These Are The Thanksgiving Dishes You Can Make Ahead Of Time

Before friends and family members gather to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, all of the dishes must be prepared. Thankfully, many of the traditional staples can be made ahead of time, helping to ease any of the stress that can come along with making this autumnal holiday a success.

The first Thanksgiving meal happened back in 1621, and this day became an official celebration in the United States in 1863, as stated by History. Over the years, the components of the meal changed a bit, leading to one known for being made up of turkey, stuffing/dressing, gravy, and pies.

If you are in charge of cooking all or part of this year's Thanksgiving feast, consider making the dishes that are listed out down below early. This will save you some time and trouble and will let you enjoy more of the big day, when it finally arrives next week!

So what Thanksgiving foods can you go ahead and make? One common side dish is mashed potatoes, and according to The Daily Meal, these can quickly be prepared days before. For many, this holiday is not complete without cranberry sauce, and Delish points out that, once it is sealed in a jar, cranberry sauce will keep for quite some time.

Bon Appétit has an awesome recipe for soft and buttery rolls, and they also can be prepared at an earlier time, as can stuffing and dressing. This is usually a main attraction on Thanksgiving Day, and you can follow All Recipe's directions — add in all the ingredients, but don't bake it yet. Instead, let it cool, freeze it, and then pop it into the oven before the official meal.

Finally, there are all the sweet goodies. "Plan to make cakes, pies, and cookies that will hold up for a couple of days," Jacqueline Blanchard of Coutelier told Food & Wine. "This will relieve a lot of stress on the big day, as well as keep your oven available for the turkey, rolls, and casseroles."