Turkey or no turkey? Thanksgiving feast alternatives your family may not hate

By Gina Matsoukas

Getting household and friends unneurotic implicit nutrient should beryllium a fantastic time, but Thanksgiving has a mode of bringing up conflict. Differing opinions, cherished traditions and household feuds – everyone has thoughts connected Thanksgiving food. If you are considering the unthinkable this twelvemonth and changing up the accepted turkey-based menu, here’s however to navigate the battlefield.

Many radical look guardant to the dispersed connected the Thanksgiving Day array each twelvemonth long. They expect turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes and pie, arsenic good arsenic the leftovers successful the pursuing days. There is abstraction for disagreements present – should you roast oregon heavy fry the turkey? Do you service mashed potatoes oregon saccharine potatoes? Is homemade oregon canned cranberry condiment best?

But what if you privation to permission these accepted foods disconnected the paper altogether? Removing turkey from the Thanksgiving feast has been known to teardrop families isolated – starring to a combat of epic proportions for some. Forgetting potatoes could origin months of soundless treatment. Neglecting to service pastry mightiness necessitate penning household members retired of the will.

If you inactive situation to alteration up your Thanksgiving menu, these entrees and sides are worthy competitors to the turkey. They mightiness adjacent go your caller favourite vacation dishes.

Top turkey alternatives for Thanksgiving dinner

Marca reports that astir 88% of households successful the United States devour turkey connected Thanksgiving. Despite the bird’s popularity, respective different delicious entrees marque for arsenic show-stopping main dishes for a vacation feast. If you are not a instrumentality of turkey yourself, request to conscionable dietary restrictions oregon simply looking for thing different, effort these alternatives instead.

Poultry and beef Thanksgiving entrees

Duck is simply a fantastic alternate to turkey. With a affluent taste, tender nutrient and crispy skin, it tin beryllium a luxurious treat. You tin roast oregon fume a full duck arsenic you would a turkey. For a smaller serving oregon faster mentation time, pan-seared duck breast is elemental yet lavish capable for a Thanksgiving entree.

A turkey roulade is an fantabulous prime if you similar not to navigator an full bird. You get to service the accepted turkey stuffed with seasonal flavors successful a beautifully presented dish, but it takes little clip and effort to prepare. The smaller crockery is besides cleanable if you person a much intimate gathering oregon don’t privation a batch of leftovers.

You tin besides forgo poultry altogether. A premier rib roast is flavorful, festive and definite to delight the nutrient lovers astatine your party. It is besides often large capable to service a larger radical and supply leftovers.

Vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving entrees

A centerpiece vegetarian entree should beryllium satisfying and packed with seasonal flavors. The champion entrees whitethorn adjacent surpass turkey arsenic a favourite among your guests.

Stuffed squash with grains, nuts, cranberries and herbs brings unneurotic autumn flavors successful a hearty and filling dish. A mushroom wellington, offering a rotation connected a classical beef wellington, combines a delicious mushroom filling with flaky vegan puff pastry for an charismatic Thanksgiving entree.

Extra-creative entrees that aren’t turkey

Since Thanksgiving celebrates assemblage and coming together, serving planetary specialties tin uniquely premix up the menu. French coq a vin, your favourite pasta crockery oregon an Indian curry brings breathtaking caller flavors. You tin besides take a coastal-inspired Thanksgiving and service salmon, shrimp, lobster oregon your different preferred fish. The luxury of seafood is definite to trim immoderate complaints astir missing turkey.

Switching up sides: Non-traditional Thanksgiving broadside dishes

When it comes to sides, determination are dozens of ways to interruption from tradition. You whitethorn besides person a spot much leeway. Adding an other broadside oregon 2 mightiness beryllium little apt to get you ostracized from aboriginal holidays, particularly if you service them on with a fewer accepted sides.

International dishes, beloved recipes from different holidays oregon untested recipes you’ve been waiting to effort tin each acceptable connected the Thanksgiving table. Go highly untraditional with appetizers similar tamales oregon fried wontons oregon improvise connected classical sides. Serve roasted caller greenish beans alternatively of casserole oregon brace homemade apple butter with the meal rolls.

Divisive desserts for Thanksgiving

Pie mightiness beryllium the accepted Thanksgiving dessert, but don’t bounds yourself to plain pumpkin, pome oregon pecan pie. Try a cocoa pumpkin pastry oregon adhd cranberries to an pome pastry for other flavors. Or tempt your guests with a delicious cocoa pie, banana pick pastry oregon blueberry pastry for thing wholly different.

You tin besides instrumentality with accepted flavors, yet service them successful caller ways. Pumpkin pastry bites, pome crisp oregon pumpkin cheesecake crystal pick springiness those acquainted autumn vibes without a pie’s modular crust and filling.

Breaking Thanksgiving contented without household conflict

Even if you person the astir delicious Thanksgiving paper planned, not everyone volition needfully invited a interruption from accepted foods. Nostalgia and dishes reserved for the vacation tin permission radical anticipating Thanksgiving meal each year.

You tin effort a fewer tactics to trim the accidental of struggle arsenic you premix up the menu. Preparing a tiny turkey alongside different entree similar duck oregon mushroom wellington tin fulfill everyone astatine a ample party. Likewise, support a fewer favourite sides connected the array successful summation to caller ones. Relying connected classical flavors successful inventive dishes volition besides assistance easiness the transition.

Getting the full enactment successful connected non-traditional Thanksgiving cooking tin assistance arsenic well. Make your Thanksgiving oregon Friendsgiving a potluck and promote guests to hole a recipe. In summation to getting guests excited to effort caller foods, you’ll person little prep enactment yourself and plentifulness of radical to blasted if meal is missing someone’s favourite dish.

Celebrate a delicious Thanksgiving with breathtaking caller dishes

Planning a Thanksgiving paper tin beryllium a analyzable creation of choosing accepted favorites portion avoiding the aforesaid bushed flavors. With galore radical truthful passionate astir their Thanksgiving meal, these decisions whitethorn permission you feeling similar you’re astir to commencement the adjacent household war. Fortunately, the close delicious dishes and a small spot of persuasion volition person your friends and household to commencement immoderate caller Thanksgiving traditions this year.

Gina Matsoukas is the writer, lensman and look creator of Running to the Kitchen. Focusing connected healthy, seasonal, whole-food recipes, her enactment has been featured successful assorted online and people publications including Food Network, Prevention Magazine and Women’s Health. Gina lives successful cardinal New York, wherever she enjoys an progressive outdoor life.