How to Make a Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner

Classic Thanksgiving dinners generally include a large stuffed turkey as well as gravy, sweet honey ham, buttery mashed potatoes and other animal products. However, you can create a Thanksgiving dinner which is just as delicious and 100 percent vegetarian.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Begin with a delicious garden salad. Try your standard green salad and add mango and figs with a balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette or search online for other unique and filling salad recipes.

2. Swap standard cream and butter mashed potatoes for sweet potato mash. Boil sweet potatoes until soft and then add apple juice and a pinch of cinnamon. Mash until creamy and serve steaming hot.

3. Pick the right main course as the absence of turkey doesn't mean your vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner can't be delicious and satisfying. Try a veggie-stuffed lasagna made with non-dairy cheeses or homemade veggie shepherd pies.

4. Include many of the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes as part of your vegetarian dinner. Cranberry sauce, stuffing made outside of a turkey with walnuts and apples and cornbread are all fantastic sides that are 100 percent meat-free.

5. Plan the perfect non-dairy dessert for the vegan vegetarians at your dinner table. Classic apple, pumpkin or pecan pie made with graham cracker crust is a sure way to finish your meal off right.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask vegetarian dinner guests ahead of time about their personal restrictions. While some vegetarians only limit meat, others will limit all animal products, including eggs, dairy, gelatin and even honey.
• Use vegetarian substitutes in your recipes, such as vegetable stock, soy or rice milk and olive oil.
• Read any packages used to make your recipes, making sure that there are no hidden animal products in the list of ingredients.