Yeah, It’s Time to Start Thinking About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is only three weeks away, but who’s counting? (I’ll tell you who: the entire New York Times Cooking team.) It’s never too soon to start planning your menu. With that in mind, I’m tackling a handful of holiday-specific Recipe Matchmaker requests so you can at least get the hard work of decision-making out of the way.

Make-ahead madness

“I attend a large potluck for Thanksgiving. I need a recipe for a side that can be made ahead (the oven and stove are usually in use by someone else making their contributions) and is easily scalable for a crowd, and crowd-pleasing for both vegetarians and carnivores (no tofu, which is polarizing for carnivores).” — Emily

“Please give some recipes for make-ahead veggie side dishes [for Thanksgiving]. I saw Melissa Clark’s ratatouille and it got me thinking this could be made ahead of time, and maybe there are others.” — Mimie

There are two make-ahead strategies worth covering here: The dish you can prep from start to finish and is just as good served at room temperature as it is hot, and the dish you get 90 percent of the way there, with some brief heating before serving.

If there’s no chance your dish can see the warmth of a stove or oven before it hits the table, you’ll want to make something with heartier vegetables, like Kay Chun’s green bean and corn almondine. You can prepare it right before you head to your potluck, then refrigerate the cooked vegetables and serve the dish at room temperature, garnishing with the almonds just before serving.

You can use a similar strategy for Alexa Weibel’s roasted carrots with whipped tahini. Blend the tahini cream and prepare the carrots and the herbs-and-nuts topping all in advance, and assemble just before eating. As Alexa writes in the recipe, “Feel free to make ahead, as the carrots taste just as good at room temperature as they do hot out of the oven.”

Then there’s Sheela Prakash’s tabbouleh-inspired brussels sprouts salad with pomegranate and pistachios, hearty with bulgur and, while vegan, appealing to all appetites. “Perfect for potlucks,” she writes, “it can be assembled ahead of time, and, since it’s served at room temperature, it can easily be packed up and carried wherever you might be heading.”

All three recipes are easy to double, which would make them suitable for groups of 12 to 16.

If you can steal the oven for even just a few minutes once you arrive at the potluck, a casserole is a good bet. Melissa Clark’s mashed potato casserole can be made one, even two days ahead (use a vegetarian Parm!). I’d recommend making it the day before the potluck, then baking it for the minimum 30 minutes before heading to the potluck and covering it with foil. If you can eke out even 10 minutes of oven time at the host’s house, just pop it in right before serving.

Similarly, David Tanis’s creamy chard with ricotta, Parmesan and bread crumbs can be made a day in advance and refrigerated, but you’ll want to reheat it for 15 to 20 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Centerpiece central

“Hello! I’m already thinking of Thanksgiving. We have two vegetarians in our family. I am always looking for a satisfying vegetarian substitute for the turkey, besides the ubiquitous tofurkey. The vegetarians always offer just to eat the side dishes, but I’d love to come out with a platter of something lovely they could have as a main. Any thoughts?” — Martha

I’d be remiss not to plug the canonical turkey substitute for so many NYT Cooking fans: the vegetarian mushroom Wellington from Alexa. An apple cider-seasoned mushroom duxelles surrounds seared portobello mushrooms, all encased in flaky puff pastry. It’s a little bit of a project, but filling and assembly can be tackled a day in advance, and the results will make the two vegetarians in your family feel like the stars of the day.

Slightly less involved but no less stunning would be a platter of Yotam Ottolenghi’s spicy roasted mushrooms with polenta, which injects the holiday meal with some much-needed heat, if you ask me. The oil drizzled overtop is seasoned with cinnamon and ginger, a couple of classic Thanksgiving flavors.

“This was the vegetarian main dish at our Thanksgiving this year, in addition to the traditional turkey,” Beth, a reader, wrote in the recipe comments. “I left out the Aleppo pepper and Sichuan peppercorns but did the rest of the recipe and served Sriracha on the side for those that wanted heat. The kids all loved it.”

“I’m a vegetarian with an intolerance to mushrooms, and my mother is gluten-intolerant. We’re looking for a hearty vegetarian main course for Thanksgiving that is mushroom- and gluten-free, as the oft-suggested mushroom Wellington would do us both in!” — Liza

Heard — pay no attention to the last two recommendations. For you, why not Kay’s stuffed onions? They’re hearty with saffron-tinged rice that’s bejeweled with golden raisins, dried tart cherries and pistachios, making them almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

“I made these for Thanksgiving so my vegetarian mother-in-law would have something that felt a little special and fancy as her main dish,” LouisaBee, a reader, wrote in the recipe comments. “She loved them so much, she requested that I make them again next time she comes over! The meat eaters loved them, too. They’re gorgeous and delicious.”

And if you need a hand with the onion-stuffing process, our social team has a great video demo on our Instagram.

You might also like Dan Pelosi’s roast squash with crispy chickpeas and feta, free of mushrooms and gluten, but not of celebratory vibes.

“Looking for a nontraditional, vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving. No veggie-filled acorn squash, please.” — Stefanie

If none of the above dishes appeal, let me make the case for a lasagna, a fixture on the Thanksgiving tables of many immigrant households. Take your pick. Samin Nosrat’s big lasagna is studded with spinach and herbs and layered with homemade (or store-bought) tomato sauce. Melissa Clark’s white lasagna bypasses the red sauce entirely in favor of greens, leeks, asparagus, peas and herbs. Or lean into the season with Yotam’s butternut squash lasagna pie.