Menu Ideas for a Vegetarian Thanksgiving

If you are a new vegetarian or a sworn carnivore you may be wondering how those amongst us who choose not to eat meat manage to have a festive Thanksgiving dinner. You are probably picturing these poor souls sitting around nibbling on carrot sticks or eating a large salad wishing that for this one day they could revert to their meat eating days. However the simple truth is that a vegetarian thanksgiving can be a meal that is truly fit for a king! Here are a couple of vegetarian meal plans that are sure to tempt the palate of even the most ardent meat eater.

Meal One: Vegetarian Turkey With All The Trimmings

Many vegetarians like to eat a tofu turkey for a very traditional holiday feast. I personally do not do the faux meat thing but if you cannot go without some kind of “turkey”, this is an option. A better one would be pan glazed tempeh becuas eit is fermented soy. Here is a sample menu for one such dinner.

Appetizer: Stuffed Mushrooms (veggie filling)
Soup: Creamy corn chowder

Main Course With Sides: Orange or cranberry pan glazed tempeh
Vegetarian stuffing
Baked Sweet Potato
Cranberry sauce
Vegetable: Roasted carrots and parsnips
Dessert: Apple Pie

Meal Two: Shepherds Pie With Colorful Sides

While a Shepherds pie may not be considered a traditional Thanksgiving dinner if prepared right this colorful dish is both festive and filling. Add a few delicious sides and you won’t be missing that meat at all.

Appetizer: Cherry tomatoes cored and stuffed with minced onions or pureed raw spinach
Soup: Spicy pumpkin or goulash soup

Main Course With Sides: Shepherd’s pie
Green salad with onions, tomatoes, purple cabbage, choice of salad dressing
Colorful fruit salad (made with apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes and
Mandarin oranges,and covered in orange juice.)
Dessert: Pecan Pie

These are just two sample menus for a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal. The truth is that vegetarians enjoy Thanksgiving dinners that run the gambit for incredible pasta meals like vegetarian lasagna, to fantastic rice and vegetable dishes and so much more. A vegetarian Thanksgiving is a cornucopia of succulent vegetables, mouth watering soups, wonderful fruit dishes, and taste tempting desserts.

The flavors of some of the vegetarian dishes are out of this world, and the mix of textures are exciting to the palate. Best of all if you are a beginner vegetarian or simply cooking Thanksgiving dinner and want to impress your vegetarian guests you can find a whole host of delectable recipes scattered across the internet. One thing is sure, with the wide range of tasty vegetarian dishes available you aren’t going to find any vegetarians munching on carrot sticks wishing they were meat eaters this Thanksgiving.