Thanksgiving Menus for Beginners to Experts

Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving Photos. — Photo: Allrecipes

Whether this is your first time preparing Thanksgiving dinner or your 15th, we've got a menu just for you.

Game Plan for Easy Menu

The trickiest part of preparing a holiday meal is the timing. The key is to make as many items ahead of time as you can, and reheat them on Thanksgiving Day.

1 to 2 Weeks Ahead:

Make a shopping list; beat the holiday rush.
Make and freeze Yummy Yam Casserole (omit topping).

2 Days Before Thanksgiving:

Place turkey in refrigerator to thaw (birds larger than 12 lbs. will require 3 days to thaw).
Make cranberry sauce.
Bake pecan bars. Cool completely; slice bars. Store tightly covered with plastic wrap in a cool, dry place.

1 Day Before:

Toast almonds for green beans in ungreased skillet over med. heat until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl or lidded container. Cook bacon for green beans, if using; crumble and mix with toasted almonds and refrigerate.
Make mashed potatoes; store in the refrigerator.
Make stuffing; store in the refrigerator.
Prepare Pumpkin Cream Pie.
Set the dining room table. Include serving dishes for gravy, dinner rolls, butter, and green beans, plus serving utensils.

The Night Before:

Place Yam Casserole in the fridge to thaw.
Prepare Easy Turkey Gravy; store jar or container in fridge.

Thanksgiving Morning:

Remove an oven rack, if necessary. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roast turkey as directed. Remove from oven and let stand for 30 minutes before carving.
Add pecan topping to yam casserole.

1 hour before dinner:

Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Replace oven rack. Bake the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, and the yam casserole.

30 minutes before dinner:

Wrap dinner rolls in foil. Place in oven to heat.
Warm gravy in saucepan over medium-low heat.
Melt butter for green beans in a large skillet over medium heat.
Cook beans until tender. Stir in almonds and crumbled bacon and cook until heated through.

Last Minute Finishing Touches:

Transfer gravy, rolls and green beans into serving bowls.
Carve the turkey and arrange meat on a warmed platter.

Game Plan for Advanced Menu

1 to 2 Weeks Before:

Make a shopping list; beat the holiday rush.
Make dinner rolls; proof for twenty minutes, then freeze. When firm, transfer rolls to plastic freezer bag.
Make pastry for pecan pie (use recipe of your choice). Chill dough, then roll out and line a nine-inch pie shell. Freeze until firm. Wrap frozen dough and pan with plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

3 Days Before:

Thaw turkey in refrigerator.
Prepare and bake cheesecake crust; cool and wrap with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place.

2 Days Before:

Make chutney.
Cube bread for stuffing: use a mix of multigrain, rye, and country white bread for Old-Fashioned Stuffing, or make pumpkin bread for Ibby's Pumpkin-Mushroom Stuffing.
Bake pie shell (see Perfect Pie Crusts for instructions on blind baking). Cool and wrap with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place.

1 Day Before:

Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavity.
Brine turkey.
Make stock out of turkey neck and giblets (do not use the liver for making stock, as it can make broth bitter), celery, onion, carrot, and aromatics.
Bake cheesecake.
Bake pecan pie.
Prep veggies for roasting.
Toast pine nuts and cook bacon for Brussels Sprouts; store in refrigerator.
Make stuffing.

The Night Before:

If you have room in the fridge, arrange frozen dinner rolls on sheet pan and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. (Otherwise, thaw at room temperature on Thanksgiving morning.)
Set the dining room table. Include serving dishes for gravy, dinner rolls, butter, and side dishes, plus serving utensils.

Thanksgiving Morning: