The Superbowl of Home Cooking

My list of tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes

Thanksgiving from last year or the year before …

Is everyone ready for next week? If not, I have some recipes to share.

I’ve been making plant-based Thanksgiving dishes going back to 2017 at this point. This year, there will be no turkey. 

Not everyone at the table is vegan or vegetarian, but I heard from all the meat eaters that they wouldn’t miss a roasted bird. I welcome guests to bring whatever kind of meat-or-dairy-based foods they like, but everything I cook is free from animal products. 

Here are my tried-and-true holiday standbys:

Seitan Roast Stuffed With Shiitakes And Leeks from Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Moskowitz, or Isa Chandra as I call her around my house, is my holiday guru. I have her Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook and use it heavily this time of year. 

Pro tip: Make a roast this weekend, freeze until Wednesday, and then reheat on Thursday. We use our immersion circulator and a water bath to do this. It takes no oven or stove space.

Vegan Mushroom Make-Ahead Gravy from Melissa Clark. Savory, meaty, and satisfying, this is my ideal gravy for the aforementioned roast, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. 

Winter Squash Cups again, from our girl ICM. I know most non-vegans and some vegans don’t like seitan. I make the seitan roast mostly for me. But these stuffed squash? Everyone loves them, and they’re grand enough to make a main dish.

Simple-Is-Best Stuffing from Victoria Granof. I’ve tried a lot of stuffing recipes over the years because stuffing is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dish. This is the rare sensational recipe title that is true. This stuffing IS the best. (If you hit a paywall, let me know. I will send you this stuffing recipe.) 

Here’s the thing: it’s not vegan as written, but it’s dead simple to veganize. Replace the butter with vegan butter. Use Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Broth instead of the chicken broth. And use 2 tablespoons of ground golden flax mixed with ⅓ cup water instead of the eggs. Done!  

Kale, Apple, and Walnut Salad from Michael Solomonov. I’ve been in love with this salad since I worked as recipe editor on the first Zahav cookbook. At this point, it’s more a template than a recipe for me. For example, I rarely use sumac. Pickled or even plain red onion or shallots is perfectly good. I’m of the opinion that you need something fresh, tart, and green on the Thanksgiving table. 

Easy, No-Knead Dinner Rolls from Alexandra Stafford. I confess: This is on my prep list every year, and every year I decide not to make them at the last minute. But I am saying it now—I will make these rolls this year. Thanksgiving is a carb holiday. There is no such thing as too much bread next week. 

The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie from the Hidden Veggies blog. This recipe is different from most others because it uses chickpea flour to replace the egg. And it’s a stroke of genius. You get a truly custardy pumpkin filling that is just as if not more wonderful than traditional pumpkin pie. 

However, I’m not making this recipe this year. Instead, I’m making …

Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes from ICM. Why? If you know me personally you know I’m deeply obsessed with cake baking at the moment. Also, these are too adorable and fun to resist. And real talk: much, much easier than pie.

Of course, there will be mashed potatoes but I have never used a recipe for those. 

My mother-in-law brings her trademark cranberry relish. 

My brother-in-law and niece are making (non-vegan but I’m sure wonderful) mac-and-cheese and apple pie. (They’re also making the mushroom gravy this year!)  

For me, prep will begin in earnest over the weekend, and I’ll keep cooking straight through Thursday. 

Share your own go-to recipes with us all by leaving a comment. 

Happy cooking.