Our Smart, Streamlined Thanksgiving Menu Is the Feast You Need to Make This Year

Our wish for you this Thanksgiving: more relaxing and reuniting, less schlepping and prepping. To help it come true, we've created a menu packed with versatile ingredients that do double or triple duty (to keep the grocery list short) and clever time-savers (that don't sacrifice any deliciousness). This menu allows you to whip up your feast and get on with the fest.

Get the party started with a special drink—but not one that requires a bartender. The Negroni Sbagliato is lighter than it's classic cousin (instead of gin it uses prosecco which ups the festive fizzy ante, and you can mix the drink sans bubbly up to a day ahead). Consider delegating mixing the sbagliato base in a pitcher or punch bowl with the prosecco and serving the drinks to someone who's not in the kitchen.

Of course, the turkey is the centerpiece of this Thanksgiving dinner, but we've taken a revolutionarily delicious approach that reduces cook time and eliminates worries about the legs being overcooked before the breast meat is properly done. Rather than buying a whole turkey, our approach is to get a turkey breast and legs and cook them together but differently—think of it as one pan, but two preparations. We roast the breast atop onion slices while braising the legs in stock, which means the turkey cooks in half the time and the dark and white meat are done at the same time. Inspired! And this preparation creates a flavorful jus to serve as gravy.

Remember that Thanksgiving dinner is not a Michelin-starred meal; you don't need multiple courses or a million different dishes. Alongside that sublime turkey we suggest you serve three simple yet flavor-packed options—mashed potatoes, a vegetable, and a salad. You'll find that this trio easily covers all the bases.

And for dessert? Two pies made with an easy a dump-and-stir press-in crust (no pie dough needed, no rolling necessary!). One for the tangy fruit lovers and one for the chocoholics, though we expect the refrain you'll hear when you slice into these grand finales is "One of each, please."

Art direction by James Maikowski; food styling by Greg Lofts; prop styling by Tanya Graff.

Negroni Sbagliato

Our fizzy, four-ingredient pitcher drink is based on that famed Italian aperitif, the Negroni, but calls for prosecco instead of gin, so it whets the appetite without going right to your head.

Turkey-Breast Roulade & Braised Legs

The hottest commodity in the Thanksgiving kitchen is oven space. And the biggest hog is the turkey. Our genius solution is purchasing parts instead of a whole bird. You pound the breast, then roll it with stuffing and roast it while the legs braise along-side it—like magic, both are done in just an hour. The white meat stays moist, and you get stuffing in each bite. And because onion serves as a roasting rack for the breast while the dark meat cooks partly submerged in broth, the pan juices make for an extra-flavorful gravy. No need to strain it—spend that time raising a toast instead.

Cranberry and Sage Stuffing

This stuff(ing) of legend, it has sage, thyme, and celery, plus cranberries for color and sweet-tart bite.

No-Cook Cranberry Relish

Now here's a quick cran session: Start with canned sauce (it contains just the berries and sugar), and elevate it with aromatics like orange zest and candied ginger.

Sour-Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

These spuds get their sublime texture from a mix of butter, heavy cream, and sour cream. All the fluffy creaminess you desire, with baked-potato flavors to boot—sour cream adds tang, and chives lend a bright herbaceousness.

Green Beans with Crispy Oven-Fried Onions

For our modern take on green-bean casserole, we quickly steam-sauté the beans and finish them with lemon juice and zest. The sautéed beans keep their toothsome bite, and still get the gift of a classic fried-onion topping.

Shredded-Greens & Citrus Salad

For this cross between a slaw and a raw kale salad, we use a sprightly blend of Brussels sprouts, radicchio, endives, oranges, and walnuts. It's a refreshingly bright and crunchy salad.

Florida Citrus Pie

Both our pies start with a dump-and-stir press-in crust. For this slice of sunshine, you bake the crust, then just pour in the filling and chill. The sweet, orange-scented custard is finished with a dollop of Sour Whipped Cream for balance.

Chocolate-and-Pear Pie

For the brownie lovers in your life there's this fudgy, cinnamony pie. It's fancied up with sliced pears and candied ginger, taking it into super seasonal territory. By all means, serve it à la mode—a scoop of vanilla ice cream is the perfect foil for its gooey richness.