{"id":38949,"date":"2025-11-19T14:41:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/i-made-walmarts-4-a-person-thanksgiving-dinner-the-value-was-great-but-my-meal-was-even-better-with-a-few-changes\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T14:41:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:41:29","slug":"i-made-walmarts-4-a-person-thanksgiving-dinner-the-value-was-great-but-my-meal-was-even-better-with-a-few-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/i-made-walmarts-4-a-person-thanksgiving-dinner-the-value-was-great-but-my-meal-was-even-better-with-a-few-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"I made Walmart&#8217;s $4-a-person Thanksgiving dinner. The value was great, but my meal was even better with a few changes."},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b5605abd5e944effadc23?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer posing with the Walmart Thanksgiving meal ingredients.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>I tried Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving meal, which costs $40 and serves 10, making it a $4 per person menu.<\/li>\n<li>I found the value to be excellent, and I was especially impressed by the mac and cheese.<\/li>\n<li>I suggest buying a few extras, like another dessert and ingredients for a flavorful cranberry sauce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>My husband and I spent our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds eating turkey plates at a Denny&#039;s in Niagara Falls \u2014 a hard lesson in what happens when you honeymoon somewhere that largely shuts down for the holiday.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, I&#039;ve mostly been a guest at other people&#039;s tables, contributing a side or two but never taking on the full spread. This year, with no Thanksgiving travel plans and only a small family gathering on the calendar, that finally changed.<\/p>\n<p>With the rising cost of groceries and a small guest list, I struggled to decide on a perfect menu until I came across Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving dinner, which is supposed to feed 10 people for just $40.<\/p>\n<p>I set out to test the deal, and although the value and convenience were undeniable, I also came up with a few ways to upgrade my meal.<\/p>\n<p>I used Walmart&#039;s app to order my haul with just a few taps.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b55dcabd5e944effadc1d?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer using the Walmart app to order the 2025 Thanksgiving meal.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Walmart&#039;s 2025 Thanksgiving meal comes with 15 items, including store-brand, Great Value products like three boxes of mac and cheese, three cans of corn, brown gravy mix, and pie crusts.<\/p>\n<p>Ingredients from other brands are included, too, like Campbell&#039;s cream of mushroom soup and Stove Top stuffing mix.<\/p>\n<p>Using the store&#039;s app, I was able to automatically load everything included in the $4-a-person deal into my cart. From there, I could adjust quantities as needed.<\/p>\n<p>The only thing I changed was the amount of corn \u2014 I&#039;m not a huge fan, and I couldn&#039;t imagine what I&#039;d do with three full cans of it.<\/p>\n<p>Every item in the meal was in stock at my local store and ready for pickup within a few hours. The entire haul cost me just under $43, including tax.<\/p>\n<p>Some recipes were straightforward, but I bought a few extra ingredients to make the turkey and cranberries.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b58c589026fbb4d0dc77f?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Ingredients from Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving meal.\"\/><figcaption>Ingredients from Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving meal.<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I picked up all 15 ingredients that evening.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, Walmart&#039;s list doesn&#039;t include certain essential cooking basics and pantry staples I ended up using \u2014 namely, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, I already had these in my kitchen. If you don&#039;t have them on hand, though, I&#039;d suggest adding them to your cart so you can make the full meal, including the pumpkin pie.<\/p>\n<p>Later on,I also bought a few extra items to flavor the turkey with, including cooking wine, sage, and parsley \u2014 plus oranges to use when cooking my cranberries.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether, I spent an extra $10 on these additions, but I had a feeling the splurge would pay off in terms of flavor.<\/p>\n<p>Several dishes on the list were pretty self-explanatory.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691cc5c7abd5e944effaf77b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Great Value mac and cheese from Walmart.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The stuffing, gravy, dinner rolls, and mac and cheese were the easiest parts of the meal, and didn&#039;t necessitate any ingredients beyond butter.<\/p>\n<p>I appreciated how effortless it was to prepare the Great Value gravy and Stove Top stuffing. Both of these came together in minutes and shaved a huge chunk of prep time off my usual family recipes.<\/p>\n<p>Mac and cheese isn&#039;t something we normally serve at Thanksgiving, but this Great Value version was fast and easy to cook.<\/p>\n<p>My haul came with everything I needed to make green-bean casserole.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691cc58a89026fbb4d0de265?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer&#039;s green bean casserole with fried onions.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I was excited to realize I had everything I needed to make green-bean casserole, one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving sides.<\/p>\n<p>Using green beans, the cream of mushroom soup can, and Kinder&#039;s fried onions, I was easily able to follow my go-to recipe.<\/p>\n<p>I made the cranberry relish first so that it could sit overnight.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b590b89026fbb4d0dc78e?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer holding up an orange for the cranberry relish.