An Easier Homemade Thanksgiving: Turkey, Make-Ahead Sides, and Pie

Preparing a homemade Thanksgiving dinner can feel like quite an undertaking! But with a few helpful tips and some dishes you can prepare ahead of time, you can serve a lovely meal and still have time to enjoy the day.

In this Thanksgiving compilation, I’m bringing together turkey recipes, make-ahead favorites, an easy pumpkin pie, and thrifty ways to put those turkey necks and bones to good use.

A Little Preparation Makes Thanksgiving Easier

One of the most helpful things you can do before Thanksgiving is decide which dishes truly need your attention on the holiday itself—and which ones you can work on beforehand.

Having a few side dishes prepared ahead means fewer pots to watch and fewer last-minute tasks while you’re trying to carve the turkey. It also gives you a chance to tidy the kitchen between projects rather than facing everything at once!

Whether you are cooking your first Thanksgiving dinner or have been hosting for years, I hope these recipes help you feel a little more comfortable and confident in your kitchen.

Two Ways to Prepare Your Thanksgiving Turkey

Your Thanksgiving turkey doesn’t have to look the same every year. The best choice depends on how many people you are serving, the equipment you have, and what your family enjoys.

Roast Two Small Turkeys Instead of One Large Turkey

If you usually wrestle a very large turkey into your roasting pan, you might enjoy roasting two smaller birds instead.

Smaller turkeys can roast in less time and are easier to handle and carve. And if your family has a few people who all hope for a drumstick, two turkeys give you four to share!

And if you have a small oven like me, two small turkeys aren’t going to touch the very top of the oven roof and burn!

• Recipe: How to Roast 2 Small Turkeys Instead of 1 Large Turkey

Cook a Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot

For a smaller gathering, a turkey breast may be just what you need. Preparing it in the Instant Pot also leaves your oven available for other dishes.

This is a useful option for a larger celebration, too, especially if your family enjoys extra white meat alongside a whole roasted turkey.

• Recipe: How to Cook a Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot

Get a Head Start with Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Sides

When I think of Thanksgiving dinner, I certainly look forward to the turkey. But those familiar side dishes deserve their place at the table, too!

These three recipes let you move some of the preparation out of the holiday rush. Follow each recipe’s make-ahead, storage, and reheating directions.

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy Using Bone Broth

There is something reassuring about knowing your gravy is already prepared while the turkey is still roasting.

Using bone broth allows you to get started without waiting for the holiday bird to finish cooking. Then, when it’s time to serve dinner, you have gravy ready for the turkey, potatoes, and dressing.

• Recipe: Make Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe Using Bone Broth

Make-Ahead Whipped Mashed Potatoes

A bowl of creamy mashed potatoes is such a welcome addition to Thanksgiving dinner. But peeling, cooking, and mashing potatoes while everything else is coming together can keep you quite busy!

This make-ahead version gives you another way to spread out the work, so you have one fewer dish to prepare from the beginning on Thanksgiving Day.

And best of all, this is my sweet mom Gloria’s recipe, which always makes me smile as I prepare it.

• Recipe: Make Ahead Whipped Mashed Potatoes

Make-Ahead Cornbread Dressing

Cornbread dressing brings such a homey touch to a holiday meal. It’s the sort of dish that makes the kitchen smell like Thanksgiving before everyone has even gathered at the table.

My make-ahead recipe is a wonderful choice when you want to serve this traditional favorite while giving yourself a little breathing room on the big day.

• Recipe: Make Ahead Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Add a Traditional Foods Twist with Fermented Cranberry Sauce

If you enjoy bringing traditional food preparation into your holiday cooking, fermented cranberry sauce is a lovely recipe to explore.

Its tangy flavor adds a bright contrast to turkey and all those rich side dishes. You can serve it as your cranberry accompaniment or offer a small bowl alongside your family’s usual favorite.

Because this recipe involves fermenting fruit, give yourself time to follow the process carefully. In the individual recipe and video, I explain when to add the sweetener and when to move your cranberries into the refrigerator.

• Recipe: How to Make Fermented Cranberry Sauce

Finish with an Easy Pumpkin Pie

If making pie crust has ever made you hesitate to bake a homemade pie, this recipe is for you!

