10 Store-Bought Foods to Have on Your Thanksgiving Table

It’s easy to get swept up in Thanksgiving menu planning and view the day as an opportunity to showcase your culinary skills, but the pressure of the holiday can cause even the most serene home cooks to crack. Instead of getting your Alton Brown on and making every single thing from scratch, we at Yahoo Food urge you to supplement the meal with a few choice store-bought items. This will allow you to focus on the most important dishes (the bird, the stuffing, and the potatoes) and enjoying time with your family, which is what it’s all about anyway.

Photo by Jason Meredith.

1. Appetizers and Snacks

There is no reason for you to spend a half hour of your valuable time washing, chopping, and arranging a platter of vegetables. Spend the $10 and get the veggie tray at Costco (or any grocery store) and, if you want to get fancy, toss out the accompanying ranch cup and buy some tasty dips and spreads. Cheese spreads (like Alouette or Trader Joe’s Blue Cheese Roasted Pecan Dip), hummus (Sabra and Trader Joe’s both have a variety of flavors), and fresh salsa all make great additions to the pre-meal spread.

If dinner is going to be on the late side, consider adding a cheese and meat tray alongside the green stuff. Don’t overthink it: a good salami, a nice sharp cheddar, and a soft, spreadable option with some good crackers is more than enough to keep blood sugar up and moods cheery.

Photo by Sarah Franke.

2. Salad

There is no shame in buying a “complete” bagged salad. In fact, there are a lot of really great ones out there, complete with cheese, crunchy toppings, and dressing. (Again Trader Joe’s is your friend here.) All you have to do is throw it all in a bowl and toss. It’s such an easy task, you could even consider delegating it to one of the younger members of your family.

Photo by Luca Nebuloni.

3. Soup

A nice, spicy pumpkin curry or creamy squash bisque is a great way to set a warm and inviting tone for your meal, but making one from scratch requires roasting, pureeing, and simmering, taking up your time, immersion blender, and valuable stove space. Luckily, a lot of specialty grocery stores have these type of seasonal offering available to-go, so all you have to do is heat and serve. (For a homemade look, serve with fresh herbs and sprinkling of grated Parmesan.)

Photo by JeffreyW.

4. Bread

Unless you have a lot of experience making bread ( and I’m talking a lot) I wouldn’t suggest trying to DIY it. Homemade bread is great, but it also requires patience and attention to detail, two things that can be in short supply during hectic holidays. Besides, there are these great places called “bakeries” where literal professionals get paid to make really tasty bread. Want to pull something hot and fresh from the oven? Almost all grocery stores now sell partially baked loaves, rolls, and baguettes for you take and finish baking at home. Plus, there are always King’s Hawaiian Rolls, quite possibly the best bread on which to craft your leftovers sandwich.

Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

5. A Whole Ham

Some people don’t like turkey, and for those people there are whole, spiral-cut hams. Even if you do like turkey, it’s always a good plan to have some extra protein on hand, and whole, pre-cooked hams are convenient and delicious. (I don’t know why it’s more acceptable to buy a pre-cooked ham than it is a pre-cooked turkey, but that’s just how this world works.) You can’t go wrong with a Honeybaked, but Target’s store brand Archer Farms is salty, smoky, porky perfection.

Photo by Christine Wisnieski.

6. Stock

You’re going to want to stock up on stock and, unless you have the foresight to make a whole bunch before the fourth Thursday in November, I would recommend buying a few boxes of your favorite brand for use in stuffing, sauces, and vegetable dishes. I promise you no one will be able to tell the difference.

Photo by John Herschell.

7. Gravy

I have seen many a home cook break down on Turkey Day over gravy. Perfect gravy is delicate balance of texture and flavor, and shouldn’t be too thin, gloppy, salty, or synthetic tasting. I won’t discourage you from trying your hand at homemade gravy, but I will encourage you to have a backup plan, and to not be ashamed if you resort to the store bought stuff.

I prefer the packet gravies to the cans, for the simple reason that you can substitute pan drippings or stock in place of water, giving it a more “homemade” taste and feel. In terms of brands, Knorr makes a pretty good Turkey Gravy. (It even won a taste test at Serious Eats!)

Photo by matthewreid.

8. Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce isn’t hard to make, but it’s one more burner occupied. Some may look down on the canned stuff, but a perfect slice of jellied Ocean Spray provides that much needed balance of tart and sweet along with side of nostalgia. If you like the look of whole cranberries, Trader Joe’s has a jar of sauce that will blow your mind.

Photo by Willie.

9. Fried Onions

I’ve made fancy green bean casseroles and I’ve made the most basic of green bean casseroles (with condensed soup, naturally) and the most important factor in my enjoyment was not the green beans within, but the crunchy onions that sit atop. Not only are French’s French Fried Onions “perfectly acceptable” on Thanksgiving day, they’re the only ones I’ll use. I’ve tried other, more refined brands, and I’ve even made my own, but nothing hits the spot quite like those crispy little allium strips in a can.

Photo by Ben Grantham.

10. Pastry

I don’t doubt your baking abilities, but again, I think it’s a good idea to remove as many potential sources of stress as you possibly can, and let’s not lie to ourselves and pretend like pastry isn’t a finicky beast. Even if you plan to make your own, I implore you to have some frozen or refrigerated pie crusts on hand. There is no shortage more dire than a pie shortage. Heck, I wouldn’t fault you for buying a couple of whole, fully-cooked pies from your favorite bakery. Though I enjoy making pie, I don’t enjoy making five pies. Pick your favorites, the ones that are a real pleasure to craft, and leave the trickier ones to the professionals.