Sheet Pan Turkey Dinner with Veggies — One Pan, Big Flavor

 

Looking for a simple yet satisfying holiday meal for two? This Sheet Pan Roast Turkey Dinner for Two delivers all the festive flavors without the fuss. Juicy turkey breast, tender vegetables, and crispy potatoes roast together on a single pan, making cleanup easy and prep stress-free. 

Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any cozy night in, this small batch recipe is ideal for couples, roommates, or solo cooks who want a comforting, homemade dinner without leftovers. With minimal effort and maximum flavor, it’s a modern twist on a classic roast.

  

I don't know about you, but, as a single person living on my own, I am always happy to try fresh and new ways of cooking old classics that won't take me as much time, don't require a lot of effort, and that won't leave me with a ton of leftovers.

This is especially important with the holiday season rapidly approaching. I wanted to be able to enjoy a nice holiday meal with all of the trimmings, but I didn't want to be eating turkey for days afterwards. Cooking the whole meal, simply, on a sheet pan solved all of these problems for me. 

I ended up with a delicious meal of moist and tender roasted turkey with a nice variety of vegetables on the side and it didn't require much effort at all, other than the vegetable prep. If you were really in a rush, you could always prepare the vegetables ready to throw on the sheet pan the night before.

This was simple, delicious, and ready to enjoy in about an hours' time from prep to finish. Cleanup was also very minimal. All I had to do was to rinse and wash the sheet pan. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

 

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE

SHEET PAN ROAST TURKEY DINNER FOR TWO

The usual suspects that one might expect to enjoy for a holiday meal!

• 1 boneless, skinless turkey breast roast (about 1 1/2 pounds/680g)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 slices/rashers of smoked streaky bacon
• 2 medium sweet potato
• 2 russet baking potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large parsnip
• 1 small squash (plus about 1/2 cup of 1/2 inch cubes of squash flesh)
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and minced
• 2 TBS light olive oil
• fresh thyme leaves
• 1 TBS pure maple syrup
• 2 TBS chopped pecans

To serve:

• Your favorite gravy
• Your favorite stuffing
• Cranberry sauce or relish
• dinner rolls

 

My piece of turkey breast was kind of on the flattish side. About 2 inches thick, but not round. I rolled it up tightly and then used the bacon to keep it in shape. Don't skip the bacon as this will help to baste your turkey and keep it moist.

My potatoes, both sweet and baking were each a bit smaller than my fist. They produced just the right amount for two people to enjoy. I did not peel my russet potatoes as I like the skin on them.

Both my carrot and my parsnip were about 8 inches in length and about an inch and a half around at the wisest end. 

I used a butternut squash, and it was quite tiny, only about 3 inches long.  A buttercup squash would be nice, but difficult to peel ahead of time. 

I used fresh thyme.

 

HOW TO COOK

SHEET PAN ROAST TURKEY DINNER FOR TWO

This is really simple and goes together very quickly. It is ideal for the smaller family. If you are feeding more, simply double everything and roast on two baking sheets.

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/gas mark 7. Line a large baking tray with some aluminum foil. (Make sure you use a baking tray with a rim.)
2. Season your turkey roast all over with some salt and pepper. If it is on the flattish side, try to roll it up. Wrap this in the bacon slices, stretching them slightly to cover. Place onto the baking tray with both ends of the bacon slices on the bottom of the roast so that they stay in place. (You can also hold the bacon in place with some toothpicks if you are worried they won't stay held. Do remember to remove the toothpicks prior to serving.)
3. Wash and peel all of your vegetables. (You don't have to peel the potatoes if you don't want to. I rather like roasted potato skins myself.)
4. Cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes into large chunks. Cut the carrot on the diagonal into thick slices. Do likewise with the parsnip. (My carrots and parsnips were about 1/2 inch thick.  The potatoes and sweet potatoes in 2-inch chunks.)
5. Toss all of these vegetables together in a bowl with 1 TBS of the oil, salt and black pepper to taste and 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves. (1/2 tsp dried) Place onto the baking sheet around the turkey. (I tend to keep like vegetables together. That way if I think they are getting done too soon, it is very easy to scoop them off.)
6. Peel your squash and cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard. (I used a small butternut squash, but you can use any small winter squash.) Place the halves of squash onto the baking sheet and brush with oil. (My butternut squash was very tiny. It was only about 4 inches in length. You could leave the skin on, but I felt it would be easier to eat and enjoy with the skin removed.)
7. Put the squash cubes into a bowl with the chopped onion, chopped pecans, maple syrup and the remainder of the oil and some thyme leaves. Add a pinch each of salt and black pepper. Mix well together and then divide this mixture between the squash halves, filling the empty cavities. (It might overflow a bit but that's perfectly fine. It will all cook in the same amount of time.)
8. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are all tender and the interior of the turkey registers at 165*F/74*C.
9. Cut the turkey into thick slice to serve. Serve on heated plates with the vegetables on the side. (I made gravy in a saucepan on top of the stove towards the end of the roasting time.)

 

BENEFITS OF SHEET PAN COOKING

There are many benefits to sheet pan cookery, especially when you are a smaller family.  Here are some to consider.

SIMPLIFIED MEAL PREP - Cooking everything on a single sheet pan eliminates the need for coordinating multiple dishes. Simply season things and then throw everything onto a sheet pan in the order of the time required for them to finish cooking, placing the things that require longer to cook on first and so on.  Let the oven do the hard work. This is great for dinner prep when time is of the essence. You can even have everything prepped, refrigerated and ready to go ahead of time.

