Thanksgiving Budget Recipes

Find healthy, delicious Thanksgiving recipes on a budget. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Broccoli Casserole

Rating: Unrated
10
The lightened-up luscious sauce elevates this easy casserole recipe over standard broccoli and cheese side dishes.
By Breana Killeen

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

Rating: Unrated
11
Fresh herbs, onion and bacon sauté alongside Brussels sprouts in this easy vegetable side dish recipe. This savory dish is delicious in the fall and winter months, when Brussels sprouts are in season. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, don't be intimidated--buy them, as they're likely more fresh. Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Rosemary-Ginger French 75

Rating: Unrated
1
Rosemary and ginger add a flavorful twist to a classic citrusy gin cocktail topped with a little bubbly for a festive libation.
By Stephanie Olson

Dill Mustard Sauce

Rating: Unrated
1
This tangy mustard-dill sauce recipe is delicious served with smoked salmon, used as a vegetable dip or spread on a sandwich.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Cassoulet

Rating: Unrated
1
This classic French stew recipe is typically made with a variety of meats and simmered over the course of multiple days. In this easy, streamlined cassoulet, the slow cooker makes it a breeze to have a healthy dinner on the table when you get home.
By Stacy Fraser

Massaged Kale Salad

Rating: Unrated
19
Here a pungent garlicky dressing is infused into kale by massaging the greens and the dressing together with your hands. Any type of kale will work in this kale salad recipe, just remember to remove the tough stems before you start.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Rating: Unrated
1
This simple slow-cooker mashed potatoes recipe skips tedious peeling and boiling and helps save precious stovetop space by letting the slow cooker do the work. It's a great timesaving set-it-and-forget-it side dish recipe to round out any hearty meal. Buttermilk makes the mashed potatoes creamy while garlic and shallots add flavor.
By Carolyn Casner

Hasselback Potatoes with Cheese

Hasselback potatoes are the perfect side dish for people who love crispy potato-chip-like slices as well as the tender interior of a baked potato. Simple to prepare, these hasselback potatoes look impressive and decadent with melted Cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of paprika on top.
By Carolyn Casner

Creamy Turnip Soup

Rating: Unrated
4
In this recipe, the humble turnip is transformed into a rich turnip soup made creamy with just 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve it as a starter or side soup. The mini salad on top is optional, but we love the bit of texture from the greens and pop of flavor from the vinaigrette.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sauteed Broccoli & Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

Rating: Unrated
3
In this easy vegetable side dish, broccoli and kale are drizzled with a butter, garlic and crushed red pepper sauce. Serve this healthy recipe alongside roasted chicken, turkey or ham--or on top of your favorite whole grain, such as quinoa or farro.
By Lia Huber

Savory Chestnut Puree

Rating: Unrated
2
Try this easy, elegant chestnut puree with roasted quail, turkey or chicken.
By Virginia Willis

Rosemary-Ginger Honey Simple Syrup

This simple-syrup recipe will take your cocktails to the next level. Honey makes the sweet base for this 4-ingredient syrup that is enhanced with fresh rosemary and ginger.
By Stephanie Olson

Inspiration and Ideas

20 Tasty Ways to Use Up Your Leftover Turkey

20 Tasty Ways to Use Up Your Leftover Turkey

Sautéed Butternut Squash

Sautéed Butternut Squash

Sautéeing butternut squash in olive oil quickly yields perfectly cooked results and slighly caramelizes the squash for extra flavor. This recipe makes a delicious vegetable side dish to pair with roasted meats.
Slow-Cooker Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Slow-Cooker Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Rating: Unrated
4
Loaded Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon, Cheddar & Chives

Loaded Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon, Cheddar & Chives

Rating: Unrated
1
Creamed Spinach Casserole

Creamed Spinach Casserole

Rating: Unrated
5
Chile-Lime Peanuts

Chile-Lime Peanuts

Rating: Unrated
8

Polenta Wedges with Tomato Tapenade

Rating: Unrated
2

Crispy pieces of polenta topped with a tangy sun-dried tomato tapenade makes a pretty and tasty appetizer.

All Thanksgiving Budget Recipes

Cranberry-Rosemary Stuffed Pork Loin

Rating: Unrated
4
This cranberry-rosemary stuffed pork tenderloin recipe looks gorgeous with the cranberry- and rosemary-flecked stuffing bursting from the juicy browned pork loin. Don't be scared by the task of double butterflying a pork loin--the process is fairly simple.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Rating: Unrated
1
If you're looking for a twist on classic scalloped potatoes, this recipe using roasted sweet potatoes and melty Gruyère has all the creaminess of the original with a new flavor twist. The sweet potatoes and lightened sauce--made with flour and low-fat milk--keep it healthier than butter- and cream-laden versions. Don't cut your sweet potatoes too thin--they'll turn mushy under the sauce.
By Hilary Meyer

Cranberry-Apple Smoothie

Rating: Unrated
1
This riff on a classic fruit juice combines sweet apples with tart cranberries for a healthy, fiber-filled smoothie.
By Devon O'Brien

Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Rating: Unrated
2
Typical green bean casseroles bathe ingredients in a heavy cream sauce and top them with buttered breadcrumbs or cheese. Our healthier version saves about 160 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat compared to a traditional recipe.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

Rating: Unrated
7
These rolls are wonderfully fluffy and packed with cinnamon flavor--you'd never know they're gluten-free. Plus, with only one rise time, this recipe is quicker to make than other yeasted doughs.
By Devon O'Brien

