Ultimate Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up (2024)

FAQs

What is the key ingredient to a perfect Thanksgiving day dinner? ›

I think if we're all honest, we know that Thanksgiving is mostly about the starches. Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, fresh-baked rolls – these are the true heroes of the meal, and there will be a lot of them on the table, which is totally fine.

Many Thanksgiving staples can be made entirely ahead of time and reheated before mealtime – think Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, and Apple Pie. Others can get most of the way there with minimal cooking the day of.

If you don't plan on stuffing the bird, but preparing the dressing as a side dish, you can prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time as long as you freeze the stuffing immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients. USDA recommends that you never refrigerate uncooked stuffing.

You haven't said whether you are going to cook the stuffing inside the bird or out, but it's fine to make almost any stuffing a few hours before you'll need it. The important thing is to keep it properly chilled so that bacteria won't have a chance to grow in it.

Make a family contribution

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and count your blessings. One way to show gratitude is by helping others. Pool your money together for an annual contribution to a cause of your choice or simply ask dinner guests to come with canned goods and donate them to a local shelter.

How many dishes should I serve with the turkey? For 4 people, choose 1-2 appetizers and 3 sides. For 8 people, choose 1-3 appetizers and 3 sides. For 16 people, choose 2-3 appetizers and 3 or more sides.

When should I make mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving? ›

Make-ahead mashed potatoes are a great option for the holidays. You can do nearly everything — boil, peel, and mash; stir in milk and salt — up to two days ahead. Before serving, reheat.

A great make-ahead recipe: You can make this Thanksgiving side dish up to a day in advance, and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. The leftovers are good for up to 4 days so you can enjoy leftover cornbread dressing with your turkey leftovers the next day.

No matter where you fall, getting a head start on what can be prepared before the big day is essential. One question that always crops up: Can you make stuffing ahead of time? The short answer to whether you can making stuffing ahead of time is yes.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are the glue that keeps all the rest of Thanksgiving foods together, an essential element that must be on the dinner table. If, for some reason, you had to remove or replace a dish on your classic holiday menu, chances are mashed potatoes would be the one untouchable side.

There's no doubt that a big, roasted Thanksgiving turkey is the centerpiece of any holiday dinner. But that doesn't mean there isn't room at the table for other main courses, too.

America's different regions can favor different local cuisines, and Thanksgiving dinner provides no exception. While turkey is the top selection in every region, side-dish challenger mashed potatoes are tied for first place in the Midwest (both winning 85% of matchups) and West (both winning 79%).

I watched Mayor Mori's ingredients video and the ingredients are manila clams, all colors of pumpkins, scallops, oysters, sea bass, barred knifejaw, mushrooms, dungeoness crab, and depending on your hemisphere you will need sea urchin, red snapper, squid, olive flounder, and dab.