Easy Thanksgiving Dinner for Two

Planning a Thanksgiving dinner but want to save yourself from the hassles of the elaborate cooking ritual associated with the festival? Here are some recipes that can help you plan out an easy Thanksgiving dinner portioned for two.


Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence."
―Erma Bombeck

One of the hardest things to do is to plan a holiday meal for just two people. Although you want to enjoy an elaborate meal, you know that cooking a huge turkey and lots of pies will leave with a month's worth of leftovers that you have to struggle to finish.

This does not mean that you have to make do with hot dogs and chips for your Thanksgiving dinner. All you need to do is scale down things a bit and stick to the traditional Thanksgiving theme. So instead of cooking a huge turkey, consider stuffed turkey breasts or a simple roast turkey instead. This Buzzle article provides some simple, no-hassle, delicious recipes that are sure to please your better half this Thanksgiving.

Salad with Pears and Gorgonzola

Ingredients
Pears, 2 (cored and sliced)
Butter lettuce, 1 head (cored, washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces)
Candied pecans, ½ cup
Gorgonzola cheese, ⅓ cup (crumbled)
Pomegranate seeds, ¼ cup
For the Dressing:
Roasted hazelnut oil, ⅓ cup
Champagne vinegar, 2 tbsp.
Honey, 1 tbsp.
Shallot, 1 tbsp. (ground)
Whole-grain mustard, 2 tsp.
Salt and pepper, a pinch each
Directions for Preparation
For making this simple, easy Thanksgiving dinner appetizer, toss the washed and torn lettuce with the pears, pomegranate seeds, candied pecans, and Gorgonzola in a large salad bowl.
For the dressing, place the mustard in a bowl and whisk the honey, shallots, and vinegar into it.
While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the hazelnut oil.
Season this with salt and pepper and toss half of this dressing over the salad.


Easy Roasted Herb Turkey

Ingredients
Turkey, 1 (whole)
Water, 2 cups
Olive oil, ¾ cup
Garlic powder, 2 tbsp.
Basil, 2 tsp. (dried)
Sage, 1 tsp. (ground)
Salt, 1 tsp.
Black pepper, ½ tsp.
Directions for Preparation
First clean the turkey well.
Preheat the oven to 325° F and place the cleaned turkey in a roasting pan with the lid.
Now combine the garlic powder, basil, sage, salt, and pepper with olive oil in a small bowl and apply it over the uncooked turkey.
Pour two cups of water at the bottom of the pan and cover.
Let the turkey bake for three hours. Then remove it from the pan and place it for carving after 30 minutes.
This classic turkey dish is not only easy to make but tastes delicious as well.


Stuffed Turkey Breasts

Ingredients
Onion, 1 cup (chopped)
Celery, 1 cup (chopped)
Butter, 3 cups
Parsley, 3 tablespoons (minced)
White bread cubes, 9 cups
1 egg plus 1 egg white, slightly beaten
Turkey breast, 3 pounds (boned and skinned)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions for Preparation
To make the stuffing, heat a skillet and add some butter. Saute the chopped onion and celery for ten minutes. Add parsley, half a teaspoon of salt, and some pepper. Stir in the bread cubes and eggs. Set the stuffing aside.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. On a chopping board, lay the turkey breast which has been cut side up. Cut the breast horizontally to make a pocket for the stuffing.
Spread the meat and pound it with a rolling pin till it is about quarter-inch thick. Season the turkey with salt and spread the stuffing on top.
Roll the turkey breast and tie it with a butcher twine. Place the rolled turkey breast on a roasting pan and brush some melted butter on top. Cook for an hour and half or till the meat thermometer reads 185 degrees F.


Cranberry and Ginger Relish

Ingredients
Navel orange, 1 (large, skin and rind cut into chunks)
Cranberries, 1 bag (fresh)
Sugar, ¾ to 1 cup
Crystallized ginger, ⅓ cup (chopped)
Directions for Preparation
Chop the oranges slightly in a food processor.
Add the cranberries, sugar, and crystallized ginger and mix all the ingredients together until they are well-blended.
Remove from the processor, place in a serving dish, and refrigerate it for some time before serving.


Orange-flavored Green Beans

Ingredients
Green beans, ¼ pound (trimmed)
Orange peel, ¼ of the entire peel
Butter, 1 tbsp.
Chives, 1 tbsp. (fresh, snipped)
Salt, to taste
Directions for Preparation
Pour water into a saucepan to fill up about 2 inches of it and heat it.
When the water starts to boil, add the beans and the orange peel to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
Remember, the beans must retain their plush green hue when done.
After that, discard the peel and drain the water from the pan.
Now add the chives, butter, and salt to the pan and toss until the beans are uniformly coated. Serve hot.


Creamy Baked Corn

Ingredients
Saltines, 8 (crushed)
Egg, 1
Cream-style corn, 1 8.25-oz. can
Milk (2% milkfat), ¼ cup
Butter, 1 tbsp. (molten)
Pepper, ⅛ tsp.
Salt, ⅛ tsp.
Directions for Preparation
Coat a baking dish well with some cooking spray and keep aside.
Now, commingle the saltines, corn, butter, pepper, and salt in a bowl and pour it into the greased baking dish.
Whisk the milk and egg together and then pour the concoction over the corn mixture uniformly.
Bake this at a temperature of 350° F for 45 minutes. No need to cover the baking dish.
Insert a knife at the center of the mixture to check whether it is done. Your dish is ready when the knife comes out clean. Serve hot.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk

Ingredients
Sweet potatoes, 3 (medium)
Lite coconut milk, ¾ cup
Ginger, 1 tbsp. (fresh, ground)
Salt, ½ tsp.
Directions for Preparation
For making this dish, prick the medium-sized potatoes using a fork.
Bake them till they are tender for around an hour at 425° F.
When the dish has cooled, peel off the skin and transfer them to a medium-sized microwave bowl.
Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes thoroughly.
Now add coconut milk, salt, and ginger and mix well.
Reheat the microwave and cook for some 10 more minutes.


Pumpkin Cream Pie

Ingredients
Instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 packets
Pie crust, 1 (baked)
Milk, 2 cups (cold)
Canned pumpkin, 1 cup
Whipped topping, 1 cup (frozen)
Pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp.
Directions for Preparation
In a narrow bottom bowl, combine the pumpkin, pie filling mixture, spices, and whipped topping with the two cups of milk.
Using the electric mixer, beat the ingredients for about a minute at the lowest speed.
Pour it into a pie shell and refrigerate for three hours.


Using these simple recipes, the easy Thanksgiving dinner can be transformed into a beautiful and fun-filled event. Although you might feel that you are taking a shortcut with these simple recipes instead of the elaborate dinners, what is essential is that you have fun and enjoy the festival instead off slogging it off in the kitchen. So plan out this easy Thanksgiving dinner for couple and enjoy the festival to the fullest.