Huge Thanksgiving dinners with tons of family and loved ones are awesome, but not everyone has the option to travel or the family to get together with. If for one reason or another you find yourself alone or celebrating Thanksgiving with just one other person, you can still enjoy a classic Thanksgiving dinner on a smaller scale. I’ve crafted this smaller-sized meal that can be prepared in about two hours, so you can enjoy all those delicious thanksgiving recipes without a huge production. :)
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What’s Included in This Thanksgiving Dinner for Two
This smaller Thanksgiving dinner menu includes the following scaled-down classic Thanksgiving recipes:
- Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean “Casserole” (stove top version)
- Mushroom Herb Gravy
Each recipe makes about 2-4 servings, so you’ll still have a few leftovers, but not as much as if you had cooked regular-sized Thanksgiving dinner (we’re all about reducing food waste here at Budget Bytes).
Three recipes will be prepared in the oven (at the same time and same temperature) and three will be prepared on the stove top while the other recipes are doing their thing in the oven.
In addition to the recipes listed above, here are a couple optional extras you can add, either homemade or store-bought. You can make homemade cranberry sauce or mini pumpkin pies the day before. You might want to prepare a quick Thanksgiving grazing board to snack on earlier in the day, or maybe some cranberry cream cheese dip with crackers. And don’t forget to make a couple of Apple Cider Mimosas!
How Long Does it Take to Prepare?
I was able to make this meal in about two hours. The turkey and stuffing takes approximately 1.5 hours to roast, and I was able to prepare the rest of the sides while they were in the oven. I’m probably a bit faster than the average home cook and very well accustomed to multi-tasking in the kitchen, but I also paused to take all of my photographs in that time, so I think 2-3 hours is reasonable for most people. Beginners may want to allow for extra time.
NOTE: The most important part of being able to prepare this meal in a decent amount of time is to read through the plan thoroughly before beginning. You need to understand how to execute each recipe and in which order before you begin so you don’t get lost. Making a Thanksgiving dinner, any Thanksgiving dinner, takes coordination and multi-tasking skills.
What You Need
For this entire meal you’ll need the following equipment:
- 8×8″ casserole dish
- Large baking sheet (about 16″x13″)
- Medium saucepot (2.5 qt.)
- 3 qt. covered sauté pan or pot
- 10″ skillet
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Colander
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Parchment paper
In addition to the equipment listed above, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 2.5 lbs. bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
- ½ lb. Brussels sprouts
- ¾ lb. sweet potato
- 1 lb. russet potato
- 8 oz. mushrooms
- 12 oz. frozen cut green beans
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 6oz. box stuffing mix
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3 ½ Tbsps all-purpose flour
- ½ cup French fried onions (packaged)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- 11 Tbsp butter
- 1 ¼ tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 ⅛ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- Salt, pepper, and olive oil
How to Make Thanksgiving for Two – Step by Step Instructions
Okay, let’s get into it! I have the process divided into steps below. Each recipe is its own step so you can skip recipes you don’t like or even scale up recipes that you may want more of. You’ll be cooking most of these simultaneously, but they are listed in order of execution. Keep in mind that the cooking times will overlap. Make sure to read through the instructions thoroughly before beginning. Understanding the process for each recipe and the sequence is critical to executing a Thanksgiving dinner!
NOTE: Before beginning, adjust the racks in your oven so the top rack is slightly above the middle position and the lower rack is just below the middle position (not on the lowest position). The bottom rack only needs enough vertical room for a sheet pan, while the top rack needs enough height for the casserole dish and turkey breast.
1. Turkey and Stuffing
This turkey turns out so incredibly juicy and so so much easier than roasting a whole bird. The stuffing absorbs the juices and fat from the turkey as it roasts, making it even more flavorful!
The turkey and stuffing take the longest to cook (about 1.5 hours), so you’ll want to begin this first. The rest of the sides can be prepared while the turkey and stuffing are in the oven.
Roasted Turkey Breast with Stuffing
Servings 3 to 4Ingredients
- 1 6oz. box stuffing mix ($0.89)
- 1.5 cups water ($0.00)
- 4 Tbsp butter, room temperature ($0.40)
- 1 tsp dried sage ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 2.5 lb. bone-in, skin on turkey breast ($12.21)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add the box of stuffing mix to a bowl, then pour in 1.5 cups warm water. Stir and let the stuffing sit to absorb the water as you prepare the turkey.
