Novice Thanksgiving: Small Batch and Easy
Novice Thanksgiving gives you the excuse, not that you need one, to not do everything by the book. It means cutting down the Thanksgiving invitation list to the bare minimum. This might be the first time you’ve made Thanksgiving Dinner, the first time making it by yourself, or the first time you’ve made it in a long time.
I’m here to tell you: YOU CAN DO IT!
Good News: Thanksgiving Dinner is one of the easiest dinners to make, bar none. And since Thanksgiving is a national holiday, you’ll likely have the whole day off to prep and cook. The keys?
Planning, Hacks, and Butter.
Check out our post How To: Thanksgiving 101 for a full on, classic Thanksgiving Dinner. We’ve had up to 30 people celebrating together with tables set up throughout the house, and Thanksgiving 101 walks through the entire thing from planning to dessert. It’s fairly expansive, and not the best starting point. (Or for the faint of heart.)
This post is to make your Novice Thanksgiving effortless and uncomplicated. It’s a great jumping off spot for the best meal of the year. Let’s get started!
And butter? It’s kind of the golden rule for Thanksgiving around here. Start buying now. It’ll keep.
Most important thing? Chill. Out. It’s just dinner.
Start out with the menu. Below is one with the essentials on it. Do you have to make everything? Of course not. Can you add favorites? Absolutely – and that is a fabulous idea. We’ve even left space on the menu for you to fill them in.
NOVICE THANKSGIVING MENU
Turkey
Probably the most important item on the menu, turkey is a necessity. But it does NOT have to be a whole turkey, especially if your crowd isn’t huge. Sam’s Club/Costco has a pre-cooked turkey breast that just needs to be warmed. A turkey breast cooks faster and is easier to handle. One of your family members is a leg man? Cook a turkey leg or two. If you’re looking for the full Thanksgiving experience (and you want leftovers), roasting a whole turkey is pretty easy. This article from The Kitchn is an excellent resource:
How to Cook a Turkey: The Simplest, Easiest Method.
One of the most important things about cooking a whole turkey is making sure you leave enough time for it to thaw, if you’re using a frozen one. Depending on the size, put it in your fridge a day before the recipes say you should, so it has plenty of time to thaw. For a big bird (20 plus pounds) I put it in the refrigerator (on a tray) on the FRIDAY before Thanksgiving.
Cooking a breast instead? Good idea. The white meat is what we all prefer, so I’d roast a turkey breast the day before Thanksgiving, back in the day (sigh) when we had a lot of people over for dinner. The best recipe for roasting a turkey breast is from Dinner then Dessert. Bonus: it cooks much faster than a whole turkey.
Roasted Turkey Breast
Some hints about the turkey
- There is a little brown bag inside of a whole turkey with “giblets” in it. Get rid of it, without looking inside. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. But do remove it from the turkey before you cook it. (Don’t stress if you forget – it’s not going to make anyone sick.)
- Buy TWO foil roaster pans to cook the turkey in, and use them doubled up. Put them in the oven on a sheet pan for stability. (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for details.)
- A meat thermometer is a must. Ignore the pop-up button. It lies.
- Cutting the turkey is much easier if you actually let it sit like the recipes say.
- I’ve never tried it, but I’ve seen good reviews: Jennie-O makes an Oven Ready Turkey. Straight from the freezer to the oven, in a baking bag so you don’t even need to touch it.
- Stuffing is a SIDE dish. Don’t cook it in the bird. It presents all sorts of other problems and concerns when you cook it inside there.
- Still worried about cooking the bird? Check out your local meat market or grocery store. Lots of them sell pre-cooked turkeys. You need to order most of them well in advance, though, so get on that.
Mashed Potatoes
Second in level of importance are the spuds. Because the oven is on for the roasting, cook the potatoes on the bottom rack while the turkey cooks. You don’t have to peel them, and they’re pretty much ready when you are. Bonus? You can smear the cooked, empty skins with butter for a snack.
Mashed Spuds
Some hints about the Potatoes
- Butter, butter, butter. It’s a holiday, people. If there was ever a time to indulge, this is it.
- Use russet potatoes.
- Use half and half, cream or buttermilk for your liquid.
- If you have one, use a handheld mixer and skip the potato masher.
- If you want to make these even easier, check out the freezer section at the grocery store for pre-made mashed potatoes.
- Boxed potatoes aren’t the best, but they are also better with plenty of butter.
- Keep the ready to eat mashed potatoes in a microwave safe bowl so you can nuke them if they get cold before everything else is ready. Put a moist paper towel over them while re-warming.
Gravy
On the How-To Thanksgiving post we outline how to make gravy in advance. The Novice Thanksgiving dinner is probably not the best time to get your gravy game on point. One suggestion is to use Turkey Gravy Packets. If your family is like ours, you’re going to need more than one packet, since most make about a cup of gravy. Single serve in my book. Find the packets with all the powdered gravy and soup mixes.
Prepare the gravy as the label says, but only use about 3/4 of the liquid called for. When your turkey is done, add the additional 1/4 of the liquid from the juice and drippings from the pan. Mix well. For a little additional decadence, add some heavy cream or (you guessed it) butter. Keep warm on the stove while the turkey sits.
Another option is to dress up jarred or canned gravy. How?
- Add a (healthy) splash of bourbon, cognac, brandy, or even a bit of white wine.
- Add some butter when it’s warming up.
- Some fresh herbs are great, but even a sprinkle or two of dried thyme adds a nice touch.
- Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
- Add a pinch of chicken soup base if it’s too bland. Go easy – this stuff is filled with salt
- Add some heavy cream at the very end.