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since I wasn&#039;t sure what to do with the cranberries, I made a family-favorite relish recipe from my husband&#039;s great-grandma.<\/p>\n<p>Ever since I started bringing it to the holidays, my parents and siblings have adopted it into their own Thanksgiving and Christmas spreads, too.<\/p>\n<p>Though the recipe&#039;s simple, it does need time to sit. I started by combining the cranberries with two whole oranges in a blender until all the fruit was chopped.<\/p>\n<p>Then, I poured the mixture into a container with an airtight lid, stirred in sugar, and allowed it to build flavor overnight.<\/p>\n<p>The pumpkin pie came together easily, but it did require a few spices I already had at home.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691caa0289026fbb4d0ddee5?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer cooking the pumpkin pie with spices, sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, and pumpkin.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving meal included three ingredients I needed to make a pie: crust, condensed milk, and a Great Value can of pure pumpkin.<\/p>\n<p>There was a simple pumpkin-pie recipe on the can, which I followed closely. It was easy to follow, but I did have to use a few items I already had on hand, including sugar, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg.<\/p>\n<p>I wasn&#039;t sure what to do with the carrots, so I made a simple glaze with easy ingredients.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691caaace1a9cbb014de6ddb?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Honey-glazed carrots.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Great Value baby carrots took more thought, since the meal didn&#039;t come with any particular instructions on how to cook them.<\/p>\n<p>I decided to toss them in a simple glaze made with butter and honey, two pantry staples I already had on hand.<\/p>\n<p>I&#039;m glad I used a few additional herbs and ingredients to make a more flavorful turkey.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b594f89026fbb4d0dc7a0?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The finished turkey from Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving meal.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then, I made more dishes, including the turkey.<\/p>\n<p>I&#039;m loyal to Martha Stewart&#039;s cheesecloth method, which consistently produces the moistest, most flavorful turkey. After trying it once, I never went back.<\/p>\n<p>All I did was melt several sticks of butter with white wine, soak a layer of cheesecloth in the mixture, and drape it over the turkey before putting it in the oven. I basted every 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>When the bird was done, the cheesecloth peeled off effortlessly, leaving perfectly browned, tender meat underneath.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#039;re making Walmart&#039;s $40 Thanksgiving, I&#039;d recommend buying a few more dessert options.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b5ad789026fbb4d0dc7ef?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The finished Thanksgiving meal.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One thing that stuck out to me was that no beverages were included in Walmart&#039;s meal. If you&#039;re hosting, it might be worth buying some sparkling water, apple cider, or wine.<\/p>\n<p>Also, the only dessert I was able to make using Walmart&#039;s preset list of ingredients was pumpkin pie. If I were to make this meal again, I&#039;d plan a few more Thanksgiving desserts \u2014 or have friends and family bring some to share.<\/p>\n<p>The meal was delicious, and I was especially impressed by the mac and cheese.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b5a96abd5e944effadd04?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The finished meal, including turkey, carrots, mac and cheese, and potatoes.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Overall, I was impressed by the meal&#039;s quality. I didn&#039;t love the texture of the turkey stuffing, but stuffing usually isn&#039;t one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes anyway.<\/p>\n<p>The mac and cheese really surpassed my expectations; it tasted far more elevated than boxed versions I&#039;ve tried in the past. I firmly believe no one would guess it came from a box unless I told them.<\/p>\n<p>All in all, Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving dinner had undeniable value.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691b761989026fbb4d0dcbd8?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer posing with her finished meal.\"\/><figcaption>Walmart&#039;s $40 meal yielded 10 different dishes.<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Singrey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the end, I used every ingredient, except the one can of corn I&#039;d added to my cart.<\/p>\n<p>After making this meal myself, I definitely think it could feed 10 people. My husband and I ate leftovers for nearly five days, and we still had plenty of turkey left after that.<\/p>\n<p>In total, I spent around $50 on the meal and a few extra ingredients \u2014 and I would have had to spend a bit more on eggs and milk, if I hadn&#039;t already had those essentials in our kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>And, by buying a few extras and adding herbs and fresh citrus to my turkey and cranberries, I was able to make my menu feel truly homemade.<\/p>\n<p>All in all, I found that Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving dinner delivered exactly what it promised: an easy, affordable holiday meal that still tasted like the real deal.<\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>caption Abigail Singrey I tried Walmart&#039;s Thanksgiving meal, which costs $40 and serves 10, making it a $4 per person menu. I found the value to be excellent, and I was especially impressed by the mac and cheese. I suggest buying a few extras, like another dessert and ingredients for a flavorful cranberry sauce. My [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-38949","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}