Today I am going to share with you how to plan a Thanksgiving dinner. The sheer size of the meal can be intimidating even for the most seasoned cooks. To help simplify the process, I am going to break it down into various steps.
This guide will mostly be covering a more traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but I’ll drop suggestions here and there for alternatives if the typical turkey dinner doesn’t appeal to you.
Making A Thanksgiving Menu
The first step in planning your Thanksgiving dinner comes long before the actual meal, and that is planning the menu. I advise that you do this weeks in advance because there are some items you will want to buy weeks before the holiday. If you wait till the last minute, you may find some items out of stock as this is one of the busiest times of the year for grocery stores.
Planning ahead also means you can outsource some of the dishes to any guests who are coming and willing to help. For example, I always get my dad to heat up the ham so I have plenty of oven space for the turkey and desserts.
If you have a number of friends and family coming over, don’t hesitate to see what dishes they can contribute. Most will be happy to participate, as they often have their own special dishes they love to share. It makes the event more special.
You should start by choosing your main course, as this will play a big part in what sides you need. Certain sides pair well with certain entrees. Everything should fill out easily from there.
The Main Course
Turkey is the iconic Thanksgiving main course, and my personal favorite. However, it’s not the only game in town. Ham is another traditional favorite, and we actually serve both at my Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t be afraid to leave the turkey out if no one at your table wants it.
If neither turkey nor ham tickles your fancy, a good beef roast is a lovely alternative. A rib roast is a delicious option, though it will cost a pretty penny.
Don’t be afraid of trying other alternatives, anything from Italian to seafood can work.
Customize your menu for your audience. My only advice is to do something special so that you can build a tradition of your own for years to come.
The Side Dishes
My favorite Thanksgiving sides are mashed potatoes, dressing, and greens. The mashed potatoes and dressing pair amazingly with the turkey gravy, making them a natural fit. The greens ad some much-needed fiber to the mix.
Any type of greens will work. My preference is turnip greens, but you can go with collard greens, mustard greens, or even cabbage if that is your preference. If you are in need of a good recipe for greens, check out my recipes for Southern-style turnips and Southern fried cabbage.
Homemade mashed potatoes are great, but there is no shame in busting out the potato flakes for Thanksgiving. This meal is huge, so taking a shortcut here or there won’t hurt anybody!
Those are my big 3 sides, but there are plenty more to choose from. Other great choices include mac and cheese, fried potatoes, green bean casserole, squash casserole, sweet potato casserole, lima beans, rolls, corn on the cobb, and of course cranberry sauce.
The Desserts
Traditional dessert favorites for Thanksgiving include pecan pie, sweet potato pie, and pumpkin pie. One of my personal favorites is apple pie. My dad loves Dutch apple pie, so that’s usually what we go with.
There are tons of other good pie options, everything from chocolate pie, to caramel pie and even key lime pie. Go with your preference here, as matching desserts to the meal isn’t quite as important as matching sides to entrees.
If you prefer cakes to pies, you can’t go wrong with chocolate cake, carrot cake, hummingbird cake, or even a plain yellow cake with your favorite icing.
For something different, you can also make a cobbler. There are a lot of varieties to choose from, including apple, pear, peach, cherry, and blueberry.
Making A Thanksgiving Dinner Shopping List
Once you’ve made your menu, it’s time to make a shopping list. This process can be almost as daunting as the actual cooking. With such a big meal to prepare, there is an equally large number of ingredients that need to be bought.
To make the process easier, I like to break each dish down and list all of its ingredients separately, then add them to the master list. I wrote a whole article on how to make a grocery list that has a lot of good tips, but the biggest one that will help you here is getting a shopping list app. It will save you a lot of time and you will have your shopping list on you at all times in case you need to make any changes.
Creating your menu and shopping list early in November is a huge help because you can start shopping for some ingredients early. Items like flour, cornmeal, cranberry sauce, and anything frozen will last for weeks and months. You can start to slowly buy these things early in the month in order to spread the spending out and avoid missing out on anything out of stock closer to the holiday.
If you are going with turkey as your main dish you’ll want to start keeping an eye out for them as soon as Halloween is over. At some point in November, most grocery stores will start putting them on sale, and you can save over 50% on the price. Be on the lookout for deals on any of your main dish choices.
Prepping For The Thanksgiving Dinner
Properly prepping for any meal will save you time, but for a huge meal like Thanksgiving dinner, it can be a game changer. The first step is remembering to take out anything frozen early enough that it is properly defrosted. This is especially important for large turkeys which can take several days to defrost.
Once the bird is defrosted you need to clean the innards out. Once that is done, you can insert your stuffing, inject any marinades you might be using, and get the bird in its pan. It should then be stored in the fridge until it’s time to cook. I usually do all of this the day before so on Thanksgiving morning I just pop the turkey in the oven.
I also make my dressing the day before. My dressing, which I will post the recipe for in the coming days, takes multiple steps to complete, which is not something I really have time for on Thanksgiving day.
Greens can also be prepped the day before. They need to be cut and thoroughly washed. Prepping greens is time-consuming, so knocking it out the day before is a huge help. If you are making homemade mashed potatoes you can bake the potatoes the day before so they don’t have to be cooked as long on Thanksgiving.
The final step of early prep is to get out most of your ingredients the night before. This helps give you a head start, and also lets you know if you are missing anything so you can make an early grocery run if you need to in the morning. I also advise clearing plenty of counter space so you have enough room to work the next day.
How To Cook A Thanksgiving Dinner
In order to successfully cook a Thanksgiving dinner two things are crucial: timing and multitasking. When you plan on serving the dinner will determine when you start cooking. You will have multiple things cooking at once, so multitasking is crucial. Some good help in the kitchen goes a long way too.
We typically eat our Thanksgiving early, closer to lunchtime, so I get up bright and early to get the turkey in the oven, as it takes the longest to cook. Thanks to my prep work the day before, all I have to do is preheat the oven and then slide the bird in. After that, I can relax with a cup of coffee before I have to do any more cooking.
Greens are another dish that takes a while to cook, so they are one of the other items I get started on early. If you have another protein such as ham, follow its instructions and place it in the oven at the appropriate time. Always give yourself some extra time in case it takes longer than the package dictates.
Things will start to get hectic the closer you get to mealtime, but don’t panic! Ask for help when you need it so nothing gets burned. Turn things down to low to give yourself some extra time if you find yourself getting overwhelmed.
Most of all, you should savor this experience. If you love to cook, this is one of the most special meals of the year. Don’t let the stress ruin what should be a wonderful experience. Plan and prep as best you can, and your Thanksgiving dinner should come together beautifully.
