Thanksgiving is two weeks away, but that doesn’t mean the festivities haven’t started yet. Odds are, before Thanksgiving break, you will attend (or even host) a Friendsgiving. Not everyone is a master in the kitchen, which is okay, and you don’t need to beat yourself up about it. However, what is not okay is simply buying a premade entrée, side, or dessert from the grocery store as your Thanksgiving contribution. Where’s the creativity? The authenticity? I know for a fact that the grocery store did not make that apple pie with love. To be frank, grocery store vibes can ruin the fun of the giant potluck meals that define the great holiday of Thanksgiving. That said, there’s plenty of easy Thanksgiving recipes that are simple, delicious, and crowd-pleasing.
Thanksgiving recipes can be daunting, but they don’t have to be. With this recipe roundup, the “Don’t tell me if it’s bad” anxiety is a thing of the past. Below you will find an assortment of appetizers, entrées, side dishes, and desserts. Whichever recipe you choose to make, the thought of buying premade holiday dishes for your Thanksgiving meal will vanish from your mind faster than Snickerdoodles at the Friendsgiving.
Charcuterie Board
A charcuterie board is a must-have appetizer. While the turkey is cooking and the sides are in the oven, catch up with friends and family while sharing an assortment of cheese, cured meats, fruits, crackers, and gherkins. This satisfying spread will certainly tide you over until dinner.
Crescent Wrapped Brie
Someone else already snatched up the charcuterie board? No worries, there’s plenty of cheesy appetizers to go around., including this easy baked brie. Simply wrap the brie with crescent dough, add any festive additions, and bake for 20 minutes. Beyond bein delicious, this baked brie recipe gives you tons of creative freedom; just add any flavor of jam, type of nuts, honey, or herbs to make it your own.
Hungarian Pimento Cheese Dip
The base of this recipe comes from a Hungarian dish, körözött, a spiced cheese spread traditionally made with quark, kind of a chunkier cottage cheese. This perfect party dip pulls from both sides, with sweet paprika, caraway seeds, and raw onion mingling with a ton of sharp cheddar cheese.
Thanksgiving Mac and Cheese
This festive macaroni and cheese features Cavatappi pasta with three types of cheese, plus cranberries and turkey for a Thanksgiving spin. It’s carbs, cheese, and Thanksgiving,
Vegetarian Stuffed Squash
This one is for the vegetarians and vegans out there. Thanksgiving is a feast that’s often filled with meat and dairy dishes, but this veggie-focused dish will give everyone at your table a bite to look forward to.
Green Bean Casserole
A classic that’s borderline impossible to mess up. With very little prep, you just mix the ingredients in a bowl and pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes or till it’s golden and crispy and all things yummy.
Apple Stuffing
Did you know that most store-bought stuffing mixes include chicken or beef stock? This vegetarian stuffing doesn’t use meat products, plus it features warm apples for a fruity crunch, for an easy and crowd-pleasing stuffing.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Whoever added marshmallows and cinnamon to sweet potatoes, you are heaven-sent. If you don’t want your dish to be quite as sweet, try swapping out marshmallows for pecans.
Classic Stuffing
I am a stuffing hater, but since stuffing is almost always on the menu, I’ll add it. Not only is this stuffing recipe extremely easy and quick to put together, but it utilizes mostly pantry ingredients so you don’t have to break the bank.
Turkey Gravy
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can always make the turkey…or just supply the gravy. This one-pot dish only takes one hour to make.
Cranberry Sauce
I refuse to settle for canned cranberry sauce. Homemade cranberry sauce, though, goes on everything: turkey, mashed potatoes, bread rolls, you name it. Five ingredients and 30 minutes max, and you have the best addition to Thanksgiving. Deliciousness.
Cheesy Cornbread
We all know cornbread, but have you met its eccentric cousin, cheesy cornbread? This recipe adds an extra oomph with minimal added effort — all you need to do is top your cornbread with cheddar cheese and bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Herby Potato Salad
A Hungarian and Jewish recipe, this potato salad is full of flavor. The potatoes are topped with dill, parsley, mint, chives, and lemon juice now for a bright and herbaceous side dish.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin is, arguably, the defining flavor of fall thanks to PSLs, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin curry, and pumpkin spiced everything. Cater to those who prefer their pumpkin outside of the Thanksgiving pie with this sweet bread that’s perfect for dessert, or for breakfast and snacks on Black Friday.
Nut-Filled Shortbread Cookies
These cookies may look impressive, but are pretty simple to make. If someone at your Thanksgiving meal has a nut allergy, you can easily swap out the filling with dates.
Copycat Whole Food’s Berry Chantilly Cake
If you’re so tempted to buy a premade dessert, don’t do it. Instead, make this easy copycat recipe at home. I guarantee it will taste better fresh than sitting out in stale grocery air.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Thanksgiving desserts don’t have to be slightly different variants of pies. Diversify your desserts table with these American classics that are easy to make, chewy and ooey-gooey, and lightly spiced.