How to reduce food waste at Thanksgiving dinner

Part of the joy of Thanksgiving dinner is how many different types of dishes it can include. Part of the problem is that can mean separate lists of ingredients for every single recipe. I’m here to tell you that it’s okay if your sides, main and even dessert have some overlap. In fact, it’s smart, thrifty and eco-friendly, because it means less packaging and less of a chance that you’re going to have lots of half-used bottles and cans hanging around your fridge or pantry waiting to go bad. Even better, synchronizing ingredients and flavors can make your meal seem like a well-thought-out package and make you look like a genius menu planner. If that strategy appeals to you, check out my colleague Aaron Hutcherson’s brand new Thanksgiving menu, which uses just 20 ingredients total across six recipes, including sides, mains and dessert. And, yes, that includes oil, salt and pepper!