Here’s a Crazy Cool Way to Eat Thanksgiving Dinner

For the non-traditional among us, the concept of Thanksgiving might seem a little tiresome. Going through the motions of preparing an elaborate, six-course meal, plus keeping the house clean, plus entertaining…the whole routine can be stressful and stuffy, and it’s definitely not for everyone.

On the other hand, you may not be at the point of just ordering take out Chinese food with your friends and calling it a day. It can actually be fun to cook for your friends or family, if you enjoy doing it.

If you’ve been searching for a more out-of-the-box way to enjoy all the best flavors of Thanksgiving, then look no further than this three-tiered dinner pie.

Confused? We understand. A pie is usually a sweet, dessert item. But not this particular one, brought to us by the culinary geniuses at Food52.

This recipe is a savory pie, or more appropriately, three savory pies. In this case, considering the holiday, all the best parts of your Thanksgiving dinner have been stuffed into this three-tiered dinner cake.

The bottom tier is your turkey — turkey pot pie, to be precise. The next layer is your side dish: creamed kale with pancetta and walnuts, inspired by a favorite fall side of the Food52 team. Finally, the top layer is filled with cranberry sauce.

A little weird? Maybe. Lovably quirky and original? Definitely.

While this project may seem a little ambitious, we promise it’s not any more difficult to make than your traditional Thanksgiving dinner. You might require a few pieces of special equipment, but thanks to the power of the World Wide Web, you can get your hands on everything you need for an extremely reasonable price.

Best of all, you can make these fillings way ahead of time! Prep them all days in advance, keep them frozen or refrigerated, and then just bust them out for the big day! You’ll be working with a very manageable hot water crust, too, which should make the entire day-of prep very simple. If you’re unfamiliar with hot water crusts, check out this easy-to-follow guide.

If nothing else, this is truly a one-of-a-kind way to celebrate the holiday; it’s a serious conversation piece and the perfect way to wow your buddies for any casual Friendsgiving dinner!

What do you think of this Thanksgiving dinner pie? Share your thought on the unusual meal in the comments section below.

Three-Tier Thanksgiving Dinner Pie


Tools

  • Springform pans: 12 inch pan for the base, 9 inch pan for the middle, 6 inch pan for the top
  • Plastic wrap (the largest width roll you can buy)
  • Cardboard cake circles: 9 inch and 6 inch

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Place the turkey pot pie on a large platter.
  2. Place the creamed greens pie on a 9 inch cardboard cake circle. Place the cranberry sauce pie on a 6 inch cardboard cake circle. This makes it easier to move the pie around (including removing it to slice and serve).
  3. Use an offset spatula to transfer the creamed greens pie on top of the turkey pot pie.
  4. Use an offset spatula to transfer the cranberry sauce pie on top of the creamed greens pie.