- Combine the room temperature butter, sage, rosemary, thyme, and salt in a small bowl.
- Pat the turkey breast dry, then spread the herb butter mixture all over the surface.
- Transfer the stuffing to the bottom of an 8×8-inch casserole dish and place the turkey breast on top. The turkey should cover nearly all of the stuffing. If there is a lot of stuffing exposed, use foil to cover the stuffing mix to prevent it from browning too much during the hour and a half in the oven.
- Transfer the turkey and stuffing to the oven (upper rack) and roast for about 1.5 hours, or until the internal temperature of the turkey breast reaches 165ºF.
- After roasting, let the turkey and stuffing rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. The stuffing under the turkey will have absorbed quite a bit of moisture from the turkey, while the stuffing on the edges will be quite crunchy. Simply stir the stuffing together and let it sit for about five minutes to rehydrate the drier pieces before serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Meat Thermometer
- 8×8" Casserole Dish
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Turkey and Stuffing Step by Step Photos
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the contents of one 6oz. box of stuffing mix in a bowl and add 1.5 cups of warm water. Stir to combine, then set it aside to soak as you prepare the turkey.
- Combine 4 Tbsp room temperature butter with 1 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp dried thyme, and ¾ tsp salt. Pat a 2.5 lb. bone-in, skin-on turkey breast dry, then smear the herb butter over the surface (if the turkey breast is wet, the butter won’t stick, so dry it well).
- Place the hydrated stuffing mix in the bottom of an 8×8-inch casserole dish and place the turkey breast on top. The turkey should cover most of the stuffing. If there are any large portions of stuffing exposed, you may want to cover the exposed portions with foil to prevent them from browning too much as the dish is in the oven. Do not cover the turkey with foil.
- Roast the turkey and stuffing in the preheated 350ºF oven for about 1.5 hours, or until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165ºF. Let the turkey rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
- The stuffing under the turkey will have absorbed a lot of moisture from the turkey as it roasts while the stuffing on the outer edges will be quite crunchy. Simply stir the stuffing together and let it sit for about five minutes for the moisture levels to equalize.
Once the turkey and stuffing are in the oven, move on to recipe #2, Candied Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
2. Candied Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
While the turkey and stuffing are roasting, begin the candied sweet potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. These will cook together on one sheet pan in the oven at the same time as the turkey and stuffing. The sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts take about 40 minutes to cook, so you can prepare them on the sheet pan and then wait to put them into the oven until the turkey has about 40 minutes to go.
These candied sweet potatoes were so delicious it was all I could do to keep from eating them ALL myself. :o
Candied Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Servings 2Ingredients
Candied Sweet Potatoes
- 3/4 lb. sweet potato ($0.75)
- 1.5 Tbsp butter ($0.15)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts ($2.00)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper ($0.03)
Instructions
- Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds. Place the sliced sweet potatoes in a bowl.
- Melt the butter and then stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Pour the sweet butter over the sliced sweet potatoes and stir to combine.
- Cut off any dry ends from the Brussels sprouts, then slice them in half. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then toss to coat.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then lay the butter-coated sweet potatoes out over half of the baking sheet. Try to get as much of the butter mixture out of the bowl onto the sweet potatoes as possible. Spread the Brussels sprouts over the other half of the baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven, placing it on the rack below the turkey. Roast the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until browned and tender, flipping once halfway through.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Chef’s Knife
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Candied Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts Step by Step Photos
- Peel and slice one ¾ lb. sweet potato into ½-inch thick rounds. Melt 1.5 Tbsp butter, then stir in 1 Tbsp brown sugar, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ⅛ tsp ground cloves, and ⅛ tsp salt. Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes and stir until they’re coated.
- Cut off the dry stem end of ½ lb. Brussels sprouts, then slice them in half. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and ⅛ tsp each of salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Place the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined sweet pan. Make sure to get as much of that butter mixture from the bowl onto the sweet potatoes.
