Not every Thanksgiving calls for a 20-pound turkey and a table full of guests. Maybe it's just the two of you this year, or maybe you'd simply rather skip the crowds and the week of leftovers. Whatever the reason, a smaller Thanksgiving can feel just as festive, and it's a lot less work.
This menu gives you everything you love about the holiday, scaled down for two. You'll find two quick turkey mains, a turkey-free stuffed squash for two, six classic sides, and three desserts that don't require baking a whole pie. Our Test Kitchen created these recipes with heart health in mind, our registered dietitians approved them, and we've added notes on how to scale each one down. If you're feeding a bigger group, our healthy Thanksgiving meal plan has a full holiday menu.
Your Thanksgiving for 2 Menu at a Glance
Here's one way to put it all together. Pick one main, two or three sides, and a dessert, and you'll have a complete holiday meal without being overwhelmed:
Main: Turkey Piccata, Turkey Cutlets with Mushroom Sauce, or Chicken-Stuffed Acorn Squash.
Potatoes or a lighter swap: Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes or Creamy Mashed Cauliflower.
A vegetable: Sautéed Green Beans with Tomatoes or Butternut Squash with Apples and Cranberries.
The classics: a small batch of Healthy Turkey Stuffing and Homemade Cranberry Sauce.
Dessert: Baked Pears, Baked Apples, or Pumpkin Custards.
Most of these recipes serve four or more. In the descriptions, we've noted which ones are easy to halve and which ones are worth making in full for leftovers.
3 Thanksgiving Mains for Two
Turkey cutlets give you the flavor of the holiday bird without roasting a whole turkey, and you can find them in most grocery stores. If you'd rather skip turkey altogether, the stuffed acorn squash is a festive centerpiece made for two.
Total time: 45 minutes | Serves 4 | Per serving: 209 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 346 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 30 g protein
Bright and elegant, this turkey piccata is a fresh take on the holiday main. Turkey breast cutlets are dredged in whole wheat flour, browned in a skillet, and finished with a quick pan sauce of white wine, shallot, capers, and lemon, with a pint of cherry tomatoes for color. Each serving has 30 grams of protein and just 346 mg of sodium. The recipe serves four, so either buy 1/2 pound of cutlets and halve everything, or make the full recipe and enjoy turkey sandwiches the next day.
Total time: 45 minutes | Serves 6 | Per serving: 190 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 308 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 27 g protein
If you love turkey with gravy, this is the main for you. Lightly floured turkey cutlets are browned and then topped with a savory mushroom sauce made with white wine, chicken broth, and fresh rosemary, so you get all the cozy flavor without a separate pot of gravy. It's ready in 45 minutes. The recipe makes six servings, so use about 1/2 pound of cutlets and a third of the sauce ingredients for two, or make it all and freeze the leftovers. Using low-sodium broth will lower the sodium even more.
Total time: 1 hour | Serves 2 | Per serving: 354 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 540 mg sodium, 11 g fiber
This recipe is made for two, and each half of a roasted acorn squash becomes its own edible bowl. The squash is brushed with olive oil and warm spices, then filled with roasted sweet potatoes, brown rice, and tender chicken breast seasoned with curry powder, thyme, ginger, turmeric, and a little lemon. It has 11 grams of fiber per serving, and it looks beautiful on a holiday table. Curry powder adds warmth, not heat, so it's a nice change of pace if you're not a big turkey fan.
Total time: 40 minutes | Serves 2 | Per serving: 226 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 20 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein
This recipe is already sized for two, which makes it perfect for a small Thanksgiving. Each Yukon gold potato is sliced into thin accordion layers and brushed with olive oil, garlic, black pepper, and fresh parsley, then cooked in the air fryer until the edges are golden and crisp. It frees up your oven for everything else. With only 20 mg of sodium per serving, it's a much lighter choice than butter-laden mashed potatoes.
Total time: 25 minutes | Serves 4 | Per serving: 65 calories, 2 g saturated fat, 219 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein
If you'd like a lighter alternative to mashed potatoes, this silky mashed cauliflower has just 65 calories per serving. Steamed cauliflower is blended with warm 1% milk and a tablespoon of butter until fluffy. It's ready in 25 minutes and serves four, so you'll have a little extra to reheat with leftover turkey. Top it with a spoonful of mushroom sauce if you're making the turkey cutlets.
Total time: 35 minutes | Serves 4 | Per serving: 56 calories, 0 g saturated fat, 5 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 1 g protein
Skip the heavy green bean casserole this year. Fresh green beans are blanched until crisp-tender, then sautéed with shallot, garlic, and plum tomatoes and finished with a splash of white wine and fresh basil. With just 5 mg of sodium per serving, it's one of the lightest sides on the table. The recipe calls for 1/2 pound of green beans and serves four, so halve it easily or enjoy the extra.
