Host a Budget Thanksgiving Feast Under $40 from Walmart

The aroma of a holiday meal wafting through your kitchen is one of the most comforting sensations of the season. However, you don't need a massive budget to create a bountiful and delicious Thanksgiving dinner. For the savvy, frugal customer, a memorable meal is within reach, and it all starts with smart shopping at Walmart. With a carefully curated list of affordable staples, you can prepare a full, traditional feast for under $40, proving that value and abundance can certainly go hand-in-hand. This guide will walk you through preparing a classic, high-value menu centered around simple, inexpensive ingredients and efficient cooking, ensuring your holiday gathering is stress-free and debt-free.

The $38.99 Classic Walmart Thanksgiving Menu

Walmart's commitment to low prices, especially with its extensive Great Value product line, makes it the perfect destination for building your holiday spread without straining your wallet. By focusing on bulk staples and efficient use of ingredients, we can create a feast that serves 7 to 11 people for less than forty dollars.

Preparing Your Feast: Simple Recipes for Abundant Flavor

With this frugal shopping list, the focus shifts to maximizing flavor with minimal effort. Here is how your low-cost ingredients transform into a complete holiday spread.

The Main Event: Classic Roast Turkey

The Butterball turkey is the star of the show! Season simply with salt, pepper, and a bit of oil or butter before roasting. This larger bird allows you to comfortably serve your guests with one low-cost item.

Kitchen Efficiency Tip: While your turkey is resting, use the still-warm main oven to bake your rolls and crisp up the green bean casserole topping!

Hearty Sides: High-Impact, Low-Cost Dishes

All your sides are designed for ease, leveraging canned goods and easy-to-prepare mixes to save time and money.

• The Best Mashed Potatoes: Boil your Fresh Whole Russet Potatoes until tender. Mash them with a splash of the Great Value Evaporated Milk (saving a full gallon of milk) and seasoning. Creamy and delicious!

• Green Bean Casserole: A classic made easy! Combine the three cans of Great Value Cut Green Beans with the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup. Pour into a baking dish and top with the Kinder's Crispy Fried Onion for the last few minutes of baking.

• Savory Stuffing: Prepare the Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix according to the package directions. For a creative touch, use a little water from cooking the carrots for the liquid to infuse vegetable flavor.

• Quick Gravy: The Great Value Brown Gravy Mix requires only water and whisking in a saucepan on the stovetop. If you have drippings from your turkey, add them for richer flavor!

Cooking Highlight: While the turkey takes up the main oven, the Toastmaster XL Toaster Oven is perfect for baking the Great Value Brown and Serve Dinner Rolls quickly and evenly. A Toastmaster 12-inch Skillet is also ideal for making that simple stovetop gravy or sautéing the corn and carrots.

Easy-Prep Vegetables and Starches

• Macaroni and Cheese: The three boxes of Great Value Artisan Crafted Macaroni and Cheese, Italian Five Cheese, make a generous, creamy side dish that everyone loves. Prepare them on the stovetop in minutes, just boil the noodles and stir in the cheese sauce packet.

• Simple Glazed Carrots and Corn: Use your Fresh Baby-Cut Carrots and the Great Value Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn. Both can be quickly steamed or gently sautéed together in a Double Burner set-up or your stovetop with a little water and a dash of sugar or butter for a classic, sweet side.

Effortless Serving Solution: If you’re making the mac and cheese, corn, and carrots on the stovetop, a Triple Slow Cooker can be a great place to transfer them to keep them perfectly warm until serving time without needing to juggle oven space! The large Toastmaster 7 Qt Slow Cooker is fantastic for keeping the mashed potatoes warm for hours.

Sauce and Dessert

• Homemade Cranberry Sauce: Boil your Fresh Cranberries with water and sugar for a bright, zesty sauce that tastes wonderfully fresh compared to canned, and it's incredibly inexpensive to make from scratch.

• Classic Pumpkin Pie: Using the Great Value Frozen Traditional Pie Crusts, 100% Pure Pumpkin, and Evaporated Milk, you have all the necessary components for a rich, classic pumpkin pie. Just add sugar and your favorite spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger-buy small amounts in bulk or use what’s in your kitchen cabinet!). This fills both pie shells for a true holiday dessert spread.

Generosity is Priceless

Thanksgiving truly is about sharing love and gratitude, and that is absolutely priceless. By using this precise, budget-conscious shopping list and employing smart kitchen strategies at Walmart, you can host an abundant and stress-free feast for under $40. Remember, a well-loved meal prepared in your kitchen, no matter the cost, is the most meaningful kind of holiday magic.

This Thanksgiving, challenge yourself to create a delicious and memorable meal without overspending. With a little planning and smart shopping at Walmart, you can enjoy a feast that's both frugal and flavorful! What are your go-to budget Thanksgiving tips? Share them on social @selectbrands!

Ready to save big this holiday? Head to Walmart and grab your low-cost turkey and Great Value ingredients today! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can I really feed a group of 7-11 people with a 10-16 lb turkey?

A: Yes, a turkey of this size is generally estimated to feed 7 to 11 people, as the common guideline is about 1 to 1.5 pounds of turkey per person. Since this feast also includes many affordable, filling side dishes like potatoes, stuffing, and macaroni and cheese, it provides ample food for a substantial holiday gathering.

Q: Where can I find the extra spices I need for the pumpkin pie?

A: You likely have many of the needed spices, like ground cinnamon and ginger, already in your kitchen spice rack. If you need any, check Walmart’s baking aisle for small containers or bulk spice options, which can often save you money over purchasing a large, specialty spice blend for just one recipe.

Q: How do I make my canned green beans taste fresher for the casserole?

A: A great trick is to drain and rinse the canned green beans very well to remove the excess sodium, which immediately improves the flavor. You can also briefly sauté them with a small pat of butter or a shake of garlic powder in your Toastmaster 12-inch Skillet before mixing them into the cream of mushroom soup base.

Q: I have limited stovetop space—how can I manage cooking multiple hot sides?

A: This is where kitchen tools like the Double Burner become essential; it allows you to essentially double your cooktop capacity for things like gravy, corn, or sauce. Additionally, using the Toastmaster 7 Qt Slow Cooker for a side dish, like mashed potatoes or glazed carrots, frees up your stovetop completely for the items that require active cooking.