OP One Pan

Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner (Turkey, Dressing & More)

Name: Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 105 min
Ingredients: 2 lb. boneless skin-on turkey breast, thawed; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened; 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced ( (about 1 teaspoon)); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 3 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; 1 large egg, beaten; 3/4 cup chicken stock ( (or turkey stock, if you have it)); 4 cups (1/2 loaf) cubed stale French or sourdough bread ((¾” cubes)); 1/2 cup diced carrot ((one large carrot)); 1/2 cup diced celery, ((one stalk)); 1/4 cup diced yellow onion ((about 1/2 of a medium onion)); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 2 cloves garlic, 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; 1/2 pound fresh asparagus; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced ( (about 2 teaspoons)); Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

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By: Rachel GurkPosted: 11/20/2020Updated: 09/20/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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!

A sheet pan with a turkey breast, sourdough dressing, roasted potatoes, and asparagus.

Table of Contents open

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. You’ll find this Steak Sheet Pan Dinner equally as amazing.

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 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, try 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?

Overhead view of a sheet pan thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and asparagus.

About This 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. 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).

Stuffing in a white bowl before it is cooked.

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. 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 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.

Turkey breast being carved with a knife and fork.

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

A large rimmed sheet pan (18 x 13 inches) is essential. 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

Ingredients needed for roasted asparagus, on a white background.

Garlic Asparagus

Fresh asparagus spears
Garlic
Olive oil, salt, and pepper

Turkey breast placed on top of stuffing.

FAQs

Can you cook a turkey on a sheet pan?

While you normally need a roasting pan to cook a whole turkey, a turkey breast can easily be accommodated on a sheet pan. If you’d like to cook a whole turkey on your sheet pan, deconstruct the turkey, that is, cut it into five pieces. (leg/thigh, wings, breast, back is discarded). It will cook much more quicklythan a whole turkey.

Are sheet pan meals safe?

Certainly yes! There is less risk cooking on a sheet pan than there is cooking a stuffed turkey because the stuffing isn’t inside the turkey. Most sheet pan meals combine vegetables and meat but are cooked at a high enough temperature so that bacteria is not a problem.

Should I cover my turkey with aluminum foil?

It’s not necessary with this sheet pan dinner. It’s really not in the oven long enough to dry out. f you feel that the turkey is getting too brown, feel free to loosely cover it with foil.

Make It 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. Or, if you prefer, roast a whole chicken with potatoes, carrots, and onions in a more traditional fashion.
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 are a good choice.