Learn how to dry brine your Thanksgiving Day turkey to add flavor and retain moisture.
Brined and ready
It’s time to gobble up one of the biggest meals of the
year. Decide how much cooking you want to do and
serve a from-scratch, semihomemade or completely
catered feast with help from Hy-Vee.
Grab a plate and pass the casserole dishes!
These From-Scratch recipes will impress all of your thanksgiving guests. Prep Tips and a Timeline for when to start cooking make this elegant meal easy.
Turkey
View Recipe
Citrus Dry-Brined
Know when to start prepping and cooking the turkey and Sides so everything is ready to eat at the same time.
Dinner Timeline
3–4 days ahead
2 days ahead
5 hours ahead
4 hours ahead
3–3½ hours ahead
2 hours ahead
1 hours ahead
30 minutes ahead
Dinner
Turkey
How to prep a turkey
for roasting
Letting your turkey rest in a dry brine for a few days before roasting adds flavor and helps it retain moisture.
Mix together dry brine and rub over thawed turkey, including inside the cavity. Refrigerate up to 48 hours.
step 1
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Remove the turkey from the fridge. Loosely stuff the cavity with citrus wedges and fresh herbs.
step 2
Fold the wing tips behind and under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and transfer the bird to a roasting pan.
step 3
up first:
tools you need
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Sheet pans
• Cooling Rack
• Basting Brush
• Zester
• Grater
• Roasting Pan with rack
• paring knife
• Carving knife
• Chef’s knife
• Instant-Read thermometer
• large skillet
• 9×13 baking dish
• Wooden spoon
• rubber spatula
• Mixing bowls
• stand mixer with dough hook
• rolling pin
• whisk
• veggie peeler
• saucepan
• round baking dish
• Cutting Board
Sides
Up next:
Dressing
Sausage and Fennel Corn Bread
View Recipe
To Save Oven Space on
Thanksgiving Day, Cube
bread for stuffing up
to two days in advance,
then let it sit at room
Temperature to dry out
instead of baking.
make ahead
Au Gratin
Fingerling and Sweet Potato
View Recipe
Root Vegetables
Roasted
Prosciuto-
Wrapped
View Recipe
Rolls
Flaky Crescent
View Recipe
make ahead
Slice Potatoes up to two
days in advance. Place in
a container and cover
with water; refrigerate.
turkey carving
guide
Pull the legs downward and cut through the skin between the drumsticks and thighs. Cut through the joints and along the body, angling the knife toward the bone. Separate the thighs and drumsticks.
step 1
Find more Tips and
Tricks for Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner at
hy-vee.com/thanksgiving
A perfectly juicy turkey for thanksgiving day
I like my turkey nice and juicy with a butter rub. Chop fresh rosemary, some fresh thyme and any other spices you want. I like to add garlic cloves, lemon zest, pepper, salt and chopped green onions. I mix these with margarine to make a butter/herb rub. I lift the skin of the turkey and put the butter rub on the meat then massage it on top of the skin. Halfway through cooking, I’ll also drizzle on some chardonnay.
Edi Cucurullo, Hy-Vee Chef, Mankato, Minnesota
Cut down one side of the breastbone, starting at the neck and working the knife toward the tail. Cut horizontally from the side toward the breastbone, underneath the meat. Lift out the turkey breast and repeat.
step 2
Pull the wing tips away from the body and cut through the joints. Wings may pull away from the bird without cutting after the breast meat is removed.
step 3
Slice breast meat crosswise (across the grain). If desired, remove and slice meat from drumsticks and thighs, and remove and shred meat from wings.
step 4
homemade
easy:
Cut down on some of the holiday meal prep by purchasing a few no-prep Ingredients, then dress them up to follow your favorite thanksgiving traditions.
semihomemade
easier:
homemade
Sides
Up next:
Brussels Sprouts
Lemon-Parmesan
View Recipe
Slow-Cooker Mashed
Potatoes
with Blue Cheese
View Recipe
Easy Buttery Gouda
Dinner Rolls
View Recipe
Prep ahead
Clean and Cut Veggies, such as Brussels Sprouts and squash, up to two days ahead. Store them in a resealable container in the fridge until Cooking begins.
