26 One-Pot Thanksgiving Recipes That Won’t Leave You with a Sink Full of Dishes

November 15, 2020

While the best part of Thanksgiving is the food, the worst part is cleaning all of the dishes you used to make your delicious meal. To help minimize cleanup, these Thanksgiving recipes utilize just one pot or pan to cook in. Whether it’s Roasted Turkey Legs or Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potatoes, you’ll have a healthy and tasty meal but without all of the after-dinner hassle.

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Slow-Cooker Curried Butternut Squash Soup

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Skip the roasting in this butternut squash soup recipe and let your slow cooker do the work instead. Just load up all the ingredients into the crock pot, set it and forget it for an easy, healthy dinner or packable lunches.

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Roasted Turkey Legs

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Roasted turkey legs are a great alternative to a full turkey when your holiday gathering is small. Here, we stick with all the traditional Thanksgiving flavors using only dark meat that stays moist when it's cooked. A simple pan gravy pulled together while the turkey legs rest completes the dish. (This recipe serves 8 but is easily halved to serve 4—or 2 with plenty of leftovers.)

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Roasted Honeynut Squash

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Honeynut squash looks just like mini butternut squash, but on the inside you'll find an even sweeter, deeper orange flesh. This winter squash has only been available at farmers' markets and in select grocery stores for a few years. If you see it, grab a few to try! This simple roasting method enhances the natural flavor of the squash with butter and spices.

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Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole

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Use any multicooker or electric pressure cooker to make this classic Thanksgiving side dish. The sweet potatoes get perfectly tender and almost caramelized while cooking under high pressure, plus using your multicooker saves stovetop and oven space.

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Roasted Asparagus Parmesan

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This oven-roasted asparagus Parmesan has just the right amount of cheese--and it's incredibly easy to make. Serve this healthy side dish with chicken, fish, lamb--or any other protein.

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Melting Potatoes

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The name for these spuds hints at their creamy interior. Roasting these melting potatoes at high heat ensures they get crunchy on the outside. Then, adding a little broth at the end allows the potatoes to absorb the liquid, making the insides extra moist.

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Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic

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Bone-in, skin-on turkey breasts, also called split breasts, are inexpensive, flavorful, and nice for (just enough) leftovers. Try this any time of year!

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Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole

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Free up space in your oven and on the stovetop this Thanksgiving with the help of an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot. Not only does it cook entirely in one pot, it cooks super-quick, perfect for a last-minute side dish.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potatoes

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It's easy to get creative with these roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. For a quick side dish that complements just about everything, follow the main recipe. If you want to spice things up a little, try one of the variations. Swapping a few spices and adding fresh stir-ins to coat the roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes transforms the flavor of the dish to something new, yet equally delicious.

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Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables

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This easy roasted butternut squash and root vegetables recipe is incredibly versatile. Pile the squash and veggies onto grain bowls, add to sandwiches, toss in soup, serve as a side dish--you name it. Roasting vegetables in the oven gives you 20 minutes of hands-off cooking time to assemble the rest of your meal.

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Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

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Make this classic comfort food side dish in an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, to get the potatoes soft and tender in a jiff! This easy, 5-ingredient recipe is perfect for the holidays because it's all done in one pot and doesn't take up any extra oven or stove space.

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Balsamic & Parmesan Broccoli

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Cooking this quick broccoli side dish recipe in a wok gives you a larger surface area, so you get lots of nice crispy bits. Serve with oven-roasted herb chicken or fish, or as a tasty topping to your grain bowl.

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Curried Acorn Squash

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Acorn squash is a delicious savory side dish but it can also be served as a sweet treat. In this slow-cooker recipe, the nutty flavor of the squash is enhanced by tart cherries, sweet onion and vanilla extract. Topped with low-fat yogurt and cinnamon, it's a dish your guests will love.

 

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Herb-Roasted Turkey & Vegetables

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Turkey is flavored with fragrant herbs and roasted alongside potatoes, carrots and onions. Leftovers--which can be refrigerated or frozen--are perfect for sandwiches or soups!

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Stuffed Sweet Potato Casserole for Two

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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.

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Sautéed Green Beans & Onions

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Sautéed onions, garlic powder and red pepper add plenty of flavor to canned green beans to make an easy and economical side for your Thanksgiving table or any other dinner.

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Maple-Chili Roasted Butternut Squash

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To give this healthy vegetable side dish recipe a different kind of heat, try a single-chile powder, such as ancho or chipotle. Serve with simple roasted salmon or chicken, or toss into a green salad with sunflower seeds.

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Melting Sweet Potatoes with Mini Marshmallows

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If you like sweet potato casserole, you'll love these tender, creamy melted sweet potatoes. Slices of sweet potatoes "melt" into a savory broth with spices and are topped with mini marshmallows for a hint of sweetness at the end. They're perfect for Thanksgiving or anytime in fall or winter when cooler weather settles in.

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Barley-Squash Gratin

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Barley is an excellent source of fiber, and in this slow-cooker recipe it's paired with nutrient-dense spinach and butternut squash. Topped with shredded Parmesan cheese, this side dish will be happy sharing a plate with whatever else you're serving.

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Skillet Green Bean Casserole for Two

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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.

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Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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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.

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Sauteed Broccoli & Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

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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.

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Garlic-Parmesan Melting Potatoes

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Crispy, buttery, cheesy, garlicky potatoes--what else could you ask for? Serve these melt-in-your-mouth potatoes alongside steak, pork chops, chicken or fish. If you have leftovers, throw them into a breakfast scramble the next morning.

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Cheesy Butternut Squash Fritters

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These sweet and savory butternut squash fritters are perfect for Thanksgiving—or anytime you want a toasty, cheesy side dish. Look for a butternut squash with a long neck to make shredding easier.

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Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Brussels sprouts have surged in popularity recently and it's easy to understand why. They're high in nutrients while low in calories and can be prepared quickly in a variety of ways--baked, steamed, and even eaten raw! This simple side dish recipe serves up roasted sprouts seasoned with just a touch of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

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Creamy Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

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These mashed potatoes can be served right away or made up to two days in advance, making your Thanksgiving or any other meal as easy as can be!

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