Nothing beats the classic Thanksgiving dishes. We have collected some of the best traditional Thanksgiving dinner recipes for an epic holiday feast.
Main Course
Simple Herbed Turkey with Easiest Ever Gravy
By Travis and Ryan Croxton

Total prep time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
Yields: 8-10 servings
Here's what you need:
For turkey:
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 sprig plus 3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 sprig plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 carrots, halved
- 2 celery ribs, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey, giblets discarded, and neck reserved
For gravy:
- Simple Herbed Turkey drippings and turkey neck
- 1/2 c. dry white wine
- 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 4 c. chicken stock
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Here's how to prepare:
- To make the turkey: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix butter, chopped thyme, and chopped sage. Season with salt and pepper. In a roasting pan, place thyme sprig, sage sprig, carrots, celery, onion, turkey neck, and 2 cups water; top with a roasting rack.
- Loosen skin on turkey breasts and rub butter mixture under skin. Season turkey, including cavity, generously with salt and pepper; place on roasting rack. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wings under.
- Roast, basting every 30 minutes and adding more water to the pan if vegetables begin to scorch until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, 2 to 3 hours. Gently tilt the turkey to release any juices from the cavity into the pan. Transfer turkey to a cutting board; let rest 30 minutes before carving. Scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan and reserve drippings and turkey neck for gravy.
- To make the gravy: Cook reserved turkey drippings and turkey neck in a large, straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until dark brown and thickened, 12 to 14 minutes. Add white wine and simmer, stirring often, until syrupy, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually stir in chicken stock and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 14 to 16 minutes. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer. Season with salt and pepper.
Side Dishes
Herbed Mashed Potatoes
By The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen

Total prep time: 25 minutes
Yields: 8 servings
Here's what you need:
- 4 lb. golden potatoes (about 8), peeled and quartered
- Kosher salt
- 2 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 black peppercorns
- Freshly grated nutmeg, for serving
Here's how to prepare:
- In a large pot, add potatoes, add enough cold water to cover, and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat, and simmer until just tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pot.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add cream, butter, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Strain the cream mixture into the pot with potatoes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and mash to desired consistency. Sprinkle with nutmeg before serving if desired.
Thanksgiving Crab Cakes
By Travis and Ryan Croxton

Total prep time: 30 minutes
Yields: 8 servings
Here's what you need:
- 1 lb. crabmeat, picked
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ½ c. crackers crumbs (about 12 crackers, such as saltines)
- ¼ c. chopped yellow onion
- 3 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. Dijon
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- Chopped chives, for garnish
Here's how to prepare:
- In a bowl, mix crabmeat, eggs, cracker crumbs, onion, mayonnaise, Dijon, and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Drop crab mixture by 1/3 cupful into skillet, pressing lightly. Fry crab cakes, in two batches (adding remaining 2 tablespoons butter with the second batch), turning once, until golden brown and cooked through 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately garnished with chives.
20-Minute Cauliflower Soup
By The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen

Total prep time: 40 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Here's what you need:
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 leek (white and light green parts), chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and sliced
- 4 c. lower-sodium chicken broth
- ½ c. heavy cream
- Cracked pepper, for serving
- Chive Oil
- 1 bunch chives
- ½ c. canola or grapeseed oil
Here's how to prepare:
- In a large pot on medium heat, heat butter, and oil. Add onion, leek, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until very tender (but not brown), 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cauliflower, broth, and cream and simmer until cauliflower is tender for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Using a handheld blender (or standard blender, in batches), puree until smooth.
- Make Chive Oil: In a blender, puree chives and 1⁄2 cup canola or grapeseed oil until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook on medium until mixture begins to simmer for about 3 minutes. Pour through a coffee filter set over a measuring cup.
- Serve drizzled with Chive Oil and cracked pepper, if desired.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin
By Nancy Fuller

Total prep time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Yields: 8-10 servings
Here's what you need:
- 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 large head broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 3 c. whole milk
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 oz. Gruyère, grated (about 2 cups)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Here's how to prepare:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Arrange cauliflower and broccoli in the prepared dish.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes (do not let it darken). Slowly whisk in milk. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg and 1 1/4 cups cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
- Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil; bake until vegetables are tender, and the top is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Dessert
Spiced Pumpkin Pie
By Nancy Fuller

Total prep time: 30 minutes
Yields: 8-10 servings
Here's what you need:
- 1 Flaky Pie Crust
- 1 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
- 1 c. whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- Whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg, for serving
Here's how to prepare:
- Prepare Flaky Pie Crust dough as directed. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit crust into the bottom and up sides of the 9-inch pie plate and crimp. Press a large piece of nonstick foil onto the dough and fill with pie weights. Chill until firm, at least 30 min. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F. Bake chilled crust 15 min., then remove the foil (and weights). Continue baking until the pastry feels sandy and starts to turn golden, 10 to 15 min. more. Cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together (or mix with an electric mixer) pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugars, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Transfer to baked crust and bake until set around edges and still slightly wobbly in center, 55 to 65 minutes.
- Transfer to wire rack and let cool 1 hour, then refrigerate until chilled. Serve with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.

These are the best red wine cocktails to sip this fall season. They are easy to make and full of fall flavors. They are the perfect fall cocktail drinks and Thanksgiving cocktails too. These Thanksgiving Wine Charms and Hostess Gift will be the perfect touch for your Thanksgiving table setting and the distinguishing detail to your holiday toast. Your guests will love choosing the best wine charms - and it's so important to know whose glass is who’s this year!
This Thanksgiving, plan the best holiday feast for your family with these traditional Thanksgiving dinner dishes. These classic recipes are simply delicious, and your family will surely love them.
Happy Thanksgiving!