Friendsgiving: It’s a time to give thanks for your friends — and the fact that you don’t have to put up with your cousin Penelope complaining about how the turkey isn’t as juicy as her mom’s while you daydream about how your day would’ve been better spent camping out in front of Bed Bath and Beyond for the Black Friday deals.
But it’s no less time-consuming to cook all that food — unless you have the perfect menu. And this one’s filled with slow cooker, pressure cooker, make-ahead and other just plain simple recipes that let you cook a fabulous Thanksgiving meal without the day-of stress so you can spend time with your pals and remember why you threw this party in the first place.
These recipes are so easy to cook you can even enlist your most kitchen-clueless friends to pitch in. And while they may not be your family recipes, you’ll still be serving up a delicious traditional(ish) Thanksgiving dinner that gets everyone geared up for the holiday season — even if they can’t get home for the holiday.
Slow Cooker Spinach-Artichoke Dip
Dump the ingredients for slow cooker spinach-artichoke dip in the slow cooker a couple of hours before your friends arrive for a quick and easy — and more important, popular — appetizer you can munch while you wait for everything else to finish cooking.
Get the recipe from Damn Delicious.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast
For a guest list of 12 or fewer, all you need is a 5- or 6-pound bone-in turkey breast. Cook this one up in your pressure cooker for a tender, juicy main that cooks up in less than an hour.
Get the recipe from A Mind”Full” Mom.
Super-Simple Turkey Gravy
This Thanksgiving gravy is so simple it can be made in 20 minutes. Since you won’t have turkey fat from the pressure cooker turkey, use store-bought chicken fat, aka schmaltz.
Get the recipe from Mom on Time Out.
.Everything Bagel Stuffing
Buy day-old bagels, and you’ll have this everything bagel stuffing on the table in around an hour. The best part of stuffing is that you can toast the bread cubes, sauté up the veggies and mix the wet ingredients a day or two in advance, then put it all together on Thanksgiving day.
Get the recipe from The Food in My Beard.
Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole With Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
Sweet potato casserole is inherently easy. Just make the whole thing in the days leading up to the big event and bake it off just before your friends arrive. So you may as well bring it with the flavors of bourbon, pecans and bacon. And if you’ve got a little time, garnishing it with a bit of fried fresh sage doesn’t hurt the wow factor.
Get the recipe from Half Baked Harvest.
Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon Dates & Halloumi
Briny halloumi may look like a melting cheese, but its secret power is that it can be grilled or roasted much like a veggie. Toss it together with pleasantly bitter Brussels sprouts and crisp, savory bacon, and you’ve got a superb Thanksgiving side that cooks up in just over half an hour on the stovetop. Just remember that Brussels sprouts cool off quickly, so finish them off just before you eat.
Get the recipe from Half Baked Harvest.
Slow Cooker 3-Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Cheesy and slow cooker easy, you can make these three-cheese mashed potatoes ahead and reheat them on the stove or in the slow cooker on Thanksgiving.
Get the recipe from Half Baked Harvest.
Easy, Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
Easy from-scratch bread? Yes, it’s true. You can make these pull-apart rolls in less than an hour.
Get the recipe from Half Baked Harvest.
Bourbon Orange-Cranberry Sauce
Sure, you could buy canned cranberry sauce. But this make-ahead bourban orange-cranberry sauce recipe only takes 20 minutes — and it’s spiked with bourbon.
Get the recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
Thanksgiving Sangria
No Friendsgiving — or any party — is complete without a signature cocktail. This apple cider- and pumpkin/apple butter-based Thanksgiving sangria is a light, autumn-themed sipper that will warm up people’s palates without lighting them up.
Get the recipe from Half Baked Harvest.
Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars
Pies are the go-to Thanksgiving dessert. But they’re so much work! These easy chocolate chip pecan pie bars capture the fall flavor of pecan pie without all the hassle.
Get the recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.
Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake
Take the pressure off by putting the pressure on… your pumpkin cheesecake. Make this Instant Pot recipe ahead so it has plenty of time to chill so you can serve up the flavor of pumpkin pie without the day-of pressure to perform in the kitchen.
Get the recipe from A Mind”Full” Mom.
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