21 Thanksgiving side dishes planned around one oven

America’s Test Kitchen puts the typical Thanksgiving at three to five side dishes; we add cranberry sauce, gravy and rolls on top, which makes a spread of six to eight. Sur La Table’s rule: the more dishes you serve, the less of each one you need. Per guest, with several sides on the table (Food Network, Whole Foods and Sur La Table broadly agree):

Nine sides that need the oven, each with the temperature it wants and the slot it fits: with the turkey in its last hour at 325°F (163°C), in the 30 to 40 minutes the bird rests, or before it goes in. Pick two or three of these, not all nine.

1. 

   1Stuffing baked in a dish

   One of five sides on all nine of the big Thanksgiving roundups we read, and the one that shares the turkey’s oven best: baked in a dish rather than in the bird, which is also how USDA FSIS recommends cooking it. Make ahead the USDA way: cook the celery and onion and keep them cold with the broth, keep the bread dry, and mix the two only when the dish goes in the oven (FSIS: if stuffing is prepared ahead, “it must be cooked immediately”). Brand recipes allow the mixed, unbaked dish a night in the fridge; we follow FSIS. Or bake it fully a day ahead, chill it in a shallow dish and reheat it to 165°F (74°C). Allergens: wheat, milk (butter), soy (the soy lecithin in Pepperidge Farm’s herb-seasoned cubes); check your stuffing bag and broth for others.

   • 15 min active
   • Make the day before

   Quick recipe · About 7 cups (1.7 L) in a 9x13 in (23x33 cm) dish, for 9 or 10 at ¾ cup (180 ml) each; for 12, make 1⅓ times the recipe in a deeper dish

   Ingredients

   • ¼ cup (55 g) butter
   • 2 celery stalks and 1 large onion, chopped
   • 2½ cups (600 ml) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
   • One 12 oz (340 g) bag herb-seasoned stuffing cubes
   • 1 tsp chopped fresh sage or thyme (optional)

   Method

   1. Cook the celery and onion in the butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Add the broth and bring it to a boil. (Made the celery, onion and broth ahead? Bring them back to a boil in the pan, then go on.)
   2. Off the heat, stir in the stuffing cubes and herbs, spoon into a greased 9x13 in (23x33 cm) dish and cover with foil.
   3. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 30 minutes, or alongside the turkey at 325°F (163°C) for about 40 (our timing; Betty Crocker’s from-scratch stuffing takes 45 at that temperature), taking the foil off for the last few minutes to crisp the top. It is done at 165°F (74°C) in the center.

   Stuffing goes to 165°F (74°C) in the center, not the 160°F (71°C) some recipes give. Cooked inside the bird, it has to reach 165°F (74°C) too, often after the meat is done, which is why FSIS recommends the dish.

2. 

   2Green bean casserole

   Dorcas Reilly devised it in Campbell’s test kitchen in 1955, as “Green Bean Bake”, for an Associated Press feature on side dishes from pantry staples; her recipe card is in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. It bakes in 30 minutes, so it slots into the turkey’s last half hour. Make ahead: blanch and chill the beans up to 2 days ahead (America’s Test Kitchen’s make-ahead method); stir it together on the day. Allergens: milk; soy and wheat (soy sauce, the soup and the fried onions).

   • 15 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead

   Quick recipe · Serves 6; double it in a 3 quart (2.8 L) dish for 12

   Ingredients

   • 1 can (10.5 oz / 298 g) condensed cream of mushroom soup
   • ½ cup (120 ml) milk
   • 1 tsp soy sauce and a few grinds of black pepper
   • 4 cups (950 ml) cooked cut green beans, from about 1½ lb (680 g) fresh, blanched 2 to 4 minutes
   • 1⅓ cups (about 80 g) French fried onions, divided

   Method

   1. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, beans and ⅔ cup (about 40 g) of the onions together in a 1½ quart (1.4 L) baking dish.
   2. Bake 25 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Stir, scatter the rest of the onions on top and bake 5 minutes more, until they are golden.
   3. With the turkey at 325°F (163°C), allow 25 to 30 minutes in all, with the onions going on for the last 5 (Betty Crocker’s method).
3. 

   3Sweet potato casserole

   The sweet one, with a pecan streusel. Marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes are usually credited to a 1917 Angelus Marshmallows recipe booklet, but the dish was on the menu of a Nashville students’ club luncheon in February 1915 and in a Reading, Pennsylvania club cookbook in 1916. Make ahead: the streusel up to a week ahead, in the fridge; roast and mash the potatoes with the butter up to 2 days ahead; beat in the eggs and milk on the day and keep the dish in the fridge until it goes in the oven. Bake at 350°F (177°C) until the center reads 165°F (74°C), allowing 15 to 20 minutes more from cold. Allergens: egg, milk, tree nuts (pecans), wheat; standard marshmallows contain gelatin.

   • 30 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead

   The twist: In a one-oven kitchen, bake it beside the turkey in the bird’s last hour; from the fridge at 325°F (163°C) it can take the full hour, so it is ready when the center reads 165°F (74°C), not when a timer says so.

   Full recipe →
4. 

   4Scalloped potatoes

   The potato that bakes the day before. Make ahead: bake it fully, refrigerate it within 2 hours and reheat it covered, with a splash of milk added while the dish is still cold, at the turkey’s 325°F (163°C) until the center is back to 165°F (74°C), 45 to 60 minutes for a full dish; or assemble it with the par-cooked slices up to 24 hours ahead and bake it from the fridge at 400°F (204°C). Allergen: milk.

   • 30 min active
   • Make the day before
   • Vegetarian
   • Gluten-free
   • Nut-free

   The twist: Bake it on Wednesday and it needs no oven slot of its own on Thursday: it reheats beside the turkey at the same temperature.

   Full recipe →
5. 

   5Baked mac and cheese

   On all nine of the big roundups we read, and the side the children will actually eat. It bakes at 350°F (177°C) for 45 to 50 minutes, too long for the turkey’s rest, so in a one-oven kitchen it goes in with the turkey and comes out when it is bubbling and 165°F (74°C) in the center, or it is the second oven’s job. Make ahead: assemble it the day before, cover and refrigerate, and bake it on the day (our timeline planner uses a quicker baked mac, 375°F (191°C) for 25 to 30 minutes); Taste of Home allows up to 4 days; we keep it to one, because the days a dish waits unbaked come out of the 3 to 4 days its leftovers get. Allergens: milk, wheat; mustard (the ground mustard) for UK and EU readers.

   • 25 min active
   • Make the day before
   • Vegetarian
   • Nut-free
   • Kid-friendly

   Quick recipe · One 9x13 in (23x33 cm) dish, about 16 side servings

   Ingredients

   • 3½ cups (about 400 g) elbow macaroni
   • ¼ cup (55 g) butter and ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
   • 1 tsp salt, ¾ tsp ground mustard, ½ tsp pepper, a few dashes of hot sauce
   • 3½ cups (830 ml) whole milk
   • 5 cups (570 g) shredded cheddar, divided

   Method

   1. Boil the macaroni until almost tender and drain. In the same pot, melt the butter, stir in the flour and seasonings until smooth, and take it off the heat.
   2. Stir in the macaroni, the milk and 4 cups (450 g) of the cheese, spread it in an ungreased 9x13 in (23x33 cm) dish and cover.
   3. Bake at 350°F (177°C) until bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes, or longer straight from the fridge; it is ready when bubbling and 165°F (74°C) in the center. Uncover, scatter on the last cup (115 g) of cheese and let it stand 5 minutes before serving.
6. 

   6Dinner rolls

   The last thing into the oven: par-baked rolls finish in 8 to 12 minutes, which fits inside the turkey’s rest. Make ahead: par-bake and freeze them days ahead, or bake and freeze them and reheat them in foil. Baked rolls keep 2 to 3 days on the counter; the fridge stales bread fastest. Allow 1½ rolls a guest. Allergens: wheat, milk, egg.

   • 40 min active
   • Start a week ahead
   • Vegetarian
   • Nut-free

   The twist: From frozen, spaced on a lined sheet pan at 425°F (218°C), they take 8 to 12 minutes, a few more if still icy, until golden and hot in the middle: put them in for the last 15 minutes of the turkey’s rest.

