19 Thanksgiving Main Dishes That Aren't Turkey (2024)

With rising turkey prices, there are many ways you can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without the main bird. From roast chicken to plant-based alternatives like cauliflower steaks, these main dishes will pair perfectly with your favorite traditional sides. Recipes like our Roast Chicken with Cider Gravy and Braised Brisket & Roots are so delicious, they may just become a part of your menu every year.

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Roast Chicken with Cider Gravy

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Tucking fresh herbs and garlic between the skin and the breast infuses the meat with flavor. We use thyme here, but you can also use fresh rosemary or parsley. If you have a rack, place the chicken on it to allow the hot air to circulate. You can also improvise a rack (as we do here) by setting the chicken on the neck and giblets.

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Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Almond Pesto & Butter Beans

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Need some new meatless dinner ideas? This vegan recipe for grilled cauliflower steaks with buttery (but butter-free!) butter beans and almond pesto comes together in just 25 minutes but is impressive enough to serve to guests. We're sorry to ask you to buy 2 heads of cauliflower to make this recipe when you only cut a couple of "steaks" from each, but it guarantees the best results. Just think of it this way: having leftovers gives you an excuse to try one of our many other healthy cauliflower recipes!

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Braised Brisket & Roots

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This braised brisket gets a decidedly wintery feel from the earthy-sweet flavors of carrots, parsnips and rutabaga.

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Fennel & Meyer Lemon-Stuffed Salmon

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For this simple baked salmon recipe, just order the right size whole salmon from your grocery store or fish market and have them clean and scale it. You can also use two smaller fish (1 to 2 pounds each) and reduce the roasting time by about 10 minutes. If you like, you can opt for other species, such as striped bass, snapper or tilapia.

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Crispy Roast Chicken

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Cranberry-Balsamic Chicken Thighs

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To round out this healthy chicken dinner recipe, put some farro on to cook before you start cooking the chicken. Add some steamed broccoli and serve with a glass of pinot noir.

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Moroccan Chickpea-Stuffed Acorn Squash

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Think of this healthy vegetarian side dish recipe as a meatless tagine served in a squash bowl. Kabocha, sweet dumpling or carnival squash make good alternatives to acorn squash. To make this side a hearty vegetarian meal, serve 2 halves each.

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Irish Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables

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In this easy one-pan dinner, boneless pork loin roast is cooked over a bed of carrots and parsnips for an all-in-one dish that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner. Choose free-range heritage pork if you can--its flavor really shines with no more seasoning than a bit of thyme and a little sea salt. If you'd like, dress up the meal with a traditional Irish apple condiment--Ploughmans chutney or Bramley applesauce, which you can find in specialty stores and online.

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Roast Chicken with Fennel & Preserved Lemon

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The flavors in this spice rub are reminiscent of Italian gremolata. Turn any leftover meat into a fantastic chicken salad.

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Instant Pot Garlic & Rosemary Roast Pork Loin

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It's remarkable that a pork roast can be so good so quickly! The gravy is rich and flavorful and the meat is moist and perfectly cooked—using an Instant Pot is a real game changer for pork loin roast.

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Air-Fryer Rotisserie Chicken

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Replicate the flavor, lovely burnished skin and moist texture of a classic rotisserie chicken with this easy recipe for cooking a whole chicken in your air fryer. With just a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes of active time, you get a roast chicken with lemon and herbs that's a remarkable doppelganger for a deli chicken right after it comes out of the rotisserie. Serve this air-fryer rotisserie chicken with your favorite veggie sides for a healthy weeknight dinner or weekend supper. And if you're hosting a dinner party, cooking your main course in the air fryer is also a great way free up oven space for casseroles, rolls and other dishes.

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Quinoa-Stuffed Delicata Squash

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With its pretty striped skin and uniform shape, delicata squash is a beautiful vessel for serving up this healthy quinoa stuffing. Serve this recipe as a stunning side dish or a vegetarian main with a big leafy green salad alongside.

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Garlic-Rosemary Roast Beef with Horseradish Sauce

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The eye of round is a lean, boneless cut of beef that's less expensive than a tenderloin or rib roast but just as delicious. It's best served medium-rare--when cooked to higher temperatures it can become tough. Topping it with a finger-licking-good horseradish sauce makes this roast beef holiday-worthy.

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Basic Whole Roast Chicken

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This roasted chicken recipe may be the most useful recipe you'll ever find. It's a meal on its own or the start of any recipe that calls for cooked chicken--perfect for meal-prepping lunches or dinners to have throughout the week.

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Sweet Potato Hash Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

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Diced sweet potato, bell peppers and apples make a vegan stuffing inspired by the flavors of sausage. To add that savory flavor, we use poultry seasoning (don't worry, there's no actual poultry in it!). Piled into portobello mushroom caps, it creates a beautiful and filling plant-based main dish--perfect for the holidays.

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Grandma's Polish-Style Roast Chicken

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Serve this spice-roasted chicken with buttered egg noodles and steamed green beans.

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Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Honey-Almond Green Beans

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Pork tenderloin just got even better with the addition of a crispy layer of bacon.

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Vegan Cauliflower Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

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The highlight of this gorgeous vegan holiday main dish recipe is the surprisingly rich dairy-free mushroom gravy. The roasted cauliflower is also pleasantly delicious thanks to a little caramelization while roasting. Smother a side of vegan mashed potatoes with any extra gravy.

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Pork Loin Roast with Pepper Jelly Glaze

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Chef Frank Brigtsen, of Brigtsen's restaurant in New Orleans, makes homemade pepper jelly to glaze thick pork chops for Réveillon. He recommends two ways to simplify for the home cook: go for store-bought jelly and, instead of chops, a pork loin roast.