- The vegetables only take about 40 minutes to roast, so you may want to leave them prepped on the sheet pan until the last 40 minutes or so of the turkey’s baking time so they’re not done too early. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven (lower rack) and roast the vegetables for about 40 minutes, or until browned and tender, flipping them once halfway through.
Once the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts are on the sheet pan and prepared to go into the oven, you can move on to preparing the next recipe, mashed potatoes. When the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts are in the oven you can prepare the last two recipes, green bean “casserole” and mushroom herb gravy.
3. Mashed Potatoes
You can prepare the mashed potatoes while you’re waiting to put the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts in the oven. They’re pretty quick to prepare, then they can sit on the stovetop with a lid on to stay warm while you finish the rest of the side dishes.
This recipe is also pretty flexible, so if there are other ingredients that you like to add to your mashed potatoes, like sour cream, cheese, or herbs, feel free to stir them in at the end!
Small-Batch Mashed Potatoes
Servings 3 ¾ cup eachIngredients
- 1 lb. russet potato ($0.99)
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided ($0.02)
- 1/4 cup milk ($0.11)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.20)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp pepper ($0.01)
Instructions
- Peel the potato then dice into ½-inch cubes. Rinse the diced potatoes with cool water in a colander to remove excess starch.
- Place the cubed potatoes in a medium pot and cover with one inch of water. Add ½ tsp salt. Place a lid on top and bring the water up to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until very tender.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and then give them another brief rinse.
- Add the butter, milk, garlic powder, and pepper to the pot used to boil the potatoes. Heat over low until the milk is hot and the butter is melted. Return the drained potatoes to the pot and mash. Taste the mashed potatoes and add salt, if needed (I added ¼ tsp).
- Place a lid on the pot then move it to a back burner (not turned on) to stay warm while you prepare the rest of the sides.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Medium Saucepot
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Small Batch Mashed Potatoes Step by Step Photos
- Peel and dice a one pound russet potato into ½-inch pieces. Rinse the pieces briefly in a colander to remove excess starch. Place the cubed potato in a medium pot and cover with water. Add 1/2 tsp salt to the water. Place a lid on top and bring the water up to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until very tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and give them another brief rinse.
- Add 2 Tbsp butter, ¼ cup milk, and ¼ tsp garlic powder, and ⅛ tsp pepper to the pot used to boil the potatoes. Heat the milk and butter mixture over low until the milk is hot and butter is mostly melted. Add the drained potatoes back to the pot.
- Mash the potatoes until mostly smooth. Taste and add salt if needed (I added ¼ tsp). Place a lid on the pot and move the pot full of potatoes to an unused burner (heat turned off) to stay warm until the rest of the meal is finished.
4. Green Bean “Casserole”
Once your potatoes are mashed and are resting on the back of the stove, begin the green bean “casserole”. This is essentially a quick stovetop version of the classic baked casserole. Tender green beans coated in a creamy mushroom sauce and topped with French fried onions. You can bake this in the oven after assembly if you prefer, but I was aiming for speed and simplicity with this recipe, so I skipped the baking step.
Stove Top Green Bean “Casserole”
Servings 3 ¾ cup eachIngredients
- 12 oz. frozen cut green beans ($1.00)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.20)
- 4 oz. mushrooms ($0.75)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 1 cup milk ($0.44)
- 1 cup vegetable broth ($0.13)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 cup Fried Onions* ($0.32)
Instructions
- Add the frozen green beans to a pot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot, then bring the water up to a boil over high heat. Boil the green beans for about 5 minutes, or until tender, then drain in a colander.
- While the green beans are boiling, slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic.
- Add the mushrooms, garlic, and butter to the pot used to boil the green beans. Sauté over medium heat. Once the mushrooms have released all their water and all of it has evaporated off the bottom of the pot, add the flour and continue to stir and cook for about one minute more.
- Whisk in the milk, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Make sure to whisk until all of the flour has dissolved off the bottom of the pot. Allow the milk mixture to return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a boil, it will thicken into a sauce.
- Return the drained green beans to the pot with the sauce and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to its lowest setting and allow the green beans to remain heating over low, stirring occasionally, as you make the final recipe (mushroom herb gravy). The sauce will continue to thicken as it heats over low.
