One Pan Turkey Dinner

One Pan Turkey Dinner includes a roasted breast of turkey, classic dressing, green beans with cranberries, and baked fruit, all in one pan.

If you are a fan of one-pan dinners you might think that you are out of luck in finding one that is special enough for a holiday dinner, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this one-pan dinner fits the bill with a beautifully roasted breast of turkey. It contains some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes that I make every year.

This is a great recipe for a roast turkey dinner that gives you all the sides and trimmings in just one pan and easily serves six guests, which makes it perfect for small gatherings when you don't want to make the big turkey dinner.

Jump to Recipe

Are you short on serving platters and dishes? This dinner is so beautiful, you can leave the side dishes in the roasting pan and serve this dinner buffet style.

Jump to:

• Why We Love This Roast Turkey Dinner
• Ingredient Notes
• Equipment
• Shopping List
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Make the Classic Dressing
• Roasting a Turkey Breast
• Adding the Side Dishes to the Pan
• Organization Saves You Time
• A Basic Timeline for This Dinner
• My Top Tips
• Substitutions & Variations
• Completing the Dinner
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Additionally, if your oven space is limited, this is a perfect solution to being able to roast a breast of turkey and all of the Thanksgiving dinner sides at the same time. So, it really is an elegant solution to avoid using multiple pans and casseroles to create a festive dinner.

In addition to the easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions that are included in this recipe, I've also included a shopping list, and a timeline to help you know when to start making this easy Thanksgiving meal.

Why We Love This Roast Turkey Dinner

Everything is hot at the same time!

Years ago I was visiting a friend and he spontaneously said he would make dinner and invited me to stay. I asked if he would like some help and he replied that he knew how to make everything but he could use some help because he "always had trouble getting everything hot at once". I had been cooking for at least 10 years at the time and had never thought of that as being an issue. But, over the years I have learned that time management in the kitchen is one of the most challenging things in being a successful host. 

The idea of many dishes being cooked at once might feel overwhelming to you, but I promise I have broken the recipe directions into two easy-to-understand parts.

Part 1 is preparing the dressing and the turkey breast and putting the turkey to roast for about two-thirds of the total roasting time. Part 2 is when you add all of the side dishes and baste the turkey before returning the pan to the oven for the final hour or so.

Plus, to make this one-pan turkey dinner extra simple and easy, I have tied every step to a timeline that will give you exact instructions on when to do everything.

And... the best part? Your clean-up will be easy because everything except the roasting pan can be washed and put away while the dinner roasts.

Are you ready for the easiest roast turkey dinner ever? 

So, let's cook! 

Ingredient Notes

Here's what you need to make this One Pan Turkey Dinner:

• 8 Pound Whole Turkey Breast - I prefer a bone-in breast but you can also use a boneless turkey breast, which will cook faster.

Classic Dressing:

• White Bread - You will need one loaf, cut into ½” cubes. I prefer Hearty French, Rustic Italian, and sourdough bread but you can use a sandwich bread.
• Salted Butter - Use your favorite brand of butter. I prefer to use salted butter but you can use unsalted butter and increase the added salt.
• Yellow Onion - Yellow onions are savory without being sharp and are the best choice for this dressing. In a pinch, red onion can be substituted for yellow onion.
• Green Celery - When buying celery I select one that has a lot of leaves. The leaves are delicious in dishes.
• Poultry Seasoning - I prefer to use poultry seasoning that does not contain salt so that I can easily control the salt. My favorite brand is Bell’s Seasoning, which is what my mom also used.
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth - Use a brand of broth that has good flavor. I prefer to use low sodium or "no salt added' broth so that I keep the dressing from becoming too salty.
• Salt - Just plain or iodized salt from the round blue box works consistently well.

Basting Sauce for Turkey:

• Unsalted Butter - I use unsalted butter for the basting sauce because most turkey breasts have been brined. But if you are roasting a fresh breast, you can use salted butter.
• Fresh Thyme Leaves - Fresh herbs are always a better choice but you can use dried thyme.
• Sweet Paprika - Paprika is made from all types of dried ground peppers that vary in heat and it comes in several varieties that include hot, smoked, and sweet. Use a paprika that is sweet rather than hot or smoked for beautiful color and a mild flavor.

