By Ali Slagle, The New York Times
As Thanksgiving week unfolds, prepare to feel stuffed, and not just with stuffing.
Your days will be filled with activity, the refrigerator packed with ingredients for the big meal, the house crammed with guests. And if you’re hosting visitors or welcoming children (or grandchildren) home, you also, somehow, have to make breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every day.
The meals other than Thanksgiving dinner may not be your priority, but they can still add conviviality to the buzz and busyness of the week. Cooking costs less than eating out and can be nearly as easy for feeding big groups. Following these tips and recipes will leave you more time with guests and fill everyone with homey, homemade meals.
Stock the Freezer With Dishes That Don’t Require Thawing
Freezing fully cooked dishes long before guests arrive is a savvy strategy, but what about remembering to thaw them overnight? Even the best planners might forget, and that’s OK with the right types of meals, like stews, casseroles, meatballs, dumplings, waffles and pancakes.
Designed to keep in the freezer, the make-ahead breakfast sandwiches are compact and sturdy with toasted English muffins encasing bacon, custardy egg, sharp cheddar and chives. As guests wake up, they can grab a homemade sandwich to warm up in the microwave for a couple of minutes while you sleep in (or brine the turkey). And when they’re amazed by how good the sandwiches are, you can reveal the secret if you want: The creamy eggs are baked in bacon fat.
Simmer One-Pot Meals On the Back Burner
Soft, slow-cooked dishes like soups, stews or other braises avoid last-minute frenzy and easily feed a crowd. Put a pot on the stovetop to bubble away while you play card games, pour wine or watch football.
Grab your biggest pot and pick a recipe that’s tailored for a crowd, like a velvety black bean soup, which surprises with brightness from salsa verde. The tomatillos in the salsa contain pectin, which, along with starchy bean liquid, quickly thicken the soup.
While the soup is simmering — for all of 10 minutes — ready the toppings, then leave the pot over low heat and set a parade of garnishes next to it for guests to assemble their own bowls whenever they want.
Use Sheet Pans for Fast, Big Batch Recipes
And if everyone’s already really hungry? Quick! Load up a sheet pan and get it into the oven.
Related Articles
Easy whiskey drinks for a relaxed Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving lasagna is the best lasagna
4 easy, comforting bean dishes for fall
Dry-brined Thanksgiving turkey with chiles recipe
7 recipes that will add a new twist to your Thanksgiving dinner
Trusty sheet pans offer a large surface to cook a lot of food at once. Instead of juggling multiple skillets or searing in batches on the stovetop, arrange a variety of ingredients on a sheet pan — or roast a heap of one ingredient — and let the oven do the rest. (If doubling a sheet-pan dinner, use two pans and roast them at the same time, switching their positions on the racks halfway through.)
In a shrimp dish that tastes a lot like Vietnamese fresh spring rolls dipped into peanut sauce, 2 pounds of shrimp brown in under five minutes, thanks to the broiler (and sheet pan, of course).
The sticky, glazed shrimp then curl across a colorful salad of crunchy vegetables, sprightly herbs, a creamy peanut dressing and crispy onions. (Fried onions belong on more than green bean casserole.)
These three strategies are all about managing your time so that you have more of it to spend how you want this holiday season — or anytime, really. The only thing you’ll feel stuffed with this Thanksgiving is all the good things you’ve made to eat.
Recipe: Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
Make-ahead breakfast sandwiches. These sandwiches can be fully assembled and frozen, then reheated straight from the freezer. Food styled by Vivian Lui. (Johnny Miller, The New York Times)
By Ali Slagle
These bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches are the ideal breakfast for your busiest or groggiest mornings. You can make the sandwiches ahead and stash them in the fridge or freezer. Take one to work to heat up in the toaster oven or microwave, or warm up a whole bunch to feed a hungry group before they start their days. Start by roasting bacon in a baking dish; no need to arrange them flat. (For curly bacon, it’s better if you don’t.) Then bake the eggs in the bacon fat. You can also add a cup of chopped vegetables to the egg mixture; just make sure they’re well-cooked and not too watery so the egg keeps well.
Yield: 12 sandwiches
Total time: About 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients
1 pound bacon strips
12 English muffins
18 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and black pepper
1/2 ounce chives
12 slices cheddar
Hot sauce or pepper jelly (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel the bacon slices apart and place in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan (preferably metal); they don’t need to be flat or evenly placed. Bake on the bottom rack, stirring with tongs occasionally, until the bacon is browned and starts to ripple, 15 to 30 minutes.
2. While the bacon is cooking, open up the English muffins and place on a sheet pan, shingling as needed to fit. Toast on the top rack in the oven, 7 to 10 minutes.
