18 Thanksgiving Recipes for Two

You don't have to skip the traditional Thanksgiving dinner if it's just the two of you--and you also don't have to eat turkey for days. In fact, you may not want to wait for a special occasion to have this satisfying mini celebration.

Green bean casserole is usually built for a crowd, but not this one! It's perfectly portioned for a smaller Thanksgiving and done on the stovetop to free up oven space. Fresh breadcrumbs combined with caramelized onions deliver a savory alternative to the classic fried onions.

If you love sweet potato casserole, but don't have a crowd to enjoy it with, try this stuffed sweet potato "casserole" for two. One sweet potato yields the perfect amount for two people while keeping true to the classic flavors you'd expect for Thanksgiving and other holidays.

Caramel adds a sweet and salty note to this classic apple crisp designed just for two. Store-bought caramel sauce works well here, but it's easy to make your own if you prefer. Drizzle it over the warm apple crisp right before serving if you want to make this easy dessert an extra-special treat.

Sourdough bread, a mix of earthy mushrooms and wild rice fill sweet acorn squash in this vegan Thanksgiving dish that's just the right size for two people. Sweet carnival squash, with its stripes and speckles, is a fun alternative to acorn squash if you can get your hands on one.

Hearty Brussels sprouts pair nicely with salty bacon and onions in this quick Thanksgiving side dish for two. A sweet balsamic glaze makes a nice complement drizzled over the top, but it's not necessary to enjoy this classic combo. For a twist on this recipe, try swapping pancetta for the bacon. If you want to have leftovers, this recipe is easily doubled.

Bright and refreshing, this gin gimlet is made with sage-infused simple syrup and muddled fresh sage. This light and festive cocktail is perfect for fall gatherings, such as Thanksgiving. This recipe makes enough simple syrup for about 8 cocktails and can easily be doubled for a crowd.

Single-serving pumpkin cheesecakes are the perfect way to finish off a Thanksgiving meal for two (or any other meal, given that they take just 15 minutes of active prep time!). You can make them a day or two ahead of time and keep them tucked away in the fridge in their sturdy ramekins until you're ready to enjoy them.

This easy make-ahead stuffing for two comes in its own single-serving dish. Turkey sausage and hearty whole-wheat bread combined with apples make this sweet and savory stuffing one you'll want to turn to again and again. Serve it with turkey for a small Thanksgiving celebration or make it any night to go with a chicken dinner.

After Thanksgiving, we cannot get enough leftover turkey recipes--and this healthy turkey avocado sandwich will help you use up Thanksgiving leftovers and more. If you really want to do this sandwich up, chef Hugh Acheson suggests searing a slice of stuffing or bread pudding until it's nice and crispy and putting it between the turkey and avocado.

Why wait for the holidays to enjoy turkey and stuffing? Here, the dynamite duo becomes a hearty main-dish casserole you can enjoy--without a fat-and-calorie splurge--any time of year.

Cornbread tastes great with chili, but think outside the box and serve it with roasted chicken or turkey, or alongside soup and a salad. This recipe makes one mini loaf (2 servings) but it's so good you may want to consider doubling or tripling the batch.

A fresh twist on a classic cocktail, this quick drink recipe uses sweet tangerine juice to balance the tang of bourbon.

The vibrant red cherry-wine sauce serves as a scrumptious low-calorie, fat-free flavor accent to the tart-sweet baked apples in this recipe.

In this simple dish, shredded turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes are layered and topped with reduced-fat Cheddar cheese. It's a great way to use leftovers from your holiday meal!

Acorn squash's natural shape makes it just right for stuffing, and one squash is perfect for serving two people. This filling has Mediterranean flair: olives, tomato paste, white beans and Parmesan cheese. Serve with: Mixed green salad with radicchio and red onion and crisp white wine, such as Pinot Grigio.

Here's a new way to enjoy that Thanksgiving dinner taste! Turkey tenderloin slices, broccoli and bread "stuffing" cook up quickly in this layered one-skillet dinner.

When shopping for green beans, select ones that are bright green with no bruises, bulges or brown spots.