Thanksgiving is often associated with grand family feasts, but celebrating with just two people can be equally heartwarming. A Thanksgiving dinner for two might not have the hustle and bustle, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a cozy, stress-free holiday.
For your duo dinner, you can still indulge in the classics. Roast a small turkey breast, seasoned to perfection. Serve your turkey with some candied sweet potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower rice pilaf—all made on a single sheet pan! While that’s roasting away, you can mix up a small batch of cranberry sauce and some simple turkey gravy. Bada bing, bada boom—Thanksgiving dinner for two and the smallest sink of dishes that Turkey Day has ever seen!
Why should I make this Thanksgiving dinner for two?
Say “hello!” to my Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner—it’s done, start to finish, in 90 minutes. It’s all done on one baking sheet. It perfectly serves two people (with a few leftovers—it worked perfectly for our family of three) and it can easily be doubled to serve 4-6. It is also grain-free and paleo—because that’s the way I happen to be eating right now. But I think it’s delicious enough to serve to anyone!
Everything, minus the cranberry sauce and gravy, is made on one single sheet pan. This makes post-dinner cleanup a breeze! It might take you less time to clean up than it will to eat the meal, which is almost unheard of on Thanksgiving Day. You’ll be in your jammies and watching Elf before you know it (anyone else do this on Thanksgiving evening?).
What’s included in this Thanksgiving dinner for two?
This Thanksgiving dinner has five parts: Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Easy Bone Broth Gravy, Coconut Candied Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Cauli-Rice Pilaf, Rosemary Pomegranate Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Cranberry Orange Sauce.
How long does it take to prepare?
Because you aren’t roasting a big giant turkey, this dinner can be ready to serve in around an hour and a half. No need to spend the whole day in the kitchen for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner!
How do I cook Thanksgiving dinner for two?
The full printable recipe below walks you through the entire meal step-by-step. I highly recommend reading through the whole recipe (maybe more than once) before you actually dive in on Thanksgiving Day. It’s not complicated, but getting the timing right—so everything is warm at the same time—requires a little bit of organization.
I did want to go over each dish below to give you tips and suggestions that might make it go easier for you on the actual day of. Let’s dig in!
Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
- A half turkey breast is the way to go if you’re wanting to cook turkey for a small group! At about three pounds apiece, you’ll have enough turkey for a decent dinner-sized serving, plus some great leftovers for a sandwich or two.
- You’ll usually be able to find frozen turkey breasts next to where the whole turkeys are at your local supermarket or from your local butcher shop. Some will carry half breasts, but if you can only find a full frozen breast, go ahead and grab it. Defrost it and use a sharp knife to remove the breasts from the bone (here is a good video that shows this method—this video shows a chicken, but it’s the same process). Leave the skin on the breast, and reserve the bones for making bone broth later. I recommend roasting both halves to have leftovers (for soup, perhaps?).
- When you’re cooking a full turkey, the white meat often dries out before the dark meat is cooked. That’s why I always recommend brining when cooking a full turkey. But since we’re only cooking one type of meat (white breast meat) and only at a high temperature, you don’t need to worry about drying out nearly as much. It won’t hurt if you are itching to brine, but it’s definitely not needed.
- The gravy I recommend with the turkey is a simple bone broth gravy made on the stove. Since turkey breast is a pretty dry meat, you won’t have many pan drippings to turn into gravy—premade (either by you or from the store) bone broth will make excellent gravy!
Coconut Candied Sweet Potatoes
- These sweet potatoes fill both the dessert and side dish slot on the plate! They are sweet, but not too sweet, and are reminiscent of your favorite marshmallow-covered casserole.
- The topping for these sweet potatoes can be made ahead of time and stashed in the fridge. Just make sure to bring it out about 30 minutes before cooking so it can soften to room temperature.
- To get the timing right here, it’s important to use not-too-thick sweet potatoes. You know those behemoth sweet potatoes that could feed an entire family? Yeah, those aren’t the ones you’re looking for here. You want sweet potatoes that are about two inches wide. Or, if you prefer using the big ones, I recommend piercing them with a fork and parbaking them (either in the microwave or the oven) for a bit to soften them up before putting them on the sheet pan.
Roasted Cauli Rice Pilaf
- This roasted cauli rice is my favorite dish out of the whole sheet pan! It’s fluffy, flavorful, and fills that carby void that’s left when you cut out white potatoes. It’s a beautiful and colorful addition to the plate!
- I prefer to use a fresh head of cauliflower here just because it seems to make the end result a little fluffier and more rice-like, but if you’re short on time, the bags of frozen riced cauliflower will do just fine. Just defrost it enough to break it up, and then mix it with the rest of the ingredients as the recipe instructs you to do with the fresh cauliflower.
Rosemary Pomegranate Brussels Sprouts
- You gotta have some green on your plate, and these roasted Brussels sprouts are the perfect way to get your green veggies in on Turkey Day! If you aren’t a Brussels sprouts fan, broccoli is also excellent in this recipe.
- Fresh pomegranate seeds (arils) add color and a fruity burst to this dish. I recommend deseeding your pomegranate ahead of time and stashing the arils in a covered container in the fridge. That way you aren’t trying to wrestle with a pomegranate right before dinner hits the table!
