I love hosting Thanksgiving. I always make the classics, but add a unique twist to some of the recipes each year. Since I make everything (rather than a pot luck style), a few make-ahead options are a must.
Here are the Thanksgiving recipes I'm cooking this year - most are make ahead, but some aren't.
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Sweet potato casserole
The classic, marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole is undeniably delicious. However, I tend to skip it because it feels too much like pumpkin pie & whip cream. I want people salivating for that pie, not feeling like they just ate it.
I definitely make the marshmallow version on some other random week in fall, just to enjoy it for what it is.
For Thanksgiving, I like to find variations that are just a little more savory, but still play on the sweet side of sweet potatoes. This recipe from Half Baked Harvest uses brown sugar (although I use less), but the topping is savory.
Pecans, bacon, sage, cayenne, flour, butter, and yes, some brown sugar, make the crumble topping. I'm here for it!
Recipe: bourbon sweet potato casserole with sweet & savory bacon pecans by Half Baked Harvest
Green bean casserole (make ahead)
I'm one of those weird people who would pick this as my favorite Thanksgiving dish. At least, when it's made from scratch. There are 3 main components to this dish, and all 3 are important for making a good recipe.
The green beans need to be fresh. There's no way around it - the flavor and texture are noticeably superior.
The mushroom sauce is not hard to make and can be made days in advance. I use a mix of cremini and shiitake at the minimum. Cremini are versatile and affordable, and shiitakes pack in triple the umami compounds.
I'm not sure if I can get my hands on fresh maitake mushrooms, but if I can, I'm roasting those to add to the top of the casserole with the fried onions. Maitakes are frilly and roast up really crispy.
Lastly, we have the fried onions. I know how salty and crunchy the canned French's onions are, but, here me out. If you haven't fried you own onions before, they are even better. They are flavor bombs, crunchy, and salty (I sprinkle with salt after frying).
Fried onions can be made weeks in advance and stay crunchy when stored in an air-tight container on the counter.
Recipe: Green bean casserole with make-ahead directions by Serious Eats
Mashed potatoes
Surprisingly I rarely alter the recipe for mashed potatoes - at least for Thanksgiving. I believe their main purpose is a vehicle for butter and gravy.
I like adding garlic and herbs, but other than that, I don't go too crazy. My favorite recipe so far is the one from Gimme Some Oven that uses half yukon gold and half russet potatoes.
There's one change I make, however. I've had problems with gluey mashed potatoes in the past, so now I steam them instead of boiling. That makes the mashed potatoes almost fool proof.
I'm going to try to make them ahead of time and reheating them on the stovetop. I've tried reheating them in a slow cooker but it took at least half a day and it's hard to predict. I don't want cold potatoes!
Recipe: The best mashed potatoes from Gimme Some Oven
Gravy (make ahead)
I've made plenty of different gravy recipes from turkey pan drippings. But I don't like the last-minute frenzy this whips up, and I always find the flavor and texture to be decent, but not great.
That could say more about me than about the recipes. If you have a favorite pan-dripping recipe, and you like it, don't let me stop you.
I do make gravy a lot throughout the year. I usually make it in a pan after searing some meat, so I pick up a tiny bit of the fat and flavor. I'm able to add a lot more flavor and control the intensity of that flavor.
This year I'm making a cider-sage gravy ahead of time. I'll reheat it on Thanksgiving day and keep it warm in a mini crock pot that I have. I'll also provide some fried sage on the side (it's crunchy and so good!)
Recipe: Make-ahead cider & sage gravy by The View from Great Island
Cranberry sauce (make ahead)
I can eat an entire batch of cranberry sauce by myself between Thanksgiving day and the day after. It can be made a week (or more) ahead of time. It stores well because it's so acidic but it freezes well too with no noticeable changes to the texture.
I've cooked through so many different recipes, but my favorite is easily a pear-cranberry sauce. The recipe consists of about ⅔rds cranberries and ⅓rd pears.
The pears add texture, and more importantly, sweeten the tart cranberries. They also 'dilute' the tart, sometimes bitter flavors, so you don't need to add as much sugar.
