Thanksgiving on a budget: How to make a feast for $30
HOUSTON - Many grocery stores are offering holiday meal deals with all the fixin's for a turkey dinner.
Heather Sullivan of Sullivan's Smart Sense and Allison Gargaro of Allison's Cooking Diary teamed up to show you how to utilize a meal deal to make a family feast.
We purchased the ingredients of Target's $20 Thanksgiving meal deal, which included a turkey, stuffing mix, potatoes, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, gravy, and cranberry sauce. Then we spent an additional $12 on some seasonings and other ingredients to cook the dinner, which serves four people.
Check out Allison's recipes below!
Target Thanksgiving Deal Ingredients:
- Turkey Breast
- 5 lb. sack Russet Potatoes
- Stovetop Stuffing
- Green Beans
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Gravy
- Canned Cranberries
Extra Ingredients:
- Butter
- Fresh Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage)
- Heavy Cream
- Onions
- Celery
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Orange
- Crispy Onions
- Parmesan
Turkey
Ingredients-
- Turkey, thawed
- 2 sticks of butter, softened
- Fresh rosemary, thyme, sage (or use dried herbs)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 lemon, zest & juice
Method-
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Make the compound butter: Combine the softened butter, 1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary, thyme and sage, zest of ½ lemon, salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Rub the compound butter all over the skin of the turkey and under the skin near the turkey breast.
- Place the lemon and onion on the bottom of the roasting dish. Pour enough water or chicken stock to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Depending on how big your turkey is, bake for 14 minutes per pound, or until the chicken breasts reach 165 degrees. *Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to get a correct temperature reading.
- Take the turkey out of the oven and cover with foil to finish cooking.
- Carve and enjoy!
Gravy
Ingredients-
- Gravy from the jar
Method:
- Heat the gravy in a small saucepan until warm.
- Pour into a gravy boat to serve.
Stuffing:
Ingredients
- Box of Stove Top stuffing
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ onion
- 3 celery stocks
Method:
- Sautee the diced onion and celery in a little bit of butter. Cook until soft.
- Add in 1 ¼ cups water and 4 tablespoons butter and boil.
- Once boiled, add in the entire packet of Stove Top stuffing mix.
- Stir until combined and take off the heat.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Mashed potatoes:
Ingredients
- 5 lb. bag of russet potatoes
- 1 stick butter
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt & pepper
- ¼ to 1 cup of heavy cream (substitute with half & half or milk)
Method:
- Peel and dice your potatoes into 2-inch cubes.
- Rinse the diced potatoes in water.
- Add the potatoes to a large pot with cold water and several tablespoons of salt. (Do not be afraid to heavily salt the water, it makes for the best flavor!)
- Boil for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and add them back into the same pot.
- Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until there are no longer lumps.
- In a small saucepan, add the butter, minced garlic, and salt & pepper. Heat on low for a few minutes until the butter is completely melted.
- Add the warmed butter to the potatoes and stir. The potatoes will become velvety.
- Lastly, add in the cream. If you like a thicker potato, don’t add as much cream, but if you like it softer, then add more cream.
- Enjoy!
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients-
- 1 can green beans, drained
- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- Crispy Onions
Method-
- In a medium baking dish, add the green beans and mushroom soup. Mix until combined.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan in a thin layer on top.
- Add the crispy onions on top of the cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30–25 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Cranberries
Ingredients
- Canned cranberries
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Method
- In a saucepan, add the canned cranberries. Break up into a jam-like consistency.
- Add in the cinnamon, the zest of ½ an orange and the juice of ½ an orange.
- Warm and serve!