Whether you’re not a huge fan of turkey or avoid eating meat, there are many ways you can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without the starring bird. From roast chicken and baked salmon to plant-based alternatives like stuffed squash and cauliflower steaks, these main dishes will pair perfectly with your favorite traditional sides. Recipes like our Chicken & Green Bean Casserole and Sheet-Pan Salmon with Melting Leeks are so delicious, they may just become a part of your menu every year.
Chicken & Green Bean Casserole
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This chicken and green bean casserole is our spin on a classic Thanksgiving favorite. By adding tender, juicy chicken to the traditional ingredients of green bean casserole, we transform it into a main dish, the perfect meal for any night of the week. It’s a nostalgic nod to the flavors of Thanksgiving, wrapped up in a convenient, one-dish dinner that’s just as cozy and delicious!
Cheesy Twice-Baked Butternut Squash
Photographer: Hannah Hufham, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser
These stuffed roasted butternut squash halves get the same treatment as a twice-baked potato, with a garlicky creamed spinach mixture blended together with the roasted squash. The mixture is scooped back into the skin, then broiled to melt the nutty Gruyère cheese on top. This sweet and savory dish is simple enough for a weeknight or makes an excellent vegetarian main course for your holiday table.
Sheet-Pan Salmon with Melting Leeks
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This panko-crusted salmon roasts alongside tender leeks, which offer a boost of prebiotics to support a healthy gut. Yogurt offers probiotics and enhances the flavor, while black lentils offer fiber that helps maintain a balanced and healthy digestive system.
Roasted Garlic-Butter Cauliflower Steaks
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
These roasted garlic-butter cauliflower steaks are a game-changer, turning a simple vegetable into a mouthwatering main dish. Thick slices of cauliflower are roasted to golden perfection, infused with the savory flavors of garlic butter. Whether you’re a longtime vegetarian or just looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet, these cauliflower steaks won’t disappoint.
Spaghetti Squash Nests with Vodka Sauce, Broccoli & Chicken Meatballs
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
These spaghetti squash nests with vodka sauce, broccoli and chicken meatballs are every bit as delicious as they sound. By cutting the spaghetti squash into rings, you reduce the cooking time and also create “nests” that make the perfect low-carb base. To make cutting the squash easier, prick the squash all over with a fork and microwave in 1-minute bursts until it’s soft enough to cut.
Roast Chicken with Cider Gravy
Carson Downing
Tucking fresh herbs and garlic between the skin and the breast infuses the meat with flavor. We use thyme here, but you can also use fresh rosemary or parsley. If you have a rack, place the chicken on it to allow the hot air to circulate. You can also improvise a rack (as we do here) by setting the chicken on the neck and giblets.
Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Almond Pesto & Butter Beans
Need some new meatless dinner ideas? This vegan recipe for grilled cauliflower steaks with buttery (but butter-free!) butter beans and almond pesto comes together in just 25 minutes but is impressive enough to serve to guests. We’re sorry to ask you to buy 2 heads of cauliflower to make this recipe when you only cut a couple of “steaks” from each, but it guarantees the best results. Just think of it this way: having leftovers gives you an excuse to try one of our many other healthy cauliflower recipes!
Braised Brisket & Roots
This braised brisket gets a decidedly wintery feel from the earthy-sweet flavors of carrots, parsnips and rutabaga.
Fennel & Meyer Lemon-Stuffed Salmon
For this simple baked salmon recipe, just order the right size whole salmon from your grocery store or fish market and have them clean and scale it. You can also use two smaller fish (1 to 2 pounds each) and reduce the roasting time by about 10 minutes. If you like, you can opt for other species, such as striped bass, snapper or tilapia.
Apple & Pecan Stuffed Butternut Squash
Let this cute little vegetarian stuffed squash side dish steal the show at the dinner table! Butternut squash is stuffed with a sweet and savory filling that gets a crispy finish under the broiler. If you can’t find small butternut squash, honeynut squash is a great alternative. Shaped much like a butternut squash (but smaller), the honeynut squash has a deep orange skin and sweet flesh.