Total time: 30 minutes | Serves 4 | Per serving: 90 calories, 0 g saturated fat, 79 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 0 g protein
This sweet and savory side tastes like fall in a bowl. Cubes of butternut squash are cooked with no-sugar-added applesauce, a touch of brown sugar, cinnamon, dried cranberries, and fresh sage. To make it even easier, use a 12-ounce bag of frozen winter squash in place of a whole butternut squash. It serves four and reheats well.
Total time: 45 minutes | Serves 10 | Per serving: 143 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 363 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein
No Thanksgiving is complete without stuffing. This lighter version uses toasted whole wheat bread cubes, onion, carrots, celery, and plenty of fresh and dried sage, moistened with low-sodium broth. The full recipe serves 10, so for two, use 3 slices of bread and about a third of everything else, and bake it in a small baking dish or a few ramekins. Each serving has 4 grams of fiber.
Total time: 30 minutes | Serves 8 | Per serving: 39 calories, 0 g saturated fat, 40 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 0 g protein
Homemade cranberry sauce takes about 30 minutes and tastes far better than the canned kind. Fresh cranberries simmer with orange juice, cinnamon, fresh ginger, and just 2 tablespoons of maple or brown sugar until they burst and thicken. It's worth making the full batch, since it keeps in the refrigerator and is delicious on leftover turkey sandwiches, oatmeal, or Greek yogurt. Make it a few days ahead to save time on Thanksgiving.
Total time: 1 hour | Serves 2 | Per serving: 113 calories, 0 g saturated fat, 3 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 0 g protein
This recipe makes exactly two servings, so it's a perfect fit. A pear is halved, filled with toasted walnuts, golden raisins, cinnamon, and a pinch of brown sugar, then baked slowly in apple cider until tender. It's an elegant, naturally sweet dessert with only 113 calories per serving. Serve it warm with a spoonful of vanilla Greek yogurt.
Total time: 1 hour | Serves 4 | Per serving: 263 calories, 4 g saturated fat, 148 mg sodium, 6 g fiber, 3 g protein
Baked apples are like apple pie without the crust. Rome Beauty apples are cored and filled with a buttery mix of oats, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, then baked until soft. The recipe makes four, so you can halve it or save two for an easy dessert later in the weekend. Each serving has 6 grams of fiber.
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Serves 6 | Per serving: 99 calories, 2 g saturated fat, 33 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein
If pumpkin pie is a must, these silky custards give you all the flavor without the crust. Pumpkin purée is whisked with eggs, light coconut milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and warm spices, then baked in individual ramekins. The recipe makes six, so enjoy two on Thanksgiving and save the rest for the days after. At 99 calories each, they're a light way to end the meal.
With only two people to feed, Thanksgiving dinner can come together in about an hour and a half. Here's a simple timeline:
1 to 2 days before: Make the cranberry sauce and pumpkin custards and chop your vegetables.
About 90 minutes before dinner: Assemble and bake the stuffing and start the baked pears or apples if you're making them.
About 45 minutes before dinner: Start the hasselback potatoes in the air fryer and prep the squash or green beans.
About 25 minutes before dinner: Cook the turkey cutlets and finish the sides while the turkey rests.
At dinnertime: Set the table, light a candle, and enjoy a relaxed holiday meal.
Feel free to adjust the timeline to fit your schedule. The beauty of a small Thanksgiving is that there's no pressure to make everything at once.
Frequently Asked Questions About Thanksgiving Dinner for 2
For boneless turkey cutlets or tenderloins, plan on about 1/2 pound per person, or about 1 pound for two. If you'd like a bone-in turkey breast, a small one (about 2 to 3 pounds) will feed two people with some leftovers. A whole turkey is usually more than two people need.
Turkey cutlets, turkey tenderloins, and a small turkey breast are all great options. They cook much faster than a whole bird and are easy to find around the holidays. Chicken breasts or a small roast chicken can work, too, if you'd like a change from turkey.
Many parts of the meal can be made ahead. Cranberry sauce, pumpkin custards, and chopped vegetables can be prepared 1 or 2 days in advance, and the stuffing can be assembled the morning of and baked just before dinner. Cook the turkey cutlets right before you eat so they stay tender.
Choose two or three favorites, like a potato dish (or mashed cauliflower), a green vegetable, and stuffing or cranberry sauce. You don't need to make every side to enjoy the holiday. For more ideas, see our healthy Thanksgiving side dishes.
Choose lean turkey without the skin, use low-sodium broth, go light on butter and cream, and fill half your plate with vegetables. Enjoy dessert in a small portion. Our Heart Healthy Diet Guidelines have more tips for healthy holiday eating.
More Healthy Thanksgiving Ideas
Looking for more ways to make your Thanksgiving delicious and heart healthy? These collections have you covered:
