3 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Your Family Will Love (2024)

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Recipes that have been passed down from generations past.

I love cooking for my family, especially when the recipe is one that the whole family will love! And, I love recipes that are easy to prepare. On Thanksgiving, I want to have more time with family and less time in the kitchen. But more than anything, I love the recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. So, recipes that the whole family loves, are quick and easy to prepare, and have been passed down for generations are often found time after time on my holiday table. Today I want to share with you 3 of my favorite quick and easy Thanksgiving Recipes your family will love!

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3 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Your Family Will Love

My Grandma Wilma’s Salad

I never met my Grandma Wilma as she passed away a few months before I was born. I think I would have loved spending time with her in her kitchen as she was truly a gourmet! She was of Danish descent and she would make amazing treats like Ebelskivers with Lingonberry Jam, Danish Cukes, and Danish Rolled Cookies. My father told me that she prepared amazing several course meals every night. Some of her recipes were more difficult than others, but all were well worth the time!

One salad that everyone loved was a combination of fresh cranberries, gelatin, pineapple, and nuts. My Grandma Wilma would use homemade whipped cream and create a mold of sorts. I am told it looked and tasted amazing! After my Grandmother passed away, my Mom wanted to start making this tasty salad but was not comfortable with the process required to make it. So, she converted it into a delicious salad, that is easy to make, even for little ones. Last year I had my 3-year-old Granddaughter mix it up. She loved mixing it and of course tasting as she went.

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4.93 from 39 votes

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Grandma Wilma's Salad

This quick and easy salad is a festive treat that is a family favorite!

Ingredients

  • 114-20 oz CanCrushed Pineapple Drained
  • 114 oz CanWhole Cranberry Sauce
  • 1/4 cupMayonnaiseHellman's or Best Foods
  • 1/2cupChopped Pecans
  • 18 oz tubCool Whip
  • 110 oz bagMini Marshmallows

Instructions

  1. Mix together the drained crushed pineapple, whole cranberry sauce, mayonnaise, and pecans until incorporated.

    Fold in the Cool Whip.

    Fold in the Mini Marshmallows.

    Serve and Enjoy!

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My Mother’s Yam Bake

Another recipe that we have passed down for years is my Mother’s Yam Bake. It was kind of a funny thing because we were never a family that included Yams or Sweet Potatoes in our celebrations, and then suddenly we were! I asked my Mom why she started making the recipe, and she thinks she maybe saw a recipe somewhere, and then changed it around a bit. So, as you can tell, my Mom is the kind of change the recipe around a bit kind of person, and so am I.

Again, this is a very simple recipe that if your family enjoys large amounts of brown sugar and butter, they will love this recipe!

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3 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Your Family Will Love

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Grandma Linda's Yam Bake

This super easy yam bake tastes delicious and is quick to make!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 140 oz CanYamsDrained and Light Syrup Reserved
  • 110 oz CanMandarin OrangesDrained
  • 1/4 tspCinnamon
  • 1/4tspNutmeg
  • 4 TblsBrown Sugar
  • 1/2CupButterMelted
  • 1/4CupBisquickRegular or Gluten Free
  • 1/2 CupBrown Sugar
  • 1/2CupChopped Pecans

Instructions

  1. Butter the sides of an 8x12 baking dish or 9-inch pie or cake pan. Remove the Yams from a 40 oz can and reserve the light syrup. Smash the Yams in the baking dish until all are broken down into a Yam mush. Pour in about 1/8 to a ¼ cup of the light syrup so that the Yam mixture is moist. Drain a 10 ounce can of Mandarin Oranges. Cut the segments into thirds, and fold into the Yam mixture. Add 1/8 tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg (save the other half of nutmeg and cinnamon for the topping), and 4 tablespoons of brown sugar. Mix and smooth out the top.

  2. In a separate bowl mix ¼ cup of Bisquick, ½ cup of brown sugar, 1/8 tsp of nutmeg and cinnamon, and ½ cup of chopped pecans. Then shake over yam mixture evenly.

