Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60 – Part Two

Welcome to part two of the Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60 series! This week, we’re making all the fantastic dishes that you dream about for Thanksgiving – but under $10 per person! Sounds great, right? We’re pulling out all the stops to make delicious holiday food on a budget.

Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60

Keep checking back this week for all the recipes for this full menu:

Turkey Breast with Savory Apple Gravy

Apple, Onion, and Celery Stuffing

Mashed Red Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Green Beans with Almonds

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Cranberry Apple Sparkler

Spicy Pumpkin Tart

To get a full list of ingredients you’ll need to make this holiday feast, check out part one of Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60.

Be sure to bookmark the blog (or sign up for the feed to get the latest recipes on your blog reader) so you can keep coming back to get the rest of these simple, but delicious recipes for your holiday meal!

Today, we’ll go over the recipes for the two stars of the show: Turkey Breast with Savory Apple Gravy and Apple, Onion, and Celery Stuffing!

Turkey Breast with Savory Apple Gravy

Turkey Breast with Savory Apple Gravy

Serves six ~1 pound servings

This isn’t your traditional turkey. Using turkey breast will not only cut down on expenses, but will have your family and friends eating mostly lean white meat, wasting a whole lot less, and you’ll actually spend less time in the kitchen overall.

The use of a turkey breast is a great alternative for a full bird when you’re cutting costs, and with each person getting roughly ½ pound of meat plus loads of other side dishes, you won’t be missing the grand presentation of a huge bird.

This savory apple gravy is the perfect accompaniment to the bird, as it has a bit of sweetness, but the perfect fall flavors that everyone loves during the holiday season.

For the turkey:

  • 4 to 6 pound turkey breast
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  • 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp pepper

For the gravy:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1 cups water or pan drippings (or a combination of both)
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Rub the turkey breast completely with butter, on all sides. Season all sides of the meat with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.
  3. Place turkey breast in a roasting pan, breast side up. Cover with foil. Roast for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a thermometer inserted to the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and cover with foil for 15 to 30 minutes to allow the juices to distribute throughout the meat.
  4. While the turkey is resting, prepare the gravy. Pour any pan drippings into a separate container and place the roasting pan on the stove top. Heat the burner to medium high heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk together, allowing it to bubble and set up for about one minute.
  5. Next, add the pan drippings, poultry seasoning, apple cider, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk until incorporated, trying to get all the lumps worked out.
  6. Thin the gravy with water and allow to simmer for five minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved.
  7. Carve the breast into six equally sized pieces and serve with a generous amount of gravy.

Turkey Breast with Savory Apple Gravy

Next up: Apple, Onion, and Celery Stuffing!

Apple, Onion, and Celery Stuffing

Apple, Onion, and Celery Stuffing

Serves six

This is one of my favorite dishes every year. I love the flavors from the apples and onions, and the crunch from the celery. It’s nice to have a few recipes on standby that you can make the day before – and this is one of them. Just reheat on Thanksgiving Day and you’re saving yourself quite a bit of time in the kitchen!

  • 1 loaf day-old french bread
  • 2 apples
  • 1 onion
  • 3 stalks celery
  • ¼ cup butter, divided
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9” x 12” glass baking dish and set aside.
  2. Cut the french bread into cubes and place in an even layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for five to seven minutes, turning once. You’re looking for the bread to become dry. You can also use a day old loaf and skip the toasting. Once cooled, transfer to a large bowl.
  3. Chop the apple, onion, and celery into 1/2 to 1-inch size pieces. Preheat a large saute pan over medium high heat.
  4. Add 1 tbsp butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add apple, onion, and celery pieces and saute for 10 to 15 minutes or until softened.
  5. Pour the mixture over the cooled bread cubes.
  6. Melt the remaining 3 tbsp butter either in the hot pan on the stove or in the microwave. Then pour the melted butter over the entire mixture, along with chicken broth, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and the beaten egg.
  7. Mix together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is completely incorporated.
  8. Spread the stuffing in an even layer into your greased baking dish. Cover with foil.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil. Continue to bake for an additional fifteen minutes until a nice golden brown crust has formed.

Apple, Onion, and Celery Stuffing

Turkey Day Tip #2: Cook some dishes in advance, if possible.

The recipes included in Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60 that can be made a day in advance are the stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and the pumpkin tart. If you’re willing to do a little more prep the day before the big feast, you’ll free yourself up for more time with your family actually enjoy their company instead of hustling around the kitchen. Just be sure you have scheduled enough time in your day to reheat any dishes that need to be served warm before your guests sit down to eat.

See you back here tomorrow for our next delicious and budget-friendly dishes for our Thanksgiving Under $60!

These recipes are part of Food Network’s #pullupachair Thanksgiving event. Want to see more Thanksgiving dishes from other food bloggers? Click here!

Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60 is a wrap! Get all the shopping list and all the recipes in Parts One, Three, Four, and Five!

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