Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for Two

A light but delicious appetizer is fun to munch on while you put the finishing touches on the other dishes. Crostini are easy to make for as many or as few people as you like and you can get creative with the toppings. Try fig crostinis with goat or blue cheese and balsamic vinegar, or toasts topped with ricotta cheese and smoked salmon.

A whole turkey is certainly too much for two people, but a bone-in, skin-on turkey breast is a great option. Quick and easy to cook, it's plenty for dinner with leftovers for delicious turkey sandwiches. Roasting is always a good option, but you can also deep fry or pressure cook the turkey in an Instant Pot. If you're planning ahead, try brining the breast for extra moist, flavorful meat.

Typical stuffing recipes serve a crowd, but they're also easy to scale down. Pick a recipe that doesn't include eggs, like cornbread stuffing, turkey stuffing with chopped apples, or wild rice stuffing. Reduce all of the ingredients by one-half or two-thirds and bake in a smaller pan for the perfect amount of stuffing or dressing for two.

Just because you aren't spending three or four hours roasting a whole turkey doesn't mean you have to give up the homemade gravy. Try a recipe that doesn't heavily rely on pan drippings since you won't end up with lots of drippings when roasting a single turkey breast. Halve or third this turkey gravy recipe so you don't end up with too much leftover.

A whole green bean casserole might be overboard when feeding two, but easy sautéed green beans with bacon fit the bill perfectly. You can cook up as much or as few green beans as you like, and they only take a few minutes to make. Swap the bacon for sliced, fried shallots for a vegetarian option.

A Thanksgiving spread, no matter how big or small, wouldn't be complete without a potato dish. Mashed potatoes are especially good menu addition since the dish pairs perfectly with turkey and gravy. A mixture of potatoes and rutabagas makes an extra flavorful side dish, especially with a little butter. Reducing mashed potato recipes is also easy—use a half or a third of the ingredient amounts for a meal for two.

If you're looking forward to eating pie for days, then, by all means, bake a whole pie for your Thanksgiving meal. But if you want just enough dessert for your holiday meal, make baked sweet potato custards. The recipe is easy to reduce by two-thirds so that you end up with two perfect desserts. Make them ahead of time and stash in the fridge until it's time to serve.