Over the years, I’ve shared all my feast-level Thanksgiving recipes. Those are still available and never changing because they’ll taste as good this year as they have the last seven years. But in case you’re keeping your group small, I wanted to share something a little different for this year. An entire Thanksgiving dinner, in one post, portioned for four people (with some light leftovers).
Instead of a whole turkey, we do a turkey breast. Instead of a pan of stuffing, we stuff and roll the turkey with vegetables and herbs. Green bean casserole is swapped for simple asparagus and mushrooms and it’s all paired with the creamiest, fluffiest mashed potatoes you’ve ever had (while still being dairy-free). Pan gravy and a cranberry glaze finish it off, and every bite is symphonic. If I do say so myself.
Perfect Thanksgiving Stuffed Turkey Breast
Ingredients:
- 1/2 turkey breast just one side, skin on
For the stuffing
- 3/4 cup leek finely chopped
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp rosemary finely chopped
- 2 tsp thyme leaves separated from stem
- 1 tbsp sage leaves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 1 tbsp oregano leaves finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrot finely chopped
- 2 tbsp almonds finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 3 tsp ground allspice
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375. In an oven-safe large saute pan on medium heat, combine all the stuffing ingredients except the almond flour and allspice powder. Season with salt and pepper, and sweat for 3-5 minutes. Remove to a bowl, add the almond flour and mix together. Keep the pan though – don't clean it.
- Fillet open the turkey breast (see video). Season the inside with salt and pepper, and 2 tsp allspice powder. Add the stuffing and carefully roll the turkey breast up.
- Tie the breast up with butcher's twine and season the outside with another tsp allspice powder, some salt and pepper.
- Add a couple tbsp olive oil to the pan, place back on the stove on medium heat. Once the residual vegetables left in the pan begin to sizzle in the oil a little, put the turkey breast in, skin side up. Allow it to cook for a couple minutes, then spoon some of the olive oil over top the breast and put it in the oven to cook until it reaches an internal temp of 162 (about 45-60 minutes). Allow it to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Creamy, Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes & Grain-Free Dijon Pan Gravy
Ingredients:
- 3-4 large russet potatoes washed, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic smashed, peeled, stemmed
- 5 Tbsp vegan butter melted
- 2/3 cup chicken broth heated in microwave for 90 seconds
- 1/3 cup liquid from cooking potatoes
- 1/2 cup Vegenaise
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Gravy
- pan drippings if making alongside roasted turkey
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- starch slurry (1tbsp water with 1 tbsp tapioca starch)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. To it, add a few splashes of red or white wine vinegar and a few large pinches of salt. Add the potatoes and smashed garlic, and boil until potatoes are very tender and the skins are starting to pull away (20-25 minutes).
- Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl with the warmed stock and melted butter. Add the Vegenaise, potato water and garlic powder and work together with a hand mixer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix again.
- Assuming you're cooking a turkey, use the pan for the gravy. Put it on medium high heat, add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the slurry and dijon mustard and whisk until it thickens. Remove from heat, whisk frequently, and just before serving.
Asparagus & Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch asparagus, washed, trimmed, cut into 2 in pieces
- 5-7 cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 Tbsp garlic finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a pan on medium heat, add the olive oil, asparagus, mushrooms, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.
Cranberry Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup honey
Directions:
- Add the ingredients in a pan on medium heat. Simmer to reduce to a syrup consistency, about 10-15 minutes.
So in case you can’t be with everyone you’d like to be, you can really treat the ones you are able to spend the day with. And the whole meal start to finish comes together in about two hours, so you get to save yourself some stress as well. Happy Thanksgiving, all. And looking forward to more days of sitting around a table together again.
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner. It was a huge hit, along with your ham bites. I recently found your blog & love the content. Thanks for sharing these recipes.
07-20-2021
Thank you Chris and Julia, I am really looking forward to cooking all of the holiday recipes you have graciously shared. Finally something positive to look forward too.
Love and Light to you Both
~ ThistleLane ~
Just made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was incredible! Thank you for sharing!
Our turkey was so delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family Chris. I just realized my husband purchased chicken breast instead of turkey breast. Will this still work?
So sorry I’m just seeing this! But yes that will work.