Learn how to make a turkey dinner on a weeknight any time of year!

I am so excited that Thanksgiving is just around the corner! I'm seeing Thanksgiving everywhere!! My daughter asked me, "What do you do during Thanksgiving?" Of course, I gave her the true meaning of Thanksgiving. And then she goes, "Is there a parade?" She didn't understand that it would be on TV, and that it would a holiday where we stuff our bellies and give thanks. One day, she'll figure it out!
My goal was to be able to make this on a week night after a full day's of work without TOO many ingredients. And that's what I'm sharing with you today.
This turkey doesn't take a lot at all and was super easy to make. Doesn't this look delicious? If so, follow along to find out how to get TURKEY done on a week night.

In This Post
Ingredients
Turkey: Turkey breast, thyme, Swanson chicken broth, and butter
Mashed Potatoes: 5 potatoes, 1/2 package of cream cheese, and 1/2 cup of butter
Stuffing: Box of stuffing, Swanson chicken broth, and butter.
Gravy: turkey pan drippings, Swanson chicken broth, flour, poultry seasoning, cream of mushroom soup, bay leaves, and salt & pepper to your liking

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350.
Use a brush to brush the turkey with butter. Then, spread thyme and butter onto the turkey.

Fold the aluminum foil so that it makes a tent over the turkey breast. This will allow it not to get burnt.

Pour the Swanson Chicken Broth along with two bay leafs into the roasting pan.

Roast for about 30 minutes at 350. At 30 minutes, baste more butter on top of the turkey. Do this for about 1.5 hours. (You can ALSO use a slowcooker in the AM and just put the whole thing in there!)
Mashed Potatoes. Once you are about half an hour away from being done, boil some water for the potatoes. Put the potatoes in once its boiling, drain, and then mix the rest of the ingredients: 1/2 package of cream cheese, and 1/2 cup of butter. I would mash them with a potatoes masher rather than a mixer. For some reason, the masher is better tasting. This yields oh-so-yummy mashed potatoes everyone RAVES about.
Stuffing: Follow the directions in the box, except when it says put water in, but Swanson chicken broth.
Gravy: Take the drippings from the pan (I know, I know). Filter the drippings out, and then mix the rest of the ingredients except the flour. Once the other ingredients are mixed on the stove, slowly add flour until the gravy gets thick.
Then, you should be able to plate up something like this. Soooo good. Your family will LOVE this!!

You'll be in a food coma.

Weeknight Thanksgiving Dinner

Delicious and easy turkey for a busy weeknight.
Ingredients
For the turkey
- turkey breast
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- Swanson chicken broth
- butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the mashed potatoes
- 5 Yukon or Russell potatoes
- 1/2 package of cream cheese
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/4 cup milk
For the stuffing
- 1 box stuffing
- 1 box Swanson chicken broth
- 1/4 butter
For the gravy
- 1 cup of pan dripping
- 1 can of Swanson chicken broth
- 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter and spread it on the turkey.
- Add thyme and salt/pepper to taste.
- Put in oven, and check every 30 minutes. Average is two hours.
For the mashed potatoes
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm.
- Drain and return to stove over low heat to dry for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add cream cheese, butter, and milk.
- Mash until smooth.
For the stuffing
- Follow the box for the stuffing except substitute Swanson chicken broth for the water.
For the gravy
- Bring the turkey pan drippings to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Add in soup, poultry seasoning, pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Reduce heat to low, and let simmer.
- Whisk in the flour with a fork until there are no lumps.
- Return the gravy to a boil, and gradually stir in the milk mixture.
- Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4 servingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 356Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 1342mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 13g
If it is the season, check out my thanksgiving table decorating ideas post that might inspire you to start decorating!

Other Easy Weeknight Meals

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