My Favorite Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes
Thanksgiving is one of the most bittersweet holidays for me. It is one of my favorites, because of my love for cooking with my family. However it also holds some grief very close to it, as I lost my Grandma very suddenly to a brain aneurysm, on Thanksgiving Day 9 years ago. She is the one who taught me how to cook, and while I miss her dearly, I am grateful to carry on her recipes and traditions to this day. Over the past few years, I have updated some of our family favorites to be a little healthier. If you are looking for healthy Thanksgiving recipes, and think that there’s no way you could make dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and similar foods “good” for you, continue reading for my recipes & swaps that I’ve made over the past couple of years!
When do you start cooking for Thanksgiving?
Wednesday. This is the day I do ALL of my Thanksgiving prep, so that all I have to do on Thursday is pop some pans in the oven to bake. When I get up in the morning, the first thing I tackle after my coffee, is boiling the chicken. I put a big pot on with one whole chicken it it, so that I can have the bits of meat, and chicken broth for the cornbread dressing.
While the chicken cooks, I can start to prep some of the other foods. I make some cornbread, and the kids help me tear up the bread pieces for the dressing. I also put a dozen eggs to boil in the instant pot. Some of it will go into the dressing, and some of them will get eaten by my kiddos!
I set those things aside, and usually move on to my favorite side, the green bean casserole.
This is one of those recipes that I thought I was doomed to never eat again. Fried onions on top? Canned soup with God knows what in it? I tried a few alternatives throughout the years, before finally perfecting THIS recipe. It’s SO good!!! I cook it up in the cast iron skillet just like it shows, but because I prefer to do everything the day before, I transfer to a baking pan, and warm up the next day, with some fresh crunchy onions on top.
I found gluten free fried onions at the grocery store, which work great. (I tried to make homemade GF onions one year, and the hassle wasn’t worth the end result. Not on a day like Thanksgiving when you have so much to cook already!) Also I should note, this recipe calls for chicken broth, you can use packaged broth, but I like to sneak a cup away from my chicken that’s been cooking, nothing like homemade broth! My Grandma used to call it “liquid gold”.
Now it’s time to assemble the dressing.
After the green bean casserole is in it’s pan and cooling, I turn my focus back onto the dressing. The cornbread, chicken, and eggs are done, so now it’s time to sauté some onions and celery and start pouring all of these ingredients together. This is one of those moments that you just eyeball your pan, and your recipe. Not too much liquid or it’ll be mush. But not too little liquid, or it’ll be dry. No pressure!
Who loves a good sweet potato casserole?
I am NOT talking the ones where you add sugar. And add marshmallows on top. Those are not ideal when you are trying to eat healthy, I hate to break it to you. If you choose to make that kind, then more power to you! But, I have some options that I will list below, that are equally as tasty, without sacrificing your blood sugar, haha. My grandpa usually roasts sweet potatoes in a skillet, with a little bit of cinnamon and honey. I have made a few casseroles throughout the years, however, I came across a new recipe on Pinterest, and it looks SO delicious. I am going to replace the butternut squash for sweet potatoes, and call it a win.
Now for the sweet stuff!
My sister is the queen of baking, and she spent a lot of time with my Grandma baking up the desserts, while I helped with the savory dishes. We have kind of carried that tradition on, and she’ll be making some pecan pies, coconut cream, and lemon meringue. All Wetz recipes.
I do love to bake as well, so I usually add in a few pies for our side, and my in-law’s side of Thanksgiving. I love a good apple pie with some dairy free Vanilla Bean ice cream. In fact, that’s the only pie I like, in small amounts, and the only time I’ll eat vanilla ice cream. I do not care for ANY other pies, and before you notice the pumpkin pie missing, our family just doesn’t do pumpkin anything. Sorry not sorry. My Grandpa has requested a strawberry rhubarb pie this year, so I will be tackling that one too!
The final touch.
Cranberry sauce! Are you a fan or not a fan? I can tell you growing up, it was too tart for me. But now that I am older, I loveeee cranberry sauce with my turkey! But please skip the canned sauce! All you need for a good homemade sauce is a bag of cranberries, honey, and a splash of orange juice. That’s it! Good, AND good for you.
I hope you enjoyed a peek into our holiday, and that you find some of these recipes tasty and helpful! I’ve included a list of recipes below, and at the bottom of this page you’ll also see my Trader Joe’s grocery haul! They have some really great options when it comes to Thanksgiving prep!
Complete list of recipes in case you are the scroller that wants to jump to the point
I have ALL of these recipes saved on my THANKSGIVING PINTEREST BOARD here. You can also scroll for the individual recipes below.
Dressing: This is my Grandma’s treasured recipe.
Sweet Potato Casseroles:
Roasted With Pecans & Cranberries
Traditional Casserole
Green Bean Casserole: I double the recipe, add 1/2 an onion, and a small container of mushrooms! I sauté those with the garlic step.
Gluten Free Apple Pie: I like to add pecans to this recipe!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Trader Joe’s Grocery Haul
Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
