Make-Ahead or Crockpot Recipes Can Help with Timing for Thanksgiving Dinner
by Kalyn DennyEven for experienced cooks, putting a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner on the table is a culinary challenge. People love lots of Thanksgiving side dishes, but the meal has turkey and gravy which both need last minute attention. Thanksgiving dinner can be a timing nightmare, but using a crockpot slow cooker is something that can really help. Another great Thanksgiving sanity-saver is making things ahead, then just reheating them or cooking them on turkey day.
Creative cooks all over the internet have been sharing make-ahead or crockpot recipes for Thanksgiving. Some of these recipes can even be made way in advance, frozen, and then cooked on turkey day. If you're cooking a big Thanksgiving dinner, check out the ideas I found, then if you have a good make-ahead or crockpot recipe that's suitable for Thanksgiving, please share the link or your recipe in the comments.
Crockpot or Make Ahead Potatoes for Thanksgiving:
Slow-Cooked Rosemary Thyme Mashed Potatoes (pictured above)from Coconut and Lime
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream from A Year of Crockpotting
Crockpot Smashed Garlic Red Potatoes from A Recipe a Day
Perfect Make Ahead Party Potatoes from Kitchen Parade
Crockpot or Make Ahead Stuffing for Thanksgiving
Crockpot Cornbread Stuffing from A Year of Crockpotting
Perfect Homemade Crockpot Stuffing from A Year of Crockpotting
Crockpot or Make Ahead Sweet Potatoes for Thanksgiving
Spicy Crockpot Sweet Potatoes (pictured above) from Kalyn's Kitchen
Crockpot Candied Sweet Potatoes from A Year of Crockpotting
Pecan Topped Baked Sweet Potatoes from A Year of Crockpotting
Mashed Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes with Citrus from A Veggie Venture
Make Ahead Sweet Potatoes from Baking Delights
Crockpot Tex-Mex Sweet Potato Hash from Happy Herbivore
Crockpot or Make Ahead Vegetables for Thanksgiving
Slooow Country Green Beans from A Veggie Venture
Sweet and Sour Carmelized Onions from A Year of Crockpotting
Roasted Stuffed Onions from Smitten Kitchen
Crockpot Stuffed Onions from A Year of Crockpotting
Make Ahead Green Bean Casserole from A Veggie Venture (There are more options for Make-Ahead Vegetables at a Veggie Venture.)
Make Ahead Dinner Rolls for Thanksgiving
Sweet Potato Buttermilk Rolls (pictured above)from Pinch My Salt
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls from Tammy's Recipes
Refrigerator Rolls 101 from Cafe Johnsonia
Pumpkin Corn Muffins from Karina's Kitchen
Kalyn Denny writes about food and at BlogHer.com and shares her passion for cooking at Kalyn's Kitchen, where she shares Low-Glycemic Holiday Recipes every November.
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Comments
Great Recipes!
Kalyn,
Thank you for compiling this list! Time saving is key this time of year. It's nice to see some non traditional recipes included, I am especially intriqued by the stuffed onions.
Very much appreciated!
Heidi
Savory Tv
Thanks!
Glad you like the idea of time-saving recipes.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Crockpot and mashed potatoes
I love using my crockpot for keeping the mashed potatoes warm. It frees up a burner and eliminates the last minute dream whipping. Perfect!
Sallykd
www.itsalldelicious.com
Going to try it!
I haven't done that before but I'm thinking I will try it this year.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
I never thought of using the
I never thought of using the crock pot for the mashed potatoes, great idea! I love my crock pot, I use it all the time!
Brilliant, isn't it?
I love getting good ideas like this from other cooks.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
thank you, Kalyn!
This is a fantastic round-up, and I'm so honored to be included.
xoxo
steph
A Year of CrockPotting
You're the go-to-Thanksgiving person!
I just kept finding more and more good Thanksgiving ideas on your blog!
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Hola!
What a wonderful post- with so many great recipes. Using the slow cooker is a fab idea. Now if I only had someone coming to dinner... This year it's just the two of us. I suspect enchiladas are on the menu. ;)
k a r i n a
Karina's Kitchen: Recipes from a gluten-free goddess
Karina Allrich- Contemporary Abstracts
Wish I could come to your house!
Maybe next year when I'm retired I can come to Thanksgiving dinner at your house. (How's that for inviting myself?) That will be in LA of course!
I'm going to my dad's and I just heard today that Rand will be in Utah so I'm happy about that.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Crockpot sales about to soar...
With all these good ideas from everyone, there could be a necessity for TWO crockpots/slow cookers...or maybe even THREE...small for the gravy, medium for the stuffing and large for the mash. Or is that over the top???
Sallykd
www.itsalldelicious.com
Wouldn't that be fun?
I'm laughing a bit too, because I currently have 6 crockpots and now I want a 3 quart one! (Three of mine are the old "slow cooker" type which can cook all day.)
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
It's a Great Idea for Pre-Thanksgiving Too
We have family coming in and staying for the week. They may be retired, but WE work and still have to deal with not just Thanksgiving, but the other meals and get togethers for the week. I am SO doing a beef roast and vegetables in the crock pot, braising in red wine and herbs, then served one-dish over polenta!
These dishes are lifesavers for holiday times, not just the day itself! Thanks Kalyn!
For recipes and food issues and a bit of humor, visit my blog, Expatriate's Kitchen. Thanksgiving menu and recipes are posted!
Agree!
I think the crockpot is a lifesaver whenever you're too busy to cook or need to cook for a lot of people.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Thanks, Kalyn!
Wow, what a great resource for Thanksgiving planning! Thanks for including my dinner rolls and photo! Now I'm laughing about your six crockpots Kalyn...where on earth do you store them?? :-)
Well, I do have a very big kitchen
It is a lot of crockpots! I should give some away, but except for two of them (which I bought on sale for $5 each!) each one is a slightly different size.
I have a big soup party every year and really do use them all for that!
Thanks for the great recipe for rolls. Happy to include it.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Yum!
oh, I love my crockpot! Thanks for the great links, I'll definitely have to try some of the recipes out.
@ExpatChef: I agree, the holiday season in general is a great time to make use of the corckpot.
RTW
http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com
Glad you like it.
Hope you have fun trying something from the list.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Drooling all the way to
Drooling all the way to Wal-mart to buy a crock pot lol
GREAT list. I have bookmarked you to go read later. Wish you were on twitter ;)
Have fun with it!
Could not live without my crockpot. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but I would sure miss it.
Not sure what you mean by "Wish you were on Twitter?"
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Too bad I can't make my entire Thanksgiving
meal in the crockpot
Well, I'm going to have to try only ONE of these recipes, because there's no way I'm going to go out and buy another crockpot (or two...) Maybe I can borrow one? Great ideas Kalyn!
Thanks!
Never too many crockpots, that's what I always say!
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen