Say goodbye to the days of spending all your time in the kitchen to get Thanksgiving dinner on the table. This Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner recipe is the easiest way to serve a small turkey dinner with sides including butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and green beans. Ready in just an hour and half, this hack will change your life!
You'll need to spend about 20 minutes of prep time to make this sheet pan turkey dinner, then kick up your feet and join your family for holiday fun while you wait for dinner to roast in the oven in just over an hour. It's the easiest way to do Thanksgiving for 4, perfect for an intimate group of family and friends.
Why You'll Love this Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner
- It combines several dishes into one. Knock out your usual main and sides all at once — a juicy roasted turkey breast and three different vegetable side dishes. Sheet pan turkey and vegetables features the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner.
- Ready in a fraction of the time. You’ve probably spent hours upon hours in the kitchen tackling various cooking tasks to prepare a full spread for previous Thanksgivings. But if you are planning a more intimate dinner this year with a smaller group, this Thanksgiving dinner in a sheet pan frees up a ton of your time so you can spend more of it with your loved ones. It is ready from start to finish in an hour and 30 minutes (including prep!)
- No complicated cooking steps. Traditionally, roasting a turkey requires hours (if not days) of preparation, special techniques, and constant supervision. Eliminate all the complexities with this turkey breast instead. Plus, the sides are super easy to chop up and toss together too. No complicated steps there either.
- Perfect for a smaller Thanksgiving. Whether you are away from family and friends this year, hosting a small gathering, or just craving a solo turkey dinner solo to leave you turkey leftovers, this is the recipe for you. This is a stress-free way to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for 4 or 5 people (or less = more leftovers for you!).
Ingredient Notes
To make this delicious Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- olive oil - any vegetable oil will work as a great alternative. Try avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or coconut oil.
- turkey breast - though it’s certainly not Thanksgiving dinner without the turkey, you can use chicken breast in place of the turkey breast for easy sheet pan weeknight dinners at home.
- butternut squash - sweet potato or hubbard squash can be swapped for the butternut squash.
- brussels sprouts
- green beans - this recipe calls for fresh green beans, but you could also use canned or frozen if necessary. The texture of the green beans is best when you use fresh beans, though.
- seasoning - balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper are some of the seasonings that we use to season the turkey and/or veggies. Put your own spin on this recipe by swapping things out to switch up the flavor. We often use a blend of dried thyme and sage instead of Italian seasoning for the turkey.
You will also need measuring spoons, half sheet baking pan, and mixing bowls.
How to Make the Best Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner
- Prepare the turkey breast. Use a paper towel to pat the turkey breast completely dry. In a small mixing bowl, combine oil, salt, pepper paprika, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning, until combined. Rub the mixture all over the turkey breast and set it aside on a plate for 15 minutes at room temperature. It’s ideal to bring the seasoned turkey to room temperature to achieve more tender and juicier meat.
- Roast. Place the turkey breast on the centre of a large half sheet baking pan and bake in a 375F preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the vegetable sides. While the turkey is cooking, prepare the veggies by tossing the ingredients together in separate mixing bowls.
- For the butternut squash: In a large mixing bowl, toss together butternut squash, oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- For the Brussels sprouts: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together sprouts, oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- For the green beans: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together green beans, oil, salt and pepper.
- Add veggies. Once the turkey has been roasted for 30 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully arrange the seasoned vegetables around the turkey breast in a single layer. Be careful as the pan will be very hot.
- Bake. Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes until the butternut squash is fork tender and the turkey breast is fully through. The internal temperature for the turkey should reach at least 160F as read on a meat thermometer.
- Rest. Let the turkey breast sit for 10-20 minutes before slicing. Serve with the vegetables.
How to Serve
This Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner covers most of the bases, but it does miss some classics such as Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Cranberry Sauce are typically present at this holiday dinner. Remedy that by serving this roasted turkey and veggies on a bed of mashed potatoes with gravy and cranberry sauce.
Here are some more side dishes you can serve this with:
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
- Potato Dinner Rolls
- Creamed Corn
Storage and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
How to Freeze
Spread leftovers on a lined baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, then transfer into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat straight out of the freezer by sautéing until heated through or in the air fryer at 300F until warmed through.
How to Use Leftovers
You’ve probably heard of the Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, but what about Thanksgiving leftover stir-fry or Thanksgiving leftover quiche? Use the leftovers to craft an entirely new dish! Some of our favorite leftover dishes to make using any leftover turkey from this recipe are:
- Creamy Turkey Gnocchi Soup
- Leftover Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Coconut Curry Turkey
- Buffalo Turkey Wraps
- Turkey Tetrazzini with Spinach
- Turkey Potato Chowder
Browse all our favorite 15 Leftover Turkey Recipes.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Small Thanksgiving Menu for 4
- 40 Thanksgiving Main Dishes
- 50 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- 20 Thanksgiving Soup Recipes
- 30 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers
- 25 Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
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Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner is the easiest way to serve a small turkey dinner with sides. Ready in just an hour and half, this will change your life!
Ingredients
For the turkey:
- 1 turkey breast, boneless, skin on (about 2.5 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
For the butternut squash:
- 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
For the Brussels sprouts:
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the green beans:
- ½ pound green beans, ends trimmed
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Use a paper towel to pat the turkey breast completely dry.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine oil, salt, pepper paprika, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning, until combined. Rub the mixture all over the turkey breast and set it aside on a plate for 15 minutes at room temperature. It’s ideal to bring the seasoned turkey to room temperature to achieve more tender and juicier meat.
- Place the turkey breast on the centre of a large half sheet baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- While the turkey is cooking, prepare the veggies by tossing the ingredients together in separate mixing bowls.
- For the butternut squash: In a large mixing bowl, toss together butternut squash, oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- For the Brussels sprouts: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together sprouts, oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- For the green beans: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together green beans, oil, salt and pepper.
- Once the turkey has been roasted for 30 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully arrange the seasoned vegetables around the turkey breast in a single layer. Be careful as the pan will be very hot.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes until the butternut squash is fork tender and the turkey breast is fully through. The internal temperature for the turkey should reach at least 160F as read on a meat thermometer.
- Let the turkey breast sit for 10-20 minutes before slicing. Serve with the vegetables.
Notes
How to store: Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
How to freeze: Spread leftovers on a lined baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, then transfer into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat straight out of the freezer by sautéing until heated through or in the air fryer at 300F until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Turkey
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sheet pan thanksgiving dinner, sheet pan turkey dinner, thanksgiving dinner for 4, thanksgiving dinner in a sheet pan
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