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Growing up I remember my family would begin cooking the night before Thanksgiving and then wake up early on Thanksgiving day to spend that day cooking as well. We’d eat and then while we were still full and fighting sleep, we’d have to get up and wash all those dishes. But today, I’m going to teach you how to prepare Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time!
Now that I have a family of my own, I’ve since changed my holiday cooking strategy. It allows me the freedom to rest, spend time with my family and eat well on Thanksgiving day. So, I’m glad you’re here because I’m about to help you out, Sis. This strategy is a game-changer!
Leading up to Thanksgiving, I want you to spend a little time here and there preparing your side dishes weeks even months in advance and you will end up with an amazing Thanksgiving meal and it will feel like you hardly did any work! Keep reading to learn how this works!
#1 Prepare your desserts
Many desserts can actually be prepared in advance. I began my Thanksgiving Day preparations at the end of October. The first thing that I decided to do was make my homemade sweet potato pie.
Once I took it out of the oven, I let it cool, wrapped it up in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and placed it in my deep freezer.
On the night before Thanksgiving, all I will have to do is place it in the fridge to thaw overnight. Once I’m ready to eat it, I will warm up our slices in the oven, top them with whipped cream, and enjoy!
The great thing about freezing food is that most items are good for at least 3-6 months in the freezer and they taste exactly how they are supposed to.
I recommend trying to avoid having frozen bananas or onions near your pie when you place it in the freezer because you don’t want your pie to taste like bananas or onions.
#2 Chop All Veggies Quickly
I use my Fullstar Vegetable Chopper to chop all of my holiday veggies and this thing saves me SO much time in the kitchen. I simply chop the ends of the vegetables off first.
Then I cut them in half or sometimes even fourths. When I place them in my Fullstar Vegetable Chopper it chops my veggies for me and the dices are all the same shape and size. It’s amazing! I bought mine from Amazon for a reasonable price. Click here if you want one too.
I put all of my chopped veggies in Ziplock bags and I leave them in the fridge until I’m ready to use them a couple of days later.
I use just a few minutes of one day to chop my vegetables for my dressing and my collard greens. It’s so easy and safe that I’m actually able to do all this while nursing and wearing my 1-year-old in her Ergobaby.
The Ergobaby is another game-changer that allows me to save time and multitask while wearing my daughter, so I wanted to share that with you too. Click here if you’re interested.
#3 Cook All Sides That Freeze Well
Think about your menu and consider the foods that will freeze well. Things like macaroni and cheese, greens, green beans, dressing/stuffing, some mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes will do well in the freezer.
Side dishes like those mentioned above can be prepared ahead of time, cooled, and then placed in your freezer. This will save you loads of time on Thanksgiving day!
I would not suggest freezing things like potato salad, meringue, fried foods, or cream-based soups and sauces. The texture of these foods will change in the freezer and wouldn’t taste like it’s supposed to.
I personally like to prepare collard greens, dressing, and mac n cheese in advance and then I leave them in my freezer until the day before Thanksgiving. This way, on Thanksgiving day, all I have to do is heat and eat!
If you’re a busy mom like me, you can spend a few minutes to an hour each day and only focus on preparing one side dish. This year, I’ve already made my collard greens and it only took a few minutes because my veggies were pre-chopped.
Then I cooked my mac n cheese on a different day, and I allowed my husband and daughter to contribute and help me prepare the dressing on another day.
#4 Plan To Do Little On the Day Before Thanksgiving
Plan to use the day before Thanksgiving to prepare the items that you can’t freeze or the items you just don’t want to make in advance. I personally like to make my turkey legs and candied yams on the day before Thanksgiving.
Did you catch that? The day before Thanksgiving I’m cooking two dishes. That’s pretty easy work. I may even make my gravy that day too depending on how I feel.
On this day, you’ll also want to take your frozen sides and desserts out of the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge overnight. This will make it easier for you to heat and eat on Thanksgiving day.
#5 Focus on Rest and Family on Thanksgiving Day
On the big celebratory day, I believe it should be a time to rest and enjoy the ones you love. Try to do minimal work on this day. The goal here is to heat and eat!
Personally, on Thanksgiving day, I usually just pop my crescents or dinner rolls in the oven to toast. That is literally the only cooking I do that day.
I love this method because it allows me to sleep, rest, and get quality time in with my husband and my daughter. A special bonus is that there are significantly fewer dishes to wash afterward because I did all the cooking days in advance.
While you’re cooking and preparing on the days leading up to Thanksgiving, here are some coloring sheets to keep your kids busy! Each coloring page includes a super cute Thanksgiving image and bible verse about praise and giving thanks! Purchase yours here!
Thanksgiving Bible Verse Coloring Pages for Kids
Bonus: Save Time on Christmas too
Do you remember when I said that you can freeze some foods for 3-6 months? You can save some of the sides you already prepared for Christmas too! I love doing this with greens, macaroni and cheese, and dressing. This saves me time on Christmas day!
I like to cook up a double portion of Thanksgiving sides. I then put half of it in Ziplock bags, suck out the air from the bag with a straw, and set them aside in my deep freezer specifically for Christmas.
The amazing thing is the sides still taste fresh on Christmas day! Game changer!
I can even add whatever fresh dishes I’d like to complete my Christmas meal. You can consider switching things up by making a holiday ham, chicken, fresh potato salad, or whatever tickles your fancy. Switching up some of the dishes to go with your previous Thanksgiving sides will give you the feeling of variety and versatility when you eat your Christmas meal.
I hope you found these Thanksgiving dinner preparation tips helpful. Watch the video below to see how I already began to prepare Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time at my house!
Watch the Video on How to Save Time Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner
Interested in more holiday posts?
Hi. Great ideas! Thank you for posting. I don’t know much about freezing and what can or cannot be frozen. These things are good to know. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment Jodi! There is so much that can be frozen. It amazes me how people don’t teach or talk about it that often. It saves so much time and money!
Good ideas! I’ve also been known to just do a Cracker Barrel order though I know that’s not for everybody. For me, it’s about spending time with my family and cooking is not something I love to do.
That is definitely a valid option! I absolutely agree that it’s about spending time with family. That’s what’s important.