22 Easy Thanksgiving Recipes with 5 Ingredients

November 23, 2020

Simplify your Thanksgiving meal with these healthy and delicious recipes. These main and side dishes have just five ingredients or less so your cooking is easier and faster (i.e. more time to eat!). Whether you make Green Beans with Parmesan-Garlic Breadcrumbs or Hasselback Potatoes with Cheese, your Thanksgiving meal will be flavorful and filling.

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Hasselback Potatoes with Cheese

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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.

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Spatchcock Turkey with Sage & Thyme

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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.

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Green Beans with Parmesan-Garlic Breadcrumbs

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In this easy green bean recipe, browning the butter before tossing it with the breadcrumbs produces a nice nutty flavor. Serve this green bean dish as a healthy alternative to green bean casserole or as an easy side with steak, chicken or fish.

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Cranberry Sauce with Star Anise

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This cranberry sauce recipe is scented with star anise, which has a dynamic flavor--earthy, spicy and sweet at the same time.

 

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Roasted Butternut Squash

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Simple roasted butternut squash--just tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper--makes a classic fall side dish. This recipe is delicious with roasted meats, or toss the roasted squash into pasta or salad.

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Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

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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.

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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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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta & Sage

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In this roasted Brussels sprouts recipe, pancetta--cured Italian-style bacon--seasons sweet Brussels sprouts with a hint of salt and a touch of smoke that goes nicely with the fresh sage. These Brussels sprouts are the perfect vegetable side dish to any turkey, pork or chicken dinner.

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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

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These hasselback sweet potatoes are like mini marshmallow-topped sweet potato casseroles drizzled with sage-infused butter. The hasselback technique, slicing the potato but leaving it whole, makes for a tender potato with a crispy top--the best of both worlds.

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Mashed Squash with Caramelized Onions

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A touch of sherry vinegar brightens up this healthy mashed squash recipe. Buttercup squash will give it a bright orange color but any 3-pound winter squash, such as butternut or acorn, can be used in its place.

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Maple-Thyme Roasted Baby Carrots

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Amp up any carrot side dish with this Maple-Thyme Roasted Baby Carrot recipe. Consider saving a portion of this recipe and adding it to our Arugula Salad with Carrots and Goat Cheese recipe.

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Sautéed Butternut Squash

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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.

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Roasted Kalettes with Pine Nuts & Currants

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Kalettes are a relatively new hybrid of kale and Brussels sprouts. When roasted in this healthy side dish, they get crispy on the outside and stay tender on the inside. Look for kalettes near other bagged vegetables in the produce section.

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Beer-Braised Cipollini Onions

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Creamed pearl onions have long been a staple Thanksgiving side dish, but this lighter, sweet-and-savory cipollini onion recipe may send that traditional recipe to the back of your file for good. For a fruity (and gluten-free) twist, use your favorite hard cider instead of beer.

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Orange Cranberry Sauce

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Orange juice and fresh orange segments brighten the flavors in this traditional cranberry sauce recipe. Spread the leftovers on a turkey sandwich or stir into plain yogurt for breakfast.

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Baked Butternut Squash

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Baked butternut squash has a caramelized flavor, which is delicious if you use the cooked squash in soups and sauces. It's simple to bake a butternut squash; just cut it in half and roast it in the oven.

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Black Pepper & Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

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In this healthy mashed potato recipe, we flavor the mashed potatoes with strong-flavored blue cheese and freshly ground black pepper instead of butter. These mashed potatoes are an amazing side to grilled steak or chicken.

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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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Roasted Turnips & Butternut Squash with Five-Spice Glaze

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In this delicious side dish recipe, turnips and butternut squash are glazed with a mixture of molasses and flavorful five-spice powder. Try the dish with garlic-rubbed roasted chicken or pork.

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Chili-Roasted Carrots

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Roasted with chili powder and cumin then tossed with cilantro and lime juice, these carrots are bursting with zesty flavor. Serve them with simple roast chicken or pork.

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Green Beans & Pancetta with Whole-Grain Mustard Dressing

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In this easy vegetable side recipe, green beans are tossed with crispy bits of pancetta, shallot and whole-grain mustard after cooking. If you can't find pancetta, bacon is a perfect alternative.

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Sautéed Leek Mashed Potatoes

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In this healthy mashed potato recipe, we flavor the mashed potatoes with leeks lightly sautéed in butter and tangy buttermilk. These mashed potatoes are an amazing side to grilled steak or chicken.

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