Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner (Turkey, Dressing & More)
Cooking a smaller dinner for Thanksgiving? You will love this sheet pan Thanksgiving dinner with turkey breast, stuffing, potatoes, and asparagus all cooked on one pan. So delicious and such an easy clean up!
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.
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.
Actually, this “mini Thanksgiving dinner” is perfect any time of year. If you prefer, roast a small whole chicken instead of a turkey breast. Both work equally well.
Looking for a few more sides to serve with your dinner? I love this 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 sides at the end of this post.
For a super easy dessert, I love no-bake mini pumpkin tarts topped with homemade whipped cream.
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 sheet pan Thanksgiving 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. 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.
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 good hearty coarse 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).
After the turkey has roasted for 50 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, take the turkey breast off, and arrange the stuffing on one half of the pan and the potatoes on the other half. Set the turkey on top of the dressing. Back into the oven it goes for another 20-25 minutes, or until the internal temp of the turkey is 165ºF when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
Place the turkey breast on a 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’s on the sheet pan?
You will need a large rimmed sheet pan (18 x 13 inches). If you don’t already have one, it’s a good kitchen investment. I use mine nearly every day. In addition to wonderful sheet pan dinners, you’ll use it for roasted vegetables, baking bacon, and a host of other recipes.
Herb Butter Turkey Breast
- Boneless, skin-in turkey breast, about 2 pounds, thawed
- Fresh sage, butter, garlic, salt and pepper
Sourdough Dressing aka 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
How to make this sheet pan turkey dinner your own:
- 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 or a whole chicken work equally as well with the same cooking instructions.
- Substitute sweet potatoes for the Yukon gold potatoes, or use a couple of each. Other potato varieties will work well, too.
- If you want, substitute a different vegetable for the asparagus. Green beans would be a good choice.
Storage and Reheating Tips
If you have leftovers, store them separately in the fridge for up to a couple of days. Reheat gently in the microwave.
More Thanksgiving ideas
Looking for more sides or ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner? Take a look at a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes:
- Green Bean Casserole (without canned soup)
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Crockpot Stuffing (this is my favorite way to make stuffing)
- Brussels Sprouts Salad with Green Apples and Cranberries
- Cheesy Brussels Sprouts au Gratin
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free)
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Cranberry Sauce with Roasted Grapes, Apples, and Shallots
- Cranberry Pecan Pie
- Apple Cider Mule (Fall Moscow Mule)
- Cranberry Walnut Bread with Oats
Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner
Cooking a smaller dinner for Thanksgiving? You love this sheet pan Thanksgiving dinner with turkey breast, stuffing, potatoes, and asparagus all cooked on one pan. So delicious and such an easy clean up!
Ingredients
Turkey
- 1 boneless skin-on turkey breast, thawed (about 2 pounds) *see notes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 3-4 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Herb Dressing
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup chicken stock (or turkey stock, if you have it)
- 1/2 loaf stale french or sourdough bread in ¾” cubes-- about 4 cups
- 1 large carrot, diced (1/4 - 1/2 cup)
- 1 stalk celery, diced (1/4 - 1/2 cup)
- ½ yellow onion, diced (about ¼ cup)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste
Garlic Roasted Asparagus
- 1/2 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Par-bake the Turkey Breast
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and lightly lift the skin from the breast— but don’t remove it entirely.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture over the breast meat, under the skin, and then place the skin back on top of the butter. Drizzle the olive oil over the outside of the turkey. Place it on a large sheet pan and bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes.
Assemble the Sides
- While the turkey bakes, assemble the sides as follows:
- Combine the potatoes, olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine all of the herb dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the garlic roasted asparagus ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Finish Baking
- Increase the oven temperature to 400ºF.
- Remove the turkey from the sheet pan. Arrange the dressing in a single layer on half the sheet pan. Arrange the potatoes on the other side of the sheet pan in a single layer. Place the turkey on top of the dressing. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and check the internal temperature of the turkey using an instant-read food thermometer. It should be at 165ºF. Remove to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest.
- Stir the dressing and potatoes. Place the asparagus on top of the potatoes. Roast for an additional 10 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender.
- Slice turkey and serve with sides.
Notes
- Use an instant read thermometer to gauge your turkey’s doneness— undercooking your turkey could cause food borne illness and overcooking your turkey will cause it to be dry.
- If you don’t have stale bread, place the bread on a separate sheet pan and bake it during the turkey par-bake to dry it out.
- If desired, substitute a whole chicken for the turkey breast. Sweet potatoes or another potato variety can be substituted for the Yukon gold potatoes. Green beans are a good substitute for asparagus.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 of 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 697Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 1612mgCarbohydrates: 95gFiber: 10gSugar: 8gProtein: 25g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
2 Comments on “Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner (Turkey, Dressing & More)”
this would be great any time of year
I agree 100%! We tested it with chicken, too.