Simple Thanksgiving Menu for 4-6 with Prep Plan — Healthy Mama Kris

Introduction

Planning Thanksgiving for a small group doesn’t have to be overwhelming—or boring. This Simple Thanksgiving Menu for 4-6 with a Prep Plan, inspired by Healthy Mama Kris, focuses on nourishing, whole-food options that deliver all the comfort and flavor of a traditional feast, with minimal fuss and waste. The strategic menu is perfectly portioned, streamlined for efficiency, and designed to leave you with just enough for satisfaction but not mountains of leftovers.

Why You’ll Love This Simple Thanksgiving Menu

This menu has everything you need for a feel-good holiday gathering: juicy turkey breast, flavorful sides, and a festive dessert, all chosen for their crowd-pleasing flavors and manageable prep. It’s healthy, satisfying, and cuts down on kitchen chaos—so you can spend more time enjoying your meal and guests.

Here’s What’s On the Menu

• Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
• Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
• Simple Green Bean Almondine
• Harvest Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Fresh Cranberry-Orange Relish
• Maple Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Parfaits

Thanksgiving Prep Plan Highlights

To make hosting stress-free, everything is laid out for efficiency:

• 1-2 Days Before: Wash/prep veggies, make cranberry relish, prep parfait components.
• Morning Of: Roast acorn squash, assemble green beans & cauliflower components.
• Just Before Serving: Roast turkey, finish and serve hot sides, assemble parfaits.

Your Healthy Thanksgiving Ingredient List

• 2–3 lb bone-in split turkey breast
• Olive oil & butter
• Fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley
• 1 large head cauliflower
• 4 cups trimmed green beans
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 medium acorn squash
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (optional: wild rice)
• 1 apple, diced
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 orange (zest & juice)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 cups plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Salt, pepper, garlic (fresh or powder) to taste

💡Meal Planning Tip: Save this recipe to instantly generate an organized shopping list with every ingredient, sorted by grocery aisle. It’s the simplest way to make sure you have everything for your Thanksgiving meal—plus other weekly dinners!

Instructions

1. Marinate the Turkey: Rub turkey breast with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a mix of fresh herbs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Prep Veggies & Sides: Wash and trim green beans. Cut cauliflower into florets. Halve and scoop acorn squash. Prep any stuffing mix (quinoa, apple, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds) for the squash.
3. Make Cranberry Relish: Pulse cranberries, orange zest and juice, and maple syrup in a food processor until finely chopped. Refrigerate.
4. Roast Acorn Squash: Arrange halves cut side up, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 400°F for 30–40 minutes or until fork-tender.
5. Stuff Squash: Blend cooked stuffing mix and divide among roasted squash. Bake another 10 minutes to heat through.
6. Cook Turkey: Roast turkey breast at 375°F for about 60–75 minutes (20 min/lb) or until the thickest part reaches 165°F. Let rest before slicing.
7. Garlic Mashed Cauliflower: Steam cauliflower until soft, then blend with butter, garlic, salt, and pepper until creamy.
8. Green Bean Almondine: Sauté green beans in olive oil, add almonds and a squeeze of lemon. Cook until bright green and lightly toasted.
9. Pumpkin Yogurt Parfaits: Whisk yogurt with pumpkin puree, sweetener, and spice. Layer in glasses, adding a sprinkle of granola or crushed nuts.

Weekly Meal Planning

Thanksgiving recipes work beautifully for meal planning! Save and schedule this Thanksgiving menu in your weekly meal planner to generate a precise, consolidated shopping list. Add breakfasts or extra weeknight meals, and CookifyAI will organize all your ingredients—no missed items, no wasted food.

Planning Perks:

• Automatically tally up total ingredient quantities across your Thanksgiving and other meals
• See your entire week’s recipes in one place
• Streamline your shopping trip by grouping items by grocery section
• Reduces excess purchases and supports healthy eating goals

Pro tip: Schedule each recipe to visually plan your prep days and serving times—especially useful for holiday hosting!

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time: 1–2 hours (staggered over a couple of days)
Cook Time: 1.5–2 hours (includes overlapping times for roasting)
Total Time: Plan for about 2–2.5 hours on Thanksgiving Day (active and passive time combined)

Recap: A Simplified, Nourishing Thanksgiving

With this Simple Thanksgiving Menu for 4-6 and the Healthy Mama Kris prep plan, you’ll enjoy a balanced, flavor-packed holiday—without being stuck in the kitchen all day or left with a fridge full of heavy leftovers. For even more organization, meal planning, and a no-fuss shopping list, don’t forget to let CookifyAI make your Thanksgiving simple and stress-free!