- When you're ready to serve the green beans, transfer them to a bowl and top with the fried onions.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- 3 qt. Covered Sauté Pan
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Stove Top Green Bean Casserole Step by Step Photos
- Add 12oz. frozen green beans to a pot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat on to high, and bring the water up to a boil. Boil the green beans until tender (about 5 minutes). Drain the green beans in a colander.
- While the beans are boiling, slice 4oz. mushrooms and mince one clove of garlic. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and 2 Tbsp butter to the pot that was used to boil the beans (after draining them). Sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms have released all of their water and it has completely evaporated off the bottom of the pot.
- Once there is no more water pooling on the bottom of the pot, add 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour and continue to stir and cook over medium heat for about a minute more.
- Whisk in one cup milk, one cup vegetable broth, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Make sure to keep whisking until all of the flour has dissolved off the bottom of the pot.
- Allow the liquid to return to a boil, stirring occasionally, at which point it will thicken to a sauce.
- Stir the drained green beans back into the sauce. Turn the heat down to low and let the green beans heat over low, stirring occasionally, as you make the final recipe (mushroom herb gravy). When ready to serve, top with ½ cup fried onions.
5. Mushroom Herb Gravy
This mushroom herb gravy only takes a few minutes to make, so it’s best to make it last just before you serve your Thanksgiving dinner. Gravies tend to gel up even more as they cool, so if you find your gravy becoming too thick after it begins to cool, simply stir in a tablespoon or two of warm water to loosen it back up.
Mushroom Herb Gravy
Servings 3 ½ cup eachIngredients
- 4 oz. mushrooms ($0.75)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1.5 Tbsp butter ($0.15)
- 1.5 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 1 cup vegetable broth ($0.13)
- 1/4 tsp rubbed sage ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp dried thyme (or one sprig fresh) ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and butter to a small skillet and sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms have released all of their water and the water has completely evaporated off the bottom of the skillet.
- When there is no more water pooling on the bottom of the skillet, add the flour and continue to stir and cook for about one minute more.
- Add the vegetable broth and whisk well until all of the flour has dissolved off the bottom of the skillet. Also add the sage, thyme, and pepper. Allow the broth to come up to a simmer, stirring occasionally, at which point it will thicken to a gravy.
- Taste the gravy and add salt if needed. Serve immediately.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- 10" skillet
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Mushroom Herb Gravy Step by Step Photos
- The gravy starts out the same as the green bean casserole. Slice 4oz. mushrooms and mince one clove of garlic. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic in 1.5 Tbsp butter over medium heat until the mushrooms have released all their moisture and it has evaporated off the bottom of the skillet. Once no more water is left on the bottom of the skillet, add 1.5 Tbsp flour and continue to stir and cook for about a minute more.
- Whisk in 1 cup vegetable broth. Make sure to keep whisking until all of the flour has dissolved off the bottom of the skillet. Also add ¼ tsp rubbed sage, ⅛ tsp dried thyme, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
- Allow the broth to come up to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once it begins to simmer it will thicken into a gravy. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve immediately.
And there you have it! By the time you’re finished making the gravy, the rest of the dishes should be done and waiting to be served. This meal should provide two people with generous helpings, plus a little leftover for the next day. ;) If you make this meal make sure to take a photo and tag us on social media! I want to see your masterpiece!
Thank you so much for this menu plan. It allowed my little household to finally have a lovely Thanksgiving. It’s always just me and my sister. So I never felt there was much cause to make all the traditional sides plus a whole turkey. Normally I just make two or three things for Thanksgiving. I skipped making the gravy because when it was time to make it the turkey breast was done.
I did add the crockpot macaroni and cheese that y’all posted a month ago. It was great. The whole thing took me about 2.5 hours.
I was only able to find a boneless small turkey breast, and since it’ll just be me I’m cooking for, I didn’t want to get any of the larger bone-in sizes. It’s still about 2.5 pounds — would you adjust the cooking time for a boneless turkey or leave it as is?
This is great. I think we will be having a quiet Thanksgiving by ourselves this year so this was great having all the recipes for 2 people at one place. Thank you!
This was absolutely perfect for my family. It was just me and my partner. It made just the right amount, with left overs too ๐
My only thing with this recipe is that I couldnโt find a bone in turkey breast small enough so I did bone out.
