From Scratch Thanksgiving Menu Plan
After about 7 years of creating from-scratch thanksgiving menu plans I have finally nailed down a selection of recipes that work every time, taste delicious, and can be prepped without too much stress and I’m so excited to share these recipes, as well as my best thanksgiving menu tips for success with you.
First the Recipes
From Scratch Thanksgiving Menu Plan
The Turkey
Guys. I have tried almost every method of cooking a turkey. Wet brining, dry brining, low temp, high temp, etc…Believe me when I say that the slow cooker is the way to go. It’s stupid-easy and it’s the juiciest turkey every. Many people are turned off by the fact that you don’t have a beautiful full bird as the centerpiece on your table…but news flash! Everyone cuts the turkey before it hits the table anyway. It’s much more practical to make a pretty platter of cut up turkey, thus no one will know that you cooked a turkey breast. Some are also concerned by the lack of dark meat. I remedy this by buying some turkey legs and throwing them in the slow cooker with the turkey. Trust me when I say your from scratch thanksgiving menu plan needs slow cooker turkey.
Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast by RecipeTinEats
The Gravy
Is there anything more stressful than waiting for your turkey to finish roasting and trying to scrape up enough drippings to skim the piping hot fat off of and make gravy while 20 hungry people are waiting for dinner? I don’t think so. Enter this make-ahead gravy from the Food Charlatan. Make it a few days in advance, freeze it, and just heat it up for your guests. Don’t worry, it’s totally from scratch and delicious and uses real meat drippings too so it will be equally as delicious as anything you make the day of.
Make-Ahead Gravy from the Food Charlatan
The Potatoes
These potatoes are based on the mashed potatoes I tasted in Amish Country, and they are seriously creamy decadent goodness. Don’t let your from-scratch thanksgiving menu be without them.
The Sweet Potatoes
Try going a little non-traditional with these savory mashed sweet potatoes instead of the sticky sweet marshmallow version. That way you can save up your sugar cravings for all that pie.
The Stuffing
This stuffing can be made entirely ahead and the fresh herbs make it taste like the grown-up version of stovetop. The people of pinterest love this recipe, and it’s been visited 22,000 times this year alone!
Foolproof make-ahead thanksgiving stuffing
The Rolls
Are you discovering a pattern here? I love things that can be made ahead, still taste delicious, and make my thanksgiving day stress free. These rolls are made entirely head and put in the oven on the day of just to get them nice and crisp. These are an artisan style roll that is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and tastes amazing with a healthy slab of butter.
The Greens
It may not be the most popular opinion, but no from-scratch thanksgiving menu is complete without at least a little something green and healthy. Green beans are the obvious choice, the recipe below is for my asparagus with pecans and shallots but for thanksgiving I swap out the asparagus with green beans.
Asparagus with pecans and shallots
The Cranberry Sauce
Oranges and Cranberries just make sense, and this orange-scented cranberry sauce will be the perfect addition to your from-scratch thanksgiving menu.
The Pie
Last but not least, the pie. Pumpkin pie is classic, and it’s the easiest pie to start out with if you are a pie novice. This recipe is ultra creamy and delicious and can be made in about 2 hours…which for pie is pretty quick!
This from-scratch thanksgiving menu is tried and true and totally do-able. Your guests will be so impressed you made it all from scratch and served it all on time. Hope you have an amazing thanksgiving holiday!
