Author’s note: Not a paid review! Not sponsored. I have no affiliation with Publix. These are my own salty opinions. I apologize for any sloppy writing in this review — the turkey coma from my leftovers is strong, y’all!
Last year, I tried Cracker Barrel’s Heat ‘n Serve Thanksgiving Dinner (read my review here), and this year I’m doing a similar pre-cooked holiday turkey meal from Publix.
I give this meal 3.89 out of 5 stars. But, I give the pick-up process and preparation a dismal 1 out of 5 stars. It was a truly awful process — a deal-breaker, in fact. It made me cry. You can scroll down if you want to read about that right away. Otherwise, let’s talk about what you get in this meal.
The holidays are a time for togetherness, gratitude, and cherished traditions. But let’s be honest – all the cooking, cleaning, and planning that goes into hosting a holiday dinner can also be extremely stressful and time consuming. Between menu planning, grocery shopping, prepping, cooking, serving, and cleaning up after a huge meal, it’s easy to burn out even the most enthusiastic Thanksgiving host.
Luckily, there’s an easy solution to take the hassle out of holiday hosting – let Publix do the cooking for you! Publix offers complete Thanksgiving dinners and holiday meals that are perfect for serving a crowd with minimal effort on your part. Keep reading to learn all about Publix’ convenient pre-made Thanksgiving meals and why they’re a lifesaver for holiday hosts.
Overview of Publix Thanksgiving Dinner Options
Publix provides a wide selection of fully cooked entrées, sides, and desserts that allow you to order an entire Thanksgiving spread with zero cooking required Available holiday meals include
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Complete Turkey or Ham Dinners – Turkey or ham entrée plus your choice of sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce veggies, rolls, and pie. Feeds 6-12 people.
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A La Carte Entrées – Oven-roasted turkey breast, spiral sliced ham, prime rib roasts, boneless chicken, and more.
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Side Dishes – Individual sides like mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potato soufflé, and corn casserole.
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Bakery Items – Dinner rolls, pies, cakes, and other baked goods.
You can either order an entire holiday meal package or mix and match individual items. Publix provides heating instructions so everything turns out perfectly.
Benefits of Ordering Publix Thanksgiving Dinner
Purchasing your Thanksgiving feast from Publix offers many advantages over preparing everything yourself:
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Saves hours of cooking and cleaning – Get back time usually spent slaving away in the kitchen.
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Reduces Thanksgiving stress – No fretting over timing every dish or fear of burning something.
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Consistent quality – Publix chefs prepare each component with care.
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Fewer dishes to wash – Just heating pans vs. a whole kitchen’s worth of dirty pots and pans.
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More time for togetherness – You can relax and enjoy time with guests rather than being stuck cooking all day.
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Great value – For the variety of foods, Publix holiday meals offer an affordable price.
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Leftovers made easy – Reheat individual leftover portions quickly.
How to Order Your Publix Thanksgiving Dinner
Planning your stress-free Publix Thanksgiving dinner is simple:
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Browse the menu online – View entrees, sides, desserts, and packages on the Publix website.
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Select items – Mix and match choices to build your perfect holiday meal.
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Choose pickup date – Publix requires at least 48 hours notice for holiday orders.
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Pick up meal – Head to your local Publix and grab your Thanksgiving dinner from the Deli.
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Heat and serve – Follow included heating instructions for a seamless meal.
Handy Tips for Heating Up Your Dinner
Once you get your Publix Thanksgiving order home, use these tips for perfect results:
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Carefully organize – Keep foods separated by heating time so sides finish together.
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Cover with foil – Prevent drying out, especially for the turkey and ham.
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Monitor temperature – Use a meat thermometer to ensure meats reach safe internal temperature.
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Give time buffers – Have all items ready a bit early; they can hold warm for serving.
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Follow heating instructions – Pay close attention to the guidance provided by Publix chefs.
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Keep foods hot – Use chafing dishes, slow cookers, and your oven to hold entrees and sides.
With a bit of planning, you’ll have a picture-perfect Publix Thanksgiving dinner ready with ease!
Sample Publix Thanksgiving Meal Menu
To give you an idea of what you can order, here’s a sample complete meal:
Entrees
- Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast
- Brown Sugar Spiral Sliced Ham
Sides
- Green Bean Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes
- Stuffing
- Cranberry Orange Relish
- Dinner Rolls
Desserts
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pecan Pie
This meal feeds 8-10 people for around $150, providing amazing value. You can customize to suit any number of guests.
Putting It All Together
When Thanksgiving arrives, simply reheat, arrange your Publix feast beautifully on platters, pour some wine, and voila! Your guests will be amazed by your impressive spread.
The best part? You’ll have plenty of energy to socialize, play games, and create memories without slaving for hours on turkey day. Let Publix handle the cooking so you can relax and enjoy the holiday.
Why Make Publix Your Thanksgiving Partner
Between the convenience, variety, affordability, and availability, Publix complete Thanksgiving dinners are a winning choice. Taking the burden of cooking off your shoulders allows you to actually savor quality time with loved ones.
This year, give yourself the gift of a stress-free holiday powered by Publix. Outsource the cooking so you can focus on connection, gratitude, and making lasting memories together. Happy Thanksgiving!
Publix Homestyle Mashed Potatoes
Sadly (and surprisingly!) the Homestyle Mashed Potatoes were my second-least-favorite side item. They have a good, but uncomfortably strong taste — like “Movie Theater Butter” flavor. I did not like the texture. It was unpleasantly gummy —almost sticky. These are made with Yukon Gold Potatoes.
They’re not at all thin, and I was happy to see the ingredients do include sour cream and heavy cream. They just don’t have the fluffy-buttery-creamy texture I’m used to. It’s probably just a personal preference. Mine were tasty without added salt. The gravy seemed to improve the gummy texture.
Speaking of GRAVY, this is thick gravy! Mine was SO thick, I could almost scoop it with a fork. It’s almost sticky-thick. I liked this brown gravy better than Cracker Barrel’s turkey gravy, which was more of a thin, almost clear consistency. Publix’ version is creamy and opaque with a rich flavor. However, I also didn’t find this Publix gravy to have as much of a homemade taste as the other sides. The second ingredient (after “water”) is “modified food starch,” which bummed me out. More about the ingredients later.
Ingredients in Publix Holiday Turkey Dinner
Here are the ingredients from the labels:
Happy Thanksgiving 2021 – Publix Turkey Meal: The Tasting
FAQ
How much is a Publix prepared Thanksgiving dinner?
And if you’re feeding a smaller family, you can get the Publix Deli turkey dinner for eight people for $69.99, or about $8.75. The meal includes: One 10- to 12-pound fully cooked Butterball turkey. 2.5 pounds dressing.
Does Publix have a turkey dinner?
From fully cooked Thanksgiving turkey dinners to platters, pumpkin pies, and cakes, Publix has everything you need to make your holiday festive and flavorful.
How much is a Thanksgiving dinner in 2024?
2024 saw the average price for a Thanksgiving dinner decline to 58.08 U.S. dollars.