Thank you for this great guide. You couldn’t have made it simpler to do a last minute traditional thanksgiving for two. I did it all in about 2 hours and there are plenty of leftovers after we stuffed ourselves.
I almost didn’t make the green bean casserole, since I haven’t loved it at past Thanksgiving meals, but it was the surprise standout here.
Amazing!! I’m so glad you were able to make the whole thing in 2 hours. :)
I followed these step by step instructions for our Thanksgiving dinner today. The only thing I needed to change was the amount of time the turkey breast was in the oven because the one I baked was 4 larger than the suggested size turkey breast. I also needed to use a larger baking dish to accommodate the larger turkey breast. Yesterday I made baked apples because my husband requested them and I also made cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie. Your directions were so easy to follow and everything turned out great! We have lots of leftovers to enjoy. Thank you for this post!
I’m so glad it was helpful!
Everything turned out wonderful, and easy to make. Im a single mom with no family and this made more than enough for my son and myself!
Awesome!! Glad to hear!
Thank you for saving my Thanksgiving! Iโm a beginner cook and the recipes listed are so easy to follow.
I’m so glad it was helpful! :)
I made this today and it was a smash. I think I went a little light on the salt, but everything was so tasty. Beautiful presentation. Great spread of flavor and textures. I did brine my turkey for just about 24 hours. I also added white wine, orange juice (it shouldve been lemon but i didnt have one on hand), groundmustard and garlic to the herb butter for the turkey. Portions were perfect with very minimal leftover. So Thankful for this recipe and walkthrough.
I love those additions! I’m so glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. :)
We just made everything and it all turned out. Pretty easy overall for two guys who donโt love cooking! Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Awesome! I’m so glad this made it easy for you. :)
I am trying this for this year’s Thanksgiving for my husband and me.
I will adjust slightly. We ordered a Smoked Turkey Breast from our local Boy Scout Troop. So other than that, I’m doing the rest of the Dinner. May add some dinner rolls and of course Pumpkin Pie (both store bought).
Best Iโve have had.
Recipe presentation was awesome and so easy to follow. My son new to cooking was able to work with excellent results and worked through the steps easily
Thank you for taking the time and effort to post.
Best Iโve have had.
Recipe presentation was awesome and so easy to follow. My son new to cooking was able to work with excellent results and worked through the steps easily
Thank you for taking the time and effort to post.
I actually made turkey thighs and loved the results.
I had fresh heirloom carrots from my garden. No Brussels sprouts.
The gravy was delicious.
My son and I really enjoyed our feast.
X0
Susan again,
I meant “cooking” newbie, not “cookie,” in my last comment
Hi Beth, cookie newbie here..
Can I use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper to cook the Brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes .?
Yes! Just make sure to grease it well. XOXO -Monti
Many thanks for your recipes for a small Thanksgiving meal. My husband and I are in our 80s and living in a retirement place. I miss having leftovers and with your recipes we will be blessed. I have medical issues that prevent standing very long so I’ll be making your recipes in batches. But thank you for being so thorough and informative. I don’t see any problems. Blessings to you!
Love this scaled-down version! Sometimes we go straight for leftovers and I make a turkey cottage pie instead of the meal!
So my husband and I made this for our Christmas dinner! We are expecting our first little one soon and traveling to our familyโs houses would have been too hard. Thanks for this! It provided just enough portions, didnโt take long, and cleanup was so easy. This meal allowed it to still feel like Christmas.ย
I made this and loved it!
Thanks so much for this idea and plan. It worked really well for us. We made a few adjustments (skipped the green bean dish, swapped the sweet potatoes for the pile of carrots and parsnips we had in the fridge), added a lingonberry jam that we had in the fridge in lieu of cranberry sauce. Within maybe 2.5 hours we had made the meal, at it, and cleaned up. Was just enough of the thanksgiving feeling and we’re still eating the leftovers.
Thank you for sharing this! I used these recipes (plus cranberry sauce, rolls, and pecan pie) for our Thanksgiving meal for four and appreciated the efficiency and simplicity of your approach. It was a stress free preparation and everyone was happy with their options.
