Thanksgiving for One or a Few: Simple Recipes and a Grateful Heart

Planning Thanksgiving for one or a few people can start with a simple question: how much food do we actually need? You may want the familiar flavors without a refrigerator full of leftovers. You may be inviting a friend, bringing a side to a family gathering, or enjoying a quiet meal at home. There is room to make this day meaningful without cooking for twelve.

Below is a small Thanksgiving menu with three recipes from our free Table for One cookbook, plus a simple turkey option for this article. You’ll also find a complete biblical reflection from the PDF. Our hope is that these recipes help you care for the people at your table, including yourself, and make room to thank God for His kindness.

A simple Thanksgiving menu for one

Start with a turkey cutlet, add Green Bean Bundles and Glazed Carrots, and finish with Chocolate Mousse. The three cookbook recipes each serve one. Double or triple the ingredients when you are sharing a meal, using a larger pan or cooking in batches so everything has room to cook evenly. Add a roll, a baked potato, or a little cranberry sauce if those belong on your Thanksgiving plate.

You can also choose just one recipe to bring to someone else’s table. Receiving an invitation and contributing a dish are both good ways to enjoy the day together.

Simple herb turkey cutlet

Serves: 1   Time: About 15 minutes, depending on thickness

This turkey option is an addition for the article; it is not a recipe from the cookbook. A small cutlet gives you a Thanksgiving entrée without roasting a whole bird.

Ingredients

• 1 boneless turkey breast cutlet, about 5–6 ounces and ½ inch thick
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or rubbed sage
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth or water

Instructions

1. Pat the cutlet dry with a paper towel and season both sides with the herbs, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook for about 3–5 minutes on each side. Adjust the heat if it browns too quickly.
3. Add the broth or water and cover briefly if the turkey needs more time. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer; it must reach 165°F. Thickness changes the cooking time, so use the thermometer rather than the clock to decide when it is ready.
4. Transfer to a plate and spoon a little of the pan juices over the turkey.

If cooking turkey is more than you want to take on, purchase a small portion of fully cooked turkey and follow its package instructions. The CDC’s holiday turkey guidance explains safe preparation and storage. Refrigerate perishable leftovers within two hours, use cooked turkey within three to four days, and reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Green Bean Bundles

From the cookbook: Recipe 13, page 31   Serves: 1   Time: About 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 15–20 whole green beans, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 1 bacon slice
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an oven-safe dish with cooking spray.
2. Gather the beans into a round bundle. Wrap the bacon slice in a spiral around the beans, tucking the ends underneath as you place the bundle in the dish.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or longer as needed until the bacon is fully cooked and crispy.

Make one bundle per plate. The cookbook also suggests turkey bacon or a light sprinkle of garlic powder. Its accompanying reflection, “Small Acts, Wholehearted Service,” considers wholehearted service and healthy limits through Colossians 3:23.

Glazed Carrots

From the cookbook: Recipe 14, page 33   Serves: 1   Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, sliced, matchsticks, or baby carrots
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• ¼ cup orange juice
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Add the carrots and butter or oil to a skillet. Cook over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, until the carrots start to soften.
2. Add the orange juice, ginger, and nutmeg. Cook for another 4–5 minutes, or until the carrots are as tender as you prefer.

Cut larger carrots into smaller, even pieces to help them cook evenly. The cookbook offers other seasoning options, including cinnamon and a little extra citrus.

Chocolate Mousse

From the cookbook: Recipe 20, page 47   Serves: 1   Time: About 5 minutes

This version uses avocado and banana for a simple blended dessert. It pairs with the reflection below, so you can try both parts of the cookbook at your own table.

Ingredients

• 1 avocado, peeled and seeded
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ½ banana
• 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• A pinch of cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until blended well.
2. Spoon into a small bowl. Serve with shredded coconut, almonds, whipped cream, fresh berries, or chocolate sauce if you like. Chill if you prefer a firmer texture.

Save the remaining half banana for oatmeal or a smoothie the next morning.

