Recipes

Thanksgiving Brunch

We switch off celebrating Thanksgiving with my in-laws and my parents ever year (as do my siblings). This year we are celebrating with my parents, but on our off years, we started the tradition of a Thanksgiving brunch. I thought it might be fun to share the different brunch foods we have served over the years in case you aren’t able to celebrate with your loved ones with a typical Thanksgiving dinner this year or if you are just looking for a fun and yummy way to kick off your Thanksgiving day!

None of these recipes take much effort to make because I don’t have time for that and they are perfect for your quaranteam. Because who isn’t thankful for all meals on Thanksgiving, including breakfast? Plus, if you are looking for another excuse for a Thanksgiving brunch, research shows eating your festive meal earlier in the day is better for digestion, so Thanksgiving brunch would actually be healthier for you :).

If I was hosting a Thanksgiving brunch this year, I would be making a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Casserole. This is a spin on Liz Adams Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Casserole, but Thanksgiving-ized with pumpkin! Yum!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tube of Trader Joes Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon & tsp pumpkin pie spice (if you have it)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 to 1 cup raisins (up to you how many raisins and nuts you want to add)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (10 minutes in oven at 350)
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Separate packaged cinnamon rolls and cut each roll into 6 pieces. Melt butter and mix with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to coat bottom of your baking dish (I used a an 8 x 8). Put cinnamon roll pieces into dish, in a separate bowl whisk together 3 eggs, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla extract and pour over cinnamon roll pieces. Make sure it is evenly distributed! Top with walnuts and raisins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until browned on top. 

While baking, whisk together whole milk and powdered sugar in a bowl to create glaze. Add 1 tbsp maple syrup. I also added the frosting that comes with the cinnamon rolls. Once the casserole is done, spoon the glaze on top of the casserole and serve!

The first year I ever hosted Thanksgiving brunch I served these Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls, our family favorite Egg Puff, sausage and stuffing bites and a fruit salad.

Most recently I made a version of Slow cooker Apple Pie Oatmeal, and offered all of the different fun toppings to put on top like chopped walnuts, brown sugar, and berries. Pumpkin Pie oatmeal would be fun too.

Next year, I’d love to make mini breakfast pies like these especially since we have this mini pie maker (which makes a really fun gift by the way!). I also really need to make this Stove Top Stuffing Overnight Breakfast Casserole because you all know I have a thing for Stove Top.

And maybe this goes with out saying, but the one thing that is always present at our Thanksgiving brunches are… APPLE CIDER MIMOSAS.

I hope you all get to celebrate Thanksgiving one way or another, safely with the ones you love! Here’s what I’d wear if I was brunch bound…

Pink Topcoat // M Gemi Sneakers // Mock Neck Sweater // Jcrew Hat sold out