Healthier Thanksgiving Recipes

Low Fat-Low Carb-Low Sodium

Since the first lesson of our Food Is Medicine classes, I have preached about "healthy" eating. We've discussed in great detail that being healthy doesn't just mean eating fruits and vegetables 24/7. If we were to deprive ourselves of cake on our birthdays, steak for a special occasion, or pie on Thanksgiving, its easy to say that we would likely not be very happy. Being restrictive in our diets all the time is just as unhealthy as a bowl of ice cream. Eating should be a balanced, nourishing experience that brings us contentment.

So, as we go into the holiday season, we must remind ourselves to be mindful while eating, find healthy substitutes, and enjoy ourselves. I have created/compiled some healthier (not "healthy") Thanksgiving recipes you can use during your holiday dinner. They do still have fat and salt and sugars, but they are still a better version than the originals. I hope that this resource of healthier recipes will alleviate some of your stress when planning your Thanksgiving meal.

Happy Food, Happy Health

-Hailey Dornbusch

Published on 11/17/2025

Turkey

Brine

1 qt water

1 c apple cider vinegar

1/4 c Worcestershire

1/2 c maple syrup

1 organic, juice & zest

10 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

3 cloves

3 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

5 sprigs sage

1/4 c kosher salt

8 cloves garlic

Roast

*Based on this recipe.

1 onion

2 large carrots

5 stalks celery

2T olive oil

2 t salt

1 t pepper

1 apple

1 orange

3 c water

1-10# turkey

1T rosemary

1T sage

1T thyme

1T parsley

Directions

48 hours before serving the turkey, combine all the brine ingredients.
Place the turkey into a large air tight container or a roasting bag and pour the brining liquid over it. Make sure the entire bird is submerged. Let it brine for at least 24 hours.
Once the turkey has sat in the brine for at least 24 hours, take it out of the liquid and rinse off any of the spices that have stuck to it. Pat dry the bird with paper towels and place it on a baking sheet lined with a resting rack. Sit the bird on the bottom shelf of the fridge to continue drying.
Leave the turkey in the fridge up to 8 hours before taking it out to roast.
Preheat your oven to 475 degrees and move your oven racks as needed.
Mix the herbs, spices, and oil in a small bowl.
Coat the turkey with the mixture on top of and under the skin.
Roughly cut the vegetables into large chunks and place them in the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the 3 cups of water to the bottom of the pan as well.
Once the oven is at temperature, place the turkey in the center of the oven. Cook it until the skin turns a crispy golden brown.
After the skin has golden, take it out of the oven, drop the temperature to 350 degrees, and cover the turkey breasts with some aluminum foil.
Place the turkey back into the oven and continue to cook it until it reaches 160 degrees. *165 degrees is the proper internal temperature for all poultry however, we take it out of the oven sooner because the carry over heat will continue to cook it out of the oven as the bird rests.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 15.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 450
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18 g	28 %
Saturated Fat 6 g	28 %
Monounsaturated Fat 7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 237 mg	79 %
Sodium 1140 mg	48 %
Potassium 1042 mg	30 %
Total Carbohydrate 6 g	2 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	5 %
Sugars 3 g
Protein 66 g	132 %
Vitamin A	4 %
Vitamin C	7 %
Calcium	8 %
Iron	13 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

*The nutrition label for this is includes the presumed calories from the brine intake and the percentages are likely lower than the table displays.

Garlic Parm Green Beans

Ingredients

2 cans green beans, dried

3T nutritional yeast

3T minced garlic

1/2 t accent

1/2 t pepper

1t olive oil

2t Dijon

1 lemon, zest & juice

Directions

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat.
Open, drain, and dry the green beans.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the oil, garlic, and Dijon. Use the mixture to coat the green beans.
In another small bowl, combine the lemon zest, nutritional yeast, accent, and pepper. Evenly coat the green beans with the spice mixture.
Once then pan is almost smoking hot, add the green beans. Let the green beans sit in the pan and sear. This will add texture and flavor. Do not let the spices burn.
After the green beans have seared and warmed through, cut the heat on the pan and drizzle lemon juice over the pan. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 35
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1 g	2 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 163 mg	7 %
Potassium 118 mg	3 %
Total Carbohydrate 4 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	6 %
Sugars 0 g
Protein 2 g	4 %
Vitamin A	3 %
Vitamin C	4 %
Calcium	3 %
Iron	5 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Mashed Potatoes

*Based on this recipe.