   Full recipe →
7. 

   7Roasted Brussels sprouts

   The green thing every roundup carries, and the side made for the turkey’s rest: a hot oven, about half an hour, and no dish to wash. Make ahead: trim and halve them up to a day ahead and keep them in a bag in the fridge. Allergens: none of the major ones.

   • 15 min active
   • Make the day before
   • Vegan
   • Gluten-free
   • Nut-free

   Quick recipe · Serves 8

   Ingredients

   • 2 lb (900 g) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
   • ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
   • 1 tsp salt
   • ½ tsp pepper

   Method

   1. Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C) as soon as the turkey comes out. Toss the sprouts with the oil, salt and pepper.
   2. Spread them cut side down on two rimmed baking sheets, without crowding. Roast until browned and tender, stirring halfway: start checking at 15 minutes; large ones can take 35.
8. 

   8Roasted butternut squash

   It roasts hot, at 425°F (218°C) for 40 to 45 minutes, so it does not fit around the turkey; roast it the day before, or before the bird goes in, refrigerate it once it stops steaming, and reheat it beside the turkey until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C). Make ahead: Inspired Taste keeps the raw cubes up to 4 days in the fridge. Allergens: none of the major ones.

   • 20 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead
   • Vegan
   • Gluten-free
   • Nut-free

   Quick recipe · Serves 8

   Ingredients

   • 2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes
   • ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
   • ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
   • 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp fine salt

   Method

   1. Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Toss the squash with the oil, sugar, cinnamon and salt and spread it on four lined baking sheets, or roast it in two batches.
   2. Roast 40 to 45 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges. Refrigerate it once it stops steaming, then reheat it beside the turkey until it is steaming hot, 165°F (74°C).

   Room-temperature service counts on the 2-hour clock: out of the fridge or oven for 2 hours at most, 1 hour above 90°F (32°C).

9. 

   9Skillet cornbread

   It wants a 450°F (232°C) oven and a hot skillet, which no turkey oven can spare, so bake it before the bird goes in or the day before; wrapped tight, it keeps at room temperature overnight. Allergens: egg, milk (buttermilk), wheat; bacon fat makes it not vegetarian, so use butter or oil if that matters.

   • 15 min active
   • Make the day before
   • Nut-free

   Quick recipe · One 9 to 10 inch (23 to 25 cm) skillet, 8 wedges

   Ingredients

   • ¼ cup (50 g) bacon fat, butter or oil
   • 1½ cups (245 g) whole cornmeal and ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
   • ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt
   • 1 large egg
   • 1½ cups (355 ml) buttermilk

   Method

   1. Put the fat in a 9 to 10 inch (23 to 25 cm) cast-iron skillet and heat it in the oven as it preheats to 450°F (232°C).
   2. Whisk the dry ingredients together; whisk the egg into the buttermilk and stir it in until just combined.
   3. Wearing thick, dry oven mitts, take the skillet out (its handle is at 450°F (232°C) too), set it on the stovetop and pour in the batter, away from you: the fat will sizzle and spit. Bake about 25 minutes, until firm in the middle and golden on top, and leave a dry mitt over the handle afterwards as a reminder.

The turkey roasts at 325°F (163°C) and then rests, out of the oven, for 30 to 40 minutes: FSIS says 20 minutes, for quality, and America’s Test Kitchen rests a big bird about 40. That rest is the oven’s free window. Our Thanksgiving timeline planner works out the exact clock for your bird and your menu.

Nine sides for the burners, several of them made days ahead and only reheated on Thursday.

1. 

   10Mashed potatoes

   Allow about ½ lb (225 g) of raw potatoes a guest, which mashes to roughly ¾ cup (180 ml). They hold well in a preheated slow cooker on warm, as long as they go in hot and a thermometer reads 140°F (60°C) or above: FSIS’s rule is that a slow cooker keeps food hot but is not for reheating. So mash made ahead goes back to 165°F (74°C) on the stove or in the microwave first, then into the cooker. America’s Test Kitchen also cooks mash from raw in a slow cooker and holds it on warm for up to 2 hours. Allergen: milk.

