55 Non Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas (fun recipes that aren’t turkey!)

Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork Loin is a wonderful comfort food meal that makes an easy main dish for a holiday dinner. Cranberry sauce is combined with onion soup mix in this recipe, and it’s a perfect pairing.

This amazing homemade lasagna recipe is called the World’s Best Lasagna for a reason!

It’s a classic pasta made with layers of lasagna noodles, hearty meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and mozzarella cheese baked to hot, gooey deliciousness.

Butternut Squash, Chicken, and Wild Rice casserole is cozy and chock full of healthy ingredients. Tender chicken bits, sweet butternut squash, wild rice, and cranberries are the perfect combination!

Thanksgiving Casserole has all the flavors of a delicious holiday feast conveniently made in your slow cooker. Make the entire meal right in your crockpot with fresh ingredients while you’re busy doing other fun things.

Delicious rolls of tender pasta, filled with a luxurious squash filling, baked in bechamel, loaded with cheese, and topped with the tastiest crunchy bacon topping ever make this Bacon, Sage, and Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls worthy of a special occasion.

Thanksgiving Sliders are a sweet and savory way to use up any holiday leftovers you might have. These delicious baked turkey sandwiches are loaded with layers of stuffing, cranberry sauce and leftover turkey (or use lunchmeat or ham instead).

For a smallish gathering, treat everyone to these stunning Mini Beef Wellingtons. The individual portions means you get more buttery puff pastry per bite, not to mention incredible flavors with a stunning presentation.

There is no need for special or fancy ingredients, just steaks, seasonings, a brush of oil, and a pat of butter for perfection - make these Tender ribeye steaks on the grill or in the oven.

Made with a handful of simple ingredients, Crispy Pork Belly Slices are all kinds of delicious! The pork is slow cooked in a cider, honey and soy sauce for a wonderful sweet and salty bite.

Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo is a super simple recipe that calls for just a few easy ingredients.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, heavy cream, grated parmesan cheese, tender penne pasta and classic Italian seasoning come together for a hearty, flavorful meal.

Baked Salmon is a beautiful buttery and moist fish dish with wonderful flavors and a fun presentation with the baby broccoli. The subtle taste dried Basil and chopped shallots nicely add a subtle sweetness.

Stuffed Shells are filled with three types of cheese, then covered in marinara sauce and more cheese and baked to golden brown perfection. It's a comfort food classic that’s special and hearty enough for holiday dinners.

Incredibly moist and flavorful Classic Meatloaf is comfort food at its finest. It makes the perfect hearty and casual holiday dinner.

A festive and easy meal, this Cranberry Chicken recipe is made with juicy, crispy chicken thighs and a delicious tart and savory sauce. The whole thing is made in one pan, and ready in about half an hour.

If you’d rather serve a lighter, snack-y type Thanksgiving dinner, this charcuterie board is ideal. With slices of turkey, cranberry walnut brie (in the shape of a turkey), cheeses, cranberries and more, it’s chock full of Fall flavors.

Impress your guests and serve up these honey-glazed stuffed Cornish hens for the holidays. Stuffed with a flavorful wild rice blend sweetened with apples and dried cranberries and with some pecans thrown in for added crunch.

This authentic Italian manicotti recipe is one of the best out there! With manicotti shells made from crepes and a rich ricotta cheese filling, this comforting pasta dish is perfect for the holiday season.

Take your salmon game to the next level with this gorgeous Salmon Wellington. Perfectly cooked and succulent salmon sitting on a bed of garlicky sautéed spinach and wrapped in golden crispy and flaky puff pastry.

Roasted with herbs, garlic and lemon, every bite of Buttermilk Roasted Chicken is full of flavor, and an effortless way to guarantee tender and juicy chicken every single time.

Learn how to cook lobster tail the easy way! Your lobster will be tender, succulent, and perfect for impressing family and friends. The best part is you can make this restaurant-quality dish at home in under 20 minutes.

Tender roast beef topped with melted cheddar cheese on a soft sweet roll make these baked Roast Beef Sliders a fun and unique choice for Christmas dinner.

Cheesy, easy, and comforting, Chicken Parmesan is a restaurant favorite made easy at home. It’s baked instead of fried, but still packed with a ton of delicious flavor.

There’s nothing quite like Homemade Pierogi. These amazing Polish dumplings are good boiled, but they are transcendent fried in onion butter and slathered in sour cream.

Rosemary Citrus Roast Chicken is so tender and juicy, and will look stunning on your holiday table. Best of all, you can prepare it ahead of time and just throw it in the oven to roast before dinner.

A bit time consuming, but oh-so worth the effort, flavorful Beef Tamales are a holiday tradition in many Mexican households.

Amazingly delicious with just the right amount of spicy flavors, everyone will be anxious to unwrap these tasty goodies, top with salsa, and enjoy.

This Swedish meatballs recipe features tender, juicy meatballs seasoned with a hint of white pepper, allspice, and nutmeg, swimming in creamy Swedish meatball sauce. It’s a gorgeous 30 minute meatball dinner like grandma used to make.

Creating a Mexican Fiesta is a super fun way to feed a crowd. It’s budget-friendly, easy and delicious, and the casual, buffet-style meal will ensure everyone has a good time.

Provencal Beef Stew is a rich and delicious French beef stew with red wine that comes from the Provencal region of France. Serve it with bread, noodles or polenta for a truly scrumptious, satisfying comfort food holiday dinner.

