Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it’s primarily about food. But its rising cost will make this year’s meal particularly fraught for those struggling financially. With that in mind, I took on a challenge: coming up with a budget-friendly Thanksgiving meal that’s still celebratory and full of flavor. While it’s easy to find affordable recipes for individual dishes, what can really make the meal costly is purchasing many different ingredients for each recipe. That’s why I developed this entire meal — turkey and gravy (or cauliflower as a vegetarian alternative), sides, cranberry sauce and pie — from only 20 ingredients total. (And yes, that includes everything, even oil, salt and pepper.)