ITS HEALTHIER - Lean meats and vegetables lend themselves perfectly to the method of sheet pan cookery. By roasting rather than frying you can prepare delicious meals using a fraction of the fat that might be required otherwise. It's also a pretty simple way to incorporate a variety of vegetables to your diet in a delicious way.   I don't know a vegetable whose flavor isn't greatly enhanced by roasting it.

MINIMAL CLEANUP - By using a simple lipped sheet pan, you eliminate the need for a variety of skillets, saucepans, etc. Everything just gets roasted on the same pan, and if you take the time to line the pan with foil or baking parchment, cleanup becomes even easier as nothing is stuck to the pan.

BUDGET FRIENDLY - This is a method of cooking that enables you to really maximize your ingredients. You can use whichever fresh vegetables that you have and proteins, simply tossing them together with a bit of oil and some seasonings.  It helps to make the most of what you have on hand.

FLAVOR FRIENDLY - Sheet pan cookery gives you the perfect opportunity to make the most of those herb and spice combos, rubs and sauces that you have in your store cupboard. Whatever your favorite flavors are this is a really great way to get in there and use these ingredients in a really delicious way. 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DO I NEED TO USE A BONELESS SKINLESS TURKEY BREAST?

No, but you need to consider the fact that if the turkey is bone in, it will take longer to cook.  Timings included for this recipe are appropriate for this size of turkey breast, boneless and the vegetables included.

CAN I LEAVE OUT THE BACON?

You could but bear in mind that with such a high roasting temperature the bacon helps to keep the turkey breast moist. I do not recommend leaving off the bacon, in all honesty. Turkey and bacon do taste very well together!

MUST I USE THE SUGGESTED VEGETABLES?

By all means use whichever vegetables you enjoy.  Do bear in mind that some vegetables take longer to cook than others. I did add some brussels sprouts to another baking sheet and cooked them separately as they roast in a fraction of the time as everything else.

WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH THIS?

I suggest making a simple gravy and some stuffing separately. I have a great recipe here on how to make gravy from scratch using simple ingredients. Stock, butter and flour.

Stuffing goes very nicely. You can use a stove top type of stuffing or make your own the day before, reheating it while the turkey is roasting.   Dinner rolls also make a great addition to the meal as does cranberry sauce or relish.

WHAT ABOUT LEFTOVERS?

There won't be many but be sure to pack them up in an airtight container promptly and refrigerate. Make sure to use them up within two to three days.

 

A FEW MORE SHEET PAN

DINNERS FOR TWO THAT YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY

I love sheet pan cooking.  Everything, with proper planning, gets finished at the same time, with only one pan to wash up.  Quick, easy and delicious! 

HAM STEAKS SHEET PAN DINNER - A delicious ham dinner for two. With this one it is a simple matter of pre-cooking the vegetables (which you could conceivably do the night before and refrigerate) and then throwing them onto a baking sheet with the ham steaks, which are drizzled with a lush honey-mustard sauce. 

SHEET PAN ROASTED SEA BASS DINNER - A simple fish dinner done in stages. First potatoes are added to the pan and roasted for a short. Chunky onions and tomato halves are added with some balsamic and herbs and this is roasted for a tiny bit longer. Then the fish is added, sprinkled with a few chopped cashew nuts and the dinner is roasted for a little bit longer. The result is perfectly roasted fish, tender, juicy and flaky and beautifully roasted vegetables.

  

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Yield: Two plus some leftovers

Author: Marie Rayner

Sheet Pan Roast Turkey Dinner for Two

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

This is a fabulously quick and easy way to put together a smaller sized turkey dinner for the smaller family. Nothing is missing, except maybe the stuffing, but if you are like me, stuffing for two would never suffice. I suggest you make a nice big casserole of it separately. This tasty meal has roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, squash and of course turkey.

Ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless turkey breast roast (about 1 1/2 pounds/680g)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 slices/rashers of smoked streaky bacon
• 2 medium sweet potato
• 2 russet baking potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large parsnip
• 1 small squash (plus about 1/2 cup of 1/2 inch cubes of squash flesh)
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and minced
• 2 TBS light olive oil
• fresh thyme leaves
• 1 TBS pure maple syrup
• 2 TBS chopped pecans

To serve:

• Your favorite gravy
• Your favorite stuffing
• Cranberry sauce or relish
• dinner rolls

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/gas mark 7. Line a large baking tray with some aluminum foil.
2. Season your turkey roast all over with some salt and pepper. If it is on the flattish side, try to roll it up. Wrap this in the bacon slices, stretching them slightly to cover. Place onto the baking tray with both ends of the bacon slices on the bottom of the roast so that they stay in place.
3. Wash and peel all of your vegetables.
4. Cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes into large chunks. Cut the carrot on the diagonal into thick slices. Do likewise with the parsnip.
5. Toss all of these vegetables together in a bowl with 1 TBS of the oil, salt and black pepper to taste and 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves. (1/2 tsp dried) Place onto the baking sheet around the turkey.
6. Peel your squash and cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard. (I used a small butternut squash, but you can use any small winter squash.) Place the halves of squash onto the baking sheet and brush with oil.
7. Put the squash cubes into a bowl with the chopped onion, chopped pecans, maple syrup and the remainder of the oil and some thyme leaves. Add a pinch each of salt and black pepper. Mix well together and then divide this mixture between the squash halves, filling the empty cavities.
8. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are all tender and the interior of the turkey registers at 165*F/74*C.
9. Cut the turkey into thick slice to serve. Serve on heated plates with the vegetables on the side.

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