Salad

24 Less-Stress Recipes to Make on Thanksgiving Eve

These recipes say, "Whoa, hey. We know you're stressed about Thanksgiving, but we want to make your night easier."

Their ease lets you save all the worrying (and frantically checking off tasks on your to-do list) for tomorrow. Whether it's kale salad peppered with simple roasted squash, almonds, and cheddar or a skillet lasagna that tastes like a weekend project but only took an hour, they require a level of work you can handle (meaning not a lot) the night before a cooking marathon.

Here are 24 roasted, one-pot, pasta, and light-ish recipes you should make on Wednesday (or now!).


Set it and (mostly) forget it


One-Pot, Less Worries


Pasta, the never-fail crowd-pleaser


and for something a bit lighter

Tell us: What are you making the night before Thanksgiving?

52 Days of Thanksgiving
Check It Out
52 Days of Thanksgiving

Top-notch recipes, expert tips, and all the tools to pull off the year’s most memorable feast.

Check It Out

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • olive
    olive
  • inpatskitchen
    inpatskitchen
  • Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
    Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
I fall in love with every sandwich I ever meet.

5 Comments

AntoniaJames November 21, 2016
To answer your question: I'm heating a pizza I made 2 weeks ago and froze, + a simple salad (dressing made, greens already washed!).
We had a fun Hotline discussion on this topic last year. I took to heart the advice of many - Order In!! -- but our favorite pizza place doesn't deliver (Zachary's) so I decided it's actually easier to make a second pizza and freeze it.
Here's the Hotline discussion: https://food52.com/hotline/29591-what-do-you-like-to-serve-for-dinner-on-the-wednesday-evening-before-thanksgiving

I mention this in the spirit of helpfulness and hope that it will be viewed as a constructive contribution to the site. If it is not, please let me know by sending a message via my profile. Thank you.
 
inpatskitchen November 21, 2016
Totally agree with you AJ! Pizza on Wednesday before Thanksgiving since I'll be prepping mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, sauerkraut and cabbage, marinated dukes, etc. etc.
 
inpatskitchen November 21, 2016
sorry.."cukes"
 
olive November 21, 2016
This is a great list- I especially like the 2-3 ingredient meals as I have a small fridge and don't want to stuff it with other 'before Thanksgiving" items. I am concentrating on getting all of those bits and bobs out ! Last night it was a clean the fridge out salad, two fold deliciousness! I didn't have to buy anything and now there's more room for the Turkey and friends.
 
Riddley G. November 21, 2016
I love a good clean-out-the-fridge salad! In fact, I have one in the works right now!