20 Thanksgiving Recipes for a Small Gathering
Scale Down Recipes, Not Flavor
Just because you decided that your Thanksgiving gathering will be a little smaller this year doesn't mean your feast will be any less scrumptious. With a few simple hacks found in these Thanksgiving recipes for a small gathering, you can have your pumpkin pie and eat it too.
Related: 15 Ways to Spice Up Thanksgiving Leftovers
Thanksgiving on Two Sheet Pans
Maybe you'd prefer to get all the prep over with in one fell swoop. Behold: A way to end up with four servings of turkey, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce without having piles of dishes to clean later.
Recipe: Food Network
Related: 40 Cheap and Easy One-Pot Meals
Cheesy Corn Spoon Bread
This creamy, carby side is garlicky and satisfying. It also takes 15 minutes of work out of an hour of total cooking. If you don't want to take the time for mashed potatoes or rolls this year, this can be your replacement.
Recipe: Epicurious
Related: 13 Depression-Era Thanksgiving Recipes That Are Actually Delicious
Mini Pumpkin Pies
These mini pumpkin pies are assembled in muffin tins and will be just the thing if there are only a few of you. If you're serving four or more, simply scale the recipe back up.
Recipe: Dessert for Two
Related: 30 Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren't Pies
Pan-Seared Duck Breast
Looking for an easy poultry main that's a little less traditional? This pan-seared duck breast will take you 30 minutes and feels extra fancy. Skip the pan sauce if you're really in a hurry.
Recipe: Serious Eats
Related: 28 Alternatives to a Basic Thanksgiving Turkey
Slow Cooker Herbed Turkey Breast
Especially if you're cooking for fewer people this year, you don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. This recipe ensures you'll have turkey to serve, but you won't have to fuss with the whole bird or even use your oven. It yields eight servings, so you may yet wind up with Thanksgiving leftovers.
Recipe: Betty Crocker
Related: 25 Betty Crocker-Era Holiday Recipes We Secretly Love
Mashed Potatoes for Two
For many, mashed potatoes are an essential Thanksgiving dish. Luckily, they're easy to prepare and take just 30 minutes.
Recipe: Kitchn
Turkey for Two with Pan-Sauce Gravy
If you're serving two to four people, this roast turkey breast will be just the thing. As it cooks, its juices release into the waiting aromatics and a bit of cornstarch for body. Voila, gravy.
Recipe: Epicurious
Related: The Least Popular Thanksgiving Dishes — and What to Make Instead
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
If sweet potatoes are an important part of your Thanksgiving table, the slow cooker is an easy way to keep up the tradition. For a smaller group, it's easy to scale down — simply cook fewer potatoes.
Recipe: The Magical Slow Cooker
Cornish Hen with Homemade Classic Stuffing
Or maybe you love the theater of pulling a whole roast bird out of the oven. A Cornish game hen, sometimes called a broiler chicken, will be just the thing. It's as easy as a roast chicken while still feeling elegant. This recipe includes a great scaled-down stuffing recipe too.
Recipe: Homemade In The Kitchen
Braised Rabbit with Polenta
Another main that feels elegant without being a whole ton of work. The main ingredient may make you feel like you're vacationing in Italy, but the sage, rosemary, and bacon in this recipe from Lidia Bastianich provides the flavor of Thanksgiving.
Recipe: The New York Times
Maple-Glazed Green Beans
This savory, autumnal recipe takes 25 minutes and feels very Thanksgiving appropriate. That said, you may find yourself continuing to make it long afterward. The bourbon, cranberries, and bacon come together in a very satisfying way.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Related: 28 Fall Recipes That Showcase Seasonal Fruits and Veggies
Fig Crostini
These fig crostini come together in under a half-hour and will look lovely on your Thanksgiving table. To ensure these are at their best, make sure to use high-quality balsamic.
Recipe: The Spruce Eats
Savory Pumpkin Hummus
Looking for an easy appetizer? Look no further. Though it requires at least two hours of refrigeration, this hummus takes a mere 15 minutes to make. You could even whip it up a few days before.
Recipe: AllRecipes
Related: 17 Easy-to-Make Foods to Stop Buying at the Store
Crock-Pot Cranberry Meatballs
This recipe relies entirely on pre-prepared ingredients, so it takes just minutes to throw together. It serves 12, but you can simply freeze the leftovers. Consider it meal prep for the next week.
Recipe: Spicy Southern Kitchen
Salt-Wilted Brussels Sprout Salad With Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
The magic of this dish is in its textural play — half of the sprouts are shredded and left raw, while the other half are wilted by tossing them in salt. The toasted hazelnuts and tang of tangerine juice are a perfect complement.
Recipe: Serious Eats
A Cheese Platter
The great thing about making a cheese plate is that it will look stunning and taste wonderful despite being just things you already bought, arranged. Just make sure to buy three to six cheeses with a range of flavors and textures. For an extra seasonal accompaniment, buy some cranberry relish.
Recipe: The Spruce Eats
Cranberry Mimosa
A great way to make your holiday feel special without much extra work is a custom cocktail. This Cranberry Mimosa is festive and takes 10 minutes.
Recipe: Delish
Pecan Pie for Two
Pecan pie is another iconic Thanksgiving dessert that can, it turns out, also be scaled down quite easily. This is homemade pie with 15 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of baking.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Butterscotch Pumpkin Mousse
This low-fat, low-sugar recipe is still very autumnal while being a little less traditional, and it comes together in 15 minutes or less. Dress it up a bit by serving in pudding glasses.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Country Apple Galette
Galettes are a favorite of lazy chefs everywhere — they feel like something you'd order at a fabulous little French country café, but take no time at all to put together. This version takes 30 minutes of active time and will seriously wow your guests. It yields eight servings, making for plenty left over for breakfast with coffee.
Recipe: Food & Wine
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