After I made my very first Thanksgiving dinner many years ago, I developed a whole new respect for my Mom. She just always made Thanksgiving seem so effortless. We’d have tons of guests in our house and my Mom always put on a huge meal with delicious food. She was never frenzied or stressed, but always perfectly coiffed and ready to entertain.
After my first Thanksgiving disaster, I asked her how she did it. As it turns out 90% of the Thanksgiving meal was prepared and cooked ahead of time. Brilliant! I’ve since adopted her method and I now find Thanksgiving dinner so much easier
Start now and look for recipes that can be made ahead of time like this Cranberry Sauce or these Cheesy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes.
There’s two things I really love about these Cheesy Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes. First, they don’t dry out when they are reheated. Second, cheese. Who tries to get more cheese in their life all the time? This chick right here, that’s who. The older the cheese the better for this recipe, so don’t be nervous buying an extra old or sharp block of cheddar.
Pro-tip for boiling your potatoes. Cut you potatoes into 1 inch chunks rather than leaving whole to boil. This ensures that your potatoes will cook evenly.
This recipe is perfect for any meal when you’re entertaining from Sunday dinner to Thanksgiving to Christmas. Add it into your menu rotation and you’ll never be sorry.
Cheesy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes about 6, peeled, cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded old Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 cup Miracle Whip Original Spread
- 1 green onion sliced
Instructions
-
Cook potatoes in boiling water in large saucepan 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.
-
Mash potatoes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Spoon into microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
janicour
I make my perogies ahead of time.
Alayne Langford
I make my cranberry sauce ahead of time, as I find it thickens the longer it is refrigerated! ❤️
Rachel
Looks looks delicious !
Stephanie LaPlante
Pumpkin Pie of coarse.
Pam
Green bean bake.
Wendy Hutton
we make our cranberry sauce a few days ahead
Brenda Witherspoon-Bedard
mashed potatoes
Francine
My pumpkin pie!
Holly MacRitchie
My favourite make ahead dish is layered jello! The kids love it
jan
I prep all of my vegetables so they are just roast or boil away
Tricia Cooper
My favourite make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving and the holidays Scalloped Peas and Onions.
SUMMER PLEWES
my favorite dish to make ahead of time is barbecue baked beans. So good!
Brandy Oliver
I make my special potato and bread filling a few days prior, as well as a few desserts.
It makes everything much easier on Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day, if we have some things already made or at least prepared.
We have veggie and fruit and cheese trays so I try to get most of that cut up at least the day before.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I never even thought of doing this and combining these ingredients! I am anxious to try this!!
Heidi Pawluk
Make my veggies, cabbage rolls & periogies ahead of time, love to just reheat
Mark V
I make fresh homemade dinner rolls the day before. and then just reheat them the day of.
elliottgyal
pie is something that we make ahead. Most other things we make the day of.
andrea amy (@mommy2fiveboys)
I prep all my veggies ahead of time so that when its time, all I have to do is pop them in the oven and turn on the stove. Since my kids don’t like mashed potatoes, I do a roasted vegetable dish. I use carrots, baby or creamer potatoes, parsnips, turnips, garlic (left whole), onion, and celery and I toss them with a little bit of Italian salad dressing, and about an hour before dinner I pop them in the oven (covered) and roast them up.
Karla Sceviour
I peel and wash all my veggies ahead of time,and make desserts!
edmontonjb
I make apple and blueberrie pies ahead of time
Jonnie
joy
oven baked French toast
Amy Heffernan
I always make our peas pudding ahead of time 🙂 Thanks!
Tina L.
prepare the veggies ahead of time.
lilfifi
My favorite make ahead side dish for holiday meals is cabbage rolls.
kristen visser
definitely pumpkin pie and perogies too mmmm
ivy pluchinsky
we make perogies or meatballs
Carey Hurst
Have to make the pumpkin pie the night before and the pumpkin cheesecake so it has time to set .
Lori Jackson
I make a wicked potato salad that the whole Family goes nuts for!
kristine ewald
Obsessed with Brussel Sprouts
Andrea
Pumpkin Pie!! Yum!
Tracy D
We love a Broccoli salad
billiondollarprincesss
stuffing
Bailey Dexter
Our favorite is pasta salad! Pasta, shredded cheeses (we use cheddar, havarti and mozzarella), black olives, diced peppers, green onion, mix 1/2 and half of Greek salad dressing and Kraft Miracle Whip, toss all together and the longer it sits, the better it tastes!
