The big day is in 1 week and we’re all almost prepared with an arsenal of recipes that will get rave reviews from everyone! So, let’s pull everything together for the most epic Thanksgiving Menu and then talk prep and making things ahead of time!
Here’s the full Thanksgiving Menu:
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue
I mean, is that not the most glorious Thanksgiving menus you’ve ever seen!! Gobble Gobble! Thomas and I are going to have leftovers for DAYS.
Here’s my basic schedule / prep plan for my Thanksgiving Menu:
Sunday:
- Clean out the fridge
- Stock up on beer and wine
- Make a grocery list
- Shop for all the ingredients
- If you buy a frozen turkey – make sure to put it in the fridge to start thawing out
- Reorganize fridge with all the ingredients
Monday:
- Make the cranberry sauce and refrigerate until Thursday
- Brine the turkey if you’re using my brine recipes
- Make the compound butter for the Turkey
- Make the vinaigrette for the Fall Farmers Market Salad
- Prep carrots for the Charred Carrots with Herbs, wash, trim and clean and refrigerate.
Tuesday
- Make the basil mint topping for the Charred Carrots with Herbs / refrigerate until Thursday
- Cut the bread into cubes for the Wild Mushroom Stuffing – let sit on the counter overnight to harden.
Wednesday:
Wednesday:- Make the herb mixture for the Wild Mushroom Stuffing / refrigerate until tomorrow
- Prep ingredients for the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
- Prep ingredients for the Spicy Garlic Green Beans
- Make the Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes but don’t add the chives until tomorrow.
- Make the cheesecake portion of the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue from start to finish. Let cool entirely and the place in the fridge overnight.
- Make the the marshmallow meringue for the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue. Don’t top the cheesecake with the meringue yet, instead keep it in the fridge until Thursday. Place the meringue in the fridge, covered until Thursday.
- Make the Cheesy Creamed Kale and let cool, store in an airtight container
- Set the table
Thursday:
Early Morning / 8am-ish
- Arrange all the ingredients for the Fall Farmers Market Salad in a large salad bowl and cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge just before feasting time and drizzle the vinaigrette on before serving.
- Make the Mac and Cheese but don’t bake yet
- Top the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Meringue with the marshmallow meringue topping and torch. Set aside until dessert
- Make the Apple Crisp but hold off on baking.
- Assemble the Thanksgiving Cheese Board and cover with a towel. Leave at room temperature.
- Prep the Herb Roasted Turkey and start roasting
Before the Feast
- Finish making the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, Spicy Garlic Green Beans and the Charred Carrots with Herbs which can be topped with the basil mint mixture
- Combine the prepped bread and herb mixture for the Wild Mushroom Stuffing and finish following the recipe instructions.
- Reheat the Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes in a 350 degree oven until warm or in a slow cooker. Add the chives before serving.
- Bake off the Mac and Cheese
- Carve the Herb Roasted Turkey, reserve the drippings for gravy and place on an over-proof platter – pop back into a 200 degree oven to keep warm before serving.
- Make the Homemade Gravy
- KICK BACK AND RELAX!
- Bake the Apple Crisp just as you’re sitting down to dinner – it will take about an hour so your house will smell like dessert by the time dinner is over.
Have any last minute questions about Thanksgiving, the prep schedule, my Thanksgiving Menu or prep timing…?? Shout them out in the comments below and I’ll respond ASAP!
PS – are you thinking of putting this on your Thanksgiving menu? Check out the full What’s Gaby Cooking menu here along with the master prep schedule to keep things organized and on track!
And if you need more Thanksgiving Ideas check out this roundup of 80+ Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas
Photography by Matt Armendariz / Styling by Adam Pearson / Prop styling by Stephanie Hanes / Light Fixture by Serena and Lily/ Recipes by What’s Gaby Cooking
Is it possible to make the stuffing in advance and freeze it, or would you not recommend that? Looking to have less to do the day of. Would you suggest making it two days in advance and just leave in fridge and re heat on Thursday?
check out my prep schedule I’m posting in a few hours! That will solve all the timing issues 🙂
This is SO helpful! I have to mention though — NO PIE?! My family would go crazy 😉 I love your list and breakdown of when to prep for each dish. LOVE how helpful that is!
