An Easy Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner

I love Thanksgiving and hosting Thanksgiving dinner, but I do find the whole thing to be a bit overwhelming. The pressure of cooking the turkey perfectly and ensuring everything comes together at the right time can be quite stressful. So, Laurie and I decided to create a make-ahead Thanksgiving dinner menu that ensures a stress-free Thanksgiving for both the guests and the hosts – here’s how we did it!

Whenever I think about Thanksgiving, memories come flooding back of my mom waking up early on Thanksgiving morning to start preparing all of the dishes for the feast to come in the afternoon. She would spend the entire day in the kitchen, and then a good part of the evening cleaning up the mess created from her day of cooking. It was always delicious, but it also seemed to me like a lot of effort for a dinner that took us about 20 minutes to consume from start to finish!

Still, Laurie and I have continued the tradition by hosting numerous Thanksgiving dinners over the years for family and friends. We love everything about the day – the meaningless and boring NFL football games that no one is watching but that are always on in the background for some reason; the constant snacking throughout the day even though we all know a feast is about to be served; laughter and conversation with family and friends we haven’t seen in months or even years; and just being lazy and napping on and off all day. Oh, and of course, spending hours and hours in the kitchen preparing the turkey, stuffing, potatoes (both mashed and sweet potatoes – one kind simply won’t do!), cranberry sauce, vegetable sides, gravy, and multiple deserts as well.

A couple of years ago I started thinking about ways to streamline the time to make Thanksgiving dinner preparation more enjoyable and less time-consuming and stressful. Over the years, Laurie and I created a menu that focuses on dishes that can all be made ahead of time, with the only thing left to do on the big day being to cook and heat them up! This “make-ahead” menu includes an incredibly easy and quick-cooking turkey breast instead of the entire bird; cheesy mashed potato casserole; bread and sausage stuffing; green beans with pancetta and shallots; and homemade gravy of course.

Everything can be prepared a day or two before the big day, with the exception of the gravy which requires the turkey pan drippings in order to make it right. All that’s left for Thanksgiving Day is to cook the bird, heat up the sides, and make the gravy while the turkey is resting. It’s that easy!

Our make-ahead Thanksgiving dinner starts with the turkey. This recipe calls for a bone-in turkey breast. In addition to cooking a lot quicker than a traditional full turkey, it takes up a lot less space in the refrigerator and is much easier to carve as well. And you won’t even miss the dark meat! Here’s my recipe for a quick herb-roasted turkey breast and homemade gravy!

Quick and Easy Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast and Gravy (Serves 6-8)

Bone-in turkey breasts are easy to find year-round in the supermarket. Look for fresh turkeys that are 6-8 pounds and avoid ones that are labeled “self-basting” or “pre-basted” – they are loaded with salt, and you pay for all that extra water weight. Use any pre-made store-bought dry herb mixture or create your own! A quick dry salt brine the day before ensures a moist and juicy bird and a nice, crisp and brown skin.

Ingredients

6-8 lb. bone-in fresh (or frozen if you can’t find fresh) turkey breast

2 tbsp. kosher salt

3 tbsp. store-bought turkey herb seasoning (we like Spiceology Turkey Rub which you can find on-line)

8 tbsp. salted butter

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

5 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp. corn starch

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Plan ahead if you buy a frozen turkey breast. It will take about 2 days to completely thaw a 6-8 lb. frozen turkey breast in the refrigerator. Once thawed, you can proceed with the recipe below.

First, brine the turkey. Remove turkey breast from packaging and dry off completely with paper towels. Place on a rack in a medium roasting pan. Carefully separate the skin from the meat with your finger on both sides of the breast, taking care not to tear the skin and ensuring it stays attached to the breastbone. Spread the salt on the meat underneath the skin with your fingers and also in the cavity. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees and place rack in lower third of oven. Drain roasting pan of any juices from the turkey and clean the pan. Return turkey to the rack in the roasting pan. Place pats of the butter underneath the skin on the turkey breast meat. Coat the turkey with the vegetable oil and then rub the turkey herb seasoning over the skin of the turkey and in the cavity. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan and place pan and turkey breast in the oven. Roast for about 2 ¼ - 2 ¾ hours, or until a thermometer placed into the breast reads 155 degrees. Check the turkey periodically to ensure the skin isn’t getting too brown – cover loosely with foil if it is.

Remove turkey from the oven, place on a cutting board, and cover loosely with foil to rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy.

Place the roasting pan with the turkey juices and stock on a burner over medium-high heat. Add the remaining three cups chicken stock and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with 1 tbsp. of water until smooth – then stir into the boiling stock to combine. Continue to stir until gravy starts to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain into a small saucepan and keep warm until ready to serve.

Next week I’ll share our recipes for three make-ahead sides that will wow your friends and family!