Tender juicy turkey breast roasted with butter and herbs, delicious stuffing, crispy Yukon potatoes, and garlicky asparagus — I’m so excited about this easy Thanksgiving dinner for two or four people. How long it takes: 25 minutes to prep, 1 hour and 20 minutes to roast Equipment you’ll need: large sheet pan (13 x 18 inches) Servings: 4 Easy cleanup. You may be thinking rather dubiously, a sheet pan turkey dinner? Really? How does that work? Well, it works wonderfully! And deliciously! And there’s only one pan to wash. Does it get better than that? I don’t think so. You’ll find this steak sheet pan dinner equally as amazing. Perfect any time of year! This “mini Thanksgiving dinner” is a sensible choice year round. If you prefer, roast a small whole chicken instead of a turkey breast. Both work equally well. Add easy side dishes. Looking for a few sides to serve with your dinner? I love easy cinnamon apple cranberry sauce and you can make that a day or two ahead. If your Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without sweet potatoes, try vanilla bean mashed sweet potatoes, or substitute sweet potatoes for the Yukon potatoes in the sheet pan dinner. You’ll see lots more ideas at the end of this post. Make an easy pumpkin dessert. Try no-bake mini pumpkin tarts topped with homemade whipped cream. Easy pumpkin pudding is delicious, too, and can be made ahead. My recipe for homemade pumpkin pie is easy to make, too. Didn’t Thanksgiving just get a bit less challenging? I hope so! Have a wonderful dinner together, whether it’s with two of you or ten. Pause for a moment to express gratitude for the good things in your lives; we’ve been blessed with so much! Just sitting down to a delicious meal with a loved one is a blessing beyond compare, isn’t it?
About This Turkey Sheet Pan Dinner
This really isn’t a complicated recipe at all, although there are a few steps. You may look at the list of ingredients and think, Whew, that looks like a pretty long list, but just remember, it’s for your whole dinner! That puts things into perspective a bit and the list doesn’t look quite as daunting. You’ll find the complete recipe on the recipe card below but here’s a quick run-down of the process. Start roasting the turkey breast. You’ll start the turkey breast in the oven first. It will look a little lonely on the sheet pan but don’t worry, turkey, you’ll have company soon. While the turkey is roasting, prepare the other ingredients. Make the homemade stuffing. Chop up celery, carrots, and onions, and lots of fresh herbs. Mix them right into the stuffing. There’s no need to sauté them first, they’ll roast in the oven and become nice and tender. Find a hearty coarse bakery bread for the dressing, such as French bread, Italian bread, or another bread of your choice. Stale bread is perfect. In fact, stale bread is so much better because it will absorb moisture but still crisp up on the edges. Don’t be tempted to use the dried cubes that come in a bag already seasoned, they really don’t work with this recipe (they’re perfect for slow cooker stuffing, though). Add the stuffing and potatoes to the pan. After the turkey has roasted for 50 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and take the turkey breast off (just set it on a plate, it’s only going to be there for a minute or two). Arrange the stuffing on one half of the pan and the potatoes on the other half. Continue roasting the turkey dinner. Back into the oven it goes for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the internal temp of the turkey is 165ºF when tested with an instant-read thermometer. Add the asparagus. Place the turkey breast on a clean serving platter, keeping it warm with foil tented over it. Arrange the asparagus on top of the potatoes, and place the sheet pan back in the oven to finish up. The asparagus won’t take long, only about 10 minutes. It depends a bit on how thick your spears are and how tender you like them. Isn’t it kind of amazing that your entire Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, dressing, potatoes, and vegetable, is baked on one pan? Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn’t it? Imagine, only one pan to wash!
What You’ll Need
There are four parts to this sheet pan dinner: herb butter turkey breast, sourdough dressing (stuffing), roasted parmesan potatoes, and garlic asparagus.
Herb Butter Turkey Breast
Boneless, skin-in turkey breast, about 2 pounds, thawed Fresh sage, butter, garlic, salt and pepper
Sourdough Dressing (Stuffing)
Bread cubes, cut from slightly stale sourdough or French bread Carrots, celery, onions Butter Egg Chicken stock (or turkey) Garlic Thyme, rosemary, sage
Roasted Parmesan Potatoes
Yukon gold potatoes, cut into cubes (no need to peel) Parmesan cheese, finely grated Olive oil Salt and pepper
Garlic Asparagus
Fresh asparagus spears Garlic Olive oil, salt, and pepper
Make It Your Own
Substitute chicken. Not crazy about turkey? Replace the turkey breast with a small whole chicken (approx. 3 pounds). We’ve tested it both ways, and found that a turkey breast and a whole chicken work equally as well with the same cooking instructions. Or, if you prefer, roast a whole chicken with potatoes, carrots, and onions in a Dutch oven or in your crockpot (we love doing a whole chicken in the crockpot!). Substitute sweet potatoes for the Yukon gold potatoes, or make a combination of both. Other potato varieties will work well, too. Substitute a different vegetable. If asparagus isn’t your favorite or you can’t find any, green beans or Brussels sprouts are a good choice.
Storage & Reheating Tips
If you have leftovers, store them separately in the fridge for up to a couple of days. Reheat gently in the microwave.
Thanksgiving Recipes
Looking for more sides or ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner? Take a look at a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. You’ll also find a helpful day-to-day, hourly guide for the big day. If you’re inclined toward a healthier holiday, take a look at my healthy Thanksgiving recipes collection. Quick-Start Guide!