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20 Thanksgiving Dishes You Can Make Without A Stove

Make Thanksgiving a more stress-free holiday with these recipes that don't require you to turn on your stovetop.
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Thanksgiving is the one day of the year dedicated to creating a decadent meal to share with your family members and friends. But it can also be one of the most stressful days of the year—the kitchen gets hot and crowded, and your stovetop seems too small to cook everything you need by the time your guests arrive. Well, it's time to say goodbye to the Thanksgiving day madness and cook at ease without firing up any of your burners.

From the smoker to the handy-dandy slow cooker, or even some salads and appetizers you can quickly throw together, there are tons of ways to avoid touching the stovetop this Thanksgiving. (Plus, The Best Thanksgiving Side in Every State.)

Caprese tomato tower salad

Vegetarian caprese tomato towers
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

Need something quick to chop up for an appetizer, or an easy side salad? This Caprese salad takes minimal work and tastes absolutely delicious. Plus, making them into a tower is an easy way to impress your crowd!

Get our recipe for Caprese Tomato Tower Salad.

Sweet potato toasts

sweet potato toasts on blue plate with butter
Waterbury Publications, Inc.

If you're looking for an appetizer that won't take up more room on your stove, use the toaster and make these sweet potato toasts! We have all different types of combinations to please anyone's palate.

Get our recipe for Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Toasts.

Light avocado-crab salad

Healthy avocado-crab salad
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

Talk about impressing the guests with some fancy presentation! These avocado crab salads can be served inside half of an avocado, making it a picturesque salad to serve with your Thanksgiving meal.

Get our recipe for Light Avocado-Crab Salad.

Fig, prosciutto, and goat cheese salad

Healthy fig and prosciutto salad
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

Kick things up a notch with this fancy salad! Mixed together with fig, prosciutto, and goat cheese, this salad is easy to toss together and requires absolutely no cooking whatsoever.

Get our recipe for Fig, Prosciutto, & Goat Cheese Salad.

Quick pickled cucumber salad

pickled cucumber onion salad
Shutterstock

Another salad that doesn't require cooking! All you have to do is throw cucumbers and red onion slices with our very own pickling mixture and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Get our recipe for Quick Pickled Cucumber Salad.

Roasted parmesan asapragus

Asparagus with cheese and lemon and pine nuts
Shutterstock

Don't have enough room on the stove, but have some wiggle room in the oven? Throw in some asparagus and to some easy roasted vegetables to go on the side with that turkey.

Get our recipe for Easy Roasted Parmesan Asparagus.

Arugula and grapefruit salad with dill ranch dressing

keto arugula grapefruit salad
Waterbury Publications, Inc.

Looking for an easy vegetarian side salad option? This arugula and grapefruit salad is just that. It comes with a homemade dill ranch dressing that your guests will absolutely love! However, if you want to throw some bacon pieces on there, that will also taste delicious.

Get our recipe for Arugula and Grapefruit Salad With Dill Ranch Dressing.

Slow cooker turkey breast

Turkey breast after cooked in a slow cooker
Courtesy of The Crock-Pot Ladies

If you have too many things to put in the oven on Thanksgiving, free up all the space turkey takes and put some turkey breasts in a slow cooker. It will come out tender and juicy, and everyone's favorite part is the turkey breast anyways.

Here's our guide for slow cooker turkey breast.

Double layer no-bake pumpkin cheesecake

Slice of no-bake double layer pumpkin pie
Courtesy of The Gold Lining Girl

What's even better than a freshly-baked pumpkin cheesecake? One that doesn't even involve the oven. You can make this double-layer cheesecake in as little as 10 minutes, so you can easily save this dessert for last while you prep the rest of your dishes.

Try this recipe from The Gold Lining Girl.

