Thanksgiving is the most food-focused holiday of the year. It can take months of planning, days of shopping, and hours of preparation to create the magical meal we all know and love. Roasting a turkey is no easy feat and crafting dozens of sides, sauces, drinks, and desserts to go with it is a daunting task for even the most seasoned of home cooks. Although Thanksgiving is a very satisfying labor of love for many, there are some people for whom the work it takes to create a family feast can be too overwhelming. Even for the most experienced Thanksgiving host, there are certain years in which your lifes current situation may not lend itself to having the time or energy to prepare a holiday meal with all the trimmings.
If thats how you feel this year, theres absolutely no shame in looking for ways to ease the stress of planning and preparing the biggest meal of the holiday season. In fact, there are ways to offload the effort completely. Weve crafted a comprehensive list of restaurants, online retailers, and local grocery stores that offer pre-cooked Thanksgiving meals so you can enjoy the day without the hassle of cooking it all yourself. Whether you want a dinner with a luxury-style selection of unique sides or a traditional, homestyle turkey dinner, the list below offers everything you need to make the best (and easiest) decision for your Thanksgiving meal.
Though many grocery stores very well could have Thanksgiving options, Albertsons has full-fledged holiday meals at its disposal –– and these options will be available for pick-up on or after November 17. The best part about Albertsons Thanksgiving lineups? Customers have choices, from the smoked turkey holiday dinner (serves eight to 10 people) to the turkey breast holiday dinner (serves six to eight), and its spiral cut ham dinner (serves eight to 10) to its baked turkey holiday dinner (serves eight to 10). Yet Albertsons is also providing a side-dish option –– if you only need to purchase the fixings. The best part? Depending on your location, Albertsons turkey dinner lineups range from $29.99 (the fixing package) to $99.99 (for spare ribs, sides, dressings, and condiments).
Though Albertsons provides fully-precooked meals, its important to note that youll need to heat the food before serving –– because no one deserves a cold turkey meal. And although holiday meals will be available for pickup on or after November 17, holiday dinner orders will be accepted while supplies last starting on November 1 to November 22.
If youre serving six or fewer guests, look no further than Bob Evans to supply everything you need to celebrate the holiday with good food — and without cooking all day long. The restaurant is offering hot family meals complete with mains like slow-roasted turkey and hickory-smoked ham, as well as festive sides like house-made bread and celery dressing, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with ham, buttered corn, and a dozen freshly baked dinner rolls. And since no Thanksgiving is complete without it, the meal even features a whole pumpkin pie. The company even offers single platters of the hot meals so you can order as many as you need for you and your guests.
The company prides itself on being expert with turkey, noting that it has been slow-roasting turkey every year for three decades. You can log onto its website the day before Thanksgiving to pre-order your hot holiday meal and experience the Bob Evans touch for your holiday.
Boston Market is virtually a holiday feast on a seasonal basis, yet they take it up a notch during this time of year. Boston Market features three Thanksgiving options: heat and serve, catering, and à la carte –– and inside those choices, there are countless others. So you can serve a few people, an entire party, or fill out your own meal with à la carte options. Though Boston Market does the prepping and cooking, youll need to heat the food, unless you go the catering route.
The heat and serve option can serve six to 12 people, depending on which of the two meals you choose from. If you pick the smaller one, then youll receive a boneless roasted turkey breast, while the 12-person dinner consists of a whole roasted turkey meal. Yet, there are also ham and prime rib meals available, as well as a turkey-ham combo in the 12-serving option. The sides are included, just in case youre wondering.
The dinner catering features premium buffet, deluxe buffet, and create your own buffet options, with the price per person fluctuating depending on the buffet type. And, of course, the à la carte menu allows you to pick single items, whether you fancy entrées, sides, appetizers, or desserts.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning your holiday meal. While some people enjoy the process of preparing a whole raw turkey, others prefer to save time and effort by purchasing a pre-cooked bird If you’re wondering where you can buy a fully cooked turkey this Thanksgiving, you have plenty of convenient options In this guide, I’ll share the best places to order a complete turkey dinner or just the cooked main dish so your feast is hassle-free.
Why Choose a Pre-Cooked Turkey?
Opting for a ready-to-eat turkey offers several benefits:
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Saves cooking time A pre-cooked turkey eliminates the work of thawing, seasoning, stuffing, and roasting Just pick it up and warm before serving
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Frees up oven space: You won’t have to reserve oven space or coordinate cooking times with side dishes.
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Reduces stress: Taking turkey roasting off your plate means one less thing to worry about on the big day.
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Lowers risk of errors: With a cooked turkey, you avoid common mishaps like undercooking or burning.
While you do give up the aroma and fun of roasting your own, the convenience of a prepped turkey makes it worthwhile for many households.
Where to Order a Full Thanksgiving Dinner
Several national chains and local restaurants will cook an entire Thanksgiving meal for you. Here are some top options for ordering a complete turkey day spread:
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel’s Heat n’ Serve Feast feeds up to 10 people and includes two oven-roasted turkey breasts, cornbread dressing, turkey gravy, cranberry relish, choice of three country sides, sweet yeast rolls, and pumpkin and pecan pies. Order online for pickup.
Bob Evans
Bob Evans offers complete family meal deals that come with sliced oven-roasted turkey breast, choice of sides, rolls, and whole pies. Individual dinners are also available. Order online or by phone.
