The Ultimate Thanksgiving Menu & Guide
Rockin Meals 2021 Thanksgiving Menu + Guide
The big day and the best holiday ever is less than 2 weeks away and if you’re panicking, don’t worry I’ve got you covered! Below you’ll find my 2021 Thanksgiving menu and guide with some old tried and true recipes and some fun new ones too! We’ve got everything from easy appetizers, drool worthy sides, and festive cocktails. I have also included a prep schedule with tips and tricks on what you can prep in advance and how to structure your week leading up to the big day. I hope you find this useful, and more importantly, enjoy the fruits of your labor with some insanely delicious food!!
Rockin Meals 2021 Thanksgiving Menu
Appetizers
I love the fall flavors in these appetizers. They’re both easy to make ahead, meaning one less thing to do day of!
Cranberry Brie Puff Pastry Bites
Cocktails
Sangria is always a go to for hosting dinner parties because it gets better as it sits, making it perfect to make ahead!
I don’t like to pick favorites, but this may be my favorite holiday cocktail yet..
Mains
Aside from an insanely moist turkey recipe, I like to have a vegetarian main for our vegetarian guests, and the Pumpkin Stuffed Shells are the perfect addition to the menu!
No dry turkey here, and SO flavorful
Sides
The best part of the show in my humble opinion. And best part? All of these can be made ahead and then baked off just before serving, perfect for a stress free turkey day!
I make this every year, it is a STUNNER
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
There’s good mashed potatoes, and there’s really f*ing great mashed potatoes. These are the latter - you will become obsessed!
A new addition to this years menu thanks to my GBC loving friends, and quickly becoming a favorite!
This is my grandma’s recipe and truly perfect, it’s the recipe that turned me into a stuffing lover!
Once you realize how easy it is to make your own cranberry sauce, you’ll never go back!
Dessert
Nobody wants to be rushing to put a pie into the oven as everyone is sitting down to eat - both of these can and should be made the day before!
Needs a few hours to set in the fridge, so perfect to make ahead! Also dairy free and the perfect balance to a heavy meal
No matter how much everyone eats, these ALWAYS fly off the table
Often the biggest challenge to Thanksgiving isn’t the cooking itself, but properly planning everything out so everything is ready and warm at the same time. In my family, we really try and focus on prepping as much as we can in advance. Thanksgiving should be about enjoying time with family, not stressing over making 10 dishes in 5 hours. I hope this will give you a guide on how to prep your week leading up to the big day, causing less stress and resulting in more time to enjoy with those you love!
You can find a downloadable PDF of the checklist below here —> Thanksgiving Prep Checklist
Thanksgiving week prep
Sunday
Clean out your fridge
Organize your menu and make your grocery list
Delegate roles - delegate specific dishes to those who like to cook, and for the ones who don’t, designate setting the table, making the crescent rolls, or easy dishes like cranberry sauce. Delegating makes it fun and takes the stress off one person!
Grocery shop
Put your frozen turkey in the fridge to start thawing out
Make a good Thanksgiving playlist that you can vibe to while you’re cooking and while guests arrive or delegate this to one of your guests!
Monday
Make the cranberry sauce, refrigerate until Thursday
Make the compound butter for the turkey, refrigerate until Thursday
Cut the sourdough bread into cubes for the stuffing. Leave out on the counter overnight to harden or bake in a 200 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until dry.
Tuesday
Roast your sweet potatoes for the sweet potato casserole
Roast the garlic for the mashed potatoes
Chop the veggies for the stuffing and keep in a plastic bag
Make the base of the whipped goat cheese dip. Refrigerate until Thursday.
Place turkey in buttermilk brine. If it’s still a little frozen, leave it in cold water for a few hours to defrost before adding to the marinade.
Wednesday
Make the chocolate tart and pumpkin cheesecake bars - refrigerate until Thursday
Make the make ahead gravy
Shred the cheeses for the mac n cheese
Prepare the sangria, let it sit in the fridge overnight (can also do this morning of Thanksgiving when you have taken the turkey out if you need extra fridge space)
Prepare the apple cider mules, but keep the ginger beer separate until just before serving
Prepare stuffing up until baking, cover and refrigerate until serving
Thanksgiving Day
In the Morning (8ish):
Remove the compound butter from the fridge 1-2 hours in advance to bring to room temperature
Prep the mac n cheese but don’t bake yet
Prep the Green Bean Casserole but don’t bake yet
Make the sweet potato casserole and bake
Remove the turkey from the fridge 3 hours before cooking and follow the rest of the steps
Bake the cranberry puff pastry bites
Set the table
Early Afternoon
Assemble the salad, but keep the dressing separate. Cover with a paper towel, and keep in the fridge and toss just before serving
1-2 hours before turkey comes out, make your mashed potatoes. Transfer to a slow cooker on the keep warm setting. Add 2 tbsps of butter and 1/4 cup cream to the top of the potatoes but don’t stir until just before serving.
Make the topping for the whipped goat cheese dip, keep the dip and topping separate until just before serving.
Before Feasting
Reheat the cranberry puff pastry bites when guests arrive.
Before the turkey comes out, heat the gravy on the stove on low.
Once the turkey comes out, tent with foil and rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Use the “turkey resting” time to bake the mac n cheese, stuffing, and green bean casserole. Tent the sweet potato casserole with foil and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
Finish making the gravy with the drippings from the roasting pan. Whisk in more flour as needed to reach your preferred thickness.
Sit, relax, and enjoy the benefits of your hard work!
