Obviously Thanksgiving is our Super Bowl here on What's Gaby Cooking. Always has been, always will be. It's my favorite time of year to bring everyone together around a table and share a beautiful afternoon/evening of food and conversation. This year is no different. Below you will find an incredible Thanksgiving Menu spread of recipes that are award winning! I know many of you come back year after year for these recipes and I will forever be so appreciative of that. Having WGC recipes on your holiday table is the best feeling in the world. So, without further ado, let's pull everything together for the most epic Thanksgiving Menu and then talk prep and schedule!
Thanksgiving Menu and Prep Schedule at a Glance
- What’s included: A full menu: cheese board, turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, salad, stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, sides, and two dessert options (pumpkin cheesecake or bourbon pecan pie).
- Prep schedule: A 5-day timeline (Sunday through Thursday) with tasks like cleaning the fridge, making sauces ahead, prepping veggies, and on-day cooking steps.
- Perfect for: Hosting a full holiday dinner (whether family or friends), wanting stress-free planning, and aiming for delicious and memorable.
- Core promise: Enjoy the meal, don’t just cook it. Meals that feel special, and a plan that keeps you relaxed and in control.
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Thanksgiving Menu:
Winter Green Salad with Pecorino Dressing
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue or Bourbon Pecan Pie
I mean, is that not the most glorious Thanksgiving menus you've ever seen!!
Pre schedule for Thanksgiving Week:
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
- Brine the turkey if you're using my easy brine recipe
- Make the compound butter for the Turkey
- Make the vinaigrette for the Winter Green Salad
Tuesday
- Prep the Pomegranates for the Winter Green Salad if you're buying whole pomegranates. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.
- 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. Or if you're opting for the Pecan Pie, make it entirely.
- 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.
- Make the Cheesy Creamed Kale or Spinach and let cool, store in an airtight container
- Set the table
Thursday:
Early Morning / 8am-ish
- Arrange all the ingredients for the Winter Greens 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 Cheese Board and cover with a towel. Leave at room temperature.
- Roast the Acorn Squash and set aside.
- Prep the Herb Roasted Turkey and start roasting
Before the Feast
- Finish making the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts and Spicy Garlic Green Beans
- 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
- Reheat the Acorn Squash and top with the Ricotta and Honey.
- 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 about Thanksgiving, the prep schedule, my Thanksgiving Menu or prep timing...?? Shout them out in the comments below and I'll respond ASAP!
PS – are you thinking of putting this on your Thanksgiving menu? Check out the full What’s Gaby Cooking menu here along with the master prep schedule to keep things organized and on track!
And if you need more Thanksgiving Ideas check out this roundup of 80+ Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas
Photography by Matt Armendariz / Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipes by What’s Gaby Cooking
Question about making the Mac & Cheese ahead of time - Is it possible to make the pasta and the sauce the day before and mix together the day of? Thank you!
it's not really suggested - the cheese sauce congeals and the pasta can sometimes stick together. For my friendsgiving this year, I just measured out all the ingredients the day before and then it came together quickly the day of!!
I'm just wondering how many people you fed at this meal and/or how many serving sizes your recipes are.
Thanks a lot!
Thanksgiving was 8-10 people! When we relaunched my site all of the serving sizes disappeared so I'm slowly re-adding them! Usually it's a 4-6 person serving on a recipe!
OMG, The marscapone potatoes are MAGIC! It will be a miracle if they make it to the table!
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
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
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!!
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!
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!
Woman. All my respects. You are a machine!!
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
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! =)
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/
Do you brine Wednesday night?
yes!
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!
This looks like the most divine feast. Enjoy all the time with family and friends!