Jackie M
I make a potato salad and pie 🙂
Erika Letson
Mine would have to be stuffing/dressing. I don’t like to actually stuff the bird, I like to make it ahead of time on the side.
Florence C
I make apple pie the ahead of time.
Angela September
Mmmmm my husbands Newfie stuffing lol
Delish
Raji.K (@BinderKaur2)
we always prepare an apple/blueberry cobbler the night before. yum!
butterflyamyc
I like to make the pumpkin pies early
Nicole B
curry carrots. They are always a hit and you can prepare them ahead of time which is handy!
LUCKY
cranberry sauce!
Emily C
Potato salad.
nicolthepickle
Mashed potatoes and then you reheat the whole thing in the oven with more cheese on top.
Eldon
I like to make ahead carmelized onions
Robyn Bellefleur
I make a cheese ball ahead of time.
Glogirl
My favourite make ahead side dish would be a marinated carrot salad.
prairiebelle
i make my cabbage rolls in advance
lori b
mine is candied yams
ginette4
My favourite make ahead side dish is my famous spinach dip
Lushka Smith
Pumpkin pie, always tastes best made ahead
Lisa Neutel
i bake pumpkin and apple pies ahead of time..and of course they are my fave
Judy Cowan
My favourite make-ahead side dish is a sweet potato casserole.
sarah sar
I like to make puff pastry pinwheels ahead of time…they freeze really well and save me so much time!
Lori L.
My favourite make ahead appetizer for the holidays is bacon & spinach wrapped chicken bites – so yummy! Thanks for the chance to win!
gene d
scalloped potatoes
Jolie
Pumpkin pie & cranberry sauce.
Yuen C
Mashed potatoes
Amie E
The pies ! Love the smell of baking ! “D
Brenda Penton
I make making potato salad ahead of time
Maria
Apple pie
Ann W
Cranberry Sauce
Courtney
Broccoli salad!
David
mashed potatoes
Anu Chopra
Apple crisp for dessert!
karinespace
I love to make a mexican dip!
Jenness M
I make perogies a couple days before.
Rebby
My pumpkin shortbread cookies!
Charlene A.
My favourite make-ahead dish is the Cranberry sauce.
angela m
I love to make apple pie
Lana H
I like to make a sweet potato/pecan casserole.
magscheung
I love to make either my shortbread or french onion soup.
Josh S
I make ahead dish is the potato salad.
Theresa Black
My favorite make ahead Thanksgiving dish is Homemade dinner buns and pies 🙂 Thanks so much for the chance.
Jennpup
I made a quinoa stuffing ahead, it was YUM!
Krista M
Garlic & Cream Cheese mashed potatoes. They can be made a couple days ahead of time, then baked the night before or the day of. They’re a bit of work, but the taste is worth it!
Jenn Erin
I’d have to say pecan pie.
Jenny
Pumpkin pie 🙂
Shelley N
My favourite make ahead side dish for the holidays is a 3 fruit cranberry sauce. I found the recipe years ago. very yummy
Nate Fuller
Mostly the desserts get made ahead of time, pies, cakes cookies!
Crystal Marie Porter
I make the dressing and the apple crisp in advance.
Jay M (@JaySaver)
I usually make a few batches of Grandma’s spice cookies for neighbours and friends a couple of weeks before Christmas. Always gets me in the mood for more Christmas baking!
marie s
i make broccoli casserole bake. very easy
favgreen(Rhonda W G.)
I make the tomato jelly salad passed down from famly!
Valerie Mallette
My favourite make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving and the holidays is butternut squash soup.
Margaux retrophiliac
Cheesy Mashed taters with the skin on 😉
Nicole
Cheesy loaded mashed potatoes
Jane Reid
I make lots of dishes ahead of time for the holidays soups which I freeze home baked bread to freeze and mountains of ice Cream
Silvia D
i make homemade buns and cranberry sauce ahead of time.
tracy k.
apple pie
christinadragan
Sweet potato with brown sugar pecans on tops
aly3360
My favourite make ahead meal is scalloped potatoes with cheese. They’re great the first day and even better the next day (or the day after that).
– amber y