitas

Halved carrots are tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, past roasted astatine 425 F until conscionable cooked done and crispy connected the edges. Meanwhile, I marque the concealed condiment connected the stovetop: a deliciously syrupy substance of orangish zest and juice, atom vinegar for a burst of acidity, a large compression of honey, sliced jalapeño oregon a shingle of reddish capsicum flakes (I spell backmost and forth), and the cardinal summation of caller sage, which perfumes the full crockery with autumn vibes.

Dressing/Stuffing

Vegetarian Skillet Cornbread Stuffing With Kale and Caramelized Onions

This vegetarian cornbread stuffing streamlines the accustomed process by omitting that archetypal measurement of baking a loaf of cornbread, past crumbling oregon chopping it up earlier folding successful the mix-ins. This 1 is much of a cornbread/stuffing hybrid: you marque an awesome cornbread batter and fold each the toppings and seasonings close into the mix, past cook it each together. Not lone does it marque the full process quicker start-to-finish, but I emotion the rustic look of serving it close from the cast-iron cookware it bakes in, particularly with the vivid shades of reddish bulb and kale crowning the top. 

Green Vegetable Side

Sweet & Sour Cider Brussels Sprouts

Instead of leaning connected my emblematic method of roasting halved sprouts until crispy, I shredded these into bladed small ruffly bites, past did a hard sear successful a cast-iron skillet to get the char I’m ever after. A speedy flip successful a saccharine vinegar condiment with a concealed constituent (apple cider!) and a sprinkle of toasted pecans, dates, and chilli flakes, and these are beauteous adjacent to perfect.  

Holiday Jewels Kale Salad

Look nary further for the astir stunning (and simple) crockery your Thanksgiving paper readying caput could imagine. Apples, pomegranate seeds, and a mouth-watering mustard-shallot vinaigrette marque these greens a must-have for each your vacation gatherings.

Cacio E Pepe Brussels Sprouts

I’m already obsessed with Brussels sprouts, but erstwhile you adhd parmesan, citrus zest, and hazelnuts to the mix, see maine dead.

Pies & Tarts

Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust

This pumpkin pastry is my all-time favorite. While pumpkin is astir people’s classical Thanksgiving pie, I find it tin get a small boring without capable spirit built in. Thankfully, this look is afloat of saccharine and spicy notes, and the gingersnap crust is the astir genius instrumentality connected tradition. (If I bash accidental truthful myself.)

Classic Buttermilk Pie

This Classic Buttermilk Pie look is simply a Styles household classic. My ma is the pie baker successful the family—we ever beg her to marque each the pies for Thanksgiving. So I deliberation you’re going to emotion this classical buttermilk pastry recipe. It’s truthful elemental to make, yet the spirit is affluent and delicious. 

Easier-Than-Pie Warm Apple Tart

This tart is hard to chopped warm, but it melts successful your mouth. (And nary 1 minds a lukewarm crumbled pome tart spooned into a bowl, with crystal pick melting connected top.) Cool, it is arsenic alluring and easier to service successful cleanable slices. But the champion happening astir this tart—besides eating it—is knowing however casual it is to marque it again. 

Apple Ginger Pie (Gluten-Free)

When the clip rolls astir to bash my Thanksgiving paper planning, this pastry ever seems to marque the cut. Granny Smith apples support the pastry from being overly sweet, and the lukewarm spices marque a portion of pastry the comfiest cozy crockery to curl up with after-dinner—and for meal the adjacent greeting with a cupful of coffee! 

Chocolate Pecan Slab Pie

This always-delicious classical is bulked up to provender a crowd. The instrumentality is doubling my favourite look and baking it successful a jelly rotation cookware alternatively of a classical pastry tin. Cut into squares alternatively of sliced successful triangles, it’s akin to a pecan barroom but doesn’t skimp connected the gooey pecan filling. 

Now, I’m going to station up successful beforehand of the occurrence with my blistery beverage and stack of cookbooks. Happy Thanksgiving paper planning!

This station was primitively published connected November 12th, 2020, and has since been updated.