Corn and broccoli rice casserole

Corn broccoli and rice casserole finished on a plate
Courtesy of The Plain Chicken

This casserole is incredibly simple to make, yet so tasty! Instead of using white rice, try using heartier whole-grain alternatives like quinoa or wild rice for extra fiber to keep your digestive tract running smoothly. Here's a quick tip: if you don't have any room in your stovetop, cook the rice in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.

Try this recipe from The Plain Chicken.

Candied acorn squash

Candied acorn squash
Courtesy of A Year of Slow Cooking

Acorn squash is a major fall staple to add to your dinner this holiday. Not only is this dish absolutely beautiful, but it's is also filled with important nutrients such as vitamins A and C, which are known immunity-boosters. Plus, this recipe only requires a slow cooker, which leaves some extra space in your oven.

Try this recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking.

Roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts with pomegranate

Roasted brussels sprouts with butternut squash and pomegranates on a plate ready to be served
Courtesy of Robust Recipes

If you're not a fan of salads, but still want to get some tasty greens on your plate, then try this roasted medley of butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and pomegranate. This dish is both sweet and savory!

Try this recipe from Robust Recipes.

Slow cooker green bean casserole

Green bean casserole in a slow cooker
The Magical Slow Cooker

Green bean casserole is another staple to most Thanksgiving dinners but can take up a lot of room in your oven. That's where the slow cooker comes back in: just add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and let it do it's magic for two and a half hours. By the time you need to pop the casserole into the oven to brown the onion crust, most of your food will be done cooking.

Try this recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker.

Smoked turkey

Smoked turkey finished on a plate
Courtesy of Sweet C's Designs

If you're sick of the same old roasted turkey every year, then try smoking it instead. Smoking your Thanksgiving bird will let it harness a smoky and juicy flavor, making the skin crisp and the meat perfectly tender. It's also a simple and out-of-the-box way to make your Thanksgiving meal unforgettable.

Try this recipe from Sweet C's Designs.

Simple fall slaw

Fall Slaw in a bowl with a golden spoon
Courtesy of Minimalist Baker

This slaw is simple, refreshing, and packed with crisp veggies like broccoli, radishes, and beets. The best part is that you would never realize this tasty dish is vegan and gluten-free!

Try this recipe from Minimalist Baker.

Turkey barley soup

Turkey barley soup in a large bowl
Courtesy of The Food Charlatan

Get creative with your turkey this year and make it into a soup. Instead of making tons of separate dishes, make a colorful soup by adding a medley of herbs and vegetables of your choosing with turkey into one slow cooker and let it simmer for a few hours.

Try this recipe from The Food Charlatan.

Pear and sausage stuffing

Pear and sausage stuffing in a slow cooker
Courtesy of Pinch of Yum

Make your stuffing sweet and savory this year for a flavorful change to the classic dish. Pears are a great source of fiber, which helps digestion, and sausage adds some extra protein.

Try this recipe from Pinch of Yum.

Macaroni and cheese

Light creamy mac and cheese with herbs
Courtesy of Fake Ginger

If you're looking for some cheesy, hearty comfort food, look no further than this mac and cheese recipe. This three-cheese concoction can be simply made in a slow cooker, and you can try boosting the fiber content of this mac and cheese by using whole wheat pasta.

Try this recipe from Fake Ginger.

Roasted potatoes

Crispy roasted potatoes with seasoning
Courtesy of Sweet C's Designs

Try serving some roasted potatoes as another option to mashed potatoes. Top these with your favorite herbs and olive oil to make them perfectly crisp and flavorful.

Try this recipe from Sweet C's Designs.

Gluten free chocolate pecan pie

Gluten free chocolate pecan pie
Courtesy of Robust Recipes

If you or a member of your Thanksgiving guests are gluten-free, then this pie is an excellent dessert alternative. It has all of the rich chocolate flavor and crunchy candied pecans as the original version of this pie and takes as little as 45 minutes to make. If you really like to plan ahead, the crust can be made up to two days before the big day to save some oven space for the rest of your Thanksgiving dishes.

Try out this recipe from Robust Recipes.

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