Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner: My Timeline and Recipes
Thanksgiving at our house comes down to two things: time with the people we love and Cowboys football! Jeff and Leo are so excited for it every single year, and I want to be right there with them instead of stuck in the kitchen.
That's exactly why I am a make-ahead girl through and through. I spread the work across a few days so that dinner day is easy, and I give the oven one clear job at a time. Below you'll find every dish on our table as its own recipe card, with the times, ingredients, steps, photos and exactly what you can make ahead. At the very end is the full timeline, day by day, including the oven schedule for dinner day.
Our menu for eight is a juicy oven-roasted turkey with gravy, creamy scalloped potatoes, Parker House rolls with honey butter, green beans with toasted almonds, maple-roasted carrots, a persimmon and pomegranate salad, spiced apple cider, a cranberry-rosemary spritz, and mini pecan tarts. Let's start with the star!
Dry-Brined Oven-Roasted Turkey with Citrus-Herb Butter
Prep Time: 30 minutes (over 2 days) | Dry Brine: about 36 hours | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: about 2 days | Serves: 8
Make Ahead: Dry brine the turkey Monday night and make the citrus-herb butter Tuesday.
Ingredients
1 fresh turkey, 12 to 14 lb, giblets removed (a frozen one will not thaw in time)
Dry brine: 3 tbsp kosher salt (about 1 tbsp per 4 lb), 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp baking powder. Use about 25% less salt if yours is Morton or Hadar instead of Diamond Crystal.
Citrus-herb butter: 1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter, zest of 2 oranges and 1 lemon, 3 tbsp chopped rosemary, 2 tbsp chopped thyme, 2 tbsp chopped sage, 4 minced garlic cloves
To serve: orange slices, fresh cranberries and fresh herbs for the platter
Instructions
Monday, around 8:00 pm: pat the turkey very dry, inside and out.
Mix the salt, pepper, brown sugar and baking powder (the baking powder helps crisp the skin). Rub it all over the skin and inside the cavity.
Set the turkey on a wire rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate it uncovered. Do not rinse it! It brines about 36 hours.
Tuesday: mash the softened butter with the zests, rosemary, thyme, sage and garlic. Split it in half and refrigerate both halves. One half is for basting and for spooning over the carved turkey.
Dinner day: take the second half of the butter out in the morning to soften.
At 1:00 pm, slide the softened butter under the skin and put the turkey in the oven. It roasts until 4:00 pm. [ADD JEFF'S OVEN TEMPERATURE]
At 4:00 pm, move the turkey to a platter with orange slices, cranberries and herbs, and strain the drippings for the gravy. Spoon the reserved butter over the carved turkey.
The seasoned turkey on its rack, ready for the fridge, and the fresh herbs for the butter and the platter.
Fresh herbs and pomegranates, ready for Tuesday's prep.
Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes (plus reheating) | Serves: 8
Make Ahead: Make the base Tuesday and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Finish with the drippings on dinner day.
Ingredients
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups warm low-sodium turkey or chicken stock
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Strained turkey drippings, on dinner day
Instructions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until it smells nutty and turns light golden.
Slowly whisk in the warm stock, a little at a time, so there are no lumps.
Add the thyme and Worcestershire and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, whisking often, until it coats the back of a spoon.
Cool and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Dinner day: whisk in the strained turkey drippings and reheat, loosening with warm stock if it thickened. Taste before adding salt, since the drippings run salty.
Make-Ahead Scalloped Potatoes with Gruyère and Thyme
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: about 1 hour 20 minutes, plus 35 to 40 minutes to reheat | Total Time: about 2 hours | Serves: 8
Make Ahead: Bake them all the way through on Tuesday, cool, cover and refrigerate. Rewarm covered on dinner day.
Ingredients
3 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick (do not rinse)
2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk
4 smashed garlic cloves
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz grated gruyère (about 2 cups)
2 oz finely grated parmesan
1 tbsp butter for the dish
Instructions
Heat the oven to 375 F and butter a lidded casserole.
Warm the cream, milk, garlic, thyme, salt, nutmeg and pepper in a saucepan until steaming, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Take out the garlic.
Layer a third of the potatoes, slightly overlapping, then a third of the cream mixture and a third of the gruyère. Repeat twice more, ending with cheese, and sprinkle the parmesan on top.
Press the potatoes down so they are mostly submerged. Cover with the lid and bake 45 minutes.
Uncover and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until bubbling, golden and a knife slides through easily.
Rest 15 minutes, then cool completely, put the lid back on and refrigerate.
Dinner day: rewarm covered at 325 F for 35 to 40 minutes straight from the fridge.
Parker House Rolls (These were a crowd favorite!)
Prep Time: 40 minutes | Rise Time: about 2 hours | Cook Time: 18 to 22 minutes | Total Time: about 3 hours | Makes: 16 rolls
Make Ahead: Bake them completely on Tuesday, cool, wrap well and keep at room temperature. On dinner day they only need a warm-up.
Ingredients
1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110 F
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) yeast and 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1 room-temperature egg
6 tbsp melted unsalted butter, divided, plus more for the bowl and pan
Flaky salt
Instructions
Stir the warm milk, yeast and sugar in a large bowl and let it foam 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the flour, salt, egg and 3 tbsp of the melted butter. Mix to a shaggy dough, then knead 8 minutes by hand (5 with a dough hook) until smooth and slightly tacky.
Rise covered in a buttered bowl for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan. Roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick and cut 3-inch rounds, re-rolling the scraps once.
Brush each round with melted butter. Press a crease just off center with the back of a knife, fold the smaller side over the larger and arrange them in the pan, overlapping slightly.
Let them rise 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy.
Heat the oven to 375 F, brush the tops with the remaining 3 tbsp melted butter and bake 18 to 22 minutes, until golden.
Brush with a little more butter, sprinkle with flaky salt and cool completely. Wrap well.
Dinner day: rewarm if you like and brush with fresh butter and flaky salt.
Honey Butter (Don't skip on this to go with the rolls)
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: none | Total Time: 5 minutes | Makes: 1/2 cup
Make Ahead: Make it Sunday and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. Take it out about 30 minutes before serving so it is spreadable.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp flaky salt
Instructions
Whip the butter, honey and flaky salt until fluffy.
Scrape into a small container and refrigerate.
Green Beans with Shallots and Toasted Almonds
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 8
Make Ahead: Toast the almonds Monday. Blanch the beans and slice the shallots Tuesday. Finish in the skillet on dinner day.
Ingredients
2 lb green beans, trimmed
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup (3 oz) sliced almonds
3 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Monday: toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until golden. Tip them onto a plate to cool right away and store airtight.
Tuesday: boil the beans in well-salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender. Shock them in ice water, drain and pat very dry. Refrigerate the beans and the sliced shallots separately.
Dinner day: melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium. Cook the shallots 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and golden, adding the garlic for the last 30 seconds.
Add the beans and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the lemon zest, lemon juice and most of the almonds.
Top with the remaining almonds. They taste great at room temperature!
Maple-Roasted Carrots
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes | Total Time: about 55 minutes | Serves: 8
Make Ahead: Peel and cut the carrots Tuesday and store them in water in the fridge. Roast them dinner-day morning and hold at room temperature.
Ingredients
3 lb carrots (rainbow if you can find them)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp pure maple syrup, divided (2 tbsp now, 1 tbsp later)
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp thyme leaves
Flaky salt and chopped parsley to finish
Instructions
Tuesday: peel the carrots, leaving slim ones whole and halving thick ones lengthwise. Store in a container of water in the fridge.
Dinner day, 11:20 am: heat the oven to 425 F with a rack in the upper third. Line a large sheet pan (two if crowded) with parchment.
Drain and dry the carrots well. Toss with the olive oil, 2 tbsp maple syrup, melted butter, salt, pepper and thyme, and spread in a single layer.
Roast 35 to 40 minutes, turning once halfway, until tender and caramelized at the edges.
Leave them on the pan at room temperature. Right before serving, drizzle with the last 1 tbsp maple syrup, flaky salt and parsley.
Persimmon and Pomegranate Arugula Salad
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: none | Total Time: 25 minutes | Serves: 8
Make Ahead: Make the dressing and seed the pomegranate Tuesday. Slice the persimmons and shave the parmesan on dinner day, and dress the arugula at the last minute.
Ingredients
Dressing: 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, pepper
10 oz baby arugula
3 Fuyu persimmons, sliced into thin wedges
1 large pomegranate (about 1 cup of seeds)
Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler
Instructions
Tuesday: whisk the dressing in a jar, taste on a leaf and adjust. Keeps up to 2 days.
Seed the pomegranate by scoring it and breaking it apart under a bowl of water so the seeds sink. Refrigerate the seeds. Keeps up to 2 days.
Dinner day: slice the persimmons, shave the parmesan and wash and dry the arugula very well.
At the last minute, toss the arugula with the dressing and divide among 8 plates.
Tuck in the persimmons, then scatter the pomegranate seeds and parmesan on top. Finish with pepper.
Spiced Apple Cider
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes (plus cooling) | Makes: 2 quarts
Make Ahead: Make it Tuesday, strain and refrigerate. Rewarm on low on dinner day.
Ingredients
2 quarts fresh apple cider
3 cinnamon sticks, plus extras for serving
6 whole cloves
3 strips of orange peel
1 star anise
Optional: 1 oz bourbon per glass
Instructions
Combine everything in a pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Do not boil hard.
Strain out the spices and orange peel. Cool, then refrigerate.
Dinner day: rewarm on low and serve with a cinnamon stick, or add 1 oz bourbon per glass.
Cranberry-Rosemary Spritz
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes (for the syrup) | Total Time: 15 minutes (plus cooling) | Makes: about 10 drinks
Make Ahead: Make the rosemary simple syrup Sunday. It keeps up to a week in the fridge.
Ingredients
Rosemary simple syrup: 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup water, 3 rosemary sprigs
2 cups cranberry juice
Prosecco (or sparkling water), chilled
Garnish: fresh cranberries, rosemary sprigs and orange slices
Instructions
Sunday: simmer the sugar, water and rosemary for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool completely, take out the rosemary and refrigerate.
Dinner day: stir the cranberry juice with 1/2 cup of the syrup in a pitcher. Chill the prosecco and put the ice in the freezer in the morning.
To serve, pour about 1/4 cup of the base over ice and top with prosecco (or sparkling water).
Garnish with cranberries, rosemary and an orange slice.
I set out the garnishes ahead so pouring a round of drinks takes about a minute.
Mini Pecan Tarts
Prep Time: 45 minutes | Chill Time: about 1 hour 20 minutes | Cook Time: 22 to 26 minutes | Total Time: about 2 1/2 hours (plus cooling) | Makes: 16 tarts
Make Ahead: Make the dough Sunday (keeps 3 days) and bake the tarts Monday. They keep airtight at room temperature for 2 days.
Ingredients
Dough: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1 cup (2 sticks) cold cubed unsalted butter, 6 to 8 tbsp ice water
Filling: 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 3/4 cup dark corn syrup (or maple syrup for a less sweet tart), 3 tbsp melted unsalted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, optional 1 tbsp bourbon
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, roughly chopped, plus 16 whole halves for the tops
To serve: softly whipped cream or powdered sugar
Instructions
Sunday: pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse until pea-sized pieces remain.
Drizzle in the ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing until the dough just holds together. Form two discs, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Monday: roll one disc at a time to 1/8 inch thick and cut 4-inch rounds. Press into two 12-cup muffin tins to make 16 shells. Chill 20 minutes while the oven heats to 350 F.
Whisk the filling ingredients until smooth. Divide the chopped pecans among the shells, spoon the filling over until each is about three quarters full, and top with a whole pecan half.
Bake 22 to 26 minutes, until set with a slight wobble in the center and a golden crust.
Cool 10 minutes in the pan, run a thin knife around the edges, lift out and cool completely on a rack. Store airtight at room temperature.
Dinner day: rewarm at 300 F for 5 minutes if you like and serve with whipped cream or powdered sugar.
The Make-Ahead Timeline
Here's the whole thing in order. Our dinner day was a Wednesday, so slide everything to match your own Thanksgiving.
Sunday:
Check out the Costco and Albertsons orders and reserve the fresh turkey for Monday pickup.
Make the tart dough (two discs), the honey butter and the rosemary simple syrup.
Clear a fridge shelf for the turkey.
Monday:
Roll, cut, fill and bake the 16 pecan tarts. Cool completely and store airtight.
Toast the sliced almonds and store them airtight.
Around 8:00 pm, dry-brine the turkey and refrigerate it uncovered.
Tuesday:
Morning shopping run for the freshest items: arugula, persimmons, pomegranate, cranberries and herbs.
Make the citrus-herb butter, split in half, and refrigerate.
Bake the scalloped potatoes all the way, then cool, cover and refrigerate.
Make and bake the Parker House rolls, cool, wrap and keep at room temperature.
Blanch and shock the green beans, slice the shallots and refrigerate both.
Peel and cut the carrots and store them in water in the fridge.
Make the salad dressing and seed the pomegranate.
Make the spiced cider, strain and refrigerate. Make the gravy base and refrigerate.
Dinner day, with the oven schedule:
8:00 am: put the prosecco in the fridge and the ice in the freezer. Take the second half of the citrus-herb butter out to soften.
11:15 am: slice the persimmons, shave the parmesan, wash and dry the arugula.
11:20 am: carrots into a 425 F oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
12:00 pm: carrots out. Leave them on the pan at room temperature. The oven is free!
12:20 pm: finish the green beans in the skillet.
1:00 pm: butter under the turkey skin, then the turkey goes in the oven.
While the turkey roasts: stir the spritz base, set out the garnishes and take the honey butter out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
4:00 pm: turkey out, onto the platter with orange slices, cranberries and herbs.
4:15 pm: covered potatoes into a 325 F oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
4:45 pm: rewarm the cider on low. If you want the carrots, green beans and rolls warm, they need 8 to 10 minutes at 325 F. Brush the rolls with butter and flaky salt.
4:55 pm: potatoes out, lid on.
5:00 pm: dress the arugula and plate the salads. Whisk the gravy with the turkey drippings and reheat.
5:15 pm: guests arrive and the spritzes get poured over ice.
6:00 pm: sit down and eat!
Four days, one oven schedule, and a dinner that left me free to actually sit down with the people at my table. Our dishes were served on pieces from The Ivy at Home, and you can find them right here!
From my little family to yours – Happy Everything!
Xo
Nicci
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