   • 30 min active
   • Make that morning
   • Vegetarian
   • Gluten-free
   • Nut-free
   • Kid-friendly

   The twist: Make them in the last hour, while the turkey is still in the oven, and keep them covered on the lowest heat or in a preheated slow cooker until the plates go out.

   Full recipe →
2. 

   11Turkey gravy

   Only one of the nine roundups even lists gravy, yet it goes on almost every plate: allow ⅓ to ½ cup (80 to 120 ml) a guest. Make the stock from roasted turkey wings days early (or freeze it), make the gravy up to 2 days ahead, and finish it on the day with the browned bits from the roasting pan. Reheat gravy to a rolling boil (FSIS). Allergens: wheat (the roux); milk if finished with butter; sulphites if made with wine.

   • 30 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead
   • Nut-free

   The twist: With the gravy made on Tuesday, the day-of job is about 15 minutes on the stove while the turkey rests.

   Full recipe →
3. 

   12Mushroom gravy

   For the vegetarians at the table, and good on the potatoes for everyone else. Make ahead: Taste of Home makes it a day or two in advance, keeps it up to 4 days and freezes it up to 3 months; reheat it to a rolling boil with a splash of broth, because it thickens as it sits. Vegetarian, not vegan (butter). Allergens: milk, wheat.

   • 25 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead
   • Vegetarian
   • Nut-free

   Quick recipe · About 2¼ cups (530 ml), for 6 or 7

   Ingredients

   • 3 tbsp olive oil and 4 tbsp butter
   • 8 oz (225 g) cremini mushrooms, sliced, plus ½ oz (15 g) dried porcini, soaked and chopped
   • ½ cup (80 g) chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves, chopped
   • 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
   • 2 cups (475 ml) vegetable broth and 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

   Method

   1. Brown the mushrooms, porcini, onion and garlic in the oil in a wide pan, then tip them into a bowl.
   2. Melt the butter in the pan, stir in the flour and cook until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the broth, return the mushrooms, add the thyme and simmer until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. 

   13Cranberry sauce

   Three ingredients, 15 minutes, and the side you finish first: Ocean Spray keeps homemade sauce up to a week in the fridge (and does not suggest freezing it, because it turns watery). Marcus Urann first canned cranberry sauce in 1912; the jellied log went nationwide in 1941. Allow ⅓ cup (80 ml) a guest. Allergens: none of the major ones.

   • 15 min active
   • Start a week ahead
   • Vegan
   • Gluten-free
   • Nut-free
   • Kid-friendly

   Quick recipe · About 2¼ cups (530 ml), for 6 or 7

   Ingredients

   • 1 cup (200 g) sugar
   • 1 cup (240 ml) water
   • 12 oz (340 g) fresh or frozen cranberries

   Method

   1. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the cranberries and bring it back to a boil.
   2. Boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate it within 2 hours; it sets as it cools.
5. 

   14Green beans amandine

   The green bean side with no oven at all: blanched ahead, finished in one skillet in about 15 minutes. Make ahead: America’s Test Kitchen blanches the beans up to 2 days ahead. Leftovers keep 2 to 4 days, and Taste of Home advises against freezing them. Allergens: tree nuts (almonds), milk.

   • 20 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead
   • Vegetarian
   • Gluten-free

   Quick recipe · Serves 8

   Ingredients

   • 2 lb (900 g) green beans, trimmed
   • ⅓ cup (30 g) sliced almonds
   • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
   • 2 tsp lemon juice and ½ tsp salt

   Method

   1. Up to 2 days ahead, boil the beans until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes, cool them in ice water, dry them and refrigerate.
   2. On the day, toast the almonds in a large skillet over medium-low heat until golden, about 6 minutes; add the butter and cook until it smells nutty, about 3 minutes, then tip it all into a bowl with the lemon juice.
   3. Heat the beans in the same skillet with ¼ cup (60 ml) water, covered, over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes; uncover until the water is gone and toss with the almond butter and salt.
6. 

   15Braised carrots and peas

   A sweet, buttery vegetable side that cooks on one burner. Make it in the last half hour, or ahead and reheat it to 165°F (74°C). Allergens: milk (butter), wheat (a spoon of flour in the glaze).

   • 25 min active
   • Last minute
   • Vegetarian
   • Nut-free
   • Kid-friendly

   The twist: Swap the parsley for chopped chives or thyme to bring it in line with the rest of the table.

   Full recipe →
7. 

   16Collard greens

   The Southern table’s green, and better the next day. America’s Test Kitchen braises them in a 300°F (149°C) oven, which a turkey oven cannot be; this version stays on the stove. Make ahead: up to 2 days, so leftovers still have time (Taste of Home keeps the cooked greens 3 to 4 days), cooled in shallow containers rather than in the pot, and reheated to 165°F (74°C). Allergens: none of the major ones; smoked ham hocks make it not vegetarian.

   • 30 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead
   • Gluten-free
   • Nut-free

   Quick recipe · Serves 6 (adapted from Taste of Home)

   Ingredients

   • 1½ lb (680 g) smoked ham hocks
   • 6 cups (1.4 L) water
   • 1 large onion, chopped, and 4 garlic cloves, minced
   • ½ to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
   • 2 lb (900 g) collard greens, stems removed, leaves cut into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces and washed until no grit remains

   Method

   1. Simmer the hocks, onion, garlic, pepper flakes and water uncovered in a large pot for about 1 hour.
   2. Add the greens, pushing them under, and simmer about 1 hour more, until very tender. Pull the meat off the hocks into the pot, discard the skin and bones, and season with salt. Serve with hot sauce or cider vinegar.
8. 

   17Creamed corn

   A stovetop answer to corn casserole, which wants a 375°F (191°C) oven for 45 minutes. Taste of Home finishes this one under the broiler; on Thanksgiving, skip that and leave the oven to the turkey. Make it in the last 20 minutes. Allergens: milk (cream and Parmesan), wheat. Parmesan is usually made with animal rennet, so for vegetarians use a cheese labeled vegetarian, or leave it out.

   • 15 min active
   • Last minute
   • Vegetarian
   • Nut-free
   • Kid-friendly

   Quick recipe · Serves 8

   Ingredients

   • ⅓ cup (75 g) butter and ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
   • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream and 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
   • ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 1 tsp salt and a pinch of white pepper
   • 5 cups (about 700 g) frozen corn, thawed
   • ¼ cup (20 g) grated Parmesan

   Method

   1. Melt the butter and stir in the flour, then whisk in the cream, milk, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring.
   2. Add the corn and cook until it is heated through, then stir in the Parmesan.
9. 

   18Wild rice pilaf

   Good hot or at room temperature, so it never needs a slot in the oven. Make ahead: Love and Lemons keeps its wild rice pilaf up to 3 days in the fridge; spread it on a tray to cool and refrigerate it within 1 hour (in the UK, where the FSA gives cooked rice 24 hours, make it the day before at most). Serve it warm, reheated to 165°F (74°C), or at room temperature on the 2-hour clock. Vegetarian with vegetable broth, and gluten-free if the broth label says so. Allergens: tree nuts (pecans), milk (butter).

   • 20 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead
   • Vegetarian
   • Gluten-free

   Quick recipe · Serves 8

   Ingredients

   • 1½ cups (240 g) wild rice, rinsed
   • 4 cups (950 ml) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
   • 2 tbsp butter, 1 onion and 1 carrot, finely chopped
   • ¾ cup (90 g) dried cranberries
   • ¾ cup (85 g) pecans, toasted and chopped, and 2 tbsp chopped parsley

   Method

   1. Simmer the wild rice in the broth, covered, until the grains split open and are tender, 35 to 45 minutes; drain off any broth left over.
   2. Soften the onion and carrot in the butter, then fold in the rice, cranberries, pecans and parsley and season to taste.

Three that need no heat on the day at all, which also means they are the ones that need watching on the buffet: cold food stays at 40°F (4°C) or below until it goes out.

1. 

   19Shaved Brussels sprout salad with apple

   A raw, crunchy counterweight to a table of casseroles, and it is better for sitting: Once Upon a Chef dresses it at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours ahead and adds the nuts and cheese at the end. Allergens: tree nuts (walnuts), milk (Parmigiano-Reggiano). Parmigiano-Reggiano is made with animal rennet, so for vegetarians use a cheese labeled vegetarian.

   • 25 min active
   • Make that morning
   • Vegetarian
   • Gluten-free

   Quick recipe · Serves 8

   Ingredients

   • 1½ lb (680 g) Brussels sprouts, thinly shaved
   • 1 large tart-sweet apple, such as Honeycrisp, cut into matchsticks, and 3 tbsp minced shallot
   • ¾ cup (85 g) walnuts, toasted, and ¾ cup (60 g) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
   • Dressing: ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil, ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil, 6 tbsp (90 ml) cider vinegar
   • 3 tbsp honey, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper

   Method

   1. Whisk the dressing and toss it with the sprouts, apple and shallot.
   2. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours; add the walnuts and cheese just before serving.
2. 

   20Green salad with a make-ahead vinaigrette

   Every roundup has a salad, and this is the one with no work on the day: the vinaigrette keeps a week in a jar (America’s Test Kitchen), so on Thursday you only toss. Allow about 1 oz (30 g) of greens a guest, and dress them at the last minute. Allergens: egg (the mayonnaise), mustard.

   • 10 min active
   • Start a week ahead
   • Vegetarian
   • Nut-free

   Quick recipe · About 1 cup (240 ml) vinaigrette, enough for 40 cups (9.5 L) of greens

   Ingredients

   • 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp molasses, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp salt
   • ¼ cup (60 ml) wine vinegar
   • ½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil and ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
   • Mixed greens, washed and dried: about 12 oz (340 g) for 12

   Method

   1. Shake everything but the greens in a 2 cup (480 ml) jar until thick and glossy. Refrigerate it for up to a week and shake again before using.
   2. Just before serving, toss the greens with the dressing: about ¼ cup (60 ml) for every 10 cups (2.4 L) of leaves.
3. 

   21Deviled eggs

   On none of the nine big roundups, which is a gap: the cold one that can go out first and needs no heat at all. Make ahead: boil the eggs up to 4 days ahead and keep them in their shells in the fridge; peel them and make the filling up to 2 days ahead, kept in a sealed piping bag; pipe them within a few hours of serving. USDA’s 1 week for hard-cooked eggs counts from the day they were boiled, leftovers included. Out for 2 hours at most, 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), or keep the platter on ice. Do not freeze them. Allergens: egg, mustard.

   • 15 min active
   • Make 2 days ahead
   • Vegetarian
   • Nut-free

   The twist: Set the platter in a larger tray of ice on the buffet, and bring out a second half-batch from the fridge rather than leaving one platter out all afternoon.

   Full recipe →

None of the big Thanksgiving roundups we read gives a single food-safety number. These are USDA FSIS’s, the ones the cards above are built on.

• Stuffing to 165°F (74°C)FSIS recommends baking stuffing in a dish, outside the bird. Inside the turkey, the stuffing has to reach 165°F (74°C) in its center, even when the meat is already done. Some slow-cooker recipes stop at 160°F (71°C); for stuffing, go to 165°F (74°C).
• Don’t mix stuffing aheadFSIS: wet ingredients can be made ahead and kept cold, but wet and dry are mixed just before the stuffing goes into the bird (we apply the same rule to the dish), and stuffing prepared ahead “must be cooked immediately and refrigerated in shallow containers.”
• Hot sides at 140°F (60°C) or aboveThat is FSIS’s line for keeping food hot: in a low oven, a chafing dish, a warming tray or a slow cooker. In the UK, the FSA’s danger zone is 46 to 145°F (8 to 63°C), so hot food is held at 145°F (63°C) or above.
• A slow cooker holds, it doesn’t reheatFSIS does not recommend reheating leftovers in a slow cooker. Bring made-ahead mash or stuffing back to 165°F (74°C) on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven, then hold it in a preheated slow cooker.
• The 2-hour clockNothing perishable sits out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Put out smaller dishes and refill them from the oven or fridge rather than leaving one big one out all afternoon.
• Reheat to 165°F (74°C)Leftovers and made-ahead casseroles go back to 165°F (74°C); gravy and sauces come back to a rolling boil.
• Leftovers: 3 to 4 daysInto the fridge within 2 hours, in shallow containers, and eaten within 3 to 4 days, or frozen (FSIS gives casseroles 2 to 3 months in the freezer for best quality). Our rule: count from the day a dish was first cooked, not the day it was served. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency says to eat leftovers within 48 hours and reheat them only once.

