Ina garten make ahead gravy

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, shares every recipe that she’ll be making this year for Thanksgiving.

Enjoy white meat? Then make my dairy-free gluten-free recipe for Garlic & Thyme Turkey Breast for your next holiday dinner.

Everyday Cooking Adventures Blog

One of the most stressful things about Thanksgiving is the turkey: timing it, carving it, keeping it hot. As I mentioned in my book “Make It Ahead” (Clarkson Potter, 2014), I discovered that I could roast the turkey early in the day, carve it and arrange it on a layer of gravy on an oven-to-table platter. It changed my Thanksgiving game plan. I prepare the platter, set it aside at room temperature, then reheat it all before dinner. Delicious turkey without the stress!

You can make this gravy a couple days or the day before, then deglaze your roasting pan from your whole turkey the day of and add it to this delicious gravy. I often make this when it isn’t the season because this tasty gravy is thickened with vegetables instead of flour, cornstarch or other heavy ingredients. There is really no need for that. I know it sounds a bit odd to put your gravy in a blender. In fact, I recommend blending at low speed so the texture is smooth but you don’t whip too…

The centerpiece of Thanksgiving is always the turkey! I have lots of turkey recipes, but once I figured out how to roast it in advance, I never looked…

Ina Garten's easy make-ahead turkey and gravy recipe will save you a ton of time during the holidays.

Ina Garten's killer make-ahead turkey recipe, right this way.

A flavorful make-ahead gravy depends entirely on a concentrated stock, so try to use homemade rather than store-bought. And remember: Chilling the gravy before reheating it will cause it to thicken, so it’s a good idea to reserve a little bit of stock for thinning it out to the desired consistency before serving. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)

"No one wants to stand around hoping their gravy won't be lumpy at the moment the turkey comes out of the oven. With this recipe, that will never happen!"