After torching the pumpkin cheesecake marshmallow top… do you leave on counter or refrigerate? You say torching can be done early in the day.
fridge!
hi lovely,
when you say, “early morning” on thanksgiving, what time is that exactly?
L. xx
Let me clarify in the post for future reference!
I am thankful for you. Hope you and your family have a lovely holiday. xx
This is AMAZING! Thank you SO much for taking the time to put this together!
This looks like the most divine feast. Enjoy all the time with family and friends!
I”m in love with this timeline…it’s exactly what I was looking for – trying to figure out how in the heck I’m going to do everything and still go to work next week! Thank you!
I’ve got ya!
Do you brine Wednesday night?
yes!
This is so helpful and every single thOmg looks delicious! Is the recipe for the chive biscuits in the post? Thank you!
here you go! https://dev.afterhoursagency.com/wgc/parmesan-cheddar-chive-biscuits/
Hi Gaby! When prepping the apple crisp, am i supposed to put topping on already? How do you store it until ready to bake it off? Thanks! It all looks amazing!
depends how far ahead you’re prepping it. If it’s day of like my timetable suggests, you can chop the apples, make the topping and assemble everything. Pop it in the fridge and then bake it off while you sit down.
If you do the apples and the topping a day early, don’t assemble to right before you bake off
Thanks! I will do everything day of like you suggest. Can’t wait to try it! =)
Have you made the chive biscuits a day before? I am going to run out of oven space 😉
you totally can – just pop them in the microwave to re-heat before serving
Woman. All my respects. You are a machine!!
What are your go to cheeses that are mild and pleasing to most, especially if there are kids as well as adults.
port salut, gouda, fontina, brie!
If you cut the bread and leave it out overnight to harden for the mushroom stuffing, do you also need to bake it as the recipe instructs in step 1? Thank you!!
yes just to give it a little deeper flavor!
Hi Gaby! Any suggestions on the best way to carve the turkey? My husband isn’t the most patient carver and some meat gets wasted, which drives me crazy!
Alton Brown has a video on youtube I think – he’s a pro!!
Gaby-
I’ve dry brined my turkey. In looking at recipies, I don’t see that you wash any salt off before cooking it. Also, to get the crisp skin, do I not butter the outside and underneath the skin of the bird???
Thanks for your help love!
Hey Lisa! I dry brined mine for friendsgiving this year – yes, you want to brush off the dry brine! And then if you’re following my recipe you do the herb butter on the outside AND under the skin of the bird
This is the most amazing feast! Question about the cheesecake, do I have to make the meringe ahead? Or can I just do it all the same day and serve? Wondering if it needs to rest or chill before torching
same day! right before serving
OMG, The marscapone potatoes are MAGIC! It will be a miracle if they make it to the table!
I’m just wondering how many people you fed at this meal and/or how many serving sizes your recipes are.
Thanks a lot!
Thanksgiving was 8-10 people! When we relaunched my site all of the serving sizes disappeared so I’m slowly re-adding them! Usually it’s a 4-6 person serving on a recipe!
Question about making the Mac & Cheese ahead of time – Is it possible to make the pasta and the sauce the day before and mix together the day of? Thank you!
it’s not really suggested – the cheese sauce congeals and the pasta can sometimes stick together. For my friendsgiving this year, I just measured out all the ingredients the day before and then it came together quickly the day of!!
Hi! the Spicy Garlic Green Beans sound delicious for my work pot luck since i want something delicious and on the healthier side. My only problem is that i would have to cook them in the morning before work and we wouldn’t eat them until Noonish, do you have any suggestions on how to keep them warm or reheat them. Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes!
they reheat okay in the microwave! Would be best if you had a small kitchen at work where you could heat them in a skillet for 2-3 minutes to warm them through again!
Don’t forget brining the turkey, right? :)))
Amazingly helpful Gaby!