Mini New York Cheesecakes

Rating: Unrated
2
These mini cheesecakes aren't just adorable--baked in a muffin tin, they're quicker to make than traditional cheesecake and perfectly portioned.
By Breana Killeen

Simple Green Salad with Citronette

Frisée and radicchio are both assertive, slightly bitter greens that add color and texture to any salad. Match them with mellower-flavored greens, such as red leaf lettuce, baby spinach or even Boston lettuce.
By Eataly and Lidia Bastianich

Cranberry Bundt Cake

Rating: Unrated
6
In this healthy cranberry-walnut Bundt cake recipe, Greek yogurt and shredded apple or pear keep the cake moist and are a healthy substitute for extra butter. If you want to use something other than allspice, try pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon in the filling. For a nut-free variation, omit the walnuts in the cake or use chopped dried cranberries in their place.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Roasted Pears with Brie & Pistachios

Rating: Unrated
6
Roasted pears with Brie and pistachios is delicious as a first course or a side with roast pork or lamb. Leave the stems on for the prettiest presentation.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

"Use a Spoon" Chopped Salad

Rating: Unrated
13
When Paul Newman and Michel Nischan opened their Westport, Connecticut, restaurant Dressing Room, Paul's request was that the menu always include a chopped salad that you could eat with a spoon. This chopped salad recipe is full of great flavors, colors and textures, featuring celery, carrots, red pepper, apple, cucumber, greens, cabbage, goat cheese and almonds. This is great for any holiday meal: you can let it stand and it stays crisp.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Layered Mashed Potato & Mushroom Casserole

Rating: Unrated
11
Fancy up regular mashed potatoes with a layer of mushroom duxelle--a sauté of finely chopped mushrooms and shallots. We omitted the traditional butter in the duxelle and added chard for a nutritional boost. Serve this hearty side in place of mashed potatoes at any holiday feast or enjoy it as a vegetarian main dish.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Simple Roast Chicken

Rating: Unrated
3
There's no reason to get overly fussy with complicated techniques for a flavorful, rich and simple roast chicken, the ultimate comfort food.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon-Dill Green Beans

Rating: Unrated
14
This lemon and dill vinaigrette is a natural complement to green beans. It's also great tossed with steamed asparagus or drizzled over sliced fresh tomatoes. To make this recipe serve 10, multiply all the ingredients by 2 1/2: Use 2 1/2 pounds green beans, 3 tablespoons dill, 2 1/2 tablespoons each shallot, oil and lemon juice, 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

Rating: Unrated
2
Vinegar is the key to making this sautéed kale recipe special. Look for vinegar that's cloudy--it likely still has some of the mother in the bottle and will give you a sweet acidity rather than a harsh bite. Organic apple cider vinegar is usually your best bet. For the most eye-catching version of this side, use different colored varieties of kale.
By Summer Miller

Curried Cashews

Rating: Unrated
4
These curried cashews are impossibly addictive--every time we made them in the Test Kitchen they disappeared in a flash. If you use salted cashews, omit the added salt.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Banana Bread French Toast

Rating: Unrated
2
Take banana bread to the next level when you soak it in a classic French toast batter and fry it for an impressive (but oh so easy!) breakfast or brunch. Top with chopped walnuts, sliced bananas and maple syrup for extra decadence.
By Breana Killeen

Garlic-Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Rating: Unrated
2
Speed up roasting vegetables, like these lemon-and-thyme-infused Brussels sprouts, by cooking them on two large baking sheets instead of just one. This basic roasting technique also works for other root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and potatoes.
By Hilary Meyer

Spatchcock Turkey with Sage & Thyme

Rating: Unrated
3
When it comes to cooking a whole turkey quickly and evenly, spatchcocking--removing the entire backbone from the bird and splaying it open--is a great technique. This skin on this spatchcocked turkey gets crispy and browned because nearly all of the skin is exposed. This recipe uses a simple blend of oil, fresh herbs and spices for classic roasted turkey flavor. Look for a small turkey, about 12 pounds, as it fits better in most roasting pans.
By Carolyn Casner

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins

Rating: Unrated
11
These lemony cranberry-studded muffins crunch lightly with cornmeal and are topped with a kiss of sugared lemon zest. They're great warm from the oven, but also keep well for a few days and freeze beautifully.
By Melissa Pasanen

Scandinavian Pickled Herring Bites

Rating: Unrated
1
This Scandinavian-style appetizer is a good way to try pickled herring if you've never had it. The potent flavor of the herring is balanced by a dollop of sour cream and the potato slice it's served on.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sweet Potato Pie with Cream Cheese Swirl

Rating: Unrated
7
This creamy sweet potato pie recipe is seasoned like a pumpkin pie with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg and gets nice ginger flavor from the gingersnap crust. For the best results, roast sweet potatoes in the oven; in a pinch, microwave them instead.
By Stacy Fraser

Orange Spice Molasses Cookies

Rating: Unrated
25
These spiced molasses cookies have added applesauce to help keep the cookies moist, and whole-wheat flour and oats to incorporate whole grains.
By Shyla Huber

Two Simple Herb-Roasted Chickens

We've included a basic herb combination in this recipe for roasting two chickens at once, but season your chicken with whatever herbs you like. Though we like to roast two chickens at once, you can also easily halve all the ingredients and just roast one.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Bacon Mashed Potatoes

Rating: Unrated
2
Serve these bacon-studded chunky mashed potatoes with grilled steak or chicken.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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