19 Thanksgiving Recipes You Should Make Ahead

I love roasted vegetables, especially sweet potatoes. The texture is amazing and the potato never dries out! These roasted tahini maple sweet potatoes cook up very quickly, so preparing them in advance for roasting will save time and energy. You can roast them toward the end of the cooking, and serve them fresh and piping hot! Nobody will know you cut the potatoes the night before.

This coconut milk-based coconut curry butternut squash soup is perfect for pairing with your traditional Thanksgiving feast, plus it's great for those guests who may have unique dietary needs or restrictions. It tastes wonderful, has a kick that keeps it creative, and the best part is, like most soups, it tastes best on the second day. Make it a day or two before and simply reheat to serve.

This roasted butternut squash quinoa salad recipe is a dish that vegetarians will love seeing on Thanksgiving! If you, too, are bored with the same old thing, this brings in incredible seasonal flavors in an unexpected way. Squash, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, feta, pomegranate, yum! Make this the night before and store in the fridge, setting the pomegranate molasses aside for the final presentation.

Love it or hate it, goat cheese is unique and will bring something refreshingly new to your Thanksgiving spread. This whipped goat cheese makes a delicious Thanksgiving appetizer that's as simple to prepare as it is memorable in flavor. It pairs well with crackers or baked breads and wine and can be prepared two days in advance so it's a cinch to pull it out for snacking while dinner finishes up.

If you're looking for an incredible, unique Thanksgiving dessert recipe, serve up our butter pecan skillet cookies! Made the night before, these chewy, gooey cookies will still wow your guests as though they were fresh from the oven. Pop the skillet back into the oven to warm just before you're planning to serve dessert. Top the warmed cookie with vanilla ice cream and be amazed.