What to Serve With Thanksgiving Turkey: A Farm-Fresh Holiday Menu

You’ve picked your Thanksgiving turkey. Now comes the question that fills the rest of the table: what should you serve with it?

At Pat’s Pastured, we like a holiday meal that starts with thoughtfully raised food and leaves room for the dishes your family looks forward to all year. A good menu can be simple: turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, something green, something tart, and a basket of rolls. Add your family’s must-have side, and you’re in business.

Here’s how to put it together without giving every burner, baking dish, and person in the kitchen a second job.

Start with a menu that fits your table

Write down your guest count, dietary needs, and the dishes people have already offered to bring. Then choose one dish for each part of the meal. With several sides on the table, you don’t need a full dinner-size portion of every dish for every guest.

For a group of eight, a practical starting menu is one family-size baking dish of stuffing, mashed potatoes made from about 3 to 4 pounds of potatoes, about 2 pounds of green vegetables, 2 to 3 cups of gravy, a bowl of cranberry sauce, and 8 to 12 rolls. Adjust for appetites and any additional sides. Those are planning estimates, with room for the uncle who considers stuffing a main course.

For turkey sizing, thawing, and roasting, keep our Turkey Tips for a Delicious, Low-Stress Thanksgiving handy. This plan takes care of what goes alongside it.

Build the sides around a few good ingredients

Stuffing with savory sausage and herbs

Stuffing earns its place on the plate by catching all those good holiday flavors. Start with dried bread cubes, softened onion and celery, herbs, and enough broth to moisten the bread without leaving it swimming.

Our Savory Pork Sausage is a natural fit here. Choose the loose version when available, cook it thoroughly, and break it into crumbles before folding it into the bread mixture. Taste before adding more herbs or salt; the sausage and broth bring seasoning of their own. A little chopped apple adds sweetness, while mushrooms bring an earthy note.  Trying to avoid pork?  We also have a Savory Chicken Sausage that’s a perfect swap. 

Bake stuffing in its own dish for a crisp top and easier timing, and check that the center reaches 165°F. If you’re feeding guests who don’t eat meat, make a separate version with mushrooms and vegetable broth, using separate utensils.

Gravy with a homemade or ready-made head start

Good gravy brings the whole plate together. For homemade gravy, use a trusted recipe with turkey drippings, flour or your preferred thickener, and turkey or chicken bone broth. Keep extra broth on hand so you can loosen the gravy as needed. Taste before salting, especially if you brined your bird.

Want one less saucepan to manage? Our prepared turkey gravy is a handy option when it’s available in the Thanksgiving lineup. Check the current selection and follow the package’s heating instructions. Either way, bring a little extra to the table for the mashed-potato enthusiasts.

Potatoes that leave room for the gravy

Creamy mashed potatoes are hard to beat here. Yukon Golds make a lovely mash; russets are another good choice. Warm the milk and butter before adding them, then mash gently rather than beating until gluey.

If sweet potatoes are your family’s tradition, roast them with olive oil and finish with our garlic and herb compound butter or some of Farmtrue's Vanilla Maple Chai Ghee from our farm store.  

A green vegetable with a little brightness

Choose green beans with lemon, sautéed greens with garlic, or roasted Brussels sprouts finished with a splash of cider vinegar. A bright, simply seasoned vegetable is welcome beside stuffing and gravy.

Think about oven space before committing. Green beans cooked on the stovetop or a crisp salad with apples and cider vinaigrette can save you from trying to roast three dishes at once. Look to your local farm stand or market for what’s available.

Cranberries or another tart bite

Cranberry sauce gives the meal a welcome tart edge. Make it a day or two ahead and refrigerate it, or put out the familiar canned version if that’s what your crew loves. Fresh orange zest is an easy addition to homemade sauce.  We are carrying the locally made Backyard Food Company’s Cranberry Sauce in the Farm Store for the holiday season as an alternative option as well - stop by any time! 

A crunchy apple slaw with a tangy dressing can play a similar role. You’re looking for a bite that makes the rich dishes taste good all over again.

Rolls for the gravy and tomorrow’s sandwiches

Choose rolls you’re happy to serve with butter and use for turkey sandwiches the next day. Buying them from a local bakery is a perfectly good contribution to a farm-fresh meal.

Put someone else in charge of warming the rolls and filling the bread basket. It’s a small job that’s easy to hand off when you’re carving.

Feed the cooks before the feast

Thanksgiving breakfast deserves a spot on the shopping list. Coffee and a bite of pie crust will only get the kitchen crew so far.

Keep it easy with Pat’s eggs, savory sausage, and toast. Or make a skillet of potatoes and onions, add fully cooked sausage, and serve with scrambled eggs. Cook raw pork sausage to 160°F; cook eggs until the whites and yolks are firm, or until scrambled eggs are set.

Planning an egg casserole? Choose a recipe with clear overnight refrigeration instructions and bake it to 165°F in the center. Check the oven schedule first, though. A stovetop breakfast may be the kindest choice once the turkey is in.

Give yourself a little breathing room

A few days ahead, assign dishes to willing guests, check serving bowls, and write down which recipes need the oven. Keep each dish’s temperature and cooking time beside its name.

The day before, make cranberry sauce, dry bread for stuffing, and wash and prep vegetables as appropriate. Store cut produce in the refrigerator. Set out serving utensils and clear refrigerator space for both the meal and its leftovers.

On Thanksgiving, work backward from serving time and let your turkey thermometer guide the final stretch. Use the bird’s resting time to finish gravy and warm rolls. Keep dishes waiting for service safely hot at 140°F or above, or cold at 40°F or below.

Your Thanksgiving shopping checklist

Start with the recipes you’ve chosen, then cross off what you already have. Remember to count breakfast ingredients separately from dinner ingredients.

From Pat’s

• Pasture-raised Thanksgiving turkey sized for your gathering
• Savory Pork Sausage for stuffing and breakfast
• Turkey or chicken bone broth for stuffing and gravy
• Prepared turkey gravy if available and part of your plan
• Eggs for breakfast and any recipes that call for them

Produce

• Potatoes or sweet potatoes
• Onions, celery, and garlic
• Green beans, Brussels sprouts, greens, or salad ingredients
• Cranberries, apples, and an orange or lemon
• Fresh herbs such as parsley, sage, and thyme

Pantry

• Bread for stuffing and rolls for the table
• Flour or another gravy thickener
• Butter and milk or your preferred alternatives, from the dairy case
• Olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs
• Cider vinegar and sugar or maple syrup for your chosen recipes
• Vegetable broth if making a meat-free side
• Storage containers, freezer bags, and labels for leftovers

A good meal with room to enjoy it

The turkey can be the centerpiece without making the rest of the meal complicated. Choose the sides your people love, accept a little help, and make enough room at the table for everyone.

Browse our Thanksgiving selection to plan your turkey, broth, and other farm ingredients. Then put the menu on the fridge. One less thing to keep in your head.