10 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes That Are An Absolute Healthy Treat

Are you ready to build the best feast ever this year with our absolutely healthy, yet mouth-watering Thanksgiving Dinner recipes?

From Vegan meals to Thai cuisine, you just cannot get bored by the wonderful range of dishes that we have in store for you.

1. World Famous Turkey Meatballs

By Natasha Feldman, noshwithtash.com

Ingredients

• 1 ½  tablespoons olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 8 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup basil leaves, whole (stems are ok)
• ½ cup parsley leaves, whole (stems are ok)
• ½ cup parmesan, grated
• 5 cups bread, torn into 1 inch pieces
• 3 eggs
• 3 pounds ground turkey
• 1 large jar Rao’s Tomato Sauce (or other sauce of choice)

Directions

• Pick your largest saute pan and heat over a medium heat with the olive oil
• Once the oil is nice and hot add in the onion and saute for a few minutes until the onion is translucent and aromatic
• Add in the garlic, carrots and a big pinch of salt
• Cook for 5 or so minutes until the vegetables are softened
• Transfer the onion mixture into a food processor (if you have one… if you don’t you’ll have to chop everything real small… but honestly a reasonably priced food processor is gonna make you VERY happy) and pulse until it forms a course paste
• Add in the basil and parsley and pulse a few more times
• Throw in the parmesan and bread and pulse again until the mixture is real thick
• Transfer the bread/onion/deliciousness into a large bowl and carefully mix in the rest of the salt, eggs and turkey together
• Only mix until it’s combined, beware of overmixing, it’ll ruin the texture. You’ll know it’s well mixed once the bread/herb mixture  is evenly dispersed into the meatballs. As soon as it looks pretty evenly distributed stop mixing!
• Turn the heat back on under your pan to a medium and preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• Use your hands to gently form the meatballs into balls that are somewhere sized between a golf ball and a tennis ball (depending on your preference)
• Once the pan is nice and hot add in only enough meatballs so there is space between each meatball
• Cook for 3-4 minutes until the side of the meatball touching the pan begins to sear and turn a nice golden color
• Turn the meatballs a few times so most of the sides have color
• If you couldn’t fit all the meatballs in the pan rotate the meatballs in and out until they’re all browned
• Add all the meatballs back into pan and cover with tomato sauce
• Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until the internal temp of the meatballs is 155 degrees. If you don’t have a meat thermometer you can take one out and cut it open. The turkeyshould be firm and uniform in it’s color. Honestly though, since these meatballs ar so moist it can be a little tricky to tell, I really think this is the motivation to go out and get yourself a meat thermometer, you’ll be happy you have it!

2. Pumpkin Custard

By Dr. Carrie Burrows (PhD Nutritional Sciences)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Canned Pumpkin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 2  eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup Full Fat Canned Coconut Milk 
  

Directions

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine pumpkin and all spices in one bowl.
• In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs lightly then whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla and coconut milk. Whisk the egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well combined.
• Pour the custard into ramekins . Place the ramekins in a baking pan and add enough water to the dish to come up 2″ high around the ramekins.
• Place in the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean.

3. Gluten Free Pecan Cranberry Tart

By Crunchmaster® Crackers

Ingredients

For Filling

• 1½ cup roasted* pecan halves, divided
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp/ butter, melted
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
• 1 tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)

* Roast pecans 5-10 minutes at 350°F. Remove from oven and cool.

For Crust

• 1½ cup finely ground Crunchmaster®
• Original Multi-Seed Crackers
• 4 tbsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind the Crunchmaster®
• Original Multi-Seed Crackers in a food processor. In a large bowl, combine cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. Mix until ingredients are well blended. Add melted butter and stir until the crumb mixture is thoroughly moistened.
• Press crumb mixture firmly into a 9” deep dish pie pan, distributing mixture evenly throughout the bottom and sides of the pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes. In another large bowl, combine sugar, egg, corn syrup, vinegar, butter, vanilla extract, tahini, and salt. Mix until smooth. Gently stir in dried cranberries and roasted pecans. Pour the filling mixture into the prepared crust, spreading evenly.
• Bake the tart about 30-35 minutes at 350°F. Filling will become golden.
• Cool before serving.

4. Thai Pumpkin Soup

By Bonafide Provisions

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 2 yellow onions diced
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 30 ounces canned pumpkin about 2 cans
• 30 ounces canned coconut milk
• 4 cups Bonafide Provisions chicken broth
• 1/4 cup red curry paste
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• sea salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• red chili pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

• Heat a large pot on medium heat and add the ghee or oil so it coats the bottom of the pan. Cook the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic cloves and canned pumpkin. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until your entire kitchen begins to smell!
• Add in the canned coconut milk, broth, curry paste and spices (except the nutmeg, salt and peppers.) Cook on medium heat until the soup comes to a low boil. Lower the heat so the soup is simmering for another 20-25 minutes.
• Remove the soup from the heat. Pull out the bay leaves with some tongs. Add in the nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper. Blend the soup in a high speed blender (or with an immersion blender if you have one.) Adjust the salt and pepper according to your taste preferences.
• Serve warm and with some pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

5. Cheesy Quinoa Casserole With Sweet Potatoes & Swiss Chard

Chef Michelle of the Plated Culinary Team

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 shallot
• 12 oz sweet potatoes
• 8 ounces whole milk
• 1 1/2 ounce mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 ounce fontina cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 6 ounces Swiss chard
• 2/3 cup quinoa

Directions

• Prepare Ingredients: Preheat oven to 425°F. Mince garlic. Peel shallot and mince. Rinse sweet potatoes and halve lengthwise. Cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Rinse Swiss chard, tear leaves into bite-size pieces, and thinly slice stems. Separate 1 egg, reserving yolk.
• Sauté Aromatics: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add garlic and shallot and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Cook Quinoa and Sweet Potatoes: Add quinoa, sweet potatoes, and 2½ cups water to pot with aromatics. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook until quinoa is tender and all liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside.
• Sauté Swiss Chard: While quinoa and sweet potatoes cook, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add Swiss chard stems and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard leaves and sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes more. Remove pan from heat. Season with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper as desired.
• Assemble Casserole: Add Swiss chard leaves and stems to pot with quinoa and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Stir in cheese mix, milk, and 1 egg yolk. Transfer mixture to tin, reshaping if bent. Using the back of a spoon, smooth top of casserole. Sprinkle pecorino on top.
• Bake Casserole: Place casserole on a baking sheet, transfer to oven, and bake until golden and bubbling, 12-15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Serve on your favorite plates and enjoy it while it’s hot.

6. Wild Rice Stuffing With Grapes & Hazelnuts