Although it's possible to spend days, even weeks, preparing the Thanksgiving feast, it's equally possible to create a totally homemade and completely delicious Thanksgiving spread in far less time. Pick a few timesaving dishes or create a whole menu from our favorite quick Thanksgiving recipes, all of which take less than an hour to prepare.

It only takes a little over an hour to roast a 12-pound turkey when it's split down the middle, backbone removed, and roasted flat. As an added bonus, the turkey cooks more evenly when separated into parts, so each bite of white and dark meat will be moist, juicy, and perfectly roasted.

A mere five minutes of preparation yields a batch of fresh cranberry sauce perfumed with orange zest and juice. This recipe makes 3 1/2 cups, plenty for leftover sandwiches all week long.

Green beans and sweet red onion are steamed and sauteed all in the same pan using a handy timesaving technique that requires only 10 minutes of prep time and another 15 minutes to cook. Balsamic vinegar stirred in just before serving adds a rich, tangy finish.

30 minutes of prep time yields a Thanksgiving favorite, filled with celery, shallots, garlic, and parsley. Use purchased bread cubes to make this stuffing come together even faster.

Purchased frozen puff pastry makes a delectable and ultra-easy crust for this quick apple tart. It takes only 20 minutes to prepare and can be baked a day in advance.

Tangy goat cheese and bitter radicchio provide a wonderful counterpoint to all the rich dishes on the Thanksgiving table. This salad takes only five minutes to prepare.

Souffles always inspire oohs and aahs, and nobody will guess that this one only took 15 minutes to prepare. This fluffy, maple-sweetened dessert is like a light version of sweet potato pie.

This sophisticated version of a cheese ball combines cream cheese and sharp white cheddar with a little Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Toasted pistachios make a gorgeous garnish. This easy holiday appetizer comes together in just 20 minutes, but be sure to allow a few hours for chilling.

These yeast rolls are especially tender, thanks to the addition of cake flour and sour cream. The dough requires no kneading or shaping -- it's simply scooped into buttered muffin tins before baking. Though the rolls do need an hour to rise before baking, they take only 15 minutes of active preparation time.

Everyone will want to eat their spinach when it's simmered in a creamy, garlicky sauce. Much quicker than traditional creamed spinach, this one is made with cream cheese and milk, and is ready in 30 minutes. The recipe calls for 3 to 4 bunches of fresh spinach; to save time, you can use 2 pounds of bagged, pre-washed spinach leaves instead.

Humble root vegetables become tender and tasty when simmered in a glaze of chicken broth, maple syrup, and red-wine vinegar. This perfectly balanced combination of sweet, savory, and tangy takes 10 minutes to prepare and another 20 minutes to simmer.

Keep hungry dinner guests at bay with offerings of appetizers such as these fragrant rosemary and brown sugar-glazed nuts. Toss them together in just five minutes and leave them to roast for a half-hour while you prep the rest of the meal.

Ten minutes is all you need to prepare a rich and aromatic glaze for tender cooked carrots. Fresh ginger and orange zest and juice enhance the carrots' natural sweetness.

This shortcut version of traditional Southern cheese straws begins with purchased frozen puff pastry, which is brushed with egg, Parmesan cheese, mustard powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper, and formed into decorative twists. They only take 20 minutes to prepare and another 10 minutes to bake. Serve these crowd-pleasing appetizers with a selection of olives and crudites.

Sweet and creamy chocolate custard filling is topped with a light meringue in this pie that only takes 30 minutes to make, plus a few hours' chilling time. Use purchased pastry or graham cracker crust to put this pie together in a snap.

It's simply not a holiday without spinach-artichoke dip, and this one only takes 20 minutes to make! We lightened up this recipe by eliminating the mayonnaise and sour cream, and using reduce-fat cream cheese instead.

Using frozen pearl onions cuts prep time down to almost nothing in this simple recipe for glazed pearl onions. If you like, drizzle these with some good-quality balsamic vinegar before serving.

Cider vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard and a little olive oil form a fast and festive vinaigrette for this apple, celery, and blue cheese salad. Use prewashed, bagged salad greens to cut the prep time down to 10 minutes.

15 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of baking yields tender, flaky buttermilk biscuits enhanced with sharp cheddar and fresh sage. Feel free to swap in different combinations of cheeses and herbs, such as gruyere and thyme, or Parmesan and rosemary.

Tender green beans get crunch from toasted hazelnuts and an extra boost of flavor from fresh parsley and lemon juice. If you use frozen green beans, you can have this dish ready in about 10 minutes.

No time to make pie? This dessert combines all the flavors of apple pie a la mode with a fraction of the work, with only 10 minutes of prep time required.