Kosher Guide To Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner In An RV

If you’re planning on spending Thanksgiving in an RV this year, don’t panic— cooking a full meal is actually incredibly easy! In this blog, we’ll break down how to make cooking Thanksgiving dinner in an RV simple and just as delicious as a gourmet kitchen. Then, we’ll create a Thanksgiving menu that’s kosher, easily modified for your family’s needs, and guaranteed to make your taste buds sing. L’chaim!

 

Tips for cooking Thanksgiving dinner in an RV

Cook the side dishes the day before

Cooking larger meals in an RV is all about staying organized and on schedule to make sure that everything still gets done despite the small space. To make this as easy as possible, use the day before Thanksgiving to prepare side dishes, such as stuffing, pie, casseroles, or rolls/cornbread. This way, it’s not only one less thing to worry about while you cook the main dishes, but it saves you plenty of space in the work area.

To keep baked goods like cornbread moist overnight, store the items with a slice of white bread in the same container. The cornbread will draw from the moisture that the white bread absorbs and stay fresh for longer. This trick is super helpful in keeping cookies and cakes moist overnight too.

Use a slow cooker for turkey

Possibly the most important tip–– if it’s possible, use a slow cooker to cook your turkey. This will free up even more space for the oven, which can then be used to reheat the dishes from the previous day or to make more. Plus, slow cookers are incredible for ensuring the juiciest cuts of meat, and the set-and-forget method allows you to focus on the other dishes throughout the day.

Make potatoes and veggies on the stove top

Even if you can’t use a slow cooker for your turkey, it’s still helpful to use the stovetop for cooking starches and vegetables. Below, we list some of our favorite kosher recipes for Thanksgiving cooking, many of which utilize the stove top rather than oven roasting.

Set up work stations for extra food

Although it may seem like a no brainer, it’s vital to make sure there’s extra space in the RV on Thanksgiving. It can be tempting to use a picnic table to place food on to free up space, but they shouldn’t be relied on for a number of reasons. Firstly, you may not have access to outdoor seating. But moreover, putting food out onto the picnic table to free up space means that it will become cold faster

To make sure this doesn’t happen, it’s worth investing in fold-out trays to place food on. With extra surfaces, the dining table and kitchen counters won’t get overloaded. Secure a food tray somewhere without heavy foot traffic so that it doesn’t get jostled. 

Keep dairy-free alternatives on hand

Make sure that your dishes are pareve by stocking up on dairy-free milk and butter alternatives. In particular, soy milk and vegan butter are great ways to replace dairy in the baking process without sacrificing flavor or consistency in meals. 

With these tips in mind, Thanksgiving becomes a little less complicated despite the small space. However, if you still find that you need the extra space, consider renting a Class A RV from RVnGO for more room. Regardless of which size you choose, one thing is guaranteed:

Your Thanksgiving on the road will be one that you’ll never forget.

Below is a complete kosher Thanksgiving menu that can be cooked in an RV, complete with dessert of course!

Complete kosher Thanksgiving menu

Slow cooked turkey

For the purposes of this blog, we’ll be saving oven space by using a slow cooker. 

Assuming that the turkey has already been defrosted in the fridge, coat it with a layer of olive oil, then rub with your preferred spices. For us, this means minced garlic, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Then add a half cup of water to the slow cooker, and set it on low for 5-6 hours. To crisp the skin, broil it in the oven after it’s done cooking for just a couple of minutes.

Honey glazed carrots

To keep our prep and cooking as simple as possible, use pre-cut baby carrots for this recipe. In a large saucepan, place the carrots in enough water to cover them by about an inch. Bring the water to a boil before reducing the heat and letting simmer for about 6 minutes. Then drain the carrots and set aside.

Next, add 4 tablespoons of oil to the pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, then add 3 tablespoons of honey, brown sugar, and vegan butter. Make sure the carrots are well coated, and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).

Pareve mashed potatoes

Once again, dairy-free milk or butter saves the day to keep our Thanksgiving menu kosher!

Boil your preferred type of potatoes on the stove. Once they’re done, mash well and add garlic, salt and pepper. Your choice of dairy-free milk or butter will give the potatoes a creamy finish.

Pareve cornbread muffins

The night before Thanksgiving, get started on some delicious cornbread muffins to save time and space. This recipe from The Spruce Eats is a great dairy-free cornbread recipe that uses soy milk and oil to keep the muffins sweet. Store them in an air-tight container with a piece of white bread to keep them moist overnight. 

Cranberry sauce

If you’re looking to keep your meal completely homemade, bring 1 ½ cups of sugar and 1 ½ cups of water to a boil on the stove. Then, add about 4 cups of cranberries when the heat has been reduced. Make sure the ingredients have blended together, and simmer for about a half hour. 

Challah stuffing

This is another great side dish that can be made the night before to save on some day-of stress. Once Upon A Chef’s challah, wild mushroom & herb stuffing recipe can be easily modified to be pareve by substituting regular butter with vegan butter or oil. 

What’s especially great about this recipe is that it can be entirely made the night before, or can be prepped and then allowed to sit overnight and be baked when ready.   

Pareve pumpkin pie

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without pie for dessert! Joy Food Sunshine’s dairy-free pumpkin pie recipe is so good that you’ll never want to go back to using dairy again. For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Eggs
• Pumpkin puree
• Coconut milk
• Vanilla extract (optional)
• Light brown sugar
• Kosher salt
• Cinnamon
• Pumpkin pie spice
• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Vegan butter sticks
• Ice water

The recipe is incredibly easy to make. It takes about 1 and ½ hours to make, and can be made the night before.

Having a smaller space doesn’t mean a smaller celebration. Just make sure that you’re well prepared, and cooking Thanksgiving dinner in an RV will be a blast.