No Turkey, No Problem! Thanksgiving dinner is a time-honored tradition for many families across the United States. And while turkey is often the star of the show, there are plenty of other Thanksgiving main dishes other than turkey to consider. From savory roasts to seafood options, these Thanksgiving main dish recipes will become holiday traditions. Turkey may be the traditional centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner, but these main dish recipes are just as delicious and worthy of attention.
The Best Holiday Roasted Chicken
The key to the best holiday roasted chicken might lie in the simplicity of the recipe. Also ideal for a regular weeknight dinner when you want something a little fancier, this no-fuss, one-pot whole chicken is a real winner. Garlic, lemon, and rosemary add subtle, delicious flavors, and you will find just about any festive side dishes that go perfectly alongside this juicy chicken. Add this Thanksgiving or Christmas roast chicken to your holiday menu!
Get the Recipe: The Best Holiday Roasted Chicken
Holiday Beef Wellington
What about making holiday beef wellington for Thanksgiving dinner this year? It’s made with beef tenderloin, the most tender cut of beef, along with flavourful ingredients such as prosciutto parma ham, rosemary, thyme, mushrooms, shallot, and more. This Thanksgiving or Christmas beef wellington recipe is straightforward to make and it’s a wonderfully decadent meal for the holidays.
Get the Recipe: Holiday Beef Wellington
Sheet Pan Crab Legs
Flavored with Old Bay, butter, garlic, and lemon, these juicy crab legs are sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. Crab has a distinctive taste and these snow crab legs are always a nice treat.
Get the Recipe: Sheet Pan Crab Legs
Cranberry Holiday Beef Brisket
This cranberry holiday beef brisket is seriously amazing. It’s a lovely dish for the holiday season, Jewish holidays or any time of year you’re feeling festive. A large brisket with fresh cranberries or cranberry jelly is a great recipe for any holiday, special occasion or simply because it’s delicious enough to have any day!
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Holiday Beef Brisket
Pot Roast with Red Wine
This slow cooker pot roast with red wine is a simple and delicious meal that is perfect for preparing in the morning and letting cook all day. When you return, the mouth-watering aroma that fills your home is just a bonus!
Get the Recipe: Pot Roast with Red Wine
Smoked Sweet Onion Honey Glazed Ham
Smoked sweet onion honey glazed ham on a pellet grill makes such a delicious meal for a special occasion. Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter would be the perfect time for smoking a ham on a pellet smoker or Traeger grill. This honey ham recipe is juicy, boasting all kinds of rich, wonderful flavours. The glaze ensures it won’t dry out and the flavour is just phenomenal.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Sweet Onion Honey Glazed Ham
Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast with Vegetables
This Instant Pot pork loin roast is an especially great recipe because you can make it in a fraction of the time you’d spend using a slow cooker or Dutch oven. Pork roast with vegetables makes a very easy dinner for busy weeknights.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast with Vegetables
Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed Flank Steak
How does cranberry cream cheese stuffed flank steak sound as a Thanksgiving dinner dish? Doesn’t the sound of this recipe make your mouth begin to water? It’s such a great recipe for stuffed flank steak and works well as a New Year, Thanksgiving or Christmas steak recipe when you want something both fancy and tasty. It is so easy to Stuff and roll a butterflied flank steak, so don’t be intimidated.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed Flank Steak
Maple Bacon Pork Tenderloin
Looking for something unique for your Thanksgiving table? This Maple Bacon Pork Tenderloin is a smoky, flavorful dish that the family will love. Bacon makes everything better, right?
Get the Recipe: Maple Bacon Pork Tenderloin
Easy Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken
Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken is a moist and delicious entree for your Thanksgiving table. It’s easier than a whole Turkey and you can make two and have leftover chicken for the week.
Get the Recipe: Easy Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken
Air Fryer Country Style Ribs
Change things up this Thanksgiving with these Air Fryer Country Style Ribs. They are full of tender, juicy, flavors. You won’t believe how fast this dish comes together. Made with thick, country-style ribs, light seasoning, and your favorite bbq sauce.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Country Style Ribs
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
This sweet potato shepherd’s pie is a delicious and wholesome twist on the classic dish. It combines savory flavor-packed meat and veggie filling with the slightly sweet and creamy texture of whipped sweet potato. It’s a hearty, comforting yet affordable meal that the whole family will love. Plus you can make easy substitutions to customize it to your needs and freeze it for meal prep too!
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Cioppino Recipe (Seafood Stew)
Cioppino is a comforting San Franciscan seafood stew filled with shrimp, clams, mussels, white fish, and crab legs all simmered in a rich broth made from tomatoes, white wine, and fish stock. A family favorite, enjoy this easy and delicious one-pot seafood stew for a special weeknight or holiday meal.
