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Our Top 50 Thanksgiving Recipes

 When you’re making Thanksgiving dinner, only the best recipes will do. So we rounded up these tried-and-true takes on turkey day traditions, from sides to desserts — and everything in between.



Plan the Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner

Whether you’re planning a traditional Thanksgiving menu featuring classics like turkey, savory green bean casserole and homemade cranberry sauce or experimenting with new takes on your family traditions, you’re going to need a few ideas to get you started. Luckily, our 50 most-popular Thanksgiving recipes have you covered. This collection of feast-worthy eats includes soups and appetizers to start your meal, turkey and side dishes to round it out — and even desserts. You’ll truly find everything you need to host the perfect holiday meal. There are lots of great options but Ina’s perfect roast turkey is one of the best. She uses an herbed compound butter (with fresh thyme) to give her bird extra flavor. It’s a simple trick that produces amazing results.


Perfect Roast Turkey


Ingredients : 


1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 fresh turkey (10 to 12 pounds)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch fresh thyme

1 whole lemon, halved

1 Spanish onion, quartered

1 head garlic, halved crosswise


Directions : 


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.

Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.

Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.

Slice the turkey and serve.

Perfect Pot Roast


Ingredients : 


Salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 3- to 5-pound chuck roast 

2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

2 whole onions, peeled and halved

6 to 8 whole carrots, unpeeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 cup red wine, optional

3 cups beef broth

2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme


Directions : 

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. 

Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast.
 
Heat the olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the halved onions to the pot, browning them on both sides. Remove the onions to a plate. 

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. Reserve the carrots with the onions. 

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pot. Place the meat in the pot and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. 

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a whisk. Place the roast back into the pot and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway. 

Add in the onions and the carrots, along with the fresh herbs. 

Put the lid on, then roast for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast. For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours. The roast is ready when it's fall-apart tender.


Perfect Roast Chicken



Ingredients :


1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

Olive oil


Directions : 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.


Dry Aged Prime Rib Roast


Ingredients : 

Au Jus:

Pan drippings from roast, about 1 1/2 cups

3/4 cup red wine

2 cups beef stock

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

6 rib beef roast, bone in, approximately 10 to 12 pounds

1 package cheesecloth, cut in half (approximately 1 yard)

1 sheet pan

1 roasting rack to fit in sheet pan

Seasoning Mixture:

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary

4 tablespoons freshly cracked tri-color pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated onion

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon coriander, toasted and cracked

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 carrots, washed, ends trimmed and cut into large (3-inch) chunks

2 yellow onions, peeled and quartered

2 cups water


Directions : 


For the roast:

Remove roast from packaging, rinse well. Pat completely dry, wrap with 3 layers cheesecloth. Place on a rack on a sheet pan in back of refrigerator, fat side up. After 24 hours, remove, unwrap, discard cheesecloth and wrap with a fresh piece. Place back in refrigerator for 6 to 9 days undisturbed.

Remove roast from refrigerator. Remove cheesecloth, cut away the fat and trim the ends and any discolored parts of roast.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place roast on a rack in a large, heavy roasting pan.

Special equipment: Space in back of refrigerator for up to 10 days .

For the seasoning mixture:

In a medium bowl, combine spices and mix well. Be sure to crush the larger spices well for a uniform rub. (You can use mortar and pestle or large wooden end of a pounding mallet in non-glass bowl.) Rub roast with olive oil, then rub with seasoning. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Prepare vegetables, make a bed in the roasting pan with the vegetables and pour in the water. Be sure to check the liquid level in the pan occasionally and add additional water, if necessary. (You will need this liquid to make the au jus.) Place roast on top of vegetables and place in hot oven. Roast at 450 degrees F for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, reduce heat to 275 degrees F and continue to roast for approximately 2 hours, or until internal temperature (stay away from the bone while checking temp) reaches 135 degrees F. Remove from oven, remove from roasting pan, loosely tent and allow to rest for 15 minutes while making the au jus.

For the Au Jus:

Strain drippings from roasting pan, skim fat from drippings. Place roasting pan over 2 burners, heat on medium high and add in drippings, stir to deglaze, add in wine and stock, reduce by 1/3, about 5 minutes on steady boil, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, add in butter. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Strain once more into serving vessel.

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