Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner

With smaller gatherings advised for this year, we’ve come up with a quick-to-prepare PANdemic Thanksgiving meal.  

Placed on a 17”x 12” sheet pan, our Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey breast, herb stuffing, and a glazed sweet potato/Brussel sprout medley. For easier cleanup, use a disposable aluminum pan.  

Want more side dishes? Add asparagus spears or green beans toward the end of roasting time, or, if feeling energetic, make our easy Microwaved Baked Corn or Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans, or a crunchy Turkey Vegetable Platter for pre-feasting day fun.   

Serve with gravy and cranberry sauce, if desired, that you can make ahead (see recipes below).  This recipe serves 4 people. 

Preparation time: about 1 hour
Roasting time: 1 hour (plus 15 minutes to allow turkey breast to rest)
Total time: 2 hours, 15 minutes 

Turkey Breast (or check out our Stuffed Turkey Breast for a different recipe idea):

• ½ turkey breast, bone-in or deboned (about 2 lbs.) 
• 1 T. olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Rub olive oil over turkey breast and sprinkle with pepper on both sides. Sprinkle the top with poultry seasoning and paprika.  Ask your butcher or grocer to cut turkey breast in half if needed.

Classic Herb Stuffing (or use your favorite recipe or our Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing)

• 6-7 cups dried hearty bread (6 oz), such as French or Italian, cut into one-inch cubes 
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion (1 cup), diced
• 2 large stalks of celery (2 cups), diced
• 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped

(Note: To dry bread cubes, spread on baking sheet and bake at 250℉ for one hour.)

1. In medium to large skillet, melt olive oil and butter. Add celery and onion and sauté for 10 minutes until soft.
2. Place bread cubes in large bowl and pour broth over the cubes, stirring to moisten. Allow 5 to 10 minutes for broth to absorb into the bread.  
3. Stir in poultry seasoning, onion-celery mixture, and parsley. Add a bit more broth if mixture seems dry. 

Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

• 3 cups (1 lb.) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch, or bite sized cubes
• 2 and ½ cups (12 oz) Brussel sprouts, rinsed and stems trimmed (remove any discolored outer leaves)
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Toss all ingredients together and stir until vegetables are coated with glaze.

Assemble and roast one-sheet pan Thanksgiving Dinner

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Lightly coat 17”x12” sheet pan (or disposable aluminum pan) with cooking spray.
3. Spread stuffing over ⅓ of the pan. Place turkey breast on top of stuffing.* 
4. Spread the sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts medley over the remainder of the pan. 
5. Place in oven, uncovered, and roast for one hour. **
6. Remove pan from oven and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes. Turkey breast should register 155℉ to 165℉ on meat thermometer. 
7. Serve with gravy and/or cranberry sauce, if desired. (See below for our homemade recipes.) 

*Stuffing will be crispy around the edges and moist under the turkey. If you prefer very crispy stuffing, consider roasting stuffing and turkey on one pan and vegetables on a second sheet pan.

**During last 10 to 15 minutes of roasting: If adding asparagus, toss with a little olive oil. Using a spatula or large spoon, move sweet potatoes/Brussel sprouts to middle of pan, and place asparagus, single layer, on end of sheet.  If roasting green beans, use same method as asparagus but roast the last 20-25 minutes. 

Cranberry Sauce

• 4 cups (12 oz bag) fresh cranberries
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup orange juice or cherry juice

1. Combine sugars and juice in medium saucepan over medium high heat and stir until sugar dissolves. 
2. Stir in cranberries, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Remove from heat, allow to cool, then store in container in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Makes 2 cups.

Turkey Gravy 

• 4 Tablespoons all-purpose white flour
• 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce, optional*

1. Add flour to small saucepan. Slowly stir in ½ cup of broth and continue stirring until lumps are dissolved and sauce is smooth.
2. Turn on heat to medium high and add remaining broth, salt, and pepper. When sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. 
3. Add butter and Kitchen Bouquet and stir until butter is melted. 
4. Taste and add a little more salt or pepper, if desired.
5. Serve immediately, or cool and store in refrigerator to reheat later. Makes 2 cups.

*Kitchen Bouquet can be found in the grocery store aisle with gravy and gravy mixes. It deepens the gravy’s color for a more appetizing appearance. 

Nutritional Information: Thanksgiving Dinner
One Thanksgiving dinner serving (6 oz. turkey breast, 1/2 cup stuffing, 1 cup sweet potato/Brussel sprouts medley) does not include gravy or cranberry sauce: 820 calories; 29.2g total fat (9.3g saturated; 3.2g polyunsaturated, 14.4g monounsaturated); 922.2mg sodium; 88.4mg cholesterol; 124.6g carbohydrate; 51.7g sugars; 15.2g fiber; 37.6g protein; 770.6mg potassium.  

Nutritional Information: Classic Herb Stuffing
Per ½ cup: 445.3 calories; 14.6g total fat (6.7g saturated; 1.2g polyunsaturated, 5.5g monounsaturated); 832mg sodium; 48.8mg cholesterol; 68.3g carbohydrate; 30.3g sugars; 8.5g fiber; 15.7g protein; 391.1mg potassium.  

Nutritional Information: Sweet Potato & Brussel Sprouts Medley
Per cup: 243.1 calories; 7.1g total fat (0.0g saturated; 0.0g polyunsaturated, 0.0g monounsaturated); 57.2mg sodium; 0.0mg cholesterol; 44.9g carbohydrate; 22.5g sugars; 8.5g fiber; 5.9g protein; 218.0mg potassium.  

Nutritional Information: Cranberry Sauce
Per ¼ cup: 109.3 calories; 0.1g total fat (0.7g saturated; 0.1g polyunsaturated, 0.4g monounsaturated); 3.9mg sodium; 0.0mg cholesterol; 30.5g carbohydrate; 24.6g sugars; 2.1g fiber; 0.2g protein; 90.6mg potassium.  

Nutritional Information: Gravy
Per ¼ cup: 27.8 calories; 1.4g total fat (0.09g saturated; 0.7g polyunsaturated, 0.5g monounsaturated); 403.1mg sodium; 3.9mg cholesterol; 3.0g carbohydrate; 0.3g sugars; 0.1g fiber; 0.9g protein; 5.5mg potassium.