Veggie Sides for Thanksgiving

Today I wanted to post and share a few of my favorite veggie sides for Thanksgiving that could be solid contenders for any holiday dinner table. It’s that time of year again when everyone starts asking me “but what are you going to eat if you don’t eat turkey?”.  Absolutely everything else. I am going to eat all the cornbread stuffing, mash potatoes (with or with out mushroom gravy? so many important decisions to make), broccoli casserole, green beans, cranberry sauce, maybe some mac and cheese, and corn casserole? What am I forgetting… I love Thanksgiving. It is the best time of year! As a vegetarian I don’t have to eat a turkey to feel grateful. I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything with so much delicious food to chose from. It is so easy to swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth in so many traditional recipes. Just that simple swap makes many dishes veggie friendly.

Typical Veggie Sides for Thanksgiving

Green beans are a traditional veggie side for Thanksgiving. Green bean casserole is often made with with canned cream of mushroom soup that isn’t vegetarian because it contains chicken broth. It’s easy to make your own vegan cream of mushroom soup to substitute in your recipe or use a recipe that has already been veganized. If you’re not a fan of green bean casserole you can just serve green beans as a veggie side. Our recipe for meatless southern green beans in the slow cooker is a good choice for serving at Thanksgiving.

I love serving casserole dishes at Thanksgiving because they are easy to make and often you can prepare them in advance. Here are a few of my favorite casseroles for the holidays:

• Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
• Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole
• Vegan Potato and Collard Greens Casserole
• Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole

Macaroni and Cheese?

I know what you’re thinking. Mac and cheese isn’t a vegetable but here in the south it kinda is treated like one. If you’re ordering a veggie plate at a restaurant around here macaroni and cheese is usually a vegetable option. Mac and cheese can be served as a side at Thanksgiving or it could be your main dish. We normally have a veggie pot pie as our main dish at Thanksgiving but I have served Nanny’s Macaroni and Cheese as the main dish in years past because it’s cheap and easy to make and everyone loves it.

What About the Stuffing or Dressing?

No matter what you call it stuffing or dressing, it’s just plain delicious! Stuffing might be my favorite Thanksgiving food. In the south we are partial to cornbread dressing. Cornbread is often on the dinner table around here so it the first thing I grab to make my dressing. Recently I have started making Cornbread Dressing Muffins. Not only do they look adorable on your plate but they are easy to make. Dressing muffins bake in less time than a big casserole dish of stuffing it’s easy to portion out. If I want to go the traditional route for feeding a crowd and want a lot of leftovers I will normally make a big 9×13 casserole dish of our Vegan Cornbread Stuffing. It can easily be served from the baking dish or if you want to get fancy with it you can serve it in a smoked or roasted squash. In the linked recipe I did just that. I baked a casserole dish of stuffing and then served it in a smoked acorn squash.

Veggie Sides Can Be The Main Attraction

With a little creativity and imagination veggie sides can be the star of your Thanksgiving table. If all your sides are vegan friendly you really don’t need a turkey replacement. There will be plenty of food but some people struggle with the idea of having Thanksgiving without turkey or a main dish. There are plenty of alternative options. Plant based meat options have come along way in the past ten years or so. There are several brands (Tofurky, Gardein, Field Roast, ect.) out there that have vegan turkey roast options to buy. You can also make your own. If faux turkey isn’t your thing you could serve a nut roast or vegetable pot pie. I normally server mac and cheese or a veggie pot pie as my main dish at Thanksgiving.

Regardless of what you serve for Thanksgiving I hope you enjoy the day and are able to celebrate whatever you are thankful for. Because spending time with family at the holidays can sometimes be a little stressful I created this bonus bingo board just for fun. So when your Aunt or cousin that means well but doesn’t quite understand asks you about not eating turkey take a deep breath and mark it off your bingo board!

Download your Thanksgiving Bingo Board here!