This Last-Minute Thanksgiving Menu Plan Will Save Your Holiday

We've got tips and tricks to help you get a full Thanksgiving meal on the table in eight hours.

Some people are planners and some people are masters of throwing everything together at the last minute. Whether you are doing everything in a single day because you simply ran out of time, had work or personal emergencies come up, or got assigned to host at the last minute, we have you covered with a plan to pull off a Thanksgiving feast in a few hours. We’ve even built in a lunch break, because there’s nothing worse than sitting down for dinner feeling too exhausted to enjoy the meal. Here’s how to make a Thanksgiving dinner in eight hours that will be busy, but doable.

7 a.m.: Finalize your menu and assemble your ingredients

We’re assuming you’ve already done your shopping but if you haven’t, now's the time to beat the crowds and get all your groceries, or anything you’ve forgotten. The best part of being a last-minute shopper is most of your ingredients can sit out on the counter for the day, so you only have to make room for your bird and dairy in the fridge. The menu for today includes the Thanksgiving classics: a turkey, a stuffing you can make with sandwich bread, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, Caesar brussels sprouts, and biscuits. For after, we suggest a classic pumpkin pie or apple and pomegranate cobbler, but have plenty of other desserts that take 30 minutes or less. 

8 a.m.: Make coffee and review your cooking plan

First things first: Cut up the bread for your stuffing, and let it dry out while you prepare for the day. You’ll want to plan everything around the block of time your turkey will take over the oven, so you’ll need to get anything that can be baked ahead of time — like your dessert, biscuits, and stuffing — first. While the turkey roasts, you can make the Brussels sprouts salad and cook the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce on the stove. And speaking of turkey, we’re going with a Spatchcocked Turkey, ready in under three hours. Or if you are cooking for just a few people, swap the turkey for a roast chicken. 

8:30 a.m.: Prep your pie crust, turkey, and turkey stock

If you decide to make the pie, the pie crust needs some time in the refrigerator before you roll it out, so start there. Then, spatchcock your turkey and place it on a baking sheet to keep in the refrigerator. Place the turkey backbone that you removed in a small pot along with the neck and giblets, plus a bay leaf and some salt and black pepper. Let this stock simmer all day until you need it to make your gravy.

9:30 a.m.: Bake your biscuits, pie, and stuffing

Next, make the biscuit dough, so it can chill out in the freezer while you bake your pie crust and toast the bread for the stuffing. After the pie crust and bread are done, increase the oven temperature and bake the biscuits while you prep the stuffing. Once the stuffing is in the oven, mix your pie filling and bake your pie — the stuffing and bake at the same temperature, so can share time and oven space.

11 a.m: Set the table

Actually, enlist your partner or a friend to set the table and also be on dish duty throughout the day while you wrap up the morning baking projects — it’s the least they can do since you're making the whole meal. Go ahead and fill water glasses (you can add ice later if you want) and put out the butter so it’s soft when you sit down to eat.

11:30 a.m: Take a lunch break

A tired, grumpy cook is not a fun cook, so sit down and enjoy some lunch. You’re more than halfway through preparing your meal, so eat something you preferably don’t have to make. Or, keep it as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Now is a good time to get dressed for dinner. Take a breath — you are in good shape here.

12:30 p.m.: Pull the turkey out of the fridge and whip up your sides

While the turkey comes to room temperature, make the cranberry sauce and this Caesar Brussels Sprout Salad, which doubles as a salad and a vegetable. Cut up the potatoes for your mashed potatoes and place them in a pot of salted water so they are ready to cook. Pull the herb cheese for the potatoes out of the refrigerator so it blends in easily.

2 p.m.: Roast the turkey and throw together an appetizer

We’re in the home stretch now, and that work you did spatch-cocking the turkey means it will cook in just over an hour. Get it in the oven, and cook and mash the potatoes. You may have guests arriving soon, or family members starting to hover around, looking for snacks. A cheese and charcuterie board goes a long way, but you have the energy, check out these quick appetizer recipes. We highly recommend these three-ingredient Bacon-Wrapped Cherry Peppers. They’re incredibly easy but have a wow factor, all while whetting your appetite for dinner.

3:15 p.m: Pull the turkey from the oven and make your gravy

Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F so you can reheat the stuffing. Meanwhile, pour yourself a glass of white wine, then use a splash or two to make the gravy. This is where that turkey stock you started first thing this morning comes in handy. Now is a good time to dress the Brussels Sprouts with olive oil and vinegar, and place the biscuits and cranberry sauce on the table. We’re almost there.

4 p.m.: Dinner is served

Time might feel like it’s blending together now but it doesn’t matter because your guests have drinks and appetizers on board, and it’s time to sit down for dinner. Dress the salad, carve the turkey and raise a glass. Cheers to you. You did it.

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