Thank you so much for putting this together! I used it as a guide for my Thanksgiving dinner and it turned out great. The turkey breast was delicious and not dry and I loved the candied sweet potatoes! I am not a fan of green bean casserole so I replaced that side with roasted veggies with green beans, broccoli and carrots. I also made my stuffing from scratch instead of using a mix. I appreciate that the recipes were listed in order of preparation time as that helped me with multitasking :)
If you want to double the turkey recipe how much longer will cooking time be?
The cook time for the turkey depends on the size of the individual pieces. If it’s one big piece (like a whole turkey) it will take longer, versus just adding more smaller pieces, which will end up about the same cook time. You can Google roasting time for turkey and you’ll find charts based on weight, and start there. Those charts are for the weight of your largest piece, not the sum total weight of all the pieces you’re using. Either way, you’ll need to use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature on the largest piece reaches 165F.
This is an awesome recipes I love cooking and I pick up some recipes youโve suggested and I canโt wait to make it this coming thanksgiving. I am going to forward this recipes to my sister in Arizona so she and her son can have a perfect thanksgiving home made food. Thank you so much for sharing your great recipes.
So thankful you posted this, I really appreciate the scaled-down version.ย
Will definitely be trying this! Thank you so much for putting this together. Your site is my go to. :)
This is amazing and an absolute life saver as I suddenly have to cook thanksgiving dinner this year for a few people! Only one question… I do not eat mushrooms. Is there anything I can substitute for the mushrooms in the gravy and the green bean dish? Thanks!
I’d probably just leave them out rather than try to replace them with something. :) Just make sure the broth you’re using is very flavorful because that’s where all the flavor will be coming from.
Any help to substitute out the bagged stuffing mix for homemade? My husband can’t tolerate yeast that’s in all these products. I’m happy to take his yeast-free sourdough bread, dry it out, and make the stuffing from scratch, but I”m not sure how to incorporate that into this recipe. Thanks for any help.
Hmm, I can’t say for sure without testing, but I would think that you could probably sautรฉ the aromatics/veggies for the stuffing, add the cubed bread and broth, then just mix that together and proceed as if it were the boxed mix.
You are my Thanksgiving Hero. Thank you so much for this!
Hi. this meal for two has some great suggestions. I am going to sue it as a guide. There are three of us, but that is ok. I will use turkey thighs if I can find them, as we prefer them to breasts. I like the idea of putting the stuffing under the meat. the broth will ensure that it doesn’t dry out. I have already made my dried bread so I’ll just follow the rest of your instructions, using broth instead of water and adding my poultry seasoning, onion, ย apple, and celery. ย ย Also, am not a fan of Brussels sprouts. ย Green beans are sufficient. Sweet potato can be baked along with the turkey/stuffing or quickly in the microwave. ย Your broth for the green beans is a great idea. ย And of course mashed potatoes. One item we will add is cooked rutabaga. We love steamed mashed rutabaga with a little butter brown sugar and pepper. this recipe came from a couple that asked us to dinner when we were newlyweds in a new town. That was more than 40 years ago. We have been making it every Thanksgiving since. don’t forget old favorites like that if you have them to ad to this lovely meal. ย Thanks for some great jumping off ideas for a meal for two–or three….Happy Holidays.
Wonderful idea & delicious sounding recipe. ย I saved this & may use for Christmas dinner!
Thank you Beth, your recipes are always a success & my โgo toโ when looking for a recipe!ย
Is it possible to get turkey thighs or legs? I donโt want to buy a whole turkey. I like the recipes for two, but prefer the other parts of a turkey.ย
Yep, you can definitely do this with other pieces of turkey. Cooking time may be a little less if the pieces are smaller, but always use your meat thermometer to make sure. :)
I love this! Just a breast for the two of us and plenty of the traditional flavors. We will visit our families over the holiday and at one house dinner will be beef of some kind and at the other it will be pizza. This will allow us to have just enough for us, and nothing will be spoiling at home while we’re spending time with the grandkids.
I so appreciate you posting this…. My stress about Thanksgiving just melted away. YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is SO AWESOME and what a genius menu (that mushroom gravy – yum). THANK YOU BETH! Can’t wait to do this with my family. Your mini pumpkin pies will go perfectly with this too.
