🍽️ Make-It-Your-Way Soul Food Thanksgiving Series: Your Classics, Your Kitchen, Your Choice, (Pt. 4)

Stovetop, Instant Pot, oven, shortcuts, or from-scratch — all the beautiful ways to make Thanksgiving your way!

This week on The Soul Food Pot, we celebrated the most important part of Thanksgiving cooking: The power of choice.

Because every kitchen is different.

Every schedule is different.

Every tradition is different.

And that’s the beauty of a Make-It-Your-Way Thanksgiving!

These are the classic soul food dishes you love — but with options.

Stovetop or Instant Pot. Oven-baked or slow-simmered.

From-scratch recipes or time-saving shortcuts like Jiffy box mix and instant pudding.

“Whichever path you take, the result is the same: flavor, soul, and a feast that feels like you.” —Shaunda Necole

Make-It-Your-Way Thanksgiving recipes

Here’s every recipe from this week’s series, all together in one place, so you can build the Thanksgiving menu that works for your life.

🦃 Turkey breast — two ways

• Roasted turkey breast: Juicy, seasoned, and roasted in the oven for that nostalgic Thanksgiving look.

• Instant Pot turkey breast: Tender, fast, and perfect for smaller gatherings or busy feast-day timelines.

🍠 Candied yams — your favorite style

• Stovetop candied yams: Old-school soul food simmered low and slow.

• Oven-baked candied yams: Caramelized, buttery, and hands-off.

• Instant Pot candied yams: All the soul with half the cooking time.

🥬 Collard greens — two delicious paths

• Stovetop collard greens: Deep, soulful, slow-simmered flavor.

• Instant Pot collard greens: Same rich taste, ready in a fraction of the time.

🧀 Mac and cheese — creamy Southern comfort

• Stovetop mac and cheese: Velvety, quick, sharp cheddar perfection.

• Instant Pot mac and cheese: Extra creamy and ideal for multitasking kitchens.

🍞 Cornbread dressing — choose your style

• Dressing from scratch: A heritage dish made with homemade cornbread and soulful seasoning.

• Jiffy box mix dressing: Same flavor, quicker path.

• Instant Pot dressing: Moist, flavorful, and no oven necessary.

🍌 Banana pudding — Southern two-ways dessert

• Old-fashioned from-scratch banana pudding with meringue: A nostalgic, baked-with-love classic.

• Soul food banana pudding with instant pudding and whipped cream: Quick, dreamy, and family-approved.

🥧 Black Folks’ Sweet Potato Pie™ — three beautiful variations

• My signature original (with evaporated milk): My trademarked classic.

• Sweet potato pie with condensed milk: Extra-rich and decadent.

• Purple sweet potato pie: Vibrant, stunning, and soulful.

⭐️ Inspired by this story? Here’s what I’ve learned:

💬 Shaunda says:

“Thanksgiving doesn’t need perfection — it needs presence!
The soul food classics will always be the Day-Ones holding it down, but how you prepare them can change with your life, your tools, and your time.”
—Shaunda Necole

Making it your way doesn’t make it “less traditional”… it makes it more yours!

And that’s the real legacy we pass on. The freedom to cook with love, ease, and joy.

🔁 ICYMI — catch the earlier series roundups

• Part 1: 🦃 ICYMI: All This Week’s Soul Food Thanksgiving Recipes in One Place

• Part 2: 🦃 The Soul Food Pot Thanksgiving: A Feast of Flava & Family

• Part 3: 🦃 The Day-Ones: Soul Food Thanksgiving Classics That Hold It Down Every Year

• BONUS: 🕓 My 4-Hour Thanksgiving Dream Menu: The behind-the-scenes game plan I use to host a full soul food Thanksgiving in just four hours!

Want even more stories, shortcuts, and soul food tradition?

Stay tuned as I continue building my biggest labor of love yet —

✨ The Soul Food Pot Cookbook — coming to bookstores in 2027!

Subscribe now so you never miss a recipe, an update, or a delicious milestone on this journey.