My 5 Tips for Thanksgiving Prep + Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
It is crazy pants that it is only 3 more days until Thanksgiving!
Most everyone is probably finding themselves in a frenzy, trying to prepare for this holiday, so today, I've got my best tips for Thanksgiving prep and a roundup of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes to help you out. Whether it's your first Thanksgiving you're in charge of or a guest responsible for one or more dishes, I've got all the tips and tricks I've learned over the years to help you out.
This year is a year of firsts for me personally, as we used to always celebrate my Dad's birthday on Thanksgiving, so this makes my heart ache that it's the first Thanksgiving and holiday without him.
So, it's a little strange not preparing menus and making pie crusts to put in the freezer, but I'm kind of enjoying it this year. First up, here are some of my favorite signature recipes I've made throughout the years for my family's Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving Recipe Favorites
1. Sweet Potato-Thyme Holiday Biscuits:
Healthier than your average biscuit, and gluten-free for you celiacs out there, but you can use regular flour too. The notes of thyme in these biscuits are lovely and the sweet potatoes ensured that they stayed moist and flavorful.
2. Roasted Pomegranate Brussel Sprouts w/Feta, Farro, and Pecans:
This is definitely my favorite recipe I've developed for the holidays, well, ever. The tart, juicyness of the pomegranate compliments the creaminess of the feta, and the farro grains are a nice touch. Drizzled with a Pomegranate-Citrus maple glaze, this is a crowd pleaser. The lovely folks over at Tasting Table also featured it on their Instagram!
3. Autumn Butternut-Thyme Soup:
I love making soup for Thanksgiving dinner because I can make it in advance- it just needs a bit of heating up on the stove right before serving, and it doesn't take up valuable oven space. Super health-friendly, using greek yogurt to thicken it up and add some protein into the mix!
4. Baked Autumn Cauliflower "Au Gratin":
This would actually be a great main dish for a vegetarian/vegan (vegan substitutions listed in recipe) Thanksgiving dinner. Warm, hearty, creamy, and decadent- all the things you want in a holiday dish. If veggies are all prepped and chopped, this recipe is actually SO easy to make. Also gluten-free.
5. Garlic Mashed Cauliflower by Veggiekins
Vegan, gluten-free, and carb-friendly for an amazing side dish you can bring to any Thanksgiving gathering that everyone, regardless of the main dietary restrictions, can eat!
6. Sweet Potato Dessert Boats by Veggiekins
One of my best blogger friends makes incredible vegan recipes that both carnivores and vegans alike can enjoy, and these sweet potato dessert boats have me drooling. I think I’d honestly have one of these over sweet potato pie any day!
When you hit it out of the ballpark, you stick with it. This pie is my family's favorite for two years running BUT if you make this pie, I highly suggest you head to the next link below for my adjustments made to the pie (nix that soupy pie!). You can also make it a galette instead for hands-on eating!
8. My Classic Pie Crust Recipe + Pie Tutorial
So you get a lot in this post- hand pies, my pie crust recipe + tutorial, then most importantly, if you're making the cider caramel apple pie above, I have some important tweaks to that recipe after making it for two Thanksgivings in a row.
5 Tips for Thanksgiving Dinner Cooking
Okay, so now we'll get to the tips and resources that have helped me out most over the years and that I've learned a lot from.
1. Here's What You Can Prep Now for Thanksgiving Dinner - The Kitchn
Simple prep to make your Thursday go so much more smoothly.
2. 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking a Turkey- The Kitchn
These are very, very helpful tips, especially for turkey newbies!
3. How to Make Turkey Gravy Ahead of Thanksgiving- The Kitchn
Anything you can make ahead of time, do it. Especially the very important gravy!
4. How to Make a Pie Crust (VIDEO)- NYT
For you visual learners, this is a great 3.5 minute video to up your pie game.
5. Need more recipe inspiration?
Check out the Feed Feed's epic holiday feed + Thanksgiving feed.