Lower sugar cranberry sauces are better, not just because granulated sugar is processed, high in calories, and has a bad reputation these days. But sugar also dilutes the flavor, adding sweetness but nothing else.
If you can use less sugar and add sweet flavors in other ways (like pears) - it just tastes better, regardless of the nutritional element.
Homemade rolls (make ahead)
Homemade bread is hard to beat, but I admit it takes some time and planning. On Thanksgiving, it often gets cut from the menu, substituted with store-bought rolls.
That's why I make them the dough the day before, let it proof, and then shape the rolls onto a baking tray and pop it in the fridge until the next day.
They actually develop more flavor with an overnight stint in the fridge. The cooler temperatures prevent them from rising (much), so they don't overproof.
The key is to take them out of the fridge an hour beforehand to warm up and rise a little more, then bake them.
I've made these herb rolls in the past and plan to make them again this year.
Recipe: overnight herb rolls from Food Gal
Stuffing (make ahead)
The one recipe I don't mess with too much is my aunt's cornbread-sausage stuffing. I can't find a similar recipe online (I don't know how that's possible!).
It's similar to this recipe from Epicurious, but I also use a red and green bell pepper. I also use spicy Italian sausage (not breakfast sausage). I treat this as a make-ahead recipe and assemble the day of.
- Cook the sausage and vegetables a day in advance
- Toast the corn bread chunks
- Toast the pecans
- Assemble day of, add apple cider, then bake
There are so many interesting stuffing recipes out there. The Pioneer Woman has a good list worth checking out. It has recipes with poblanos, apples, ones to make in a crock pot, and recipes that use winter squash, sourdough, or wild rice.
Corn casserole (make ahead)
I'm not making a corn casserole because I already have enough sides. But I wanted to include this one because it almost made the cut.
The cookbook club I'm in recently read Simply Simon and someone made the corn pudding. It was delicious. The texture was perfect - a cross between corn bread and creamed corn. It wasn't soupy but it wasn't a dry corn bread either.
The recipe is reprinted on the Food Network.
Dessert (make ahead)
All of the desserts I picked out can be made at least a day in advance. Some desserts are best served hot, which are best served right away.
But pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie all require time to cool to room temperature - perfect make-ahead recipes! Bring them to room temperature before serving to take the chill off.
Pumpkin pie
I can't wait to make this praline pumpkin pie! The filling is partially cooked on the stovetop before it's poured onto the crust and baked in the oven.
I came across this technique over 10 years ago and it's the only way I make pumpkin pie now. Preheating the filling helps it set more reliably without cracking and without over-baking the crust edges.
I also plan to make the graham cracker crust option included in the notes section of the recipe. I personally think it's a far superior crust option for most pies.
Another crust option I'm still considering (instead of the graham cracker crust) is a gingersnap crust. Same idea, just slightly different flavor. The ginger would pair really well with the pumpkin pie filling.
If I wasn't making so many pies this year, I'd definitely be testing out one (or both) of these twists on pumpkin pie.
- Toasted marshmallow sweet potato pie - recipe by Midwest Living
- Pumpkin creme brulee - recipe by The View from Great Island
Pecan pie
I love a good pecan pie and I'm hesitant to say the sweet flavors are one-dimensional... but they aren't very nuanced either. This is where dates come in - they are super sweet but also have a rich, caramel flavor.
This pecan date pie looks so promising and I can't wait to try it out. Get the recipe from Closet Cooking, who has a tiny closet-sized kitchen that still gets the job done.
Apple pie
I've made many apple pies over the years, but this one by Bake from Scratch is easily my favorite. It's actually called Kuchen de Migas, developed by German immigrants in Chile, merging the two cultures.
The dough for the crust, when raw, feels like a chocolate chip cookie dough consistency, and bakes up like a soft sugar cookie. It's sturdy, flavorful, and doesn't get soggy.
The apple pie filling is partially cooked on the stove top, thickening up perfectly so you don't end up with a runny pie. And lastly, the cinnamon-crumb topping is the 'icing on the cake.'
Recipe: Kuchen de Migas (or as I like to call it, Apple pie with a cookie crust) - Bake from Scratch
More recipes & resources
If you're wondering what else is currently in season, check out my calendars to see what produce is in season each month (and coming up soon).
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