Roasted Butternut Squash
and Sage Dressing
View Recipe
Slow-Roasted Prime Rib
with Horseradish Cream
View Recipe
• Measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• mixing bowls
• roasting pan with rack
• carving knife
• chef’s knife
• Paring knife
• cutting board
• Instant-Read thermometer
• grater
• zester
• Large skillet
• veggie peeler
• Liquid measuring cup
• Sheet Pans
• Large pan
• casserole dish
• 10-in. cast-iron skillet
• 6-qt. slow cooker
• potato masher
tools
you need
prime rib
main event:
Dinner Timeline
6 hours ahead
5 hours ahead
Dinner
4 hours ahead
3 hours ahead
2 hours ahead
1 hours ahead
30 minutes ahead
meal packs
Hy-vee
easiest:
Let Hy-Vee do most of the cooking so you can spend more time enjoying Thanksgiving with family and friends. Choose from more than 10 Hy-Vee Holiday Meal Packs or order à la carte to personalize your meal. Pick up your cooked and packaged food
and reheat as directed. It’s that simple!
How to Order
At least 1 week before Thanksgiving, place your order in-store, over the phone or online at hy-vee.com.
Order Now
at least 1 week
before thanksgiving
A day prior or Morning of
2-3 hours ahead
1 hours ahead
Dinner
Dinner Timeline
Baking sheets
tools
you need
For reheating entrées and side dishes.
Carving Tools
For slicing turkey, ham or prime rib.
beef
Prime Rib Party Pack
Serves 8 for $169.99
• Hormel® USDA Select prime rib with horseradish sauce
• Mashed potatoes
• Two additonal sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
• CarveMaster™ Applewood pit ham
• Jennie-O® boneless turkey breast
• Butterball® turkey
• Hormel® USDA Select prime rib with horseradish sauce
Side Dish Choices
Available à la carte in small and large sizes:
Serves 2 for $21.99, 4 for $39.99 or 6 for $54.99
• Orange juice and five breakfast items of your choice: quiche; egg casserole; biscuits and gravy; hash brown casserole; sausage links or patties; bacon; freshly cut fruit; gourmet cinnamon rolls or gourmet muffins; yogurt with granola, strawberries and blueberries
build your own
Entrées
• Buttered sweet corn
• Cranberry relish
• Mashed potatoes
• Sage bread dressing
• Holiday potatoes with Cheddar
• Green bean casserole
• White Cheddar macaroni
• Apple pie
• Banana cream pie
• Pumpkin pie
• French silk pie
SMALL-CROWD BRUNCH
Order Now
Order Now
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Order Now
Turkey
Small-Crowd Turkey Dinner
Serves 2 for $34.99 or 4 for $59.99
• Choice of boneless turkey breast or sliced pit ham
• Mashed potatoes
• Two additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
Order Now
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Order Now
Turkey Breast Bundle
Serves 6 for $89.99
• Jennie-O® boneless turkey breast
• Mashed potatoes
• Two additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
Turkey Party Pleaser
Serves 8 for $99.99
• Butterball® turkey
• Mashed potatoes
• Two additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
Family Feast Turkey Dinner
Serves 12 for $149.99
• Butterball® turkey
• Mashed potatoes
• Four additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
Ham
Applewood Pit Ham Meal
Serves 8 for $89.99
• CarveMaster™ Applewood pit ham
• Mashed potatoes
• Two additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
Brown Sugar
Spiral Ham Meal
Serves 8 for $99.99
• Brown sugar spiral ham
• Mashed potatoes
• Two additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
Honey-Glazed
Spiral Ham Feast
Serves 12 for $189.99
• Hy-Vee honey-glazed spiral ham
• Mashed potatoes
• Four additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
Order Now
Order Now
Order Now
Order Now
mEAL PACKS
Hy-Vee Holiday
ham
Beef
Turkey
Crowd’s Choice Gourmet Ham and Turkey
Serves 12 for $269.99
• Butterball® turkey
• Hy-Vee honey-glazed spiral ham
• Mashed potatoes
• Four additional sides of your choice
• Beef or turkey gravy
• Dinner rolls
• Your choice of pies
Easy to Reheat
All Hy-Vee meal packs and à la carte items include reheating instructions. Turkey, ham and prime rib need 1 to 2½ hours in the oven. Quickly reheat gravy on the stove top and heat all other side dishes in
60 minutes or less in the oven (or the microwave).
Family traditions as important as the food
I like to brine my turkey in a salt water solution, which helps retain moisture, and then season it. Next, I beer-can smoke it for hours until it is ready to eat. Additionally, my family cooks a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but with the addition of some Hispanic foods. This variety helps bring the whole family together, which is what Thanksgiving is really about.
