By Scott Nyerges on November 15, 2011 in
If you're vegetarian (or merely veg-curious), bear one thing in mind this Thanksgiving: A meat-free holiday dinner does not mean resigning yourself to slabs of bland tofu or carving up a Tofurkey or Field Roast. All three of those foodstuffs have their place at the table, it's true, but Thanksgiving should be a time to get creative with your cooking.
There is an endless array of vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving dishes you can prepare that even the most dedicated of carnivores can sink their teeth into. There's a virtual buffet of meatless recipes available online; read on for a selection from some of our favorite foodie publications and websites.
Pumpkin: Not just for pie
The lowly pumpkin has been a staple of Thanksgiving feasts since the time of the pilgrims. It's low in fat, high in protein, and it's definitely not just for pie. If you want an eye-catching, edible centerpiece, consider serving a baked, stuffed pumpkin. Vegetarian chef Crescent Dragonwagon reprints her recipe for baked pumpkin stuffed with "neo-classical" apricot-prune dressing at Epicurious.com. At National Public Radio's website, food blogger Nicole Spiridakis shares her recipe for baked pumpkin with roasted vegetable stew, and Gourmet magazine dishes out a similar recipe.
Pumpkin also can be turned into tasty side dishes. People on a gluten-free diet will appreciate chef Silvana Nardone's recipe for pumpkin dumplings with radicchio, reprinted in The New York Times' Well blog. If soup is your thing, check out cream of pumpkin soup with curried pecans, one of nine vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes to be found at TheDailyGreen.com. And don't throw away the seeds you scoop out of your pumpkin. They can be toasted, crushed and combined with a handful of ingredients to serve as a batter for mock chicken (or the real thing).
Want to know more about the pumpkin? Check out this entertaining video from the History Channel.
Behold, the versatile squash!
Squash, in its many colorful varieties, is a staple of autumn greenmarkets. Butternut squash is perhaps the best-known type of squash, but you can also find acorn, delicata and other varieties at many stores. It's a versatile vegetable, lending itself to soups and stews, purees and mashes, roasting and more. It's also healthy, as WebMD.com points out -- high in vitamins A and C, and a good source of fiber and other nutrients.
Smaller squash varieties, like acorn, make great individual servings. Try halving them, then roasting and stuffing them with other seasonal produce like chestnuts, apples and leeks, as Food & Wine magazine suggests, or with a nutty wild rice mixture from Chow.com.
Seeking something heartier? Food & Wine also suggests a cheesy polenta with baked butternut squash, a creation from vegetarian cookbook author Anna Thomas. While you're surfing the Food & Wine site, check out chef Alex Aguilara's take on the Chilean peasant staple of bean, corn and squash stew. If you prefer a lighter side dish, pick up a deliacata squash or two and try Chow.com's roasted squash salad, made with spinach, roasted pumpkin seeds and sharp ricotta salata cheese. And don't forget that squash makes a great side dish on its own. Try the New York Times' suggestion for sweet-and-sour butternut squash, fragrant with South Asian spices.
Can't tell one type of squash from another? Real Simple magazine has an illustrated guide that describes eight popular varieities, along with tips for preparation.
Lasagnas
If you're seeking something more substantial, consider a vegetarian lasagna for your Thanksgiving table. Many of these hearty recipes update the traditional lasagna by omitting the meat in favor of a toothsome vegetable like eggplant and by subbing tomato sauce for pesto, as suggested by Gourmet magazine.
If that recipe isn't hearty enough for you and your guests, try Food & Wine's pumpkin lasagna with Swiss chard and ricotta. This recipe, while meat-free, is definitely not for vegans or people watching their fat and cholesterol intake, as it calls for heavy cream, eggs and a whopping 8 cups of various cheeses.
Only slightly less heavy is Chow.com's winter greens lasagna, stuffed with kale and Swiss chard, which gets rave reviews from readers, who offer suggestions for healthier versions of this dish that emphasize the veggies and tone down the cheeses.
Side dishes and other vegetarian fare
All of the sources consulted for this post boast a number of recipes, ranging from appetizers to desserts. While we can't list all of them, here are a few others that caught our eye:
Sweet potatoes are a staple of the Thanksgiving table. Instead of mashing or candying them, Cooking Light magazine suggests baking them with tart Granny Smith apples into a lovely gratin with a touch of maple syrup for sweetness.
Mashed potatoes are another side dish that guests love tucking into. To top off your smashed spuds, Epicurious.com suggests a gravy that combines miso broth, mushroom caps and a hint of Dijon mustard that should be savory enough to satisfy even the meatiest of carnivores. Not a fan of miso or mushrooms? National Public Radio suggests a lighter vegetarian option that combines onion, garlic and veggie stock for a smooth, bright gravy.
No table would be complete without cranberries, but instead of opening yet another can of relish, why not incorporate this very American fruit into something more creative? Food & Wine suggests roasted brussels sprouts with cranberry brown butter, while Cooking Light offers a tart and fruity cranberry, pear and ginger relish, and The New York Times suggests a no-bake cranberry chutney.
Lastly, don't be a turkey
If you still want to serve Tofurkey, well, that's okay, too. About.com's vegetarian food guide offers nearly a dozen ways of jazzing up this iconic vegetarian food.
Got a favorite vegetarian (or vegan) Thanksgiving recipe? Share it in our comments section!