  3. Melt Butter and pour over topping. Bake in 375-degree oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

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3 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Treats Your Family Will Love

My Viennese Torte Brownie

The final easy recipe I would like to share is for a Viennese Torte Brownie. Back when I was a teenager we had loads of Tupperware, Princess House, and Home interior parties at our house. Really, any party plan that would come and display products and allow us to get a group of friends and family together. We always made a dessert to share after the presentation. I started making this recipe because it was so easy and could be changed a bit to add different flavors. It is super easy, and super tasty, and super rich! You only need to cut a small slice!
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4.93 from 39 votes

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Jenny's Viennese Torte

This rich dessert is incredibly easy, but tastes as if you worked on it all day!

CourseDessert

Ingredients

  • 1Brownie Mix for 9x13 Pan
  • 1/3CupApricot or Seedless Raspberry Jam
  • Chocolate Frosting

Instructions

  1. Make Brownie Mix according to package directions in lightly greased or nonstick pan. Once the Brownie is cooled, cut in half. Place one half on the serving tray using spatulas to remove the brownie. Mix the Jam until loose and spread over brownie. Place the second half of the brownie over the Jam. Frost with Chocolate Frosting. Serve.

Yes! It is that simple! I love to try difficult recipes most of the time. However, I also enjoy using simple recipes during the holidays that will allow me to spend time with family and friends. Don’t allow holiday pressure to cause you to try to make everything from scratch. This will exhaust you. Some years I make stuffing from scratch. Some years I just sauté onion and celery that is finely chopped, throw it into the Stovetop stuffing and call it done! Remember to take care of yourself!

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Whatever you do, I hope that you have a wonderful holiday filled with joy, laughter, and good memories made. What is your favorite family recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation?

You can check out a few other super easy dishes in this post on starting a meal train or this post on easy fall meals.

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3 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Your Family Will Love

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3 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Your Family Will Love (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 foods that are eaten on Thanksgiving? ›

Millions of people across the United States will sit down to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, potatoes, squash, corn, and cranberries.

What were 2 types of food at the first Thanksgiving? ›

So, to the question “What did the Pilgrims eat for Thanksgiving,” the answer is both surprising and expected. Turkey (probably), venison, seafood, and all of the vegetables that they had planted and harvested that year—onions, carrots, beans, spinach, lettuce, and other greens.

Why do people eat at 3 on Thanksgiving? ›

Why Is Thanksgiving Dinner So Early? There are many reasons, but primarily: Historically, dinner became before supper; it makes for a more relaxed day; it's simply tradition; it's more convenient for traveling guests; and, of course, to watch football.

What are 5 traditional Thanksgiving foods? ›

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer. The classic Thanksgiving dinner includes old-time favorites that never change: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie.

What are 4 commonly consumed foods at Thanksgiving other than turkey? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

What is the second least favorite Thanksgiving food? ›

Sweet potatoes or yams, disliked by more than 29 percent of respondents, took a close second. “I didn't expect this one as I would happily eat sweet potatoes over more than half of the items listed,” wrote Eric Jones, co-founder of The Vacationer and a math professor at Rowan College South Jersey.

What is the number 1 Thanksgiving side dish? ›

Mashed potatoes are a traditional Thanksgiving side dish for a reason, and we definitely look forward to serving up this delicious dish every November.

What is the most important meal on Thanksgiving? ›

Turkey. Some would say a turkey is the most important food item at the table. A turkey is the center of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, 88 percent of Americans eat Turkey on Thanksgiving, with 46 million Turkeys eaten on the holiday.

What is the main meal for most Americans on Thanksgiving? ›

Turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, to the point that Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called "Turkey Day." Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that "no citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day", and Benjamin Franklin had high regard for the wild turkey as an ...

What is a true Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the First Thanksgiving likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison.

What makes a good Thanksgiving dinner? ›

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner has Turkey, stuffing (also called bread dressing), gravy, potatoes (mashed or scalloped), rolls with butter, green beans or some other cooked green like cabbage or collards, one orange thing (cooked carrots, sweet potato casserole, or squash), something cranberry flavored, and pie ( ...

What is the main meal on Thanksgiving? ›

There's no doubt that a big, roasted Thanksgiving turkey is the centerpiece of any holiday dinner. But that doesn't mean there isn't room at the table for other main courses, too.

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