Simply Recipes 2018 Meal Plan: November Week 3

Happy Thanksgiving! Since your week will surely be busy, we're featuring easy weeknight meals like shrimp fried rice, easy chicken mac and cheese, and a roasted vegetable soup. Enjoy!

By
Aaron Hutcherson
Aaron Hutcherson
Aaron Hutcherson
Aaron has over 10 years recipe development experience for his blog The Hungry Hutch. He has written for NYTimes, Washington Post, Simply Recipes, and others.
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Published November 17, 2018
Aaron Hutcherson
Meal Plan for November Week 3

Sometime within the past decade Thanksgiving surpassed Christmas as my favorite holiday. Though giving thanks and expressing gratitude is the theme of the day, the real highlight for many—myself included—is the food.

Yes, the sides are great, and I love a bountiful dessert table, but I actually like roast turkey, too. If you say that you're not a fan, it's likely because you've only had bad versions that have been overcooked.

So for those looking to bring someone over to the right side of history, I've included some recipes this week to help make your turkey a shining example of the fowl's greatness.

On a related note, be sure to buy an appropriately-sized bird for the number of guests you expect. Don't be like my dad the one year he bought a 23-pound turkey for only six people. (No one likes turkey that much.) The great folks over at Butterball have a handy calculator to help you out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Shrimp Fried Rice

    Shrimp Fried Rice
    Elise Bauer

    Fried rice is an easy, flavorful, and quick dinner to throw together. And it'll be great reheated for lunch while you do the rest of your holiday prep.

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  • Easy Chicken Mac and Cheese

    Mac and Cheese with Chicken
    Nick Evans

    I love incorporating other foods into mac and cheese, and from personal experience, leftover fried chicken is a great choice if you happen to have some around. For those with kids, you could also use it to sneak in some vegetables, such as steamed broccoli or peas.

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  • Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

    Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup
    Elise Bauer

    With all the eating that's likely to take place this week, this vegetable soup is a great choice to balance out all of the trips to the dessert table.

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  • Mom's Roast Turkey

    roast turkey resting in the roasting pan
    Elise Bauer

    I couldn't let the week go by without giving you a turkey recipe, and the drippings make for a delicious pan gravy. Gobble, gobble!

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    Continue to 5 of 6 below.

  • Turkey Tacos with Cranberry Salsa

    Turkey Tacos with Cranberry Salsa
    Elise Bauer

    There's only so many turkey sandwiches one can eat, so here's another idea for making use of those holiday leftovers.

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  • Easiest Turkey Brine

    Easy Turkey Brine Recipe
    Emma Christensen

    If you've got the space and the time, then there's no reason not to brine. (The rhyming was a happy accident.) Brining your turkey will help lead to moist, flavorful results.

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