3. While the bacon and muffins are in the oven, crack the eggs into a blender or food processor. Add the cream and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Blend just until combined; avoid overmixing.
4. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve the pan and the bacon fat. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Carefully swirl the bacon fat to grease the sides of the pan, then pour off all but a couple tablespoons of the fat. Pour the eggs into the pan, then use scissors to snip the chives over the top. Bake until set around the edges and slightly wobbly in the center, 20 to 30 minutes. If making ahead, let cool completely.
5. When ready to assemble, run a sturdy spatula around the edges of the egg, then use the spatula to cut the egg into 12 3-inch squares each. Stack the egg, cheese and bacon on bottom buns, folding the cheese and bacon as needed to fit. Top with hot sauce or pepper jelly, if using, then close the sandwiches.
6. To eat right away, warm in the oven until the cheese has melted. To store for later, tightly wrap the sandwiches in heavy-duty foil, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Unwrap and reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals, 1 to 3 minutes total, or in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Recipe: Spicy Black Bean Soup
Spicy black bean soup. Set up a bar of toppings next to a pot of soup for guests to build their own bowls. Food styled by Vivian Lui. (Johnny Miller, The New York Times)
By Ali Slagle
There are a lot of things to love about this soup: It comes together in 20 minutes in just one pot with fewer than 10 ingredients. But most importantly, minimal effort results in a velvety yet bright soup. The cocoa powder accentuates the fudginess of the black beans, while the salsa verde adds surprising tartness. The tomatillos in the salsa also contain pectin which, along with the starchy bean liquid, quickly thickens the soup. While the soup’s cooking, ready your garnishes as you’ll want plenty to top the bowls. Leftover soup keeps for up to three days, but will stiffen as it sits, so thin with water as needed or turn it into refried beans.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings (10 cups)
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 (15-ounce) cans black beans
2 (roughly 16-ounce) jars mild salsa verde (or 3 1/2 cups homemade)
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and black pepper
Any combination of lime wedges, sour cream, pickled red onions, queso fresco, tortilla chips and sliced avocado, radishes and fresh chiles, for topping
Preparation
1. In a large pot, bring the beans, salsa, green chiles, cocoa powder, cumin and garlic powder to a boil over high. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans flatten easily when smashed against the side of the pot, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. Use an immersion blender or potato masher to smash some of the beans until the broth is thickened to your liking, keeping in mind that the soup will also thicken as it sits. Stir in the cilantro, then season to taste with salt and pepper. (Because the beans and salsa contain salt, you might not need more; if you find the soup too salty or thick, add water to thin.) Serve with desired toppings.
Recipe: Hoisin-Peanut Shrimp and Slaw
Hoisin-peanut shrimp and slaw. A lighter dish of broiled shrimp with a fresh, crunchy slaw is welcome during the Thanksgiving season. Food styled by Vivian Lui. (Johnny Miller, The New York Times)
By Ali Slagle
Inspired by Vietnamese fresh spring rolls dipped into peanut sauce, this simple-to-prepare meal features sticky glazed shrimp and a lively salad of crunchy vegetables, sprightly herbs, crispy fried onions and a creamy peanut dressing. Hoisin sauce helps streamline the ingredient list; the sweet, salty, umami-filled condiment coats the shrimp before a quick broil and adds depth to the dressing. And by using a coleslaw blend, preferably one with a mix of vegetables, chopping is minimal, too. This recipe quickly feeds a crowd, but it can also be halved to serve four on a weeknight. For a heartier meal, eat with rice noodles or rice.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 (7- to 7 1/2-ounce) jar hoisin sauce (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
2 limes
3 garlic cloves
Salt
2 (12- to 14-ounce) bags coleslaw blend, preferably a mix of cabbage and carrots (about 10 cups)
4 mini seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño or serrano chile, thinly sliced (optional)
1 1/2 packed cups mixed herb leaves, such as cilantro, mint, basil or dill, plus more for garnish
2 pounds large shrimp (16- to 20-count), peeled, deveined and patted dry
1/2 cup fried onions or shallots, store-bought or homemade
Preparation
1. Arrange a rack 5 inches from the broiler and heat to high. In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, the zest and juice of the limes and 3 tablespoons warm water. Finely grate 1 garlic clove into the mix, then season to taste with salt. To the bowl, add — but don’t stir — the slaw, cucumbers, a big pinch of salt, jalapeño, if using, and the herbs. Set aside.
2. On a foil-lined sheet pan, add the shrimp, remaining hoisin sauce and a big pinch of salt. Finely grate the remaining 2 garlic cloves on top. Toss until well coated, then spread into a single layer. Broil until the shrimp are pink and just beginning to curl, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Toss the slaw until combined, then top with the shrimp, fried onions and more herbs. Serve right away.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.