11 Main Course Alternatives to Turkey for Thanksgiving

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

-Oprah Winfrey

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Turkey is a classic main course for Thanksgiving dinner, but that certainly doesn’t mean you have to serve it. We’ve rounded up plenty of alternative Thanksgiving dinner ideas that can take center stage at your table, including Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon with Oranges, Olives, and Herbs, Crackling Coppa Roast with Fennel and Onions, and Garlic-Butter Rib Roast. Need something meatless? We’ve got veggie “steak” options for that, too. Read on for those recipes, and even more alternatives to turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

1. Beef Chuck Eye Roast with Paprika-Herb Rub

This simple, flavorful beef roast — rubbed with thyme, paprika, and cumin — is made with chuck eye, a cut from the chuck portion of the rib-eye muscle.

2. Balsamic Brown Sugar Lamb Chops Recipe

This delicious Balsamic Brown Sugar Lamb Chops Recipe is savory and rich goodness with sweetness to boot! Delicious juicy lamb chops are seared then basted in a deliciously flavorful luscious Brown Sugar sauce that’s super easy to make! Serve over Mashed potatoes or even Grits to make it a bit more Southern.

3. Buttermilk-Marinated Quail with Herbed Raita and Blood Oranges

“What I love about this recipe, in terms of the ingredients and method, is that the mint and charred flavors are reminiscent of summertime despite the chill of winter,” Maneet Chauhan says.

4. Slow-Roasted Salmon with French Herb Salsa

This slow-roasted salmon recipe comes from the much-acclaimed cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. Samin is also the host and producer of the wonderful Netflix cooking/travel docuseries, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, based on her book. She writes that slow-roasting is her favorite way to cook salmon because the low heat makes it almost impossible to overcook the fish. Indeed, the heat is so gentle that the fish still appears slightly translucent even when fully cooked.

5. Garlic Herb Butter Prime Rib

Enhance the taste and sophistication of your holiday prime rib by dressing it with garlic, thyme, rosemary, and shallot butter for a rich herb-kissed flavor.

6. King Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Pesto and Almond Aillade

Chef Julia Sullivan employs a duo of cast-iron skillets to prepare these tender, crispy-edged mushroom steaks; one for cooking the mushrooms, the other for pressing them flat so they cook evenly. Buttery roasted almonds balance the sharper notes of garlic and lemon in this rustic French sauce.

7. Brown Sugar Ham (Baked Ham Glaze)

Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Ham Glaze – Our easy baked ham recipe is made with a flavorful brandy and brown sugar glaze. It’s the perfect main dish for celebrating any occasion!

8. orange and pomegranate salmon

pomegranate and orange glazed salmon is an easy oven baked salmon recipe that takes just 10 minutes of hands on time and 15 minutes to cook! this is a sweet savoury recipe that is as pretty as it is delicious.

9. Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita Chile Salsa

These smoky braised-lamb tamales, a favorite at event producer Paola Briseño González’s holiday tamale parties, get a pop of freshness from bright cilantro-onion relish, while a wrapper of banana leaves perfumes the masa with a softly sweet aroma as they steam. The banana leaf wrappers also yield tamales with a dense, custard-like texture. The rich, slow-cooked flavor of lamb shanks is the perfect partner for the intense smokiness of Morita chiles; substitute chipotles in a pinch.

10. Shrimp Scampi Mac and Cheese

Elevate a classic with this fancy spin on mac and cheese. Shrimp and garlic are right at home with pasta in a smooth, creamy sauce.

11. Roasted Broccoli Steaks with Tomato Butter and Tapenade

Here, chef Greg Vernick treats broccoli like a steak, roasting it at a high temperature on a preheated pan to achieve a lightly charred crust. Cooked on the same pan, umami-packed tomatoes blend up into a super-quick sauce enriched with just the right amount of butter.