Cranberry-Balsamic Chicken Thighs
To round out this healthy chicken dinner recipe, put some farro on to cook before you start cooking the chicken. Add some steamed broccoli and serve with a glass of pinot noir.
Moroccan Chickpea-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Think of this healthy vegetarian side dish recipe as a meatless tagine served in a squash bowl. Kabocha, sweet dumpling or carnival squash make good alternatives to acorn squash. To make this side a hearty vegetarian meal, serve 2 halves each.
Irish Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables
In this easy one-pan dinner, boneless pork loin roast is cooked over a bed of carrots and parsnips for an all-in-one dish that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner. Choose free-range heritage pork if you can–its flavor really shines with no more seasoning than a bit of thyme and a little sea salt. If you’d like, dress up the meal with a traditional Irish apple condiment–Ploughmans chutney or Bramley applesauce, which you can find in specialty stores and online.
Roast Chicken with Fennel & Preserved Lemon
Leigh Beisch
The flavors in this spice rub are reminiscent of Italian gremolata. Turn any leftover meat into a fantastic chicken salad.
Instant Pot Garlic & Rosemary Roast Pork Loin
Julia Estrada
It’s remarkable that a pork roast can be so good so quickly! The gravy is rich and flavorful and the meat is moist and perfectly cooked—using an Instant Pot is a real game changer for pork loin roast.
Air-Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
Antonis Achilleos
Replicate the flavor, lovely burnished skin and moist texture of a classic rotisserie chicken with this easy recipe for cooking a whole chicken in your air fryer. With just a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes of active time, you get a roast chicken with lemon and herbs that’s a remarkable doppelganger for a deli chicken right after it comes out of the rotisserie. Serve this air-fryer rotisserie chicken with your favorite veggie sides for a healthy weeknight dinner or weekend supper. And if you’re hosting a dinner party, cooking your main course in the air fryer is also a great way free up oven space for casseroles, rolls and other dishes.
Quinoa-Stuffed Delicata Squash
With its pretty striped skin and uniform shape, delicata squash is a beautiful vessel for serving up this healthy quinoa stuffing. Serve this recipe as a stunning side dish or a vegetarian main with a big leafy green salad alongside.
Garlic-Rosemary Roast Beef with Horseradish Sauce
The eye of round is a lean, boneless cut of beef that’s less expensive than a tenderloin or rib roast but just as delicious. It’s best served medium-rare–when cooked to higher temperatures it can become tough. Topping it with a finger-licking-good horseradish sauce makes this roast beef holiday-worthy.
Basic Whole Roast Chicken
This roasted chicken recipe may be the most useful recipe you’ll ever find. It’s a meal on its own or the start of any recipe that calls for cooked chicken–perfect for meal-prepping lunches or dinners to have throughout the week.
Sweet Potato Hash Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Diced sweet potato, bell peppers and apples make a vegan stuffing inspired by the flavors of sausage. To add that savory flavor, we use poultry seasoning (don’t worry, there’s no actual poultry in it!). Piled into portobello mushroom caps, it creates a beautiful and filling plant-based main dish–perfect for the holidays.
Grandma’s Polish-Style Roast Chicken
Serve this spice-roasted chicken with buttered egg noodles and steamed green beans.
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Honey-Almond Green Beans
Pork tenderloin just got even better with the addition of a crispy layer of bacon.
Vegan Cauliflower Steaks with Mushroom Gravy
The highlight of this gorgeous vegan holiday main dish recipe is the surprisingly rich dairy-free mushroom gravy. The roasted cauliflower is also pleasantly delicious thanks to a little caramelization while roasting. Smother a side of vegan mashed potatoes with any extra gravy.
Pork Loin Roast with Pepper Jelly Glaze
Chef Frank Brigtsen, of Brigtsen’s restaurant in New Orleans, makes homemade pepper jelly to glaze thick pork chops for Réveillon. He recommends two ways to simplify for the home cook: go for store-bought jelly and, instead of chops, a pork loin roast.