Wahooooo!! It's here. The complete guide to cooking Thanksgiving dinner in three hours. Like a boss.
The idea for creating this guide came when I was thinking about what Thanksgiving was going to look like in 2020. For many people, it means much smaller gatherings, most likely just with your immediate family. This also means more people might be cooking the entire dinner or not have as much help as if it were a potluck style Thanksgiving dinner.
The goal for this guide is to provide you with a tried-and-true Thanksgiving menu that will take you three hours to prepare. Granted, everyone has their own pace in the kitchen, so this is an estimate. However, I made this entire meal in three hours while also filming the videos so I think it is a very reasonable estimate! Also - everyone should be helping out in the kitchen on Thanksgiving day, so one person shouldn't have to do this alone. Gather the troops to help you chop...or at least make them help clean up!
This Thanksgiving guide will also give you tips on things you can do to prep ahead, as well as videos for each recipe to show you exactly how to make them.
As expected from the name, this video series and blog post is a guide for cooking a from-scratch Thanksgiving dinner in three hours. These recipes are all tried and true recipes that I've been making for years, and through this post, the print out guide, and the videos, you'll get all of my tips on how to make them.
In anticipation of people having smaller gatherings for Thanksgiving this year, the menu includes a turkey breast recipe, as opposed to a whole turkey, and will serve 4-6 people with the sides. You can still make a whole turkey following my Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey recipe, and have the meal done in around 3 hours. I would recommend, if you go this route, to make the pie the day ahead of time. This is because the pie bakes in a 300 degree oven, the rest of the dishes need a 350 degree oven, and the turkey takes 2 ½ hours to roast.
Below are the recipes that I cooked for my Three Hour Thanksgiving series, along with videos I created. The videos are to be used as an overview on how to cook them - not every step is detailed. In addition, I have provided alternate recipes below each video that you can make if you don't prefer the one I have suggested. You do you!
What to make if you don't want Garlic Herb Mayonnaise Turkey Breast:
Instant Pot Maple Mustard Turkey Breast
What to make if you don't like Sausage Stuffing:
Instant Pot Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Bacon and Butternut Squash Cornbread Stuffing
What to make if you don't like green bean casserole:
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Candied Walnuts
What to make if you don't like Sweet Potato Casserole:
Crunchy Honey Butternut Squash Casserole
Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole
Brussels Sprout and Butternut Squash Gratin
What to make if you don't like brussels sprout salad:
Southwestern Butternut Squash Salad
Autumn Butternut Squash Panzanella Salad
Kale Pomegranate Salad from My Every Day Table
What to make if you don't like Chocolate Pecan Pie:
Of course, planning a meal like Thanksgiving takes a lot of planning ahead of time...it doesn't just magically happen in three hours! You can click HERE to download my checklist for how to plan ahead (starting today!) and also HERE for my day-of plan so you know exactly what to do throughout the day.
Two Weeks Before:
One Week Before
Three Days Before:
Day Before:
Click HERE to download your timeline for Thanksgiving Day
White Baking Dishes // Table Runner // Thanksgiving Garland // Wine Glasses // Cloth Napkins // Meat Thermometer // Salad Serving Bowl // Leftovers Containers
These are affiliate links - they simply help me earn money when you shop the products I recommend. Thank you!