It’s Thanksgiving week, which means you’re going to be cooking a lot. Since we’re going to be spending so much time in the kitchen, we wanted to find 3 easy dinners you can whip up quickly. Then, we’re all about the Thanksgiving leftovers, and creative ways to use them through the weekend.
So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up on ingredients before the weekend’s over to make your weeknights that much easier.
At top: Fiery Chipotle Chili at Wilde Orchard; Turkey and Brie Paninis at Just a Little Bit of Bacon
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One of my kids’ favorite meals to eat — and help cook — is Easy Chicken Gyros & Tzatziki Sauce at Creme de la Crumb. We make it even quicker with rotisserie chicken, too. During a week when you’re going to be eating a lot, this is a nice, lighter option to kick off the week with.
It might be tempting to order in, but this Orange Chicken with Stir Fry Veggies at Bless This Mess cooks in just 25 minutes, which is probably faster than waiting for delivery anyway. Add some rice and heat-up egg rolls from the frozen section of your grocery store, and you’ll have a great crowd-pleasing dinner.
As your guests start to arrive for Thanksgiving, I think a huge pot of chili with corn chips is a perfect crowd-pleasing dinner. Any of these 6 chili recipes that cook in 30 minutes or less, including this Fiery Chipotle Chili at Wilde Orchard, are great options. And you can, of course, make them as fiery (or not) as your kids’ taste buds can handle.
Related Links to Help with Thanksgiving Dinner
The ultimate guide to Thanksgiving recipes, tips + tricks
Easy, eco-friendly table setting ideas for a less wasteful Thanksgiving
9 vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes, from mains to sides, that even the carnivores will love.
How to choose the turkey that’s right for you: What do all those different terms mean? Argh!
5 top food bloggers share their own favorite Thanksgiving stuffing recipes
8 genius make-ahead Thanksgiving tips. Can you really ever have too many?
After your big dinner, you’ll likely have leftovers—which, for me, will mean these Turkey and Brie Paninis at Just a Little Bit of Bacon. But don’t worry: we have more than 28 delicious recipes for your Thanksgiving leftovers that might even be better than they were the first time around. From pot pies and soups to enchiladas and cobb salad, these are smart ways to use up all the extra food…without feeling like you’re eating the same meal over and over again.
Mashed potatoes are one leftover I tend to just toss, but using them as the base for a cream of potato soup is brilliant! This recipe for Mashed Potato Soup at Our Life Tastes Good is a yummy and easy meal to whip up, while everyone’s still chilling out — or shopping the Black Friday deals — over the weekend.