Ingredients

1 head garlic

1t olive oil

2.5# Yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

2T butter

1/2 t accent

1/2 t pepper

1T fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Cut the top of the head of garlic off and coat it in olive oil.
Place the garlic in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the garlic is soft and aromatic.
In a pot, add the washed, peeled, and diced potatoes. Add enough cold water to cover the potatoes and enough salt for the water to taste like the sea.
Bring the pot to a boil. Boil the potatoes until fork tender.
Drain the potatoes and put them back in the pot off of the head.
Add the garlic paste, accent, pepper, Greek yogurt, and butter in with the potatoes. Mash the potatoes until desired texture. Do not over-mash the potatoes or they will become gummy.
Garnish with the fresh parsley and serve hot.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 10.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 118
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3 g	4 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	7 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 6 mg	2 %
Sodium 55 mg	2 %
Potassium 501 mg	14 %
Total Carbohydrate 21 g	7 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	6 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 4 g	7 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	36 %
Calcium	3 %
Iron	5 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Stuffing

*Based on this recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 loaves whole wheat bread

1 onion, small dice

2 stalks celery, small dice

2 T minced garlic

3T sage

1T rosemary

3T parsley

2 1/2 cup chicken stock

2 large eggs

2T olive oil

1/2 t accent

1 t pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Cut or rip all of the bread into 1/2" cubes. Coat all the bread with the oil.
Toast the bread in the oven for about 10 minutes or until crispy, golden brown.
While the bread is toasting, in a saute pan sweat out of the onions and celery. Add the spices toward the end and toast them until aromatic.
Once finished, put the toasted bread into a large mixing bowl. Add the sauteed veggies and eggs. Mix until the eggs are thoroughly incorporated.
Slowly add in the broth and mix to incorporate before adding more. Do this until you've added all the broth.
In a 9x13 dish lined with sprayed parchment paper, add the bread mixture.
Drop the heat of the oven to 375 degrees and cook the stuffing until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If the stuffing begins to brown too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 308
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	9 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	4 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 36 mg	12 %
Sodium 412 mg	17 %
Potassium 115 mg	3 %
Total Carbohydrate 44 g	15 %
Dietary Fiber 5 g	20 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 12 g	23 %
Vitamin A	2 %
Vitamin C	5 %
Calcium	11 %
Iron	16 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Roasted Pumpkin

*Based on this recipe.

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin

1/2 c nonfat feta cheese

1/4 c honey (hot honey)

2T olive oil

1/2 t accent

1/2 t pepper

1T sage

1t thyme

1T garlic powder

1 t onion powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a metal baking sheet on the middle rack.
Cut the top and bottom of the pumpkin and pull out the seeds.
Cut the pumpkin into 1 inch cubes. Coat them in olive oil and the spices.
Once the oven is preheated, take the hot baking sheet out of the oven and carefully pour the pumpkin cubes on the tray.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.
Take out of the oven, drizzle with honey and garnish with the feta. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 10.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 84
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3 g	4 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	2 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 110 mg	5 %
Potassium 219 mg	6 %
Total Carbohydrate 13 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	4 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 3 g	6 %
Vitamin A	99 %
Vitamin C	9 %
Calcium	2 %
Iron	4 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Healthy Apple Crisp

*Based on this recipe.

Ingredients

5 apples

1T lemon juice

1c oats

1/3c almonds (or other nuts)

3T olive oil

1/4 c maple syrup

1t cinnamon

1/4t nutmeg

1t vanilla

1/4t accent

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Small dice the apples and coat them with the cinnamon and lemon juice.
Place the apple mixture into a casserole dish.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl.
Evenly coat the top of the apples with the oat mixture.
Place in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the apples have softened and the oats are golden.
Serve hot with a dollop of light whipping cream.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 10.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 134
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	8 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	4 %
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 15 mg	1 %
Potassium 138 mg	4 %
Total Carbohydrate 23 g	8 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	12 %
Sugars 14 g
Protein 1 g	3 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	7 %
Calcium	2 %
Iron	3 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.