Kate Walsh’s Top 3 Tips on Surviving Last-Minute Thanksgiving Madness

The holidays are filled with joy, but it's no secret that they can also be filled with stress. Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice actress Kate Walsh is no stranger to the overwhelming feelings that result from traveling, cooking, and entertaining, and the good news is she's got some tips up her sleeve to help you stay sane. We chatted with Kate about last-minute cooking tips, leftover Thanksgiving hacks, guilty-pleasure foods, and more (yep, she's a total foodie!). Her most important advice heading into the holiday season? "Let it be imperfect." Read on for her top three tips that everyone can apply this year.

While some people love spending hours in the kitchen perfecting every detail of a huge meal, you don't have to feel guilty if you don't have time. If you bring store-bought mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese to a potluck dinner, no one has to know! Kate has partnered with Boston Market this season, and she's not shy about making the most out of preprepared foods. "In this day and age, I just feel like everybody needs help around the holidays," she said, noting that there are some dishes she's realistically not going to take the time to make.

"Like creamed spinach. I'm not going to make that, but I love it. And mac 'n' cheese . . . it's so labor intensive to make it really good, so I'd rather get theirs and then if you want to make it more cheesy or add bread crumbs or whatever, that's kind of the fun. I always feel like if it tastes delicious, no one needs to know!"

There are only so many turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches you can eat after Thanksgiving. Kate, who loves to cook with her Italian mom, has an ingenious idea for turning your leftover turkey into a whole new meal. Like you'd normally do with chicken breasts, use the meat to make turkey cutlets: "Dredge them in flour, dip them in eggs, and then dip them in breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Super easy. Just do a quick little fry in the pan with a little olive oil or butter, and it's so good."

The perfect thing to pair it with? "Garbage pasta" — no, it's not what you're thinking. It's the name Kate has given to the anything-goes pasta we all know and love. It was "one of the first things that I made when I was out on my own," she said. "I'd just go in the fridge and see whatever I had leftover. You could make it with tomato sauce, or you could do it with just olive oil and a little garlic, salt, pepper, and whatever vegetables are left in the fridge. Saute it all together, cook pasta, and toss that with parmesan cheese. Just delicious. For me, it's like [if you have] garlic, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper . . . you pretty much have a dish."

"Keep expectations low, and let it be fun and joyful. I think when people strive for perfection in any way, it results in tension and disappointment. For me, it's like, let it be imperfect. Do what you can, and the important thing is just being with family." Here's to spending time with family and indulging in guilty-pleasure food, which, for Kate, is sour cream and onion chips.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, she does still keep up with her Grey's and Private Practive costars!