This 65-Cent Aldi Find Is a Thanksgiving Must-Have (It Saves So Much Time)

One Thanksgiving, I turned the gravy blue, and my mom almost tore her hair out because she was embarrassed to reveal it in front of Aunt Judy.

You see, it was the first Thanksgiving I had celebrated in nearly a decade because usually, as a newspaper reporter, it was my holiday to work. I thought ahead and brought a dessert and some side dishes since I hadn’t planned on cooking that day—but then my mom asked me how to turn the gravy brown.

I looked into her spice drawer and spied some food colorings, and remembering from elementary art school that blue, red, and yellow turn black or brown, I squirted some red food dye, then some blue dye... and there was no yellow. Instead of brown, I turned the gravy bright blue. My mom almost passed out right there in the kitchen, but my sister, Karen (after laughing at me profusely), helped me doctor it up with some coffee and soy sauce. Luckily, my Aunt Judy didn’t get a chance to comment.

I don’t take chances anymore with gravy, and I’ve learned my lesson. Instead of messing around with food coloring, I recommend heading to Aldi and picking up a package of Stonemill Turkey Flavored Gravy Mix.

What’s So Great About Aldi's Gravy Mix

A single package of Stonemill Turkey Flavored Gravy Mix costs only 65 cents. Most packaged gravy mixes cost two or three times as much, and they won’t taste any better. The mix is made with onions, spices, rendered chicken fat, flour, and cornstarch, and if you just add in a cup of water, along with some turkey drippings, you’ve got an easy and delicious gravy.

It’s also brown, not blue.

Try dressing it up with a little color and flavor: Add some fresh parsley and a half cup of dry white wine or apple cider. If you have a big crowd to serve, I recommend getting two or three packages just in case.

You can always save a few packages to use later on in the year, too. In my opinion, you can never have too much gravy, especially if you plan on making open-faced turkey sandwiches the next day.

_{To learn more about our approach to product recommendations, see HERE.}