Get the Recipe: Cioppino Recipe (Seafood Stew)
Stuffed Lamb Recipe
A simple cranberry pesto made with basil, mint, garlic and pine nuts makes this stuffed American lamb recipe a gorgeously festive and delicious winter dish perfect as a holiday dinner party centerpiece. Lamb is the perfect meat for a holiday dinner because it’s just a llittlebit more special than the rest and truly complements winter herbs and flavors so well.
Get the Recipe: Stuffed Lamb Recipe
Sausage Stuffed Cornish Hens
Sausage stuffed Cornish hens are petite birds that are perfect for a special occasion or easy enough to roast for a weeknight dinner at home. The Cornish hens are stuffed with a flavorful sausage and wild rice mixture and rubbed with an herbaceous compound butter that is roasted to golden perfection.
Get the Recipe: Sausage Stuffed Cornish Hens
Dr. Pepper Ham (Crockpot Recipe)
Dr. Pepper Ham is a fantastic holiday meal that’s easy to make in your slow cooker. The glaze includes Dr Pepper, brown sugar, and pineapple, so it’s sweet, tangy, and finger licking good!! Since oven space is always limited during the holidays, a crockpot ham is the perfect solution.
Get the Recipe: Dr. Pepper Ham (Crockpot Recipe)
Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb
Roasted boneless leg of lamb is a delicious and easy to prepare dish that can be enjoyed year-round! This succulent, juicy cut of meat makes for a hearty meal fit for any occasion. With its mild flavor and versatile cooking methods, boneless lamb roast recipe is an excellent choice for entertaining or a cozy night in.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb
Roasted Duck
This roasted duck recipe is caramelized and crispy on the outside yet tender and juicy on the inside. It’s a gloriously tasty dish that guarantees to be the star of your dinner table!
Get the Recipe: Roasted Duck
Prime Rib
Prime rib is one of of those show-stoppers for your table, which makes it perfect for the holidays. If you’re not a fan of turkey or just can’t seem to make it without it being dry and flavorless, prime rib is the way to go!
Get the Recipe: Prime Rib
Chicken Fricassee
Chicken Fricassee (or fricasseé – pronounced fri-cah-say) is a classic French comfort food dish. Silky cream sauce coats tender and delicious chicken thighs, while white wine cuts the acidity of the sauce. Perfect for when you’re looking for something cozy to eat!
Get the Recipe: Chicken Fricassee
Mustard Chicken
Prepare to fall madly in love with this Creamy, dreamy Mustard Chicken Recipe. Classic French dish that tastes outstanding. Imagine a perfectly braised falls-off-the-bone chicken swimming in a creamy and flavourful mustard sauce.
Get the Recipe: Mustard Chicken
Sweet And Sticky Char Siu (Chinese Bbq Pork)
If you love a juicy, sweet & sticky char siu (Chinese BBQ Pork, 叉烧), give this easy recipe a try! Delicious authentic char siu is achievable at home! Includes instructions on how to make char siu in the oven so this can be made in the oven or the grill depending on the season.
Get the Recipe: Sweet And Sticky Char Siu (Chinese Bbq Pork)
Oven Roasted Five Spice Peking Chicken
This Chinese roast chicken recipe is a cross between a roasted chicken & Peking duck. This Peking chicken recipe is for days when you have that craving for a Peking duck, but chicken is all you have to work with.
Get the Recipe: Oven Roasted Five Spice Peking Chicken
Bacon-Wrapped Venison Backstrap Roast
Bacon-Wrapped Venison Backstrap Roast is marinated in teriyaki sauce before roasting in the oven or air fryer. Best and easiest venison backstrap or tenderloin recipe! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, first day of deer season or Fathers Day dinner.
Get the Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Venison Backstrap Roast
Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil Recipe
Baked salmon in foil is a moist, flavorful, and flaky whole side of salmon infused with lemon garlic butter sauce. It makes a nice centerpiece for your holiday dinner table, and it’s also perfect to make for dinner without a special occasion. Salmon in foil is easy, and ready in under half an hour!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil Recipe
Pineapple Ham
This succulent pineapple ham is a show-stopping centerpiece. Warm and juicy, our spiral ham features sweet roasted pineapple, maraschino cherries, and a sticky brown sugar glaze. Impressive enough for a holiday meal like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s also easy enough for Sunday supper.
Get the Recipe: Pineapple Ham
Easy Prime Rib Roast With Horseradish Cream
It doesn’t get any better (or easier) than this Salt and Pepper Crusted Prime Rib Roast recipe. Save this one for the holidays or anytime you want a celebration-worthy dinner!
Get the Recipe: Easy Prime Rib Roast With Horseradish Cream
Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for recipes, dogs, sustainability, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Bella Bucchiotti is a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer for MSN and the Associated Press Wire.
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