Boston Market
Grab a convenient holiday meal from Boston Market with sliced turkey breast, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetable, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls. Whole pies are available too. Order online or get same-day delivery.
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods’ Thanksgiving packages serve 8-10 people and feature a whole turkey plus traditional sides like mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, and more. Order online for pickup.
Harry & David
For an upscale meal, Harry & David offers complete turkey dinners with gourmet sides and desserts. You can also order just the cooked turkey. Order online for delivery.
Where to Buy Just the Cooked Turkey
If you want to handle the sides yourself, almost any grocery store meat department will have prepped turkeys. Here are some top national chains for picking up a fully cooked bird:
- Kroger
- Albertsons
- Safeway
- Publix
- H-E-B
- Wegmans
- Stop & Shop
Check your grocer’s website or swing by the store to see their cooked turkey options. Most have regular roasted, smoked, fried, honey-glazed, and other flavors ranging from 10-16 pounds in size.
Many food retailers also ship ready-to-eat turkeys if you want to order online:
- HoneyBaked Ham
- Omaha Steaks
- Nueske’s
- Williams-Sonoma
The HoneyBaked Ham Company is known for spiral-cut, smoked, and roasted turkeys. Omaha Steaks offers mail-order turkeys seasoned with brown sugar and honey. Nueske’s applewood smokes their birds for flavor. Williams-Sonoma ships turkeys from top producers like Mary’s and Willie Bird.
Local Restaurants
In addition to large chains like Boston Market, local restaurants and delis will also cook turkeys for pickup. Call your favorite neighborhood cafes, bakeries, and butcher shops to see if they offer complete holiday meals or just the main course. Many smaller businesses are happy to prepare a turkey with advance notice.
Ordering Tips
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Buy early – Popular grocery stores and restaurants tend to sell out of prepped turkeys, so order yours 1-2 weeks in advance.
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Check portions – Make sure to get a turkey big enough to feed your guest list. Plan for about 1 pound per person.
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Know the pickup/delivery date and time – Factor in Turkey Day schedules to get your meal when you need it.
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Order any specialty sides/desserts – Complete your meal with fixings from the same provider.
With minimal effort, you can now outsource cooking the most important element of your Thanksgiving dinner. Follow this guide to find a fully cooked turkey at a restaurant, grocery store, or food retailer online. Then relax and enjoy time with loved ones this holiday season!
Buca di Beppo
Theres something about an Italian-esque Thanksgiving dinner that makes the holiday even more special. If you agree with that sentiment, then Buca di Beppo is a natural choice for turkey dinner. Buca offers hot or cold options, yet both are, of course, pre-cooked.
So what does a Buca Thanksgiving feast look like? As most traditional turkey day feasts will have, Bucas comes with sliced white meat turkey, homestyle gravy, and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. However, the Buca spin comes into play with spicy Italian sausage stuffing. Rounding out this magnificent feast are green beans, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Buca has two to-go options, a small feast that feeds three at $105 and a large option that feeds six at $160. Yet catering options –– a half pan that feeds 10 at $250 and a full pan that feeds 20 at $450 –– are also available.
If you want to add Buca Italian favorites to your order, then more power to you –– and enjoy! Just keep in mind that pre-orders are due by November 23 at 8 p.m. ET.
Burgers Smokehouse prides itself on cured and smoked meats, and they have quite the meat selection for Thanksgiving. Not only can you order a pre-cooked and complete holiday feast, but you can also purchase individual hams and turkeys. And, to be frank, there are a plethora of ham and turkey options to choose from, allowing feasters to choose the exact type of meat they want to dive into on Thanksgiving. It only makes sense to get your turkey dinner from a place that specializes in meat.
Starting at $78 for a sliced, boneless, gourmet turkey breast, Burgers Smokehouses prices go all the way up to $149 for a holiday feast combo, which includes broccoli and cheese casserole, sweet potato casserole (because one casserole sometimes isnt enough), Southern pecan pie, ham, and smoked turkey. Whether you need a whole turkey or the entire Thanksgiving meal, Burgers Smokehouse has a perfectly splendid option of heat and serve meals.
Brio Italian Grille
Brio Italian Grille has a similar *chefs kiss* pre-cooked Thanksgiving feast to Bravo Italian Kitchen. Like Bravo, Brio is accepting pre-orders for curbside, pick-up, and delivery, as well as offering cold and heat and hot and ready-to-serve options.
Brio is also preparing four Thanksgiving orders: two to-go options and two catering. Likewise, the small portion serves three people at $105 total, the large option feeds six at $160 total, the half pan option serves 10 at $250, and the full pan option serves 20 at $450 total. That said, the menu is a bit different. Brio is serving roasted sliced white meat turkey thats topped with herbed pan gravy, pancetta stuffing, pan-seared broccolini, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, orange cranberry sauce, and pumpkin-spiced bread pudding for dessert.
Depending on your location and food preferences, Bravo or Brio might make more sense, yet you cant go wrong with either restaurants feast.
I Answer These Questions Before YOU ORDER the Publix Pre-Cooked Turkey Dinner – Would I Do It Again
FAQ
Can you buy a fully cooked turkey?
Does Costco sell cooked Thanksgiving turkeys?
Can you order a turkey for Thanksgiving?
Does Whole Foods have Thanksgiving turkeys?