50 Recipes For The Best Small Thanksgiving Ever
You can still have all the foods and flavors of a traditional Thanksgiving feast, even if there's only two of you.
While Thanksgiving is usually marked by a massive, multi-course feast, attended by generations of family, all gathered around the huge turkey in the center of the dinner table, we think there are tons of way to celebrate for a smaller group, perhaps just you and someone special. Thanksgiving is the same whether you celebrate with family, friends, or even just one other person. No matter your reasoning for having a smaller dinner this year, we’ve got ideas here for you. Check out our 50 Thanksgiving for two recipes so you can have all the classics without a TON of extra food.
The way we see it, there are a couple of ways you can make this work. You could pick and choose traditional recipes, and just make fewer of them (this is great if you’ve got two mashed potato fiends who care less about, say, stuffing). In this case, things like casseroles that serve a ton of people aren’t as easy to halve, so we’ve included a few recipes here to replace them. Try our sweet potato bites, our garlicky green beans with crispy onions, our stuffin’ muffins, or our green bean casserole bundles. Another way to achieve this is to repurpose ingredients across your meal. If you do love cranberry sauce, for example, try making a batch, then utilizing it as an app, side, and a dessert, like our cranberry brie bites or our cocktail meatballs.
Another option is to completely throw tradition to the wind and make whatever you want this Thanksgiving. Check out our air fryer tandoori turkey breast, our chili smashed potatoes, our kung pao turkey, or our turkey feta meatballs. You could even make turkey burgers if you like, just add your favorite holiday condiments (like cranberry sauce!).
And don’t forget the drinks! For a big meal, it’s way easier to just serve wine or beer, but when it’s the two of you, you can have a lot more fun with it. Try our pecan pie martinis, our apple cider mojitos, our pumpkin spice mules, or our cranberry orange whiskey sours. They’re sure to jazz up your meal no matter what it looks like this year.
Disclaimer: Very few of these recipes actually yield enough for only two people, but hear us out. Many of them can be easily halved if you’re really concerned, but mostly, we’re making it easier for you to have one of the best parts about Thanksgiving—leftovers! It wouldn’t be the big day if we didn’t have slightly too much food at the end of it, and had to get creative with what to do with it over the weekend. You’re welcome!
Turkey Roulade
Sometimes, roasting a whole turkey is just too much of an undertaking. A roulade, though? It's surprisingly easy (we swear!), super-flavorful, and much easier to carve. Perfect served with a side of mashed potatoes and some tart cranberry sauce.
Get the Turkey Roulade recipe.
Whipped Feta Roasted Potatoes
This recipe is the perfect example of a super-satisfying texture combo: Hot, crispy potatoes are spooned onto a billowy cloud of whipped feta, then showered with lemon zest and fresh herbs. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Get the Whipped Feta Roasted Potatoes recipe.
Baked Pumpkin Risotto
Baked, not stirred, this recipe for pumpkin risotto takes some of the work off the chef without sacrificing that classic risotto flavor and texture. A sprinkle of goat cheese, parsley, and the tart-sweet touch of dried cranberries round out the earthy autumnal vibes.
Get the Baked Pumpkin Risotto recipe.
Parmesan Roasted Green Beans
This side is like if green beans dressed up as cheesy garlic bread. 😍 Tossed in garlic and black pepper and showered with cheese, this simple yet irresistible side will steal the spotlight at every holiday table.
Get the Parmesan Roasted Green Beans recipe.
Sweet Potato Maple Brown Butter Gnocchi
Instead of making homemade sweet potato gnocchi, this genius recipe puts the sweet potato right into a creamy sauce and uses store-bought gnocchi for the same exact flavors and textures. The result: an incredibly irresistible fall dinner ready in less than 20 minutes.
Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour
We crave cranberry cocktails all fall and winter long, and this is our go-to cocktail this holiday season. It's warm and spicy from the whiskey and ginger beer, but refreshing and tart from the cranberry and citrus.
Get the Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour recipe.
