In our family, I am the host of Thanksgiving — and I love it! It’s a holiday that is just focused on being grateful and sharing a meal with friends and loved ones.
What makes if possible for me to love it so much is that I’ve got it down to a science. Similar to my Christmas menu it’s all about timing. There is nothing about it that is overwhelming, because it’s all planned out and broken down into managable bits. My tried and true approach is thanks to the amazing people at The New York Times. My secret? The New York Times “Essential Thanksgiving” menu, first published in 2013. This isn’t about reinventing the wheel—it’s about perfecting it. Year after year, this menu delivers everything you want from Thanksgiving: classic flavors, impressive presentation, and most importantly, a stress-free day where you can actually enjoy your guests. It’s so good; I can not, will not gate-keep this Thanksgiving game plan.
Both of these photos are linked directly to the archived interactive feature from the NYT. Each section expands to offer multiple recipes, tips and even how-to videos (including how to carve the turkey!).
The key to my Thanksgiving game plan is simple: get big chunks of the workload done 1-2 days ahead. By Thanksgiving morning, you’ll feel calm, collected, and ready to really enjoy the day.
The Menu
This is Thanksgiving at its finest—no fussy twists, just pure, crowd-pleasing comfort:
- Turkey – The star of the show, perfectly roasted and golden. I buy a pre-brined fresh turkey from Trader Joes. Then stuff and surround it with herbs and lemons, leave it uncovered in the fridge for 2-3 days. You want the skin to dry out.
- Gravy – Rich, silky, and made from those beautiful pan drippings. I admit, I need my Mother-in-law for this step. Her advice is that the key to a good gravy is lots of butter and plenty of drippings.
- Two-Way Stuffing with Mushrooms and Bacon – This one is a HIT! It is cooked outside the bird. I usually also make a batch with everything but the bacon for the vegitarians.
- String Beans with Ginger and Garlic – This can easily replace the traditional string-bean caserole. This uses thin french beans (haricot vert) sauted in chopped ginger and garlic. It’s a bright, vibrant side that cuts through all the richness. And it’s amazing hot or room temp.
- Mashed Potatoes – I prefer redskins, skin on. Elizabeth does an amazing job with the mashed potatoes.
- Pies – I ask guests to bring a pie. Everyone loves contributing, and it takes one major task off your plate.
Shopping
For this Thanksgiving Game Plan, I tackle shopping in a couple waves to avoid the last-minute grocery store chaos. The key here is to go through the recipes and make a complete shopping list. Mine is broken down by store and I generally need Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and a general grocery store (Jewel in our area).
One week before: At Trader Joe’s, the turkeys are known to sell out, so I’ll generally pick that up and other things that will keep in the fridge and likely to run out. They will have a 2-lb bag of the french green beans and do a great job packaging fresh turkey herbs. It’s also a good time to pick up things that are on sale — Jewel will generally run a buy-one-get-one sale on butter!
Two to three days before: Order or purchase your turkey (if you haven’t already), and grab all your fresh produce, dairy, etc. This is also when I stock up on beverages, ice, and any last-minute essentials.
Pro tip: Check your pantry first. Nothing’s worse than discovering on Wednesday night that you’re out of kosher salt or bay leaves. Something like this surprises me every year!
Thanksgiving Game Plan — What to Make Ahead
This is where the magic happens. Spread these tasks out up to a few days before Thanksgiving, and you’ll thank yourself a thousand times over.
Two-Three days before:
- Prep the turkey with herbs and quartered lemon and put it in the fridge, uncovered. You can do this up to 3 days before
One day before (Wednesday):
- Blanch the green beans, wrap them in towels (or paper towels) and store in the fridge. Chop the garlic and ginger. Be sure to put them in air tight containers and store in the fridge
- You can make the stuffing the day before– just bring it to room temperature and drizzle with butter before putting it in the oven.
- You can also make the mashed potatoes a day ahead, but we generally don’t.
Thanksgiving Day – It’s Finally Here
I love nothing more than having the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on in the background while I work in the kitchen. It’s a childhood memory and makes the whole day feel festive and special.
You should map out your day working back from the time you’d like to eat. Factor in how long the turkey will cook based on it’s weight. Then plan to let it rest while some of the frantic, last minute things are cooked (in our case mashed potatoes, green beans sauted and gravy). I won’t lie, that last hour can be a juggling act — but it’s fun!!
The Beauty of This Timeline: Because you did so much prep work, Thanksgiving Day itself is actually relaxing. You’re not frantically chopping vegetables or trying to figure out if you have enough butter. You’re simply executing a plan, with plenty of time to shower, set out appetizers, and greet your guests without a hair out of place.
The Bottom Line
This game plan works because it’s not about impressing anyone with culinary pyrotechnics. It’s about serving food that people genuinely love, with a timeline that keeps you sane and present. The New York Times got it right in 2013, and all these years later, I haven’t found a reason to stray.
So this year, skip the Pinterest rabbit hole of “unique twists on Thanksgiving classics.” Stick with this menu, follow this timeline, and spend Thanksgiving Day doing what you’re supposed to be doing: feeling grateful, watching giant balloon characters float through Manhattan, and enjoying the people in your kitchen and around your table.
WETSU! WETSU!
XO JT