Jose Morales, Food Service Director, Moline, Illinois
meat selection:
Homemade
Easy:
semiHomemade
Easier:
hy-vee meal packs
Easiest:
turkey troubleshooting
defrosting guide
size:
8–12 lb.
(serves 8)
12–16 lb.
(serves 10)
16–20 lb.
(serves 12)
20–24 lb.
(serves 14)
2–3 days
in fridge:
4–6 hours
in cold water:
3–4 days
in fridge:
6–8 hours
in cold water:
4–5 days
in fridge:
8–10 hours
in cold water:
5–6 days
in fridge:
10–12 hours
in cold water:
It’s not finished cooking and we eat in 30 minutes!
If the turkey hasn’t reached a safe temperature, take it out of the oven and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the wings and legs and place them on a sheet pan, then put everything back in the oven. Smaller pieces will cook faster than a whole bird.
the bird still
isn’t thawed
and it’s thanksgiving
day!
Submerging the bird in cold water is the best way to thaw a turkey quickly. Leave the turkey in its packaging and fill the kitchen sink or a large bowl with enough cold water to cover the turkey. Change the water every 30 minutes.
Always thaw turkey in the fridge or cold water. Never let raw turkey thaw at room temperature.
safety tip:
Begin thawing turkey in fridge.
Brine turkey and refrigerate.
Assemble potatoes and refrigerate
Cube and toast bread for 30 minutes.
Remove turkey from fridge and allow to come to room temperature for 1 hour.
Slice and wrap root
vegetables, refrigerate.
Assemble
stuffing.
Prepare rolls; let rise and shape.
Roast turkey in oven for 2½–3 hours.
Bake stuffing with turkey for 1 hour.
Remove potatoes from fridge.
Bake potatoes for 1 hour.
Carve
turkey.
Bake veggies and rolls as directed.
Rest turkey for 20 minutes.
Season and
refrigerate
prime rib.
Cook potatoes in slow cooker on HIGH for 4 to 4½ hours.
Slice and prep
veggies for stuffing.
Cube and
toast bread
for 15 minutes.
Remove
prime rib
from fridge
and rest
at room
temperature
for 1 hour.
Roast prime rib
for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Assemble
stuffing and
bake rolls
as directed.
Carve roast.
Sauté Brussels
sprouts for
15 minutes.
Bake stuffing
for 20 minutes.
Order your meal pack from your local Hy-Vee and schedule pickup.
Pick up meal at your local Hy-Vee.
Reheat entrée for
1–2½ hours.
Reheat sides
as directed.
Carve meat.
easy:
Always thaw turkey in the fridge or cold water. Never let raw turkey thaw at room temperature.
To Save Oven Space on Thanksgiving Day, Cube bread for stuffing up to two days in advance, then let it sit at room Temperature to dry out instead of baking.
make ahead
Cut down on some of the holiday meal prep by purchasing a few no-prep Ingredients, then dress them up to follow your favorite thanksgiving traditions.
Tap <> to see timeline
tools
you need
Cook potatoes in slow cooker on HIGH for 4 to 4½ hours.
semi-
homemade
Tap <> to see timeline
TAP TO SEE
tools you need
Use your slow cooker and Hy-Vee ingredients to
create this spin on a traditional
side dish.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese
Hy-Vee Short
Cuts Brussels sprouts can cut down on prep time
in this flavorful recipe.
Lemon-Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
Hy-Vee Bakery
French bread and Short Cuts butternut squash make up
the base for this
savory side dish.
Roasted
Butternut Squash and Sage Dressing
Hy-Vee frozen white dinner rolls get a makeover and become a Thanksgiving instant classic
Easy Buttery
Gouda Dinner Rolls
CLEAN AND CUT VEGGIES, SUCH AS BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND SQUASH, UP TO TWO DAYS AHEAD. STORE THEM IN A RESEALABLE CONTAINER IN THE FRIDGE UNTIL COOKING BEGINS.
prep ahead
Let Hy-Vee do most of the cooking so you can spend more time enjoying Thanksgiving with family and friends. Choose from more than 10 Hy-Vee Holiday Meal Packs or order à la carte to personalize your meal. Pick up your
cooked and packaged food and
reheat as directed. It’s that simple!
BACK TO STEP 1
At least 1 week before Thanksgiving, place your order in-store, over the phone or online at and click “catering.”
