Thanksgiving Meal Kits

By Taylor Lieberstein

It’s everyone’s favorite food holiday. But when it comes to hosting, it’s a whole different story. Until now. This year we have a better idea, Thanksgiving Boxes. Boxes filled with everything you need to throw a memorable turkey day dinner, sans the seven hours over a hot stove part. Everyone from Williams Sonoma to Cracker Barrel is in on the game or meal kit—the festive, little sister of meal subscription services. The options vary from boxes packed with pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards to fully cooked, ready-to-heat feasts. Whatever your Thanksgiving plans, these meal kits allow you to spend the holiday feasting, relaxing and being thankful.

Get your turkey and stuffing fix all in one thanks to the chefs at Williams-Sonoma. Simply heat, serve and enjoy a relaxing holiday feast all while never going into the grocery store. A turkey dinner includes a fully cooked Willie Bird Turkey Breast, traditional green bean casserole, butter chive mashed potatoes and a pumpkin pie. Their legendary free-range birds are among the world's best- raised on natural grains they are extraordinarily juicy, succulent and flavorful. Serving size can be prepared to feed four, eight or 12 guests. The coveted turkeys are shipped directly to you from the farm, no standing in line required.

The chefs at Hello Fresh partnered with Jessica Alba to delete all the shopping, planning, googling and guessing with a delivery that feeds up to 10 guests and comes complete with all of your holiday favorites- the bird, five deliciously familiarwith-a-twist sides, and a dessert. Plus, they set you up with a step-by-step, stressproof booklet that includes a cooking timeline, a make-ahead list, a carving how-to, and tips and tricks from their expert culinary team. They even throw in place cards and a day-of playlist. The food box includes a whole roast turkey, classic gravy, ciabatta stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and a sweet cinnamon apple ginger crisp. Don’t need a turkey? Get everything but the bird with their Sides and Dessert Box. Also, each order includes a special offer from Alba’s The Honest Company for your baby, beauty, body and home needs.

Martha Stewart’s popular Marley Spoon provides you with everything you need to make her fail-safe Thanksgiving dinner, delivered directly to your door. The Complete Feast includes a 12- to 14-pound free-range turkey, four side dishes, and a dessert. The box of raw ingredients and recipes arrives two to three days before Thanksgiving Day, so there is plenty of time to pre-cook your brown-sugar-glazed turkey and gravy, stuffing with dried cherries, mashed potatoes, roasted root veggies, green beans, and spiced apple oat crisp for dessert. The box can be purchased or as a one-off with no subscription. You can’t go wrong with having a Thanksgiving dinner prepared with recipes from the American queen of home cooking.

This premier vegan butcher shop has created a feast comprised of their homemade, animal-free meats and cheeses that require minimal preparation and are available nationwide. The butchers deliver a seitan-based Stuffed Turkey, maple sage breakfast sausage, bacon bits, everything cheese and recipes (via email) for sweet potatoes, stuffing, and gravy that you can feel proud to prepare yourself. The feast feeds six to eight—or just you through the end of the year.

On a strict diet? No need to break that trend for one meal. These dedicated chefs ship delicious Paleo meals nationwide. Their Thanksgiving meal for four consists of sweet and savory pork stuffing, Brussels sprouts with bacon, mashed Japanese white sweet potatoes, turkey gravy, orange cranberry relish, apple pie, and pumpkin spice paleo tarts. Everything shows up pre-cooked and frozen, so you simply heat them up for 30 minutes before serving. You will have to source your own turkey as that's not part of the bundle.

Cracker Barrel is offering the ultimate Southern feast. Their Heat n' Serve Holiday Family Meals that feed up to 10 people. You can pick them up and heat at home in about two hours. The meal comes with oven roasted turkey breast, cornbread dressing, gravy, cranberry relish, your choice of three sides, sweet rolls, a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie. The restaurant recommends ordering online at least 24 hours ahead of when you want to pick it up.

Sun Basket offers 3 great side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner every year within their regular meal kit plan. That way you can bring the healthy choice of Sun Basket to your Thanksgiving table. The recipes are updated classics, healthy, delicious, and very easy to make. For the same price as a weekly meal, you can choose 1, 2, or 3 sides as part of your order, along with (or in place of) your regular recipes choice. With Sun Basket Thanksgiving Meal kit you will be able to enjoy organic ingredients that are clearly labeled on delivery. All of their products are seasonal, responsibly and sustainably sourced.

While butchered meats are truly the foundation of this local butcher shop, they do offer cooked meats (limited in quantity) for the holidays. On November 21, for one day only, they will be offering a deep-fried turkey. Their holiday menu ranges from turkey and ham to pork loin and rib roast. A wide variety of cold, for reheat sides are also available including loaded mashed potatoes and cornbread dressing. And of course, they sell homemade whole cakes and pies.