Making Thanksgiving Dinner the Easy Way!
This year, I’m committed to making Thanksgiving dinner the easy way! I’m preparing as much as possible the day before the holiday and limiting how much time I spend cooking on Thanksgiving. What’s a holiday if you can’t spend time with your friends and family? Join me and commit to making Thanksgiving dinner easy this year!
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Do You Need a Relaxing Holiday Too?
I’m thinking back over past holidays and remembering how little time I got to enjoy spending with everyone. I was in and out of the kitchen most of the day. Does that sound like your typical holiday too?
So let’s change it this year! What if I told you that you could make Thanksgiving dinner much easier?
I did some searching online to help me figure out what I’d do. One of my searches was Thanksgiving what can I make ahead? Another one was making Thanksgiving dinner easy. I’m not the only person thinking this way, it seems!
The goal is to figure out what can be done to make Thanksgiving dinner easier for you to prepare, so you can spend time with your friends and family!
The Turkey – Remember the Goal – Making Thanksgiving Dinner Easy!
The part of holiday cooking that I dread the most is cooking the turkey. It’s not just the cooking – it’s the thawing, cleaning, removing the neck & giblets, the brining, stuffing, and finally the roasting. Depending on the size of the turkey, thawing can take days if you do it the safest way which is in the refrigerator.
There’s a much easier way according to many articles I’ve read! Depending on how many people will be dining, do you need to cook a whole turkey? Here’s my first change: rather than a whole turkey this year, I’m making a turkey breast!
A Turkey Breast Makes Thanksgiving Dinner Easier? You Bet It Does!
I started by reading multiple recipes, and I’ve come to the conclusion (which I’ve tested) that the best and easiest way to cook a turkey breast is in an Instant Pot.
Here’s the secret – remember how I said I hated thawing the turkey for days? This recipe requires no advance thawing! You simply run warm water over the turkey breast just enough to get the gravy packets out. No advance thawing is required!
I made a 7-pound turkey breast in my Instant Pot, and I can tell you, it came out moist and tender! The trick that’s suggested in the recipe is to brown the turkey skin by placing the cooked turkey breast into the oven for a short time. But I skipped this step, not wanting to risk drying out the meat.
My plans for Thanksgiving dinner this year – I’ll make two turkey breasts, and that will be more than enough for everyone. Including prep time, cook time, and natural release time, each turkey breast will take 80 minutes from start to finish! And remember what I said – that’s from a frozen turkey breast! Here’s my Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe that includes the recipe for making the gravy.
What Sized Instant Pot is Needed?
I used an 8-quart Instant Pot to cook my 7-pound turkey breast. It’s easy to make, and it fits perfectly in the 8-quart Instant Pot! I have the Instant Pot Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer and Electric Pressure Cooker Combo with Multicooker Lids, which I love – it lets you saute, pressure cook, slow cook, steam, dehydrate, roast, bake, air fry, and do so much more. It includes two different lids you’ll use based on the type of cooking you’re doing – one for air frying and the other for just about everything else.
Now, Let’s Talk About the Side Dishes! Remember the Question I Asked: What Can I Make Ahead for Thanksgiving?
I love the Internet for searching for information. Chances are, if you’re wondering about a question, others have already considered it! I wanted to try to figure out if I might be able to make my side dishes ahead of time. I found recipes suggested by others, and it seemed that many people liked the idea of cooking as much as possible the day before the holiday. That’s perfect, then! I returned to my go-to side dish recipes for the holidays and figured out how to make them in advance, refrigerating them overnight and heating them on Thanksgiving Day before we dine.
Stuffing / Dressing – Yes, You Can Make It Ahead of Time!
One of our holiday recipes is stuffing. I’ve been told that unless it goes inside the turkey, it’s dressing and not stuffing. Did you know that? I had no idea! Whatever you call your dish, I call it delicious! Our recipe is pretty easy to make – cubing the bread is the most involved part of the prep work. Our recipe includes butter, onions, celery, apples, milk, eggs, and Bell Seasoning along with the bread – that’s it! Oops, not really – I spray the disposable foil pan I’ll use down with Pam Original Cooking Spray so it won’t stick. Here’s our recipe for Thanksgiving Stuffing – oops, Dressing!
I’m Making Thanksgiving Dinner Easy with a Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole!
At our house, a holiday isn’t a holiday without Sweet Potato Casserole! It combines diced sweet potatoes with maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger butter, and olive oil. I’m imagining the intoxicating smell just typing that! Along with the stuffing, I make our Sweet Potato Casserole the night before the holiday. Then, on Thanksgiving, I pop it into the oven or microwave to heat it back up.
I Forgot to Tell You About the Appetizer Bar!
Knowing that I’m trying to keep things simple, I plan to set up an appetizer bar that will include Charcuterie Boards with cheeses, meats, deviled eggs, vegetables, and traditional items like olives and fruits. I’ll get these ready the day before, and they’ll be in the refrigerator and ready to serve as soon as guests arrive. We’ll be having dips and crackers along with our appetizers. From there, we’ll move on to the next part of our appetizer bar, a Create Your Own Salad Bar, followed by a Soup Bar.
I’ll Set Up a “Create Your Own Salad” Bar That Includes My Sweet & Creamy Coleslaw!
Remembering that my goal is to make Thanksgiving dinner easy, one of the things I’ll do on the holiday is set up a “Create Your Own Salad” Bar that will include items that our guests have offered to bring. I plan to make our Sweet and Creamy Coleslaw the day before the holiday. It only takes about 15 minutes to make, and it’s always a hit after fully chilling.
The Serve Your Own Soup Bar Features Two or Three of Our Favorite Soups!
I’m still focusing on foods that I can make ahead to make Thanksgiving Day as easy as possible. Our guests are bringing several soups, but there have been requests for one that we always make: Maryland Crab Soup. After living in the Northeast, this has become one of our all-time favorites! Maryland Crab Soup is rich in flavors and consists of a savory blend of spices, including Old Bay Seasoning and Creole Seasoning, plus lump crab meat, Sherry, and vegetables. I’ll make this the day before Thanksgiving, too. The flavors intensify the day after the soup is made.
Last But Not Least – The Desserts! You Can’t Make Thanksgiving Dinner Without Desserts!
I have the best holiday dessert to share with you! I’m sure you’re familiar with bread pudding. But have you had Bread Pudding with a Brandy Sauce? If you haven’t, you’ll never want anything else! This dessert came from a restaurant in Ocean City, NJ, near where we used to live. The owner retired and published a cookbook containing all her fabulous recipes!
Are You Committed to Making Thanksgiving Dinner Easy This Year Too?
I’m not spending most of the day in the kitchen this Thanksgiving holiday! The only two items I’ll be fully cooking on Thanksgiving Day are the turkey breasts and the bread pudding. Everything else I’ll be making the day before: the stuffing, sweet potato casserole, cole slaw, the charcuterie boards, and the soup.
If you work at it, you can plan out a menu that won’t have you laboring all day long in the kitchen. The holiday is all about spending time with friends and family, so do it!
