UPDATED November 1st, 2017
It’s almost Turkey Day but there’s still time to try out some tasty vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes. While this all-American holiday began as a celebration of peace between Native Americans and the original FOBs, the Pilgrims, we really look forward to indulging in the traditional Thanksgiving feast. And the turkey is the centerpiece of the meal—for hosts, the lengthy prep time makes it the focus of the entire day. Including leftovers, the turkey’s prominence even extends through the weekend. Which makes a vegetarian Thanksgiving sound thoroughly un-festive.
Actually, this couldn’t be further from the truth. As Moosewood Cookbook (celebrating 40 years as the go-to veggie recipe resource) author Mollie Katzan points out, “I think there’s a lot of angst and mythology around “oh poor vegetarians, what will they do for Thanksgiving?” Because in fact I see Thanksgiving as a vegetarian’s paradise just doing nothing special, just the usual vegetarian dishes. The classic mashed potatoes, then the mashed sweet potatoes, then the cranberries, maybe the Brussels sprouts, the green bean almondine…” When you put it that way, who even has room for turkey? So whether you’re cooking for a veg/carnivore combo of guests or you’re going full vegan this year, here are 15 scrumptious and hearty vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes that will have everyone asking for seconds.
1. Shallot & Shitake Seitan Wellington
This main course option is a vegan version of Beef Wellington using seitan to get that meaty texture. You may even convert a few meat eaters with this dish. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, this recipe includes instructions for making your own seitan from scratch.
Read Related: Gracias Giving: 15 Ways to Latinize Your Thanksgiving Dinner