- You can use dried rosemary here, but fresh rosemary has such a better flavor and texture. If you’re going to spring for fresh herbs, I think Thanksgiving is the time to do it! Better yet: grab a rosemary plant, keep it happy on your windowsill this winter, and then plant it in your garden in the spring.
Cranberry Orange Sauce
- I tried to figure out a way to make cranberry sauce in the oven, but I’m afraid this is the one dish (other than the simple gravy) that had to be taken off the sheet pan and made on the stovetop. If you really want to stick with one sheet pan, you can buy a can of whole berry cranberry sauce—easy peasy!
- Cranberry sauce needs to be made ahead of time to gel up and for the flavors to meld. You can make this as many as two or three days ahead of time and keep it stashed in the fridge.
Phew, are you still with me? I know this is a lot of information, but I promise once you get to cooking, the time sails by! This really is the easiest way to make a full, hearty, satisfying Thanksgiving dinner. I hope you enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!
Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner for Two
Don’t let the size of this Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner for Two fool you. It has all the flavors and dishes you love at Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
For the Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
- 1 boneless, turkey breast (about 3 pounds, see notes)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or lard
- 1 teaspoon dried sage OR 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme OR 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary OR 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
For the Coconut Candied Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- Pinch of sea salt
For the Roasted Cauli-Rice Pilaf
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, melted coconut oil, lard, or other cooking fat
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary OR 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme OR 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage OR 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup juice-sweetened, dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
For the Rosemary Pomegranate Brussels Sprouts
- 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, halved
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, melted coconut oil, lard, or other cooking fat
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary OR 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh pomegranate arils
For the Honey Cranberry Sauce
- 1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Pinch of salt
For the Easy Bone Broth Gravy
- 2 tablespoons lard, ghee, tallow, or other solid cooking fat
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 2 cups chicken or turkey bone broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (this makes clean up really easy!) or a silicone baking mat. Form a “bowl” out of aluminum foil a quarter the size of the sheet pan, and place on the sheet pan. Set aside.
- Begin with the Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast: Place the turkey breast on one quarter of the sheet pan. In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients for the turkey breast. Spread the mixture liberally onto the breast—making sure to gently pry up some of the skin to get the mixture between the skin and the breast.
- Next, prepare the sweet potatoes: place the two sweet potatoes on one quarter of the pan. Then place the sheet pan in the oven, and immediately turn the heat down to 400°F. Roast for 20 minutes.
- While the turkey and sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the Roasted Cauli-Rice Pilaf: take the cauliflower head and pulse in a food processor until it resembles the texture of rice. In a large bowl, mix together the cauliflower rice with the avocado oil, onion, carrot, garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, nutmeg, and pepper.
- Also prepare the Brussels sprouts: in a medium-size bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts, cooking fat, rosemary, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
- After the initial 20 minutes of roasting of the turkey and sweet potatoes, remove the pan from the oven. Spoon the Roasted Cauli-Rice Pilaf into the prepared aluminum foil “bowl.” Spread the Brussels sprouts out in the remaining quarter of the sheet pan.
- Place sheet pan back in the oven, and roast for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the turkey breast reads 155°F on an instant-read thermometer in the fleshiest part of the breast.
- While the sheet pan is roasting, combine all ingredients for the Honey Cranberry Sauce in a medium sized saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until the cranberries pop and the sauce looks thickened, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and chill until ready to serve.
- When the cooking time is up on the sheet pan, remove from oven. Transfer the turkey breast to a large cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Increase the oven temperature to 475°F.
- In a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients for the Coconut Candied Sweet Potatoes. Split open the cooked sweet potatoes and divide the topping mixture between them. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and pilaf are all golden brown.
- When the cooking time is up, mix the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds in with the pilaf. Mix the pomegranate arils with the Brussels sprouts.
- To make the gravy, heat the cooking fat in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the tapioca flour, and cook until just slightly brown, about 2 minutes. Add in the bone broth. Whisk constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Then remove from heat and season to taste. If the gravy thickens too much before serving, thin with a bit of warm water or warm bone broth.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you can’t track down a single turkey breast, no problem. Just grab a full frozen bone-in breast (about 6 pounds) from your grocer’s frozen meat section. Defrost, and use a sharp knife to remove the breasts from the bone (here is a good video that shows this method—this video shows a chicken, but it’s the same process). Leave the skin on the breast, and reserve the bones for making bone broth later. You can cook both breasts now and have leftovers, or reserve the other breast half for cooking within the next few days.
- If you’re really wanting stuffing, work ahead and make my Grain-Free Thanksgiving Stuffing. I didn’t include it here because it takes a bit more than just a sheet pan!
- To save time, you can also use one 10-ounce bag of frozen riced cauliflower in place of the head of cauliflower.
- You don’t need to brine your turkey breasts– because you’re cooking at such a high temperature, you’ll have nice and juicy meat. But if you’d like to brine, you can use my dry brine method. Just make sure to leave out the salt when you mix up the herb mixture in this recipe.
- This recipe doubles with ease to serve 4-6. Just do an exact copy of the first sheet pan on a second sheet pan, and cook at the same time—making sure to rotate the pans between racks while cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1/2 recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 2868Total Fat: 171gSaturated Fat: 75gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 83gCholesterol: 271mgSodium: 3591mgCarbohydrates: 265gFiber: 40gSugar: 175gProtein: 92g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
