This comprehensive list of everything we’re planning to serve for Thanksgiving dinner covers the gamut, from cocktails and appetizers to how we’re preparing and cooking the turkey, vegetables, side dishes and, of course, dessert! If you’re still struggling with your Thanksgiving menu, I hope you’ll find some inspiration below.
Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!
I have always absolutely adored the Thanksgiving holiday and am elated when it rolls around every year.
While planning a big meal can be daunting, I keep a spreadsheet with tabs for different years to keep track of how many people we host, what we eat, how much, if people liked it, how much was leftover, and notes for what to change for the following year. Yes, I am totally THAT PERSON, but it is a LIFESAVER when it comes to planning the meal!
And now, without further ado, is our menu for this year…
This year we are having 13 adults, in addition to our three kids and my cousin’s one-year-old, and this is what we’ll be feasting on…
Cocktails
- We always have an assortment of water, soft drinks, beer, and wine on hand.
- A number of years ago, I made this cranberry cider punch and everyone LOVED it. It’s a non-alcoholic drink, but some guests chose to spike it with their liquor of choice 😉
Appetizers
I like to keep pre-meal apps and snacks pretty light since Thanksgiving is such a huge and heavy meal. This year I am doing an assortment of three different appetizers:
The Turkey!
I have brined a turkey for the last 10 years, and plan to do so again this year. Up until five years ago, I had done traditional saltwater brines with sugar and aromatics, but three years ago, after seeing a recipe in the Wall Street Journal, I tried dry brining. It was easier and produced an incredibly juicy turkey, so it’s become my go-to method ever since. [Please note that the recipe link above appears to be behind a paywall, but if you Google “dry brine turkey recipe” you’ll find tons of similar recipes!]
We first deep-fried a turkey at least 10 years ago, and I don’t think we’ll ever look back. Everyone agreed that it was the best turkey, ever. We have the Butterball XL Indoor Turkey Fryer, which holds up to a 20-pound turkey (although we fried a 22-pound turkey a couple of years without any issues). The indoor fryer is safe, easy to use, and the turkey cooks extremely quickly. We love it!
(You can read how we do it here –> How to Deep-Fry a Turkey)
Alongside the turkey come its duo of accompaniments:
- Fresh Cranberry Sauce – I love this chutney/relish-style cranberry sauce and have been making it for years. I also add in a can of jellied cranberry sauce for those that prefer the nostalgia 😉
- Make-Ahead Gravy – This is my go-to gravy; since we deep fry the turkey, there are no pan drippings to make traditional gravy.
Side Dishes
I like to have a variety of side dishes, encompassing all of the necessary categories that people expect to see – stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, etc. The amount you choose to serve totally depends on the number of people you are having!
- Stuffing: This year I am going to do my husband’s favorite sausage and apple stuffing, and my aunt will also bring a traditional stuffing, too!
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes – I usually triple or quadruple batch this so there is enough for dinner plus extra to send home with the leftover turkey.
- My cousin is bringing a sweet potato dish this year; in the past, I’ve served up sweet potato gratin and pineapple-bourbon sweet potato casserole for something unexpected and different!
- Salad! I first made shaved Brussels sprouts salad with bacon and pecans a few years ago and am bringing it back this year.
- Another vegetable dish. My sister is handling this one, so it’s TBD, but in the past, we’ve enjoyed corn and mixed vegetable casserole, broccoli casserole, Brussels sprouts and bacon gratin, Brussels sprouts with pancetta, cranberries & pine nuts, and green bean casserole from scratch.
- Corn Casserole – Quite possibly everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish!
- Dinner Rolls – Some years I do them homemade, and some years we get them from the bakery. I haven’t decided which route I’m taking yet this year 🙂
(For more side dish ideas, check out 27 Thanksgiving Side Dishes That Are Better Than the Turkey)
Dessert
(For more dessert ideas, check out 29 Thanksgiving Desserts Worth Saving Room For)
I’d love to hear what you’re planning to make for Thanksgiving this year!
Are you hosting? Are you bringing a dish somewhere? Give me all of the yummy details!