Make room to enjoy the meal

Read through the recipes before you begin and put the ingredients within reach. Make the mousse first and refrigerate it. Start the bean bundle in the oven, then cook the carrots and turkey. If you have one skillet, finish the carrots first and keep them warm while the turkey cooks. Give yourself a little extra time; dinner does not need to become a race.

For a shared meal, let someone bring a side or dessert. Ask about food allergies and preferences before planning the menu. A small gathering is still hospitality, and you do not have to provide every part of it yourself. Our article on caring for friends in everyday relationships offers other ways to pay attention to what helps someone feel known.

From the cookbook: Receive the Good Gift

The following is the complete reflection that accompanies Chocolate Mousse in Table for One: Recipes and Reflections for the Single Life, page 46.

Scripture Focus: James 1:17 (ESV)

Christians sometimes become suspicious of enjoyment, as though gratitude were safer when limited to necessities. Scripture teaches restraint and warns against being ruled by appetite, but it also identifies God as the giver of good gifts. Enjoyment becomes worship when the gift leads our attention back to the giver rather than replacing Him.

A small chocolate mousse is a fitting exercise in proportion. It is rich enough to feel like dessert and limited enough to enjoy without turning one craving into a week of leftovers. The goal is not guilt or indulgence. It is freedom—the ability to receive something pleasant with thanks and stop when enough has been received.

Single adults may save celebration for occasions that involve someone else. A birthday dinner, dessert, or special purchase can feel awkward when there is no spouse to initiate it. Yet gratitude does not require a witness. Marking a day, enjoying beauty, and preparing a thoughtful dessert are ways to acknowledge God’s kindness in the present.

Eat slowly enough to notice it. Share it if you want, but do not believe it becomes legitimate only when shared. Then carry the same attentiveness into other gifts: friendship, work, rest, creativity, service, laughter, and the church. Good gifts are not our completeness, but they can be received by people who are complete in Christ.

Practice

Choose one small pleasure to enjoy responsibly this week, and enjoy it without multitasking. Name the gift and thank God for it specifically. If enjoyment easily becomes excess for you, decide the portion or limit beforehand and invite accountability where needed. Gratitude and self-control can sit at the same table. Let the moment remain small enough to be received rather than consumed without attention.

Takeaway

God’s good gifts can be enjoyed with gratitude, in proportion, and with freedom, without making them our ultimate satisfaction.

For Reflection or Conversation

1. Which good gift do you struggle to receive without guilt?
2. How can enjoyment lead you toward gratitude rather than control you?

Prayer

Giver of every good gift, teach me to enjoy Your kindness without being ruled by it. Grow gratitude, wisdom, and self-control together in my life. Amen.

Questions about Thanksgiving for one or a few

Do I need to cook a whole turkey for Thanksgiving alone?

No. A turkey cutlet or a small portion of fully cooked turkey can fit the meal you want to prepare. Choose the foods you enjoy and the amount you can reasonably use. A meaningful Thanksgiving meal does not depend on how much food is on the table.

Can I use these recipes for a small Friendsgiving?

Yes. The cookbook recipes above each serve one, so multiply the ingredients for your guests. Use enough pans and oven space for the food to cook properly, and ask friends to bring part of the meal. The reflection questions also make a simple starting point for conversation if your group wants to read Scripture together.

What if Thanksgiving brings grief or feels different this year?

You do not have to pretend that everything feels good to thank God for His care. Keep the meal manageable, tell a trusted friend how you are doing, and make room to remember someone you miss. If you are grieving a spouse, our resources for widows and widowers may help you find encouragement and support beyond the holiday.

Download the free Table for One cookbook

The free PDF includes 28 Dunn family recipes, biblical reflections, and practical help for cooking for one. You’ll find meals for ordinary evenings as well as recipes to share, including Mommaw’s Goulash. Get the free cookbook and explore more recipes here.

If a meal opens the door to an ongoing conversation, Embrace the Table offers a small-group Bible study for single adults. You can also browse our Christian resources for singles for encouragement in the season you are living now.

Set the table you have. Receive the good gifts God has given, and consider who you might invite or encourage this week. You are complete in Christ today, and your life is worth caring for.