Review: Whole Foods' Festive Family Turkey Meal

Whole Foods' Festive Family Turkey Meal (it rang up as a "Holiday Value Meal for 4" on the receipt) offers a refrigerated, heat-and-serve tray of sliced roasted turkey breast, gravy, green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

It weighed in at a little over 4.6 lbs and cost me $32.99 (I missed out on a sale a week earlier when it was 25% off).

There is plenty of turkey and green beans to feed four people, but the mashed potatoes and stuffing would have to be rationed. The two little cups of cranberry should be enough for most folks. The gravy was only spread on the turkey, however.

The meal comes in an aluminum tray that can be reheated in the oven but I just portioned it out on a dish and microwaved it for 1 to 2 minutes. I recommend heating the turkey and mashed potatoes for about half the time first before adding the green beans and stuffing to finish heating.

There looked to be around two pounds of turkey and it appeared to be the most abundant component of the meal. It was well-brined for a salty flavor all the way through. At the edges was a bit of black pepper. The flavor was simple but nice, and the meat was moist and tender. The slices were fairly thick for a meaty bite. If you're a fan of skin, there wasn't any here.

The gravy was a bit clumpy but was tasty with a rich flavor that the turkey needed.

The mashed potatoes were buttery and creamy with a fluffy texture and the occasional potato chunk for a homemade feel. It was good enough to eat on its own but better with gravy.

Like the turkey, the green beans were simply seasoned with salt and pepper (plus a bit of oil). They had a vibrant green color and were tender but not mushy. It could use a dash of onion or garlic though.

The cranberry sauce had a jam-like consistency but with the occasional whole cranberry here and there. It was moderately sweet, very tangy, and slightly bitter with some orange notes.

The stuffing was fluffy with bits of onion and celery. Flavor-wise, it was a bit bland.

Taken altogether, Whole Foods' Festive Family Turkey Meal turned out really well and is really convenient and affordable as a Thanksgiving meal for a small group or family (or a single person if you don't mind eating turkey for three or four meals). I particularly enjoyed the turkey and mashed potatoes.  I would definitely recommend picking up some extra gravy though.

The other supermarkets seem to only offer Thanksgiving turkey dinners for larger groups with prices ranging from $70 to $100. In fact, Whole Foods doesn't list the Festive Family Turkey Meal on the catering page of its website--I only happened to spot it while picking up something else.

Other fully-cooked Thanksgiving turkey options I've tried include Popeyes' Cajun Turkey and Butterball's Fully Cooked Smoked Turkey.