• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cooking Chat
  • About
  • Find a Recipe
  • Wine Pairings
    • Wine Pairing Help
    • Wine Pairing Weekend & Other Wine Pairing Events
    • White Wine Pairings
    • Red Wine Pairings
    • Wine Pairings for Seafood
    • Summer Wine Pairings
  • Work with me
  • Resources
    • Food Blogger Resources
    • Cookbooks and Kitchen Tools
    • Collards and Kale Cookbook
      • Collards and Kale Affiliate Program
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Irish Recipes
  • Soup Recipes
  • Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
  • Mexican Recipes
  • Podcast
  • Appetizers
  • Recipes using leftovers
  • Salad
  • wine pairing
  • About
×
Home » Thanksgiving Recipes » Thanksgiving Menu Ideas with Wine Pairings

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas with Wine Pairings

Published: Nov 17, 2020 · Modified: Nov 15, 2022 by Cooking Chat · This post may contain affiliate links

Our Thanksgiving Menu Ideas with Wine Pairings collection will get you ready for the holiday! Choose an entire menu to follow, or pick out recipes and wine pairing ideas to round out your own plans.

A Classic Thanksgiving Menu with Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Cranberry Dip

We originally created this collection of Thanksgiving menu ideas in 2020, when the global health crisis disrupted many of our holiday plans

These menus are still a great resource for anyone preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the first time, and are also handy for experienced cooks serving smaller crowds than usual.

With these factors in mind, we have put together some menu collections of fairly easy Thanksgiving recipes along with wine pairing suggestions. Each of our menus suggests three courses with wine pairings; so even if you are just cooking for your immediate family, you can make it a special meal.

The recipes featured here are a combination of Cooking Chat contributions along with selections from my fellow food bloggers. We have tried to put together Thanksgiving menu ideas that are balanced, doable and delicious! These menu ideas seek to put enough variety on the table to make it festive, but have a few less items than might be offered for a larger crowd.

If you want some additional ideas for your Thanksgiving menu, check out our 23 Thanksgiving Sides roundup. And when it comes time for leftovers, be sure to check out our Leftover Turkey Stew with Butternut Squash recipe and our Leftover Turkey Pasta with Mushrooms.

This article on wine pairings for turkey is a great resource for more ideas on what wine to serve for Thanksgiving.

Introducing our menus

  1. The Classic Roast Turkey & Sides menu is the one that most closely resembles what we would enjoy when my folks host the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It features a beautifully prepared whole roasted turkey from Grow a Good Life and some classic sides. It starts with our delicious Cranberry Jalapeño Dip and wraps up with some super sweets. And you can’t go wrong with the wine pairings! Click here to see the details of this menu, with links to the recipes.
  2. Our second Thanksgiving menu idea centers around our Herb Roasted Turkey Breast recipe. Flavored by a combination of herbs common in French cooking, the turkey breast is easy to prepare and perfect for a smaller group. The menu gets started with an elegant soup, and has some substantial sides that are good options for vegetarians. Click here to get the menu details, wine pairings and recipe links.
  3. Our third set of Thanksgiving Menu ideas we call our “creative” option. In this one, gravy for the turkey is replaced with a cranberry Merlot sauce. We suggest serving this up with a pumpkin kale risotto and one of our favorite fall salads, among other things. Oh yes, and of course will be pouring Merlot with this menu! Click here for the details.

Menu 1: Classic Roast Turkey & Sides

Cranberry Jalapeño Dip
Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing
From Grow a Good Life

Appetizers

Cranberry Jalapeño Dip

Easy Cooking Chat recipe combines spicy and sweet flavors for a tasty appetizer perfect for Thanksgiving. 

Easy Thanksgiving Cheese Plate

A simple to assemble cheese board with easy to find ingredients is a great Thanksgiving appetizer. Recipe from Smack of Flavor.

Appetizer Wine Pairing

A sparkling wine is a great choice for the spicy / sweet flavor combo in the dip, and will work with the cheese plate, too. The Westport Rivers RJR Brut Cuvée is a good American sparkling wine choice for Thanksgiving.

Main Course

Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing

This simple roasted turkey with Italian sausage stuffing recipe is a delicious way to cook the perfect bird for your holiday meal. From Grow a Good Life.

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Scrumptious mashed potatoes recipe from Fearless Dining.

Cranberry Orange Sauce

This Cranberry Orange Sauce has a little extra kick from Grand Marnier! You can omit that if serving little ones. Binky’s Culinary Carnival recipe.

Savory Mashed Butternut Squash

Sweet squash combined with savory ingredients — sage, garlic, Parmesan cheese and soy sauce. Easy recipe from Cooking Chat. 

Main Course Wine Pairing

White: We like Chenin Blanc such as a Vouvray for a white. Colleagues recommended Pine Ridge, L’Ecole or Dry Creek for US Chenin Blanc.

Red: Pinot Noir is a classic choice for this traditional Thanksgiving turkey menu. Hahn and Pedroncelli have good quality, reasonably priced bottles. If you are up for spending a bit more, Eric Kent and Halcon make great Pinot we’ve had recently that are worth it.

Dessert

Easy Pumpkin Pie

This pie has a graham cracker crust and a dead-easy-to-make filling, so it can be a last-minute dessert for your holiday table! Vintage Kitchen recipe. 

Coquito Rum Cheesecake

This decadent cheesecake is a mashup the classic Puerto Rican Holiday cocktail Coquito and cheesecake. Recipe from Sense and Sensibility.

Dessert Wine Pairing

A Sauternes or other Sweet Bordeaux wine would be my choice for the pumpkin pie. If you want to pair to the cheesecase, maybe some extra Coquito on the side?

