At my college, like most during the pandemic, is ending the semester early right before Thanksgiving. My housemates and I are planning on having our own Thanksgiving dinner a weekend or two before we go home for Winter break. Here are some of the dishes we plan on making that are pretty easy to make, and that are budget-friendly for college students.
- Turkey and Gravy
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A classic that we will be attempting to cook in our oven. I was surprised to find that the big turkeys cooked for Thanksgiving are not as expensive as I thought. In most stores I’ve been to have decent sized ones for around $20-$25. The main thing I was worried about with the turkey is cooking it. Everything we’ve made so far in the oven has turned out well, but I’m a little weary about putting a 15 pound turkey in there since the oven is not the most up to date. If you try making a turkey, just make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand just in case, lol.
- Stuffing and Mashed Potatoes
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My dad makes the best stuffing in the whole world, and I am going to try and replicate that. I have high hopes for it, and should probably lower them because who knows how it will turn out. The recipe is a secret so I can’t share, but it’s not very complicated and if you don’t have a secret family recipe, you can buy different flavors of stuffing at the grocery store that are inexpensive. To make the mashed potatoes you can boil potatoes with garlic chunks in the water, mash them, then add mascarpone, butter and milk to make them extra tasty.
- Corn and Green Bean Casserole
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Canned corn is super cheap to buy at the store and is another thing that is very easy to make. You only have to put it in a bowl and heat it up in the microwave. For the green bean casserole, my housemate is making this so I’m not sure how difficult it is to make, I just know the ingredients are also inexpensive. If you want to try to cook this, there is an abundance of recipes on Pinterest to choose from!
- Rolls and Cranberry Sauce
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All you have to do for the rolls is buy them at the grocery store and put them in the oven for a bit, so those are easy, yummy, and cheap to make.
For the cranberry sauce, you can buy that in a can (like my family has done in the past since we aren’t huge fans of it and focus on the other food), or you can make it from scratch like my housemate is going to do. It’s completely up to you, but buying it in a can is definitely easier and faster.
- Drinks and Dessert
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For dessert, my family always makes an apple pie, pumpkin pie, and chocolate pie so there is a variety to choose from. I’m not sure if we’ll be making any of these since we have limited space in the oven, but we will probably buy one of them from a local bakery. I am sure we will have a wide variety of wine and non-alcoholic drinks (for those of us under 21) to choose from and enjoy with our dinner!
I can’t wait to make all these dishes and the turkey with my friends and have a great time together before we all head home for winter break. Hopefully this will help you figure out what to cook if you and your friends want to celebrate Thanksgiving together! Pro Tip: We are planning on eating our first “dinner” around 1 p.m. in the afternoon, so then we’re able to eat it all again later that night.