A unique casserole that literally flips its inspiration on its head, this Upside Down Pizza is loaded with your favorite pizza toppings covered by a bubbly top. It’s perfect for pizza-lovers who’d enjoy a casual holiday dinner.

Fragrant and oh-so-delicious, Creamy Chicken with Herbs de Provence is super easy to make with fridge and pantry staples.

It’s a simple skillet chicken recipe that doesn't require any fancy equipment and comes together in about 30 minutes.

Steamed Mussels in a cozy cream sauce with lemon, shallots, and garlic is an easy, one-pot dinner in less than an hour. It looks fancy, and the simplicity will be our little secret.

Slow-braised Lamb Ragu has an incredible flavor and rich sauce from simmering luxuriously tender lamb, tomato, red wine, and herbs.

It’s so perfect for enjoying with pasta, polenta, or crusty bread.

Cioppino is a comforting seafood stew filled with shrimp, clams, mussels, white fish, and crab legs all simmered in a rich broth made from tomatoes, white wine, and fish stock.

It’s the perfect treat for seafood lovers!

In this cozy dish, spaghetti is tossed with a zesty meat sauce, topped with cheese and oven-baked until hot and bubbly.

It can even be prepped ahead of time and baked just before it’s time to eat.

Caramelle is a stuffed pasta shaped like a piece of wrapped candy.

It can be made with any type of savory filling - but to mimic the sweet meaning of caramelle, this recipe uses a roasted sweet potato filling and a simple balsamic & brown butter sauce with crispy prosciutto.

Chicken Wellington with Dijon Cream Sauce makes a fantastic holiday meal that’is also really affordable.

With flaky puff pastry, a simple duxelle of mushrooms and shallots, and a creamy dijon sauce, it’s equal parts flavorful and elegant.

Cranberry Chipotle BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders are perfect for your holiday parties or as an appetizer or main dish anytime.

Let the slow cooker do all the work - your house will smell fabulous while it cooks!

Fried schnitzel is a quintessential German dish that is quick, easy and so delicious.

This schnitzel recipe can be made with pork, veal, turkey or chicken and is made even better with a cheese fondue schnitzel sauce.

Tender ground lamb (or beef) and vegetables get baked in a savory gravy with a fluffy mashed potato topping in this hearty Shepherd’s Pie recipe.

It’s a complete meal in one, so no need to make other side dishes unless you want to.

Shrimp Stuffed Salmon is an elegant meal made super easy. Shrimp is mixed with a garlic and spinach cream cheese filling and stuffed inside a salmon filet, then baked to perfection.

With the red tomatoes, green chilies, and tri-color pasta, Holiday Soup sure looks the part!

And not only is it colorful and festive, but this creamy, delicious, cheesy soup reheats beautifully for lunch leftovers post-holiday too.

Deliciously decadent, Herb Ricotta Stuffed Chicken has minimal ingredients but lots of flavor.

Flavorful ricotta and fresh herb stuffing create a decadent ooey-gooey cheesy chicken deliciousness that pairs well with a variety of holiday sides.

Apple cider braised pork with caramelized apples and brussels sprouts just screams fall.

Even if Brussels sprouts aren’t your favorite veggie, when you combine it with pork, apples, and toasted pecans, the sprouts get all sweet and savory, and it’s just beautiful.

Pesto Chicken Crepes have juicy pesto chicken, onion, and cheese in delicate crepes finished with roasted red pepper sauce and fresh basil.

With the rich colors of basil and red pepper coulis, this recipe is festive for the holidays.

Impressive-looking Fish Almondine is perfect for a holiday dinner party, but simple enough that you’ll want to make it all the time.

The fish filets cook quickly and the fragrant brown butter pan sauce comes together in just a few minutes. The result is a flavorful and elegant dish your guests are sure to love.

There’s nothing quite like a beef and Guinness stew on a cold day!

Tender chunks of beef, onions, carrots and parsnips slowly cooked in a rich, aromatic Guinness gravy.

Stovetop, oven, and slow cooker instructions included.

This unique Italian recipe combines delicate homemade Fagottini Pasta filled with a rich, savory filling of eggplant and mozzarella and served in a vibrant cherry tomato sauce.

It's a perfect dinner for those who love creative and authentic Italian cooking.

Creamy Truffle Chicken feels fancy but not fussy, with high-end restaurant flavor without any time-consuming effort.

Everything cooks in one skillet, and the easy cleanup means a lot this time of year.

This Fall Pizza just screams autumn because of the squash, cranberries and comfort factor.

A delicious combination of flavors, it's a unique but very delicious idea for Thanksgiving dinner.

Country Style Pork Ribs ribs are a rich and fall-apart tender alternative to traditional ribs. Cheap, easy to make, and SO good, this might just be your new favorite way to eat pork.

This hearty, beefy twist on traditional pot pie is hard to pass up!

I can just envision ordering it at an English pub on a chilly day.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole is totally fuss-free and quick to make with pantry ingredients. Chicken and veggies are topped with stuffing and baked until bubbly.

It has delicious holiday flavor and takes about 35 minutes from start to finish.

Lemon Fettuccine with Garlic Shrimp has a light, fresh taste that’s refreshing after all the heavy holiday foods and sweets.

Schweinebraten is a traditional German pork roast, and in many cases, as here, it's cooked with beer which helps make a delicious sauce.

The seasonings are simple but the result is a deliciously tender, flavorful dinner.

Cozy and comforting creamy Baked Tuscan Chicken is a simple take on a classic dish.

A dump and bake chicken breast recipe that can be prepped and served in about 30 minutes.