We love a good plan—and when it comes to Thanksgiving, having the menu mapped out is the surest way to keep the day both delicious and stress-free. To make it easy (and inspiring), we’ve put together five custom menus designed to help you plan, prep, and savor the holiday. From the decadent vegetarian spread below to a celebratory feast fit for smaller gatherings, you’ll find these—and more—in our Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving.
I don’t know how this happened, but one day I woke up and realized nearly my entire friend group is vegetarian. The ones that don’t fall within this title (hi, that’s me!) do eat meat, but very little at best. So for the past few years I’ve been making a Thanksgiving menu composed of bold, high-reward dishes that just so happen to be plant-based.
And what I’ve come to realize is that so many beloved holiday staples are actually vegetarian. No, think about it—impossibly creamy mashed potatoes, herbaceous stuffing, pull-apart bread rolls, green bean casserole, gooey mac and cheese—all veg! Below you’ll find the tried-and-true classics, plus a few fresh twists that prove the modern table’s got it all. And the turkey? It won’t be missed, especially when you’re serving Mushroom Bourguignon straight from the Dutch oven. It’s a true centerpiece sure to invite rapturous applause.
Hear me out, this side dish is meant to be on your Thanksgiving plate. It doesn’t look too far off from the green bean casserole you know and love (frizzled shallots, green base), but it takes some delicious detours to amp up flavor with tangy pickled peppers and harissa-stewed chickpeas. Plus it’s got some satiating protein for anyone foregoing the bird.
Most Thanksgiving salads become an afterthought, just a way to eat some greens. This one is anything but that. With dramatic magenta radicchio leaves, pucks of crisp apple, and mustardy croutons, this bitter, sweet salad is a welcome new classic.
A mashed potato with the superlative “garlickiest” may be a little polarizing upon first read. Garlic lovers are excited, and skeptics are already reaching for their mints. But these spuds feature slow-roasted garlic that becomes jammy and sweet, mellowing garlic’s spicier edges while delivering deep, savory flavor. It’s wonderful on its own, but even more wonderful soaking up the saucy mushrooms from your main.
A spin on the French dish, this luxurious showstopping main swaps in a medley of mushrooms for beef (no meat sweats this year!). Dry red wine, porcini stock, soy, and butter create an ultra-savory sauce that can double as a vegetarian gravy for the rest of your plate.
For an unfussy dessert that’s actually meant to be burnt and cracked on the sides, make this cheesecake. It can be prepped and baked ahead of the big day, freeing up coveted oven space. Just make the boozy amaro-spiked whipped cream day-of for a cloud-like topping ready to be generously piled on tableside.