Stuffed Turkey Breast
This is the turkey recipe you make for folks who think they don’t like turkey. A savory mushroom and bacon filling keeps this roasted turkey breast juicy while making it fancy and hearty enough to take the place of a whole bird on the holiday table. Dry turkey breast can officially be a thing of the past.
Get the Stuffed Turkey Breast recipe.
Chili Oil Smashed Potatoes
These smashed potatoes are a spicy take on one of our favorite crispy potato method: smashed potatoes. Have some extra chili oil? Why not give your veggies, fried rice, or eggs a kick of heat?
Get the Chili Oil Smashed Potatoes recipe.
Turkey Meatloaf
Meatloaf is a classic alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving, so why not keep with the theme and make yours with turkey. This one is LOADED with flavor. How? Worcestershire garlic, rosemary, and thyme. (The herbs are our favorite part, so don't skip 'em!)
Get the Turkey Meatloaf recipe.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
After baking brown-sugar-butter-slathered squash until perfectly tender, you'll top the squash with a hearty filling of quinoa, kale, and chickpeas. Flecked with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, the savory pilaf has the perfect balance of texture, flavor, and pops of color. It's sweet, savory, protein-packed, and filling—what more could you want for a one and done Thanksgiving entrée?
Get the Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe.
Green Bean Casserole Bundles
These are the perfect app for any Thanksgiving, but particularly one for only two people—they've got everything you love from green bean casserole, but are SO much easier to make.
Get the Green Bean Casserole Bundles recipe.
Air Fryer Apple Pie Baked Apples
Individual apple pies complete with a lattice crust? Sign us up! Serve with caramel sauce or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Perfect Pan Fried Potatoes
The secret to a perfectly crispy, fried potato? It's all about the oils. Our best combo: mixing EVOO with vegetable oil (or another neutral oil with a high smoking point). Trust us, it makes a huge difference.
Get the Perfect Pan Fried Potatoes recipe.
Air Fryer Green Beans
These simple green beans come with a treat: 8 cloves of creamy, buttery garlic that get air-fried alongside the green beans for bites of roasted garlic that don’t involve turning on your oven. You can eat them alongside the beans or reserve them for another use, like smearing alongside butter and flaky sea salt on a slice of toasted sourdough bread.
Get the Air Fryer Green Beans recipe.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
If you're not making a ton of food this Thanksgiving, you'll want everything to be the absolute best. These are the crispiest potatoes ever, thanks to a cornstarch slurry! For some flavor, we added rosemary and garlic, but just like our other roasted potatoes, feel free to add any herbs or flavors your heart desires.
Get the Roasted Fingerling Potatoes recipe.
Microwave Baked Potato
Fully cooked in just 7 minutes, this microwave hack is a lifesaver when you want potatoes but don't need to make a whole pot of mashed. Craving sweet? No worries, the same trick works for a sweet potato!
Get the Microwave Baked Potato recipe.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Our love for crescent roll recipes is no secret. Why make dough from scratch when everyone loves the canned stuff?! These are a fan favorite every fall. They always disappear within minutes, probably because the combo of salty, creamy brie, sweet-tart cranberry sauce, and crunchy pecans is PERFECT.
Get the Cranberry Brie Bites recipe.
Turkey Feta Meatballs
Not into traditional Thanksgiving spreads? Make these turkey meatballs instead this year. We like these atop our lemon-yogurt spread, but feel free to get creative—meatball subs, spaghetti & meatballs, whatever you like.
Get the Turkey Feta Meatballs recipe.
Air Fryer Tandoori Turkey Breast
Keeping the bone in and skin on the turkey breast and marinating it in yogurt, garlic paprika, turmeric, ginger, and cumin helps to seal in moisture so the outside doesn’t dry out from the intense air fryer heat. This is one of our favorite non-traditional ways to enjoy turkey (perfect for when it's just you and you don't have to appeal to your entire family's tastes).
Sweet Potato Bites
Sweet potato casserole is always a favorite at our Thanksgiving celebrations, but most recipes for it make a TON of food. We turned it into these adorable little bites so you don't have to miss out, even if your Thanksgiving is small this year.
Get the Sweet Potato Bites recipe.
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