Menu 2: Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Butternut Squash Mushroom Soup
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Starter

Butternut Squash Mushroom Soup

This elegant soup from Cooking Chat features very creamy  butternut squash soup topped with sautéed mushrooms and sage

First Course Wine Pairing

Once again, a Chenin Blanc is a good choice for a white wine pairing for the soup. We have also enjoyed it with Pinot Noir…and a Mexican Nebbiolo!

Main Course

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Easy turkey breast roasted with an herb butter made sage, rosemary, thyme and lavender. Cooking Chat recipe, served with a light gravy. Note: the recipe follows a general discussion about wine pairings for turkey.

Apple and Sausage Stuffing with Tarragon

This special apple sausage stuffing just might steal the show from the traditional mashed potatoes and turkey! It’s the perfect balance of fall flavors to compliment your roast and any other side. Recipe from Proportional Palate.

Butternut Squash Quinoa Casserole

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Casserole with feta cheese and pumpkins seeds is a savory recipe perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish. With plenty of protein and other nutrients, can be a main option for vegetarians at the table. Cooking Chat recipe. 

Sautéed Vegetarian Brussels Sprouts

Tender and moist sautéed vegetarian brussels sprouts is easy and fast to make. Recipe from Cookmorphosis.

Instant Pot Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Port

Easy gourmet cranberry sauce recipe done in your Instant Pot. It keeps for about 2 weeks so it’s great because you can make it up ahead of time and have it ready for the big day. Gourmet Done Skinny recipe. 

Main Course Wine Pairing

Red: The herbs in the roasted turkey conjure up the aromas of the French countryside. Thus, a Southern Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is my preferred choice. Any number of good (and affordable) Côtes du Rhônes or go for one of the Cru villages – e.g. we enjoyed the turkey with a Rasteau AOC, the 2017 Domaine Brussett La Bastide.

White: While red is my preference when focusing on the turkey, you can make a white wine work, too. Whites can be a good choice for matching with the sides. We tried a version of this with an Anne Amie Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley, and that worked. Pinot Gris is the grape that goes by Pinot Grigio in Italy.

Dessert

Allergy Friendly Pumpkin Mousse Pie

A no-bake, creamy version of the classic pumpkin pie. Loaded with spices and full of whipped cream, this lighter version will make you wonder why you ever went with the original, dense version in the first place. Free of egg, dairy & nuts, recipe from Allergy Awesomeness.

Pistachio Tiramisu Cake

The Pistachio Tiramisu Cake with Whipped Mascarpone Cream & Cardamom brings together flavors of Persian cuisine & Italian Desserts. From Spoonabilities.

Creative Menu – Turkey Breast with Cranberry Merlot Sauce

Basil Pesto Crostini
Turkey Breast with Cranberry Merlot Sauce

Appetizers

Basil Pesto Crostini

This easy and festive appetizer features zesty pesto sauce spread over crispy toasted baguette slices and topped with tomatoes. Cooking Chat recipe.

Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce

How about an easy shrimp appetizer for to get Thanksgiving started? This recipe is bursting with flavors that will make your mouth happy! 

Appetizer Wine Pairing

Sauvignon Blanc is a classic choice for anything with pesto, and it definitely would work nicely here. But you could experiment with other crisp whites, too.

Main Course

Roasted Turkey Breast with Cranberry Merlot Sauce

Try Roast Turkey Breast with Cranberry Merlot Sauce for a savory sweet alternative to traditional turkey gravy. Cooking Chat recipe.

Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash

This easy gluten free recipe makes a flavorful and healthy addition to your Thanksgiving meal plan. Cooking Chat recipe.

Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Kale

Scrumptious mashed potatoes recipe Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Kale is the perfect fall food. Creamy, savory, cheesy, and so delicious! From Hoorah to Health.

Spinach and Pear Salad

Ripe pears add delicious flavor to a spinach salad. A touch of spice added to the simple dressing makes for a delicious, easy side salad. Cooking Chat recipe.

Main Course Wine Pairing

Red: A California Merlot is a natural choice to go with the sauce, and is also excellent with the roasted beets. Choose one with some refinement — not a fruit bomb, nor one that has a lot of oak or tannins. Longboard, Trefethen and Decoy are a few Merlots I’d suggest for this menu.

Dessert

Sweet Potato Pie

This southern-style sweet potato pie is so smooth and rich, with the flavors of brown butter, roasted sweet potatoes, and brown sugar, all in a flaky all-butter pie crust! Recipe from Chenée Today.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

We’ve suggested a lot of pie here, how about some ice cream! This pumpkin spice ice cream takes the flavors of pumpkin spice latte and elevates it to a whole new level. Recipe from Keep Calm and Eat Ice Cream.

thanksgiving menu collage.

« Cranberry Jalapeño Dip with New England Wine
Food Pairings for Sweet Bordeaux Wine #winophiles »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah

    November 19, 2020 at 6:11 am

    What a great collection of Thanksgiving menus, lots of wonderful inspiration here.

    And thank you for including my pumpkin spice ice cream.

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat

      November 19, 2020 at 6:50 am

      Thanks for sharing a recipe, Sarah!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi there! I'm David. I love creating tasty, (mostly) healthy recipes, finding great wine pairings, and sharing good food with family and friends. learn more about me!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Gruyere Cheese Wine Pairing
  • Pasta with Peas, Pecorino and Onions
  • Ep. 48: Historic Livermore Valley Wines with Aly Wente
  • Ep. 47: Spring Wine Pairings and More with Martin Redmond
  • Alto Adige Wine Pairings

Copyright © 2025 Cooking Chat · Privacy Policy.