An example for 12 guests and dinner at 4:00 pm (16:00) on Thursday 26 November 2026, with the stuffing (1⅓ batches for 12), sweet potato casserole, green beans amandine, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprouts, rolls and the green salad. Only two dishes share the oven with the turkey. The bird comes out at about 3:15 pm (15:15) to rest; the turkey calculator gives the roasting time for yours.

1. Sat 14 or Sun 15 Nov
   • Make the gravy’s wing stock and freeze it, and par-bake and freeze the rolls.
2. Sat 21 or Sun 22 Nov
   • Make the sweet potato casserole’s streusel and keep it in the fridge.
   • Shake up the vinaigrette: it keeps a week.
3. Mon 23 Nov
   • Move the gravy stock from the freezer to the fridge to thaw.
4. Tue 24 Nov
   • Make the gravy from the thawed stock, cool it quickly and refrigerate it; keep back 1 cup (240 ml) of stock for Thursday.
   • Make the cranberry sauce and refrigerate it.
   • Roast and mash the sweet potatoes with the butter and refrigerate them.
   • Blanch, chill and dry the green beans.
5. Wed 25 Nov
   • Cook the stuffing’s celery and onion and refrigerate them with the broth; leave the bread cubes in their bag.
   • Trim and halve the Brussels sprouts and bag them in the fridge.
   • Wash, dry and bag the salad leaves.
6. Thu 26 Nov, morning
   • Turkey in the oven at 325°F (163°C), timed to come out at about 3:15 pm (15:15).
   • Beat the eggs and milk into the cold sweet potatoes, spread them in the baking dish, cover it and put it straight back in the fridge until 2:15 pm (14:15).
7. 2:15 pm (14:15)
   • Sweet potato casserole in beside the turkey, streusel on; it is ready at 165°F (74°C) in the center.
   • Potatoes on to boil for the mash.
8. 2:35 pm (14:35)
   • Bring the chilled celery, onion and broth back to a boil, stir in the bread cubes and put the stuffing in beside the turkey, covered, for about 40 minutes; take the foil off for the last few.
9. 2:45 pm (14:45)
   • Mash the potatoes and keep them hot in a preheated slow cooker on warm.
   • Toast the almonds and brown the butter for the green beans; set aside.
10. 3:15 pm (15:15): the turkey rests
    • Turkey out to rest. Stuffing and sweet potato casserole come out, covered with foil, once they read 165°F (74°C) in the center; anything not there yet stays in while the oven heats up.
    • Oven up to 400°F (204°C) for the Brussels sprouts.
    • Bring the gravy to a rolling boil; deglaze the roasting pan with the reserved stock and whisk it in.
11. 3:45 pm (15:45)
    • Oven to 425°F (218°C) and the frozen par-baked rolls in for 8 to 12 minutes, beside the sprouts if they are still roasting.
    • Reheat the green beans in the skillet and toss them with the almond butter.
    • Toss the salad; cranberry sauce out of the fridge.
    • Carve. Everything to the table at 4:00 pm (16:00).
12. By 5:15 pm (17:15)
    • Start clearing: the casseroles left the oven at about 3:15 pm (15:15), so they go into the fridge first, then the salad and cranberry sauce; the mash in its slow cooker at 140°F (60°C) or above and the gravy on a low burner can go last.
    • Leftovers into the fridge in shallow containers. USDA FSIS counts 4 days from when each dish was first cooked: the sweet potato casserole, green beans and gravy (cooked on Tuesday) keep until Saturday 28 Nov, the stuffing until Sunday 29 Nov, and the mash and sprouts until Monday 30 Nov; the cranberry sauce keeps until Tuesday 1 Dec. Or freeze them. UK (FSA): eat leftovers within 48 hours of cooking and reheat them only once.