Make Thanksgiving Dinner for 6 for Under $50!
Thanksgiving is a time to get together with friends and family to celebrate everything we are grateful for. This holiday can be super busy with all the bells, whistles and fixins you need for your guests. Or sometimes, it is just our small family, and the best part of it all? We can have a delectable Thanksgiving dinner for under $50!
This year, it isn’t our turn to host, but we will be attending one dinner during Thanksgiving weekend and making our own dinner on Thanksgiving Day. We decided to head to Walmart to prepare for our little family shindig, since they offer a variety of affordable, fresh groceries. To satisfy everyone, we decided on making delicious comfort food to feed 6 that is both easy to make and easy on the wallet. You can even style your table with décor items from Walmart. Read on for all three tasty recipes!
Cook It Slow!
There’s simply nothing better than a soft, tender and juicy slow roast. For our protein choice, we chose Walmart’s Canada AAA Angus sirloin tip roast ($1.54/100g).
Luckily, I was able to get fresh potatoes, carrots, garlic, oils, herbs, and spices there, plus, all the condiments and broths to make our roast succulent.
When you cook a roast in the slow cooker, the roast tastes amazing and is so full of flavour. Also, being able to prepare it in the morning and letting it slow cook during the day makes it so easy. Prepare it, leave it and enjoy it for dinner!
- 1 Canada AAA Angus sirloin tip roast (1 to 1.5 kg)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 1 tsp (5 ml) black pepper
- 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) sambal oelek ground fresh chili paste
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard
- 4 small potatoes, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 medium carrots, cut diagonally into one-inch pieces
- 4 cups (1 L) beef broth
- 2 springs fresh rosemary
- 1 springs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp (5 ml) cornstarch
- 1 tsp (5 ml) cold water
- Salt and pepper
- Remove roast from packaging and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle evenly over roast, being careful to season all sides.
- In a large skillet, heat canola oil to medium high. Sear roast for four minutes on each of four sides.
- Transfer to 6-quart (6 L) slow cooker.
- In a large measuring cup, add Worcestershire sauce, sambal oelek ground fresh chili paste and Dijon mustard to beef broth. Mix well and set aside.
- Add potatoes, garlic and carrots to slow cooker, nestling them around the roast.
- Pour beef broth mixture carefully over the top. Tuck rosemary and thyme around the roast. Cover and cook on low for eight hours.
- Ladle two cups of hot cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Set over medium high heat. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Add to hot cooking liquid and stir until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Discard herbs.
- Transfer vegetables to a serving bowl.
- Remove roast to a cutting board. Slice thinly across the grain. Transfer to serving platter. Top with hot gravy.
Make It Cheesy!
For the perfect side to accompany the pot roast, we were thinking cheesy. A classic side with a little twist sounded about right. This mac and cheese is made with high-quality Great Value Shredded Old Cheddar Cheese ($5.57) and Great Value Shredded Garlic & Herb Cheese ($5.57). We also added broccoli, Great Value Dijon mustard ($2) and panko breadcrumbs for crunch!
The girls especially loved the mac and cheese because, well, cheese. While it isn’t your typical Thanksgiving side, it gives you a break from stuffing and mashed potatoes. Not to mention, it’s a side that makes you feel good.
- 3 cups (750 ml) small pasta shells (uncooked)
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (250 ml) panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (250 ml) Great Value Shredded Old Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup (250 ml) Great Value Shredded Garlic & Herb Cheese
- 1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp (5ml) smoked paprika
- ½ tsp (2 ml) salt
- ½ tsp (2 ml) pepper
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Set oven to broil.
- Place broccoli in a microwave safe bowl, add 1 tbsp of water and cook for two minutes. Remove. Drain water and set aside.
- In an 11-inch (28 cm) frying pan, heat butter over medium high heat. Remove one tablespoon of butter and add it to the panko breadcrumbs. Mix well and set aside.
- In the pan, sprinkle the flour over the butter, whisking continuously, cooking for two minutes. Slowly drizzle in the milk, whisking continuously to avoid lumps.
- Cook for three minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat. Add in the cheeses, a cup at a time, stirring constantly. Add mustard, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and mix well. Add cooked pasta and broccoli and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs evenly over the top and place under the broiler for four to five minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Pie Makes Everyone Happy!
To end a good meal, you have to have dessert. Nothing says Thanksgiving more than apple pie. The girls wanted to make their own pies and it was so simple. It’s also tradition! Being able to get everything I need to make a meal at Walmart is time-saving and it’s one-stop shopping – I can even pick up Thanksgiving décor!
For the pies, I picked up a package of Great Value 9” Deep Dish Pie Crusts ($2.78), fresh gala apples and granny smith apples, nutmeg, cinnamon, flour, cornstarch, brown and white sugar, butter, eggs and more.
- 4 Gala apples, peeled, cored, quartered and cut into ¼ inch (6 cm) slices
- 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered and cut into ¼ inch (6 cm) slices
- ½ cup (125 ml) brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) white sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) butter
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) flour
- 1 package Great Value 9” (22 cm) Deep Dish Pie Crusts (2 crusts)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) natural turbinado sugar
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)
- In a large bowl, toss apples with sugars and spices.
- In a large skillet, heat butter over medium high heat. Add apple mixture and cook for six to eight minutes, until apples start to brown. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
- Once cool, add in cornstarch and flour and mix well. Set aside.
- Thaw pie crusts according to package directions. Remove one crust from foil pan and place gently into an 8” x 8” nonstick cake pan. Carefully fill with apple mixture.
- Brush edges of crust with half of beaten egg. Remove second crust from foil pan.
- Gently place on top of apple mixture, tucking the pastry edges inside the pan.
- Brush top crust with remaining egg.
- With scissors or a sharp paring knife, cut eight small slits on the top. Dust generously with natural turbinado sugar.
- Place the cake pan on the baking sheet and place in oven. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F (175 C), cover pie loosely with foil and continue to bake for 25 minutes more.
- Remove from oven. Discard foil.
- Let stand for at least two hours before cutting into the pie.
Enjoy Thanksgiving!
The fact that I can get everything I need at Walmart is a huge bonus. That includes picking up any utensils, napkins, tablecloth, plates and décor that we need. Since we had already picked up our pumpkins, we decided to make a centrepiece with them. We visited Walmart’s craft section for flowers and tags to make cute little place settings, and I picked up an adorable fall trivet to place on the table.
It’s safe to say that Thanksgiving meals for 6 under $50 are very possible when you shop at Walmart. We did it, you can too!
To see all the delicious and fresh groceries you can get to prepare amazing and epic meals, visit Walmart.ca!
What will you be having for Thanksgiving dinner this year?
Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!
Note: This post is sponsored by Walmart Canada as part of the Walmart Thanksgiving program. In exchange for this post, I have received perks in the form of products and/or compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own.
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