Make Thanksgiving Dinner the Event of the Year with This Gourmet Menu

Kayla Parker
·4 min read

What better way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday than with an elegant dinner party surrounded by family and friends. But if the thought of preparing an elegant dinner for your guests stresses you out, don't worry! We have your menu here, so you have one less thing on your to-do list. From salad to dessert, this menu accounts for everything you'll need to make a sophisticated (and scrumptious) statement. You can say hello to a fancy Thanksgiving meal with this elegant dinner party menu! And even though these elegant recipes look fancy, they won't require any more work than your usual Thanksgiving favorites.

Elegant Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

Make Thanksgiving dinner a fancy occasion this year with these six elegant recipes:

See photos and learn more about each of these gourmet Thanksgiving recipes, below.

Salad: Spinach Salad with Brie Toast

Start the meal as if you're at a classy bistro! After all, the most elegant meals start with a show-stopping salad. Create a delicious and festive cranberry dressing to pair with your spinach and pumpkin seed salad. Served with warm bread covered in Brie, this is a tasty and elegant appetizer. Not only does it look beautiful, but this gourmet Thanksgiving recipe subtly incorporates the fall flavors everyone loves.

Get the recipe: Spinach Salad with Brie Toast

Andy Lyons

Fruit and Vegetable Side Dish: Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts and Apple

This gourmet Thanksgiving side continues to serve up fall flavors. With walnuts, apples, and Brussels sprouts, this dish is full of healthy ingredients that also taste amazing. The secret? Cooking your apples, thyme, and Brussels sprouts in browned butter. This combination of fruit and veggies adds color to your table and tempts your guests, taking your dinner party from ordinary to elegant. Not to mention, this elegant Thanksgiving side dish will look great in any day-of food pictures thanks to pretty apple slices and a sprinkle of walnuts.

Test Kitchen Tip: We prefer a crisp cooking apple, such as Braeburn, in this recipe rather than fruit with a softer consistency.

Get the recipe: Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts and Apple

Andy Lyons

Bread: Cran-Sage Rolls

Aren't these among the prettiest, most delicious looking rolls you've ever seen? Even Thanksgiving dinner rolls have gone elegant! You're getting an incredible blend of autumn flavors with cranberries, ginger, and sage. Rolling the dough into a spiral adds even more visual appeal, as will an extra sage leaf on top.

Bonus: This recipe basically guarantees you won't spill any stain-making cranberries on your stylish Thanksgiving outfit!

Get the recipe: Cran-Sage Rolls

Entrée: Apple Cider-Ginger Brined Turkey

Dressing up the turkey is important if you are getting it ready for an elegant evening. This roasted turkey would be delicious as is, but for a fancy holiday dinner, start it out in a flavorful brine. Made with apple cider, ginger, brown sugar, bay leaves, orange zest, cloves, and more, this brine brims with deliciousness. And instead of gravy, you can make your Thanksgiving turkey even more elegant by serving it with homemade cider sauce.

Get the recipe: Apple Cider-Ginger Brined Turkey

Dessert: Apple-Pear Tart

You can't go wrong with apples and pears, but when these two combine with caramel and a shortbread cookie crust, the results are delightful. This fruit-filled tart will make you wonder why you were so convinced pie was the only option for Thanksgiving. Be prepared for this recipe to be the star of the show, because it will definitely outshine any other Thanksgiving desserts you serve.

This recipe calls for caramel sauce from a jar, but it's easy to make your own.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

  1. In a saucepan combine 3/4 cup brown sugar with 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 1 minute, stirring the entire time.

  2. Add 1/3 cup whipping cream and 1 tablespoon butter; stir until butter is fully melted.

  3. Take the pan off heat; stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Get the recipe: Apple-Pear Tart

Drink: Cranberry-Sage Sparkler

If there's one thing that says elegance, it's a sparkling beverage. With cranberries, lemon, cinnamon, cloves, sage, honey, and sparkling wine, this elegant Thanksgiving cocktail has a lot going for it. A signature cocktail like this will leave the impression that you're an expert mixologist—even if you're not (don't worry, we won't tell!). Plus, the bright color from the cranberries carries on the coordinated color palette of this sophisticated meal. Cheers to that!

Get the recipe: Cranberry-Sage Sparkler