My easy pumpkin pie has a no-roll crust, so you can put away the rolling pin and still bring a homemade dessert to the Thanksgiving table. It’s an approachable choice for a beginning baker and a handy recipe for anyone who appreciates a simpler way to make a holiday favorite.

• Recipe: Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe from Scratch with a No-Roll Crust

Save Those Turkey Necks for a Comforting Meal

Before we move on to making bone broth, there’s another part of the turkey I want to help you put to good use: the neck!

Turkey Neck Pot-au-Feu

A traditional French pot-au-feu is a simmered meal of meat and vegetables. In this version, turkey necks take center stage, creating a comforting dish from an ingredient that can easily be overlooked.

With vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and turnips, this is a lovely example of how humble ingredients can become a satisfying meal. So be sure to keep this recipe in mind when you’re planning how to use the different parts of your Thanksgiving turkey.

• Recipe: How to Make Turkey Neck Pot-au-Feu

After Thanksgiving: Turn Your Turkey Bones into Bone Broth

Once Thanksgiving dinner is over, those turkey bones still have something wonderful to offer.

Making bone broth is one of my favorite ways to stretch the value of a roasted bird. You begin with a holiday meal, and then you have the makings of broth for soups, gravy, and other home-cooked dishes.

In this compilation, I share three methods so you can choose the one that suits your kitchen.

Make Roast Turkey Bone Broth on the Stovetop

If you enjoy making broth in a stockpot, the stovetop method is a natural place to begin. It’s a useful way to turn your roasted turkey carcass into a flavorful ingredient for future meals.

• Recipe: How to Make Roast Turkey Bone Broth on the Stovetop

Make Turkey Bone Broth in the Slow Cooker

Your slow cooker offers another option for preparing turkey bone broth. If this is an appliance you already enjoy using, follow along as I walk you through the process.

• Recipe: How to Make Turkey Bone Broth in the Slow Cooker

Make Turkey Bone Broth in the Instant Pot

If you prefer using a pressure cooker, I also share my Instant Pot method. This is a quicker option for making turkey bone broth, with step-by-step guidance to help you work toward a broth that gels when chilled.

• Recipe: Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth That Gels Every Time

Plan a Thanksgiving Meal That Works for You

You do not have to make every recipe in this collection to create a lovely Thanksgiving dinner.

You might choose a turkey breast, a favorite side dish, and a pumpkin pie for a smaller celebration. Or perhaps you are hosting a larger gathering and want to try roasting two turkeys while preparing several dishes ahead.

Start with the foods your family enjoys, choose a manageable amount of cooking, and let others lend a hand when they can.

There is always room at the Thanksgiving table for a treasured family recipe, a new dish, and something a guest has kindly offered to bring.

A Thanksgiving Table Filled with Gratitude

As much as I enjoy sharing recipes with you, I hope they help you make room to spend time with the people and moments that matter.

The meal doesn’t have to come together perfectly. A little extra gravy can help a turkey that stayed in the oven too long, and a pie can still taste delicious even if the first slice doesn’t come out neatly!

What a blessing it is to share what we have, remember those whose recipes and traditions we carry forward, and welcome someone who might otherwise spend the day alone.

I hope this Thanksgiving collection helps you prepare a meal you feel good about sharing—and leaves you time to sit down and enjoy it, too.

What is the one dish that always belongs on your Thanksgiving table? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!

Thanksgiving Recipes

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Cozy Fall Evenings: Homemade Soups, Favorite Books, and Classic Movies

Make French pumpkin soup and Italian chickpea and pork rib soup, then unwind with favorite books, classic movies, and cozy TV shows.

How to Make a Blender Pumpkin Cake with Spelt

Delight your guests with dessert that’s in the holiday spirit but is something different from pumpkin pie.

Northern Italian Spinach Ricotta Pie Recipe

This spinach ricotta pie makes a tasty appetizer, side dish, or holiday entree for family and friends who follow a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.

Get Bone In Meats from Shirttail Creek Farm

I love Shirttail Creek Farm because they offer bone-in chuck roasts that are perfect for making a traditional pot roast. In today’s video and recipe post, I talk about how important it is for us to cook with and eat meat that’s on the bone. And if you can’t find meat on the bone at your local grocery store, I encourage you to get your meats from Shirttail Creek Farm.

