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–+ servings
Overhead view of a sheet pan filled with green beans, turkey, foil-wrapped sweet potatoes, and stuffing.

One-Pan Holiday Meal

Perfect for small holiday gatherings, this sheet pan Thanksgiving dinner delivers all the classics of a holiday dinner in a fraction of the time (and at a fraction of the cost).
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Rest 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield:4 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Fork
  • Aluminum Foil
  • baking sheet
  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • 2 small saucepans
  • silicone or rubber spatula
  • Cutting board
  • Paper towels
  • small mixing bowl
  • Tongs
  • whisk
  • serving bowl or gravy boat
  • internal meat thermometer
  • Sharp knife

Ingredients

For the Sweet Potatoes

  • 4 small sweet potatoes approximately 3-4 ounces each
  • salt to taste, for serving
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste, for serving
  • butter slices optional, for serving; see Notes

For the Stuffing

  • 8 slices high-quality bread of choice cut into ½-inch cubes, see Notes
  • 2 tablespoons butter see Notes
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • salt to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon dried sage
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

For the Turkey

  • 3 pounds uncooked turkey loin or turkey breast
  • salt to taste
  • 3 tablespoons butter softened, see Notes
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

For the Green Beans

For the Gravy

  • 3 tablespoons butter see Notes
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
  • 1 pinch dried thyme or dried sage, optional

Instructions

For the Sweet Potatoes

  • Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
  • Use fork to poke small holes over entire surface of each sweet potato, then wrap each sweet potato tightly in aluminum foil.
  • Place wrapped sweet potatoes on large baking sheet and place baking sheet in oven. Bake sweet potatoes 20 minutes. Prepare stuffing and turkey while sweet potatoes bake.
    Overhead view of 4 small sweet potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil and lined up horizontally across the center of a rectangular baking sheet.

For the Stuffing

  • Place bread cubes in large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Heat small saucepan over medium heat. When pan is warm, add butter and let butter melt completely, swirling pan occasionally to coat.
  • When butter is melted, add diced onion and diced celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until veggies have softened.
    Overhead view of a small silver saucepan containing melted butter, diced onion, diced celery, and seasonings.
  • Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried sage. Stir until spices are incorporated.
  • Transfer onion and celery mixture to mixing bowl with bread cubes. Add chicken broth, large egg, and fresh parsley to bowl, then toss or gently stir until bread cubes are fully coated. Set aside to allow bread crumbs to absorb liquid.
    Overhead view of bread stuffing mixture made from cubed bread, seasonings, chicken broth, celery, and onion in a large glass mixing bowl.

For the Turkey

  • Place turkey on cutting board. Pat turkey completely dry on all sides with paper towels, then liberally season all sides with salt.
  • Add softened butter, minced garlic, and chopped thyme to small mixing bowl. Stir ingredients together until thoroughly incorporated, then rub compound butter mixture over entire surface of turkey.
    Overhead view of two turkey loins topped with a thick compound butter mixture on a white plate against a wooden countertop.
  • Remove baking sheet with sweet potatoes from oven. Use tongs to carefully move sweet potatoes, still wrapped in foil, to one end of baking sheet.
  • Arrange prepared stuffing on opposite end of baking sheet, spreading stuffing out into one even layer while leaving enough space between stuffing and sweet potatoes for green beans to be added later. Place buttered turkey on top of bed of stuffing.
    Overhead view of foil-wrapped sweet potatoes and butter-topped turkey loin atop a bread stuffing on a baking sheet.
  • Return baking sheet to oven and bake 20 minutes.

For the Green Beans

  • Toward end of bake time, add trimmed green beans, olive oil, salt, and pepper to large mixing bowl. Toss or gently stir to fully coat green beans.
  • Remove baking sheet from oven when 20-minute bake time has finished. Place green beans in center space between sweet potatoes and stuffing. Spread green beans out as well as possible, then return baking sheet to oven and bake 20 more minutes.
    Overhead view of a full baking sheet with turkey, stuffing, green beans, and 4 foil-wrapped sweet potatoes on a wooden countertop.

For the Gravy

  • Toward end of baking time, heat small saucepan over medium heat. When pan is warm, add butter and let butter melt completely, swirling pan occasionally to coat.
  • Sprinkle flour over top of melted butter, then whisk vigorously until paste forms.
  • Add chicken stock to saucepan and whisk constantly until liquid is incorporated and mixture is smooth.
  • Add salt and dried herbs (if using) and whisk to incorporate. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy has thickened. Taste and add salt or dried herbs as needed to achieve desired flavor. When satisfied with flavor and consistency, transfer gravy to serving bowl or gravy boat.
    Overhead view of a small silver saucepan containing a thick, white flour-based gravy for a Thanksgiving meal.

To Serve Meal

  • After baking green beans 20 minutes, remove baking sheet from oven and check turkey with internal meat thermometer. Internal temperature should read around 160° Fahrenheit. If temperature is below 160°, return baking sheet to oven and check periodically until temperature is reached. Note: If green beans or stuffing start to overcook before turkey is cooked through, remove them from baking sheet before returning pan to oven.
  • When turkey reaches 160° Fahrenheit internally, remove baking sheet from oven and set aside. Let components rest 10 minutes.
  • Unwrap sweet potatoes and discard foil. Slice each sweet potato open by cutting vertically down center of potato. Use fork to fluff insides of potatoes, then season with salt and pepper as desired and top with butter slices.
  • Transfer turkey to cutting board and carefully carve turkey into ¼-inch thick slices. Return sliced turkey to baking sheet.
  • Serve holiday meal on baking sheet, or divide components of meal onto serving plates, and enjoy warm with gravy.
    Overhead view of a fully-prepared one-pan holiday meal of turkey, stuffing, green beans, and sweet potatoes on a baking sheet.

Notes

  • Bread: Different types of bread will give you different results. I recommend a high-quality white bread, French or Italian loaf, or cornbread. Avoid breads that are super soft and fluffy to start, as they'll fall apart when all the liquid is added.
  • Make it Dairy Free: Use a non-dairy butter throughout the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving (all components) | Calories: 1144cal | Protein: 89g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 343mg | Sodium: 1429mg | Potassium: 1746mg | Total Carbs: 60g | Fiber: 9g | Net Carbs: 51g | Vitamin A: 14044IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 230mg | Iron: 9mg
Recipe By:Sam Guarnieri