Vegetable Side:

• Frozen French Style Green Beans - Frozen green beans have a much better flavor than canned and the texture is closer to fresh beans.
• Dried Cranberries - I've found that the store brands are just as delicious as the famous name brand. These generally are "sweetened dried" which is perfect to add to the green beans for flavor and color interest.

Special Note: This is an alternative to the classic green bean casserole and is lighter in calories and salt.

Fruit Side:

• Small Apples - I use small baking fruits that can fit in the pan with everything else. A small amount of baked fruit is delicious with roasted turkey.
• Small Pears - The pears do not need to be completely ripe since they will be baked.

Equipment

For this dinner, you will need the following:

• Large Baking/Roasting Pan
• Reynolds Wrap Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
• Extra Large Mixing Bowl
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Small Sauce Pan
• 10" Skillet
• Cutting Board
• Large Knife
• Large Spoon
• Dry Measuring Cups
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Measuring Spoons

Your clean-up will be easy because everything but the roasting pan can be washed and put away while the dinner roasts.

The key to being able to roast everything in one pan is a roasting rack you make out of aluminum foil. A roasting rack keeps the turkey breast up out of the pan so that it browns nicely on its sides.

I've been making these disposable racks for years. The serpentine shape is exceptional for smaller cuts of meat, especially for roasting a whole turkey breast.

All you need is about 4 feet of heavy-duty aluminum foil to make this inexpensive and disposable rack. Just shape and roll the foil into a long 2" thick rope and coil it.

Food & Wine, my favorite source for great food ideas, has an excellent tutorial on how to make this aluminum foil rack.

Keep in mind that you will also need aluminum foil to tent the turkey. I purchase a new roll of aluminum foil every year just for holiday cooking. This way I know I won't run short when making this dinner.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1

Make the Classic Dressing

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 325°. Then, dry out and lightly toast the cubed bread. (Please note this step can be done up to 5 days ahead of the day you serve your turkey dinner.)

Step 2 - Cook the aromatics. Sauté the chopped yellow onion and celery in butter until the onion is transparent.

Step 3 - Add poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to the aromatics and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes to bloom the herbs.

Step 4 - In a large bowl mix together the toasted bread cubes and the seasoned aromatics. Add broth to moisten the dressing. Set the dressing aside for later.

Roasting a Turkey Breast

Step 5 - Make a roasting rack from heavy-duty aluminum foil and coil it into one end of your roasting pan.

Step 6 - Remove the turkey breast from its packaging. Rinse turkey with cold water inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Place the prepared turkey breast on the coiled roasting rack.

Step 7 - Tent the turkey breast with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Do not let the foil touch the turkey breast. Place the tented turkey breast into the 325°F/163°C preheated oven. Be sure to roast at 325°, as this is how to safely cook a turkey.

Step 8 - Make the basting sauce from butter, paprika, and fresh thyme leaves. If you have trouble seasoning a turkey, give this basting sauce a try. This basting sauce will not only season the turkey, but it will give the skin a beautiful, caramel brown color.

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As the turkey breast roasts, prepare the green beans by defrosting them. In a large bowl mix together the thawed and drained green beans with the dried cranberries.

Part 2

Adding the Side Dishes to the Pan

After the turkey has been roasted for about two hours you will remove the turkey breast from the oven and add the side dishes to the pan.

First, you add the dressing, placing it closest to the turkey breast and mounding it up slightly to create a dam for the green beans. Next, add the green beans with cranberries in the remaining space next to the dressing and fill the space to the edge of the roasting pan. Lastly, place the apples and pears around and near the turkey breast.

Re-tent the pan with the aluminum foil and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey breast is 165° F, which will be about 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes.

PRO-TIP - To get a true internal temperature make sure the thermometer does not touch the bone. 

Organization Saves You Time

A timeline really helps me feel in control and stress-free when I have a special meal to serve. So, I thought you might find it helpful to follow a basic timeline I created for my dinner which I will be serving at 2:30 PM.

I like to do what I can in the days prior or the evening before the big day. For this dinner, you can dry out the bread cubes for the dressing the night before and just leave them in the turned-off oven overnight. I also like to set the formal table on the previous night.

So, for anyone who would like to have a little help with the timing of this dinner here is my basic timeline. The actual prep time is only 1 hour and 15 minutes. The rest of the time is spent waiting for the dinner to cook.

