The Ultimate Thanksgiving Menu / Prep Schedule
The big day is in 1 week and we’re all almost prepared with an arsenal of recipes that will get rave reviews from everyone! So, let’s pull everything together for the most epic Thanksgiving Menu and then talk prep and making things ahead of time!
Appetizers:
Main Course:
Sides:
Desserts:
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue
I mean, is that not the most glorious Thanksgiving menus you’ve ever seen!! Gobble Gobble!
In terms of prepping ahead – here’s what my schedule looks like for the menu listed above! We’ll start eating around 4 so everything is timed out for me below…
Sunday:
- Clean out the fridge
- Stock up on beer and wine
- Make a grocery list
- Shop for all the ingredients
- If you buy a frozen turkey – make sure to put it in the fridge to start thawing out
- Reorganize fridge with all the ingredients
Monday:
- Make the cranberry sauce and refrigerate until Thursday
- Make the vinaigrette for the Fall Farmers Market Salad
- Prep carrots for the Charred Carrots with Herbs, wash, trim and clean and refrigerate.
Tuesday
- Make the basil mint topping for the Charred Carrots with Herbs / refrigerate until Thursday
- Cut the bread into cubes for the Wild Mushroom Stuffing – let sit on the counter overnight to harden.
Wednesday:
- Make the herb mixture for the Wild Mushroom Stuffing / refrigerate until tomorrow
- Prep ingredients for the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
- Prep ingredients for the Spicy Garlic Green Beans
- Make the Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes but don’t add the chives until tomorrow.
- Make the cheesecake portion of the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue from start to finish. Let cool entirely and the place in the fridge overnight.
- Make the the marshmallow meringue for the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue. Don’t top the cheesecake with the meringue yet, instead keep it in the fridge until Thursday. Place the meringue in the fridge, covered until Thursday.
- Crisp off the pancetta for the Peas and Pancetta
- Set the table
Thursday:
Early Morning / 8am-ish
- Arrange all the ingredients for the Fall Farmers Market Salad in a large salad bowl and cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge just before feasting time and drizzle the vinaigrette on before serving.
- Make the Mac and Cheese but don’t bake yet
- Top the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue with the marshmallow meringue topping and torch. Set aside until dessert
- Make the Apple Crisp but hold off on baking.
- Assemble the Thanksgiving Tapas Bar and cover with a towel. Leave at room temperature.
- Prep the Herb Roasted Turkey and start roasting
Before the Feast
- Finish making the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, Spicy Garlic Green Beans and the Charred Carrots with Herbs which can be topped with the basil mint mixture
- Combine the prepped bread and herb mixture for the Wild Mushroom Stuffing and finish following the recipe instructions.
- Reheat the Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes in a 350 degree oven until warm or in a slow cooker. Add the chives before serving.
- Bake off the Mac and Cheese
- Make the Peas and Pancetta.
- Carve the Herb Roasted Turkey, reserve the drippings for gravy and place on an over-proof platter – pop back into a 200 degree oven to keep warm before serving.
- Make the Homemade Gravy
- KICK BACK AND RELAX!
- Bake the Apple Crisp just as you’re sitting down to dinner – it will take about an hour so your house will smell like dessert by the time dinner is over.
Have any last minute questions?? Shout them out in the comments below and I’ll respond ASAP!
Photography by Matt Armendariz / Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipes by What’s Gaby Cooking
I am so excited you are making one of my recipes and I would love to see how it turns out. Make sure to share it on instagram and tag me @whatsgabycookin so I can see your masterpiece!
Is it possible to make the stuffing in advance and freeze it, or would you not recommend that? Looking to have less to do the day of. Would you suggest making it two days in advance and just leave in fridge and re heat on Thursday?
check out my prep schedule I’m posting in a few hours! That will solve all the timing issues 🙂
This is SO helpful! I have to mention though — NO PIE?! My family would go crazy 😉 I love your list and breakdown of when to prep for each dish. LOVE how helpful that is!
hi lovely,
when you say, “early morning” on thanksgiving, what time is that exactly?
L. xx
Let me clarify in the post for future reference!
I am thankful for you. Hope you and your family have a lovely holiday. xx
This is AMAZING! Thank you SO much for taking the time to put this together!
This looks like the most divine feast. Enjoy all the time with family and friends!
I”m in love with this timeline…it’s exactly what I was looking for – trying to figure out how in the heck I’m going to do everything and still go to work next week! Thank you!
I’ve got ya!
Do you brine Wednesday night?
yes!
This is so helpful and every single thOmg looks delicious! Is the recipe for the chive biscuits in the post? Thank you!
here you go! https://whatsgabycooking.com/parmesan-cheddar-chive-biscuits/
Hi Gaby! When prepping the apple crisp, am i supposed to put topping on already? How do you store it until ready to bake it off? Thanks! It all looks amazing!
depends how far ahead you’re prepping it. If it’s day of like my timetable suggests, you can chop the apples, make the topping and assemble everything. Pop it in the fridge and then bake it off while you sit down.
If you do the apples and the topping a day early, don’t assemble to right before you bake off
Thanks! I will do everything day of like you suggest. Can’t wait to try it! =)
Have you made the chive biscuits a day before? I am going to run out of oven space 😉
you totally can – just pop them in the microwave to re-heat before serving
Woman. All my respects. You are a machine!!
What are your go to cheeses that are mild and pleasing to most, especially if there are kids as well as adults.
port salut, gouda, fontina, brie!
If you cut the bread and leave it out overnight to harden for the mushroom stuffing, do you also need to bake it as the recipe instructs in step 1? Thank you!!
yes just to give it a little deeper flavor!
Hi Gaby! Any suggestions on the best way to carve the turkey? My husband isn’t the most patient carver and some meat gets wasted, which drives me crazy!
Alton Brown has a video on youtube I think – he’s a pro!!
Gaby-
I’ve dry brined my turkey. In looking at recipies, I don’t see that you wash any salt off before cooking it. Also, to get the crisp skin, do I not butter the outside and underneath the skin of the bird???
Thanks for your help love!
Hey Lisa! I dry brined mine for friendsgiving this year – yes, you want to brush off the dry brine! And then if you’re following my recipe you do the herb butter on the outside AND under the skin of the bird
This is the most amazing feast! Question about the cheesecake, do I have to make the meringe ahead? Or can I just do it all the same day and serve? Wondering if it needs to rest or chill before torching
same day! right before serving
OMG, The marscapone potatoes are MAGIC! It will be a miracle if they make it to the table!