Thank you for sharing this <3
This is a brilliant menu — love that it makes smaller than usual servings. Like others have said, I heart Thanksgiving leftovers but don’t want to eat them forever or end up disposing of them if they don’t get eaten up in a timely manner. So glad your green bean casserole calls for frozen green beans. I can’t find fresh green beans anyway and usually at this time in the year I’ve already pre-bought fresh green beans, washed them, blanched/parboiled them, and frozen them in preparation for the Big Day. Question: In your stove-top green bean casserole you call for 12 oz. frozen cut green beans. Would this recipe work with the frozen green beans that are packaged in a bag that you steam/cook in the microwave? Birds Eye and Green Giant make these and my grocery store has its own brand too.
Yes, those green beans should work just fine. :) I believe the only difference is that the bag they are in is safe for the microwave, so you can steam them right in the bag. To use them in this recipe, you can either follow the directions on the bag to steam them in the microwave, or boil them in water for a few minutes, like I did. :)
My wife and I have a full dinner, including a 14lb smoked turkey. For the same effort, we eat for days on leftovers, then have turkey ala King, turkey pot pie, and best of all, turkey salad sandwiches. Cooked turkey freezes well and it’s great to pull out some, and make a quick meal with it. Having both light and dark meat makes for tastier meals than just cooking a breast.
Investing in a vacuum sealer was one of the best kitchen choices ever. Well freeze turkey, stuffing, and fresh cranberry salad in a bag and pull it out for a quick meal.
Stop using a microwave to reheat and learn how to transform leftovers and the need for cooking for two because less important.
I appreciate the recipes for what they are, but we never cook just for two. Even when grilling I’ll make 4 or 6 hamburgers then toss the cold ones into a skillet the next day with a little bacon fat to reheat.
I’m not suggesting people don’t use the above recipes, just offering that cooking for more can take the same time today, and save time later.
I appreciate your sentiment but this comment was not necessary. ย Personally, there are times when I follow the approach you laid out for meals and there are other times when I DO WANT to cook for two and minimize leftovers. ย This menu is for those times.ย
I live alone and rarely go home for Thanksgiving, instead banking my PTO for Christmas to see family (who live nine hours away at the closest). I cannot imagine trying to choke down 14lbs of turkey meat over months, nor can I imagine cooking and storing all that food in my small apartment with limited space. Even if I lived with someone else, the assumption that people can afford to buy all of that for just two, and then actually enjoy eating that much as leftovers for days on end like that is staggering.
Recipes like this are perfect for people who don’t want cooked food for eight or ten, but still want the nostalgia of actually eating a Thanksgiving dinner, but not for weeks. There’s value in the experience, and there’s a ton of value in finding recipes that are scaled down to suit people in different living situations.
Terrific menu! Turkey breast is always our choice even for larger groups–just cook a couple of them, or pick a larger breast. They range up to about 7 lbs, but the larger ones need too much cooking time for this recipe. As southerners, we prefer cornbread dressing, and the boxed kind not only saves tons of time, but tastes pretty good. I usually add a bit of extra chopped onion and celery, and sometimes water chestnuts or pecans for some crunch. I particularly love your not terribly sweet candied sweet potato idea, and plan to use it this holiday! DIL and I are the only real sweet potato fans, so a smaller but easily expandable recipe is perfect. But with a full table–about 6-8–I’ll be smoking a large turkey breast. With no large roasted bird for drippings, I also appreciate your gravy recipe–lots.
This super looking recipe will definitely show up in my kitchen another time, however, as turkey breast is economical and delicious. I usually pick up an extra for the freezer during the special sales going on right now. My family likes a Thanksgiving menu any time of year.
Thank you so much, this is so great for those of us who only cook for one or two! (I love Thanksgiving leftovers as much of the next person, but don’t want to be eating them until Christmas, ha ha.)
If you want to double the turkey recipe how much longer will cooking time be?
Very clever and useful idea! Most recipe blogs assume everyone will be cooking for 12+ people.
Thank you so much for this! My two kids will also be with us, but they are not too fond of traditional Thanksgiving food, and I miss the tradition. This is perfect to feed the parents’ cravings.
Wow! Thank you.
This is such an impressive post. The smaller sized dishes can fit well with a larger meal where some eaters don’t like everything. Your skill at testing and writing the recipe along with strategy is specific to you, Beth of Budget Bytes. Well done!