Rachael Ray’s Secret to An Easy and Complete Thanksgiving Dinner, All in 1 Pan
If you’re looking to simplify your Thanksgiving dinner or if you are serving a smaller group this year, Rachael Ray’s innovative approach to a full turkey dinner in one pan may be what you’re looking for.
It’s a smart way to do the Thanksgiving meal and here’s how Ray gets it done.
Rachael Ray’s resilience through a rough year
The Food Network star, much like the rest of the world, has had a difficult 2020. With the pandemic taking over globally, the star of the Rachael Ray Show was forced to shut down production on her program and take to her New York state home. While she was tempted to take up new hobbies, Ray instead forged on, filming her show live from her home.
That same upstate home that Ray and husband John Cusimano have owned since 2013 was damaged by a significant fire this summer. Thankfully, no one was injured.
Finally, Ray and Cusimano’s beloved pet Isaboo died in May. Ray posted on Instagram, “Our beloved Isaboo passed today in her backyard in the sun in the Adirondack Mountains in New York. In our arms. Peacefully.”
The couple later on added a new pet to their home, Bella Boo Blue.
Her easy Thanksgiving meal in 1 pan
On her daytime show, the Rachael Ray 50 author has been offering shortcuts and tips for viewers to navigate Thanksgiving dinner this year in a feature called “The 12 Days of Thanksgiving.”
One of her easiest and quickest clean-up offerings is to prepare the turkey dinner all in one pan. Ray’s secret here is to use a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.
Ray said on her show, “We’ve had to reinvent what Thanksgiving is this year. A lot of us are doing small groups, or just whoever we’ve been with for the last several months, and we’re going to be Zoom-visiting with our families and larger groups.
“This is the simplest Thanksgiving I have made in the 20-something years I have been making Thanksgiving dinner for our family.”
The turkey is marinated in a savory sauce consisting of herbs, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic, and olive oil. The turkey breast then steeps in the marinade in a food storage bag for several hours.
Don’t forget your veggies
As assortment of root vegetables such as beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips, parsley root, large radishes, and potatoes are tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, citrus zests, and rosemary and placed on a baking sheet.
Ray calls for placing the turkey breast on top of the vegetables, saving you the trouble of preparing the vegetables separately. Roast at 350 degrees for two and a half hours.
Gravy is prepared on the side using stock from the cooked turkey. Ray then calls for the adding of butter, flour, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and cider for a delicious savory complement to the roast turkey.
Her tart and tangy cranberry sauce is just as easy to prep. It simply calls for cranberries, orange peel, sugar, and water boiled briefly and then simmered for 15 minutes. Once it cools, the orange peel is removed and dinner is ready.
Visit the Rachael Ray website for the full recipe, and enjoy!