A Basic Timeline for This Dinner

Night Before
Set the formal dining table. Dry out and toast the bread cubes.

9:30 AM – Begin Part 1 of the Recipe
Remove the turkey breast from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature before roasting it. Take the French-style green beans from the freezer to thaw. Chop the celery and the onion. Remove leaves of fresh thyme from the stems. Preheat the oven. Make the classic dressing. Prepare the pan and prep the turkey breast.

10:45 AM – Put the Turkey Breast in the Oven.
Roast for 2 Hours.

10:45 AM to 12:45 PM – Two Hours of Free Time
Time for a break to do what you want! Also, this is a great time to clean up the kitchen which makes the final cleanup easier.

12:45 PM – Begin Part 2 of the Recipe
Take the turkey breast out of the oven. Remove the aluminum tent and add the dressing, green beans with dried cranberries, and apples and pears to the pan. Fold the tent foil in half and use it to cover only the dressing and green beans. Baste the turkey breast and return the dinner to the oven.

1:10 PM – 1 Hour of Free Time
Have a nice glass of wine or a cup of your favorite good cheer!

2:10 PM – Take the Turkey Dinner out of the Oven
Allow the turkey to rest for 15 minutes before carving it for maximum juiciness. Transfer the side dishes to decorative bowls and platters. This dinner is so beautiful you also can leave the side dishes in the roasting pan and serve the dinner buffet style. Carve the turkey and plate it. If you are serving buffet style, the plated turkey can be placed on top of the coiled aluminum roasting rack.

2:30 PM – Dinner is Served!
Relax, celebrate, and enjoy your time with your guests!

My Top Tips

♡ Read through the entire directions to help you organize your cooking time. This is always good advice whether you are a beginner or experienced cook.

♡ Use the shopping list and the timetable. These are meant to help you shop and organize the dinner and will save you time.

Substitutions & Variations

SUBSTITUTE your favorite veggies for the French-style green beans. Good choices are:

• Brussels Sprouts - Simply halve the Brussels sprouts, drizzle them with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Carrots - Whole "baby" carrots, topped with brown sugar and dotted with salted butter.
• Mixed Frozen Vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot mixes. Drizzle them with olive oil or melted butter and add dried chives or your favorite herb seasoning.
• Baby Potatoes - Place them whole in the pan, drizzle them with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

SUBSTITUTE a box stuffing/dressing mix for the Classic Dressing. If you use a box mix, you can dress it up with one or more of the following stir-ins. Add them when you mix the dressing:

• Toasted Pecans, Chopped
• Slivered Almonds
• Chestnuts, Chopped
• Cooked & Crumbled Sausage
• Cooked Wild Rice
• Dried Cranberries
• Dried Apricots, Chopped
• Cooked & Crumbled Bacon

Completing the Dinner

With this beautiful dinner, all you really need to complete the menu are beverages and a dessert. My One Pan Turkey Dinner gives you almost everything you need in one pan. It has roasted white meat turkey, homemade classic dressing, a vegetable side with green beans and cranberries, and lastly roasted fruit to go with the dinner or to be served as a dessert.

But, most Americans feel their turkey dinner must include gravy, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls with butter, and a pie. If you are new at cooking or short on time, this can be overwhelming. So make it easy on yourself and simply buy the gravy, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and pie.

But if you really want everything homemade, I have a few suggestions for you. I have a delicious and super easy pie that can be made quickly. Cranberry Sugar Pie is unlike any pie you have ever had. This pie tastes like sweet creme brulee and is filled with dried cranberries that plump as the pie bakes.

If homemade dinner rolls are a must for your holiday table, the dough for Steakhouse Dinner Rolls can be made the day before. The shaped rolls can be refrigerated overnight and baked beside the turkey dinner.

And, there really is nothing like Homemade Cranberry Sauce to make a turkey dinner extra special, which can be made two days before the dinner is served.

I doubt there will be any leftovers, but if there are, Tuscan Turkey Divan is a delicious dish that uses up any leftover turkey beautifully.

Lastly, If you are unsure about how much turkey you need or want alternative choices, check out my comprehensive Turkey Buying and Roasting Guide.

📖 Recipe