• Shirttail Creek Farms is offering my sweet friends $10 off any order over $100 with this link and discount code MARYSNEST

In addition to Bone-In Chuck Roasts and Pastured Stewing Hens, you can find lots of nutritious meats and products to help you make the most healthy and gelatinous beef bone broth:

• Grassfed Beef Broth Bones (Knuckles)
• Pastured Chicken Feet
• Grassfed Beef Shanks (Osso Bucco)

They also offer their products around Austin at farmers markets and at Local Pastures, a local grocery store chain. If you’re not in the central Texas area, they’ll ship their products to you across the United States.

This is not a sponsored post. I recently learned about this wonderful Texas farm, and I’m so glad that they offer bone-in meats and other nutrient-dense foods for your and my traditional foods kitchen!

Looking for Grass Fed Meats?

If you can’t find high quality grass-fed meats in your neighborhood supermarket or farmer’s market, check out US Wellness Meats.

• Use discount code MARYNEST and my link for a one-time 15% savings off regular-priced items on your US Wellness Meats order. You can shop for a variety of products, including:
  • Beef Bones
  • Grass-Fed Beef
  • Pastured Whole Chickens
  • Pasture-raised Chicken Thigh Pack
  • Bone-in Pork Chops
  • Chicken Feet

This post is not sponsored. I’m a long-time customer of US Wellness Meats because I have always been impressed by the quality of their products. Check out my US Wellness Meats unboxing video to see the types of products you can get, including bones for beef bone broth!

Grand Teton Ancient Grains

Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill

When it comes to electric grain mills, after I did A LOT of research, I decided to buy a Mockmill. And am I so happy I did! The Mockmill is a very affordable but beautifully crafted German-made mill that stone grinds grain with settings ranging from 1 to 10—fine to coarse ground grain.

Learn more about Mockmill electric grain mills for making fresh flour and their Flake Lover’s Flaker that flakes whole grain in minutes. (This is not a sponsored post. I bought the Mockmill products that I show you, and I’m a happy user of their devices in my kitchen.)

• Get the Mockmill 100 Stone Grain Mill (Same product I show you in my unboxing video.)
• Mockmill 100 Grain Mill unboxing
• Flake Lover’s Flaker from Mockmill in action (Using this device, you can flake whole grain in minutes.)

Masontops Mason Jar Fermentation Kit Discount Coupon

Although you don’t need any special equipment to start making ferments, the Masontops kit can help you simplify the process and enable you to create your ferment successfully. In my Masontops unboxing video, I show you my Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit and go over everything the kit includes.

• Use promo code MARYSNST for a one-time 15% off Masontops and Breadsmart products on Amazon.com. (This is not a sponsored post. Masontops provided me with a special discount code for my viewers. I like their products, and I think you will too.)

Start Your Traditional Foods Journey

Sharing my passion for traditional cooking goes beyond my YouTube cooking school—it also comes to life in the pages of my cookbooks. Both of my books, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry, are proudly published by Penguin Random House.

The first is filled with time-honored recipes to help you create a traditional foods kitchen, while the second is your complete guide to home food preservation. Order both books today to start or continue your traditional foods journey.

Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List

For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!

Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy

Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.

Kitchen Academy Videos

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A Cozy Fall Kitchen: Cooking, Books, and Cherished Memories

Join me for a cozy fall visit filled with oven cooking, favorite books, and memories of my mother’s winter pantry preparations.

How to Mix Whole Grains for a Warm and Nourishing Porridge

Learn to mix oat groats, barley, and other whole grains for a warm, nourishing porridge with easy make-ahead tips and tasty toppings.

How Much of Each Natural Remedy Should You Make?

Use your family’s needs, past experience, and seasonal habits to decide how much to prepare for your Healing Pantry.

Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest

1. Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
2. Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
3. Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
4. Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
5. Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.

I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!

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Favorite Kitchen Supplies

• Favorite Aprons
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• Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
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• Whisk
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Recommended Reading

• The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
• The Modern Pioneer Pantry
• Nourishing Traditions