You know what drives me crazy about cooking for Thanksgiving? That it takes so long to prep and cook for the main grub-fest and then once you sit down to eat, you’re full in mere minutes. That just doesn’t seem fair. But, fortunately, there are some Thanksgiving recipes that only take minutes to make and I’ve become quite a fan of them.
More from MamásLatinas: Latin-inspired dishes for Thanksgiving
No, you can’t cook a whole turkey in under 30 minutes, but there are plenty of other things that you can make in that amount of time. I’ve rounded up some great Thanksgiving recipes you can make in 30 minutes or less. Serve these at home or bring them to share at any dinners you are attending. You’ll get tons of compliments and you don’t have to tell anyone that you made them in no time at all. Enjoy!
Create a turkuterie board they will gobble up.
You’ll need to cut a pear in half to create the turkey’s body. You can fashion legs and a beak for it out of carrot slivers. Eyes could be made with a dab of cream cheese and bits of black olives Then build the plumage around the bird out of whatever snacks you like. Depending on the size of your turkuterie board, this can take anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes to make.
Cranberry cheese bites are a no-brainer.
Seriously, get you some crackers, some brie, and cranberry sauce. Put a small piece of brie on each cracker, top that with a bit of cranberry sauce, and be grateful something so good is so dang easy to make.
Pair this five-minute whipped goat cheese with dippable goodies.
It takes virtually no time to whip up this goat cheese dip. You can serve it with sliced up veggies, bread, crackers, pretzels, pita, or any delicious bites you deem worthy of covering in this creamy goodness.
Pepper jack queso you can make a couple of different ways.
If you need it fast, you can make it on the stove. If you’ve got time, you can make it in your slow cooker. Even if you make it on the stove, you can bring it to a party in a slow cooker so you can just plug it in and keep it warm and gooey until there is none left.
This couscous salad packs some real flavor.
Aside from couscous, it includes chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, olives, and parsley. Everything is seasoned to perfection and tossed together with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
Caprese bites are a crowd-pleaser.
First of all, you put anything on a skewer and people just get excited. I can’t explain it, but it’s true. Secondly, a caprese salad is just delicious. Thirdly, put a caprese salad on a stick and watch how quickly it gets gobbled up.
Salsa, but make it cranberry.
This cranberry salsa is meant to be served over cream cheese and scooped up with either chips or crackers. It gets a spicy kick from jalapeños and only takes 10 minutes to prepare. It’s a fun, seasonal twist on regular chips and salsa.
Keep it simple with this spinach sauté.
It is healthy, affordable, tasty, and so very simple to make. Honestly, you could do this with just about any greens and the results will be just as delicious.
Green beans with bacon that can be served in 25 minutes.
This recipe consists of just four ingredients and can be made in one pan. It makes for a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving and looks beautiful on a platter and on everyone’s plate. Plus, it’s a great way to get a veggie in everyone’s tummy.
Did you know you can roast grapes?
You can! You just toss them in oil and bake them on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. If you want to get fancy, you can drizzle them with balsamic vinegar before serving.
Portuguese sausage stovetop stuffing that takes 15 minutes to make.
One of the great things about making stovetop stuffing is that it takes up no space in an otherwise full oven. Most of us have limited over space when cooking a Thanksgiving meal, so anything that can be made on the stove is welcome.
Sautéed shredded Brussels sprouts are so easy to make.
This recipe only has four ingredients in it and since the Brussels sprouts are shredded, they cook up quickly. If you’ve never tried shredded Brussels sprouts, you really are missing out.
Delicious sautéed carrots will become a favorite.
Poor carrots. They rarely get to shine as the main ingredient of a dish. That’s not the case in this five-ingredient dish where they don’t just get to shine, they get to dazzle all who taste them.
Try this orange-scented cranberry sauce.
Sure, you can buy cranberry sauce, but I promise you it won’t taste as good as this one that features the zest and juice of fresh oranges. It only takes 30 minutes to make and you can make it ahead of time, so it’s good to go when the time comes.
Candied pecans are easy to make in a skillet.
This recipe calls for five minutes of prep and five minutes of cooking time. You also have the option of adding a pinch of cayenne pepper if you want sweetness with a bit of kick. You could make these a few days in advance, if you store them in an airtight container. Good luck not snacking on them if you make them too far in advance, though.
