I can't help with the casseroles but you don't need to freeze the cranberry sauce. It will keep till next week.

Agree with not freezing the cranberry sauce. For the casseroles, I'd defrost in the fridge then reheat at a little lower heat than the recipe states. Remember, it's already cooked; you just want to reheat vs cooking again. If you originally cooked something at 350, I'd reheat it at maybe 325 max. Covering with foil can help from drying out, too. Also, it's a good idea to take the dishes/casseroles out of the fridge to sit on the counter a bit so they're not quite so cold for reheating.

Personally, I wouldn't reheat from the frozen state. Thawing first is just easier to monitor. Hard to say how much longer the cooking time will be from the frozen state. It just depends on the type of casserole, but reheating frozen food could take quite a bit longer.

I agree, the cranberry sauce will not benefit from freezing and will easily keep refrigerated until next week.

The other items are already cooked, so I'd thaw them and then just reheat, covered. Like Chloebud I think I'd turn the heat down a bit and cover the crusts of things like the pot pie with foil to prevent over browning.

Happy Thanksgiving. I often make items a day or two ahead and just let them sit in the refrigerator until it's time to make dinner. Rolls and desserts always get made the day before and items like green beans and sweet potatoes, in casserole form or not, do well assembled in advance and then just cooked "the day of".

I've already completed my menu, designated items for crockpots and oven space, washed the table linens and made lists of things to be made a day in advance, two days in advance and the day of our dinner, which will actually not be Thursday, it will be Saturday or Sunday.

Annie

Great tips. Thanks! I've always been a cook-n-serve person bc I was only working part time before. I actually almost never use my freezer for cooked meals, just ingredients. So these tip really help. Thanks again.

Um...what's the vegan casserole made of? Basically, fruits and vegetables tend to get mushy when frozen in home freezers (there are home blast chillers now, but they cost many thousands of dollars). Grains, many other starches and fats all tend to freeze very well, especially for short periods. Watery things like soups freeze well, except for the lumps of vegetables, and some of those are fine, especially if they go in undercooked, because they're supposed to be a bit mushy. If the vegan casserole is mostly tempeh, rice, beans, gravy, etc., it should freeze fine. If it's more vegetables in sauce, maybe not.

For reheating, I agree with defrosting in the fridge. I set them out long enough to warm to room temperature before putting them in the oven, then heat at the same temperature and time they were originally baked in, covering loosely with foil (just placed over the top) to prevent over browning. If it needs further browning, take off the foil for the last ten minutes. The important thing is to get the middle good and hot.

"I often make items a day or two ahead and just let them sit in the refrigerator..."

Exactly what I do, Annie. Assemble in advance (for anything that can be) and cook the day of. Total stress reliever. Happy Thanksgiving! :-)

plllog, my reading of the OP's comment was that the dishes are already made and frozen, so it's a done deal, I think. The only question is how to reheat and keep the things edible, not whether they would freeze well. I'm still a bit confused on why cranberry sauce would need freezing, though.

Annie

Thanks, Annie. I read it as a plan to freeze but unsure of the reheating. Oh, well. Maybe it'll help something else. I have friends who ask me after a fiasco how come I have so much luck with freezing, and it turns down they tried to freeze something that just doesn't freeze well, then put it straight into the oven in their "freezer-to-oven" cookware, at too high a temperature for the middle to thaw.

Ssdarb, good luck with your freezing/thawing/heating and have a lovely Thanksgiving!

Thanks for the answers. I put so much time and effort into brining and preparing the turkey. just wanted a way to prepare some of the other dishes ahead of time. Thanks.

Plllog

I am hosting 32 people. 28 meat eaters, 2 vegetarians, and 2 vegan. If you have a yummy vegetarian or vegan recipe to share that would be much appreciated. I just adapted a spinach ball recipe tonight to make it vegan for my son. Original recipe had parmesan cheese, eggs and butter. I substuted with silken tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, and olive oil.

If you have a wonderful recipe to share, please do.

Well, it depends on your definition of wonderful. I've done similar meals, and I find it incumbent on me to have some decent protein for vegans/vegetarians. Gourmet nut cheeses are delicious, but not very nutritious, for instance.

This is a recipe for Vegan Gluten Free Bean and Lentil Loaf which I developed and posted some years ago. It's a big bother to make the first time, but it tastes good and lends itself to gussying up. It would freeze fine (I can't remember if I've done it, but it should work). But it's probably too close to Thanksgiving to want to go there.

In terms of protein content, I prefer saitan. It's gluten, however, rather than GF, but really is a protein, whereas beans and legumes are plants with protein in them (at the most 15%). :) Saitan should be made with soy (usually it's done with soy sauce) to have complete protein, or you could use Bragg's Aminos. You can grill (stove top or oven) saitan to get some caramelized seared edges and layer it up in a strata with long thin slices of pumpkin or kabocha, zucchini, carrots, parsnips, etc., fresh herbs, and make a binder from egg replacer, or chia, or a bechamel made with hemp milk, or whatever. I don't have a recipe, however, since I usually just cook.

Speaking of "balls", you can make quinoa and cranberry balls, or quinoa and sweet potato balls. Quinoa gets really boring fast, but if you make it Thanksgiving flavored it could be a hit.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Vegans are used to being odd man out and eating the sides. As you've figured out with your spinach balls, most sides can be made vegan just by not using animal products. :) The hardest to replace is eggs, but it can be done. Apparently, the goo from canned garbanzo beans is an excellent replacement for eggwhites. I haven't had a chance to try it, but you're supposed to be able to whip it, and it's supposed to make decent glue for casseroles and such.

Oh. Yummy vegetarian. In this context, I take that to be lacto-ovo. I make a really yummy pumpkin lasagna, but it has tons of cheese and eggs. And it also takes a long time to make, so I'm not going to bother posting it unless you really want it. It does freeze well. I've never tried to make a vegan version.

Only the most watery content veggies will suffer freezing. I think I would put all in the fridge from the freezer the night before to start the thawing process. I do that with soups as well year round.

We have a chopping/prep fest Wednesday night for all roasted roots, dressing/stuffing, fresh salads Thursday morning. We spent most of this morning planning and after years doing this it is pretty easy.

Cooking for 30+ as we have done in the past, this one is a park walk.

We have been working 70+ work weeks since July...just pulled out our 'thanksgiving' shopping list saved every year....and reviewing pics from the past few years with a new oven...

Cranberry sauce does freeze fine if made so far ahead. I could make that today or last week and it holds fine for a few days/a week in the fridge. I froze leftover last year and it was fine Christmas.

I've never prepped so much ahead but do freeze a couple 'TV' thanksgiving dinners that have all included from the meal. AFTER the feast. Pretty nice treat a few weeks later, : )