- Saute some grated onions and/or garlic and stir in.
Stuffing
We’re using a little pre-made hack for the stuffing too: buy a box or two of turkey stuffing – it’s probably in the same aisle as the gravy packets. Make it according to the package directions, but double the butter, add some nuts (coarsely chopped walnuts are my go-to) and some cooked sausage. Put into a foil pan and cover with foil. Pop this into the oven after you take the turkey out to keep the stuffing warm. Warm it without the foil to crisp up the top.
Green Bean Casserole
Is there anything more “Thanksgiving” than Green Bean Casserole? This one is from Bubba Pie, and it is the classic Campbell Soup Recipe. My only note on this recipe is that it always takes longer to cook for me. So plan for about 45 minutes cooking time.
Other Side Dish Options
Add these on to your menu, or not, depending on what you like. You can buy a can of cranberry sauce, or…
Whole Orange Ginger Cranberries Make this days in advance and keep in fridge. One of my all time favorite recipes.
Buy a can of corn, or make… Corn Casserole
Twice Baked Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole (Check out the freezer section for these!)
Crescent Rolls or Heat and Serve Rolls (Plus butter. Plenty of butter.)
Cheese Stuffed Garlic Rolls (use a mellow cheese… these make a good appetizer too)
Jello Salad (Just kidding. This was a huge favorite of my Mom’s, though.)
Main Course Bookends
Are these must haves? Nope. Just options if you want to ramp up your dinner a little bit, and if you have the time.
Drinks
Beer and Wine are perfect accompaniments for Thanksgiving Dinner. If you want to add on a little bit of fun in a glass, pour an ounce or so of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky over ice and top the glass with apple cider. Or pre-make a pour-your-own pitcher of Cranberry Margaritas and leave in the fridge.
Appetizers
It’s always a good idea to have a little something to nosh on before the main course. It keeps “hangry-ness” at bay and, as long as you leave it in front of the football game, it’ll keep people out of your way in the kitchen. The key is simplicity and/or being premade, or store bought.
Mixed Nuts
Cheese Plate
Million Dollar Dip (Five Minutes!) (We always have this one; Bert makes it look like a turkey with pretzel sticks fanned around the fanny, and a meatstick for the neck and head.)
Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Dip
Maple Walnut Topped Baked Brie
Dessert
This is a doozy. Some would say the single most important part of Thanksgiving Dinner. But no pressure. If you are going to make a pie or two, or a fabulous pumpkin cheesecake, make them at least a day in advance. Wednesday is for baking around here. Don’t want the hassle? Buy them. There is simply no way I can make a pumpkin pie as cheaply, or as well, as Sam’s Club. So we buy it. Same thing with Pecan Pie. (When did the price of pecans get so out of control?)
Or, you can do a little bit of both. Buy a premade pie shell and fill it with your favorite treat. Buy a cheesecake (like the one on our menu) and make the toppings. Easy-peasy. Don’t forget the accompaniments: Cool Whip and vanilla ice cream go a looong way to making any dessert Thanksgiving-worthy.
Super Simple Turtle Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake (best ever, with gingersnap crust)
Serving
Thanksgiving Dinner is NOT the time to eat in front of the TV. (Unless you want to.) I do like to serve buffet style because that way I don’t dirty all the serving dishes too. Remember, though, if you cook, someone else cleans, so you can go for it.
There are a lot of really good looking paper and plastic plates. Now is the time to splurge a little bit and use them. I stock up on foil containers too – that way we can toss everything that we’re not putting into the fridge. (Don’t forget garbage bags!)
Tablescape
I love setting the table. There, I said it. It’s so easy to do and you can make it elegant or homestyle. At Thanksgiving I like to use white plates and create color around them with napkins, tablecloth and a pretty centerpiece. Don’t forget the silverware!
Keep it simple. I like to use a LOT of one thing to make a statement. I love candles for this – the more the merrier. Tapers, pillars and tea lights mix and match for a super pretty table. Use white – that way you can use them again next big holiday. (Christmas is coming right up!)
The centerpiece can be flowers, or it can be something orange (like pumpkins or oranges) in a bowl. If you still have colorful leaves where you live, scatter those on the table. No tablecloth? Use craft paper over some newspaper sheets – they’ll protect the table.
Novice Thanksgiving Meal Hacks & Notes
- Plan ahead. Like actually write it down.
- Print out the menu.
- Go through each recipe (even if it’s in your mind) and write down every ingredient you need. Shop in advance if possible – avoid crowds. Start buying the pantry items that you know you’ll need now – the stuffing, nuts, gravy. Keep these together somewhere so you can find them on the big day.
- Clean out your fridge. You’ll need space.
- Use a pen and paper to work backwards from meal time. Deduct the length of time each food will take and deduct the total from dinner time. If you want to eat at 5 pm, and you’re serving a 12 pound turkey (cooking 13 minutes per pound, plus 20 minutes resting) you need to get it in the oven by 2:00. You’ll need to put the Green Bean Casserole in around 4:10. You get the idea.
- Plan your sides around oven space. Make sure what you want to cook will all fit in. Don’t forget that lots of food cooks in the microwave or on the stove top.
- Don’t plan an appetizer that needs to use the broiler or oven. You’ll have to empty the oven to cook it.
- Set the table early, preferably the day before.
- Use disposable foil pans to cook in. It makes clean up easy and you can get the right size for your recipe.
- Make sure you have enough foil for leftovers and to pack up food for people to take home.
- Think about using your slow cooker to keep food warm.
Happy Novice Thanksgiving~
Remember: next year this will be old hat. Give Thanks.
