- Cooking for Thanksgiving at the last minute? Use this list of simple recipes to prepare a classic feast.
- From turkey to desserts, each recipe has an adjoining video tutorial.
- This collection, by former cooking columnist Ben Mims, is worth bookmarking for next year too.
Here’s the L.A. Times Food guide to all of the classics for Thanksgiving. These are timeless recipes, updated appropriately. The techniques are straightforward, the ingredient lists kept as short as possible, and the recipes developed with one goal in mind: easy and delicious results year after year.
Each recipe is accompanied by a video, walking you through each step so you know exactly what to do. You’ll find ingredient substitutions galore, and ways to jazz up the recipes to suit any taste.
Roast turkey, easy gravy, green bean gratin, bright cranberry sauce, creamy potatoes and two kinds of stuffing (vegan or not) plus three stellar pies — whether you make one or all, these are holiday recipes you can always rely on.
Butter stuffed under a Thanksgiving turkey’s skin keeps the breast meat moist as it roasts. Prepping the day before allows the salt to season every part of the bird.
Shallots and herbs add flavor to a simple gravy for Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey fat and drippings make for the tastiest gravy, but chicken fat, butter and olive oil work well too.
Tangy sourdough bread gets lots of flavor from sautéed celery and onions and hardy winter herbs in this simple Thanksgiving stuffing crisped with olive oil.
Honey lightly sweetens these super-tender, pillowy yeast rolls, drenched in melted butter, baked until light golden, and finished with a pinch of flaky salt.
In this Southern spin on traditional Thanksgiving stuffing, lightly sweetened cornbread meets breakfast sausage, chile flakes and aromatics.
Tender green beans are blanched, coated in a creamy gratin-style sauce and mixed with mushrooms before being baked under a crust of fried onions and Parmesan cheese.
Orange zest, segments and juice add floral freshness to the most fantastic cranberry sauce in this traditional Thanksgiving condiment perfumed with cinnamon.
Apples, honey and orange juice naturally sweeten the sweet potatoes in this update on the classic casserole, covered in fluffy meringue that’s torched until toasty.
Tangy buttermilk lightens Thanksgiving mashed potatoes made with russet potatoes, which are drier and fluffier than other potato varieties.
Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger spice canned pumpkin in this classic Thanksgiving pie recipe. Blind-baking the crust ensures a crisp pastry to contrast the smooth custard filling.
Sweet and tart apples, cinnamon and lemon combine to make an ample, floral filling for a rustic apple pie baked in a double crust of buttery pastry.
Browned butter, vanilla bean and fresh lemon juice balance the sweetness of pecan pie in this update, teeming with toasted nuts and custard filling.
Beyond the classics
Black chefs across L.A. introduce us to the recipes that define their Thanksgiving holidays, including lamb biriyani, macaroni pie and carrot cake.
Apple crisp and its cousins the crumble and cobbler are not just easier than apple pie, they’re better. They’re the apple dessert of America’s future.
Eat your way across L.A.
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