While turkey is a Thanksgiving staple, there’s nothing stopping you from making a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal this year, with alternative holiday main dishes, such as glazed hams, braised chick roast, roast chicken, or pot roast.
If you are not a turkey kinda person, I think you will absolutely love these recipe ideas, all tested many times and perfected in my kitchen. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thinking about skipping the turkey this year?
While I do love a serving turkey on Thanksgiving day, sometimes I do think about changing it up. For example, Friendsgiving is a great opportunity to show off my non-turkey Thanksgiving recipes.
Or maybe you’re just not a turkey person, or think that cooking a whole turkey is a lot of work (it is!). Either way, Thanksgiving is about sharing good food with the people you love, and a glazed ham, tender pot roast, or golden roast chicken feels just as festive.
What to Serve With It
All your favorite Thanksgiving sides still belong on the table. Fluffy mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, and soft dinner rolls are excellent. Or go the non-traditional route and try my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese!
Delicious Non-Turkey Alternative Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas
Here are my favorite non-traditional Thanksgiving main dishes, special enough for the holiday and also easy enough to make all winter long.
1
Beef Chuck Roast Pot Pie
This beef chuck roast pot pie is pure comfort food! The beef filling is braised in the oven for hours, along with carrots and mushrooms. It's finished with a golden puff pastry crust for the best beef pot pie ever!
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2
Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken
This Dutch Oven Roast Chicken is perfect for dinner! Roasting a chicken in a Dutch oven ensures it's tender and moist, with a golden brown and crispy skin. Cooked over a bed of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions for the best one pot meal.
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3
Red Wine Braised Beef
This red wine braised beef cooks in the oven for over 3 hours until fall-apart tender and extra juicy. The braising liquid is packed with so much flavor, and it's served with carrots and mushrooms.
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4
Dutch Oven Pot Roast
This Dutch oven pot roast is the ultimate comfort food dish. It's so amazingly flavorful and the meat is so tender it falls apart. Made with baby carrots and potatoes, this pot roast is the ultimate one pot meal!
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5
Easy Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
This easy brown sugar glaze for ham makes a stunning, caramelized shiny holiday ham! With our cooking method, the spiral glazed ham turns out perfectly moist and tender. It's very easy to make!
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6
Slow Cooker Spiral Ham
The easy slow cooker spiral ham is made with an easy brown sugar pineapple glaze. It cooks for just 4 hours in the slow cooker, and it turns out so tender, moist, and packed with sweet and tangy flavors.
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7
Apple Cider Pork Roast
This apple cider pork shoulder roast is the ultimate comfort food for fall! Its slowly braised in a apple cider and mustard braising liquid until fall-apart tender and juicy.
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8
Apple Cider Brined Pork Loin
This juicy apple cider brined pork loin is brined overnight, and then seasoned and roasted with sweet apples and onions in a cast iron skillet. It's finished with a sticky maple cider glaze that brings everything together. This is the perfect cozy feast!
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9
Honey Balsamic Chuck Roast
This delicious braised honey balsamic chuck roast has savory, sweet, and tangy flavors, and it's slowly braised until tender and juicy. It's very easy make, and it's also make-ahead and freezer friendly.
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10
Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes
Shepherd's Pie Baked Potatoes are such a fun dinner twist! I love how tender the potatoes are, with a crispy skin and a hearty meat filling baked with a quick cheesy potato mash.
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11
Chuck Roast in the Oven (No Searing!)
Fall-apart tender chuck roast braised in the oven with garlic and butter in a rich braising liquid, then broiled with brown sugar for a beautiful caramelized crust. There is no searing required in the recipe, the oven does all the work.
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12
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
These red wine braised short ribs are fall-apart tender and so incredibly flavor-packed. They are cooked in a rich red wine braising liquid with lots of aromatics for 3 hours, low and slow.
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13
Pork Shoulder Roast
This oven roasted pork shoulder is dry-brined overnight and slowly roasted at a low temperature for fork-tender meat with golden, crispy edges. The garlic herb rub makes it even better, so flavorful and golden brown!
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14
Char Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork)
This iconic Cantonese barbecued pork dish is a must-try! The pork is marinated overnight with a delicious, sweet and savory flavor-packed marinade, and then oven-roasted until tender, juicy, and charred.
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15
Chinese BBQ Ribs (Char Siu Style)
These Chinese BBQ Ribs are made with the same marinade as the iconic char siu pork! The ribs are tender and moist. Packed with sweet and savory flavors, and finished with a sticky and glossy honey glaze.
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16
Soy Sauce Chicken
This authentic Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken ("See Yao Gai") is gently poached in an aromatic soy broth until tender and glistening. A simple, restaurant-quality family recipe you can make at home!
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17
French Onion Pot Roast
This comforting French onion pot roast is packed with incredible flavor. The onions are caramelized until rich and golden brown, and the beef is cooked in the braising liquid for low and slow until fall-apart tender.
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18
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
This impressive stuffed pork tenderloin is made with slices of prosciutto and cheese, plus a delicious spinach and sun-dried tomato filling! It's seared to perfection and finished in the oven until tender and delicious.
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19
Salmon Wellington (with Puff Pastry)
Salmon Wellington is an elegant and impressive dish, yet very easy to make. This salmon Wellington is made with puff pastry, and the filling is made with spinach and cheese.
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20
Short Rib Ragu Pappardelle
This short rib ragu with pappardelle pasta is incredibly flavorful, fall-apart tender, and perfect for a cozy weekend meal at home. It's make-ahead and freezer friendly as well.
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21
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs
These cast iron chicken thighs are the perfect one pan meal. The chicken skin sears until beautifully crispy and golden brown, and it's all finished in the oven with all your favorite vegetables and a glaze!
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22
Honey Balsamic Chicken
This delicious honey balsamic chicken is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and savory. An easy, one-pan weeknight meal using tender thighs and drumsticks. The honey balsamic marinade results in tender and juicy chicken, with a glossy caramelized finish.
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