I’m planning on making your Chipotle mashed sweet potatoes… Can those be made in advance?
absolutely! you can make them a day or two ahead of time and reheat in a slow cooker or dutch oven! Might need to add a bit of liquid to loosen them up if they get thick
Thank you!!
Hi! Love this 🙂 When do you start reheating the mashed potatoes in a slow cooker? E.g. on low 4 hours before serving…
I would do low 2 hours before serving and add a bit of extra cream if you need to thin it out
If you started all the cooking on Thursday around 8ish–about what time is everything ready?
depends if you’re doing any of the prep! if you follow this schedule you’ll be eating around 4
How would we reheat creamy kale?
Same as mashed potatoes
yes or in a non stick skillet over low heat!
Looking for a pretty fruit platter?
This is so helpful! I used your recipes last year and it was a huge hit and plan to do the same this year.
PS I love your jeans…where from?! 🙂
Paige!
You are the Best
So happy that I found you
Hi Gaby!
After making the mac & cheese in the AM, should we refrigerate it until before dinner when we bake it?
Would you add the crumbs right before baking it or in the AM when you make it?
Thank you!
I honestly just leave it on the counter and then add the crumbs right before baking
do you finish up the green beans and carrots while the turkey is in the oven or do you cook when the turkey is all done? Wondering how to keep warm!
green beans I finish sauteeing right before serving, and the carrots can be re-heated on the stove or in the oven before serving and then toss with the herb sauce!
OMG- Thank you! Even though I’ve hosted Thanksgiving for the past 3 years, your prep schedule and menu ideas help me feel less stressed! First, I know your recipes are amazing and the way you break everything down makes it all so manageable. I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving. I’m grateful to you for your recipes and inspiration.
Hi Gaby,
I have following you and using your recipes for months. Thank you for saving me so many times!!!
I have a situation… I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner at my MIL’s this year (she’s 95 and not able to do it anymore or come to our house) so I am hosting a dozen people (about half the number we usually are). So even though it’s not a huge crowd, we have vegetarians and diabetics (same ones) to account for.
I am making the Turkey, stuffing/dressing (vegan and not), gravy reg and veg, cranberry sauce and relish in both SF and regular. Same with mashed potatoes and wanted to roast acorn squash. I usually raost in over with butter, salt, pepper and maple syrup (SF). LOVE it but I won’t have access to the oven.
I need advice on how to cook it before hand and reheat it so it tastes good and is not mushy. I do have a Ninja Foodi and a Crock Pot I can bring.
How can I make this work???
Thank you for any Tips and Advice!!!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
Happy Turkey Day!!
wait – what do you need advise on? Which recipe do you need to prep ahead or do you mean you need to do ALL of this ahead of time?
Gaby & team, thank you for putting this together and making is a dream to plan for thanksgiving! What type of wine do you like to drink? Brands or what not.
wine post is coming tomorrow!
Hey Gaby! Can you please add to this post when to brine the turkey so everything is in one post pls. Im so confused if I should star to brine on Tuesday or Wednesday! Thank you
here you go! brining 101 https://dev.afterhoursagency.com/wgc/easy-turkey-brine/
Hi Gaby,
I’m so excited to make the pumpkin cheesecake! It looks like the most delicious, show stopper dessert of all time! I have a couple questions…I’ll be traveling an hour and a half away and I plan to make both cheesecake and meringue the day before(refrigerated of course)
Does the cheesecake need to be covered in the refrigerator?
Can I stick both in an ice chest for the drive up?
If I arrive at 2pm can I put it together, then stick in fridge and take out an hour before dessert?
Sorry so many questions I just want it to look perfect!! Thank you so much! Happy thanksgiving!
yes – make them both the day ahead.
you can cover the cheesecake for sure
you can stick them in an ice chest but I worry about the cheesecake sliding around
and yes, you can assemble upon arrival and then pop into the fridge before serving
What is the best way to keep Turkey warm and moist after you carve if you want to do ahead like Gaby showed? Does it dry out?
I would carve it, plate it, pour a tiny amount of turkey stock on top and wrap in tin foil… then keep in a 200 degree oven until it’s time to serve.
Everything sounds so good, thank you!