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Maybe the goose isn’t cooked in your household. Switching to a plant-based holiday offers multiple benefits for your health and that of the planet. The right vegetarian Christmas dinner recipes are inclusive of those with dietary restrictions but taste so good that even carnivores love them.
If you crave a meat-free holiday, we have you covered. The following roundup outlines exactly what to serve for your vegetarian Christmas dinner to wow your guests.
If you need another reason to serve a vegetarian Christmas dinner, consider this: the world could reduce global farmland use by 75% if everyone switched to a plant-based diet. That reclaimed farmland could once again become forest, which would slowly rebuild the world’s carbon sinks and, eventually, mitigate rising temperatures. Think of that while you whip up these treats.
This Greek appetizer is holiday festive with golden feta and green spinach. Puff pastries are always welcome at the holidays, but enhance their flavor with more than mere butter. They’re so addicting that you might even get the pickiest eaters to sneak in a serving of healthy greens.
Add a little Tex-Mex to your holiday celebration. These vegan jalapeno poppers aren’t too fiery if you scrape out the seeds and membranes before filling them. The sweet potato filling makes a fascinating contrast, providing creamy goodness without cheese.
Caponata is a Sicilian salad featuring eggplant. However, its fine-chopped nature makes it a perfect topping for bruschetta or whole-grain crackers. Assemble it on flatbreads beforehand to use as a finger food and any extra caponata as a dip.
A plant-based diet is also good for humans. Eating vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds and lentils lowers your risk of several diseases, including heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. When it’s time to sit down at the holiday table, start with these salad and soup selections.
Broccoli is a great late-season vegetable, and buying it fresh delivers a wallop of nutrients. Using fat-free milk keeps the calorie and fat content of this soup lower than traditional recipes. Opting for vegetable broth instead of chicken keeps it vegetarian, and the cheesy goodness sticks to your rib on cold days.
Consider this recipe your cold-and-flu-fighter in a bowl. It’s chock-full of oodles of colorful veggies in every hue, so you’re sure to get the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy by eating the rainbow. It also freezes well to prevent waste. Nearly 40% of the food supply ends up in landfills, where it produces methane gas, a greenhouse gas heavier than carbon dioxide.
This seasonally appropriate salad makes use of root vegetables and ripe grains. Opt for a gluten-free grain variety, such as quinoa or amaranth to be inclusive to folks allergic to this wheat protein. The yogurt dressing contains probiotics to nurture your intestines and aid digestion.
The main course is the star of the meal, but who says you need a roast, ham or turkey? These alternatives delight even hard-core carnivores.
Even the name of this dish screams elegance, making it appropriate for a formal sit-down vegetarian Christmas dinner party. However, you won’t have to visit a specialty shop. Aubergines are simply eggplants, which you can find at any grocery store. Arrabiatta sauce is a spicy Italian blend made with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and chili peppers.
If you have vegan attendees who don’t consume dairy, consider this main dish that’s hearty enough to stand up to winter’s worst cold temperatures. While you can stick with plain white buttons, experimenting with various mushrooms can produce interesting flavors and effects. For example, many people take lion’s mane for mental clarity, but you can also add it to this dish. Maybe it will stimulate more intellectual after-dinner conversation.
Give a nod to tradition while keeping your Christmas dinner vegetarian with this recipe. Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that has a neutral flavor and is typically available in Asian groceries. What makes it unique is that it mimics meat’s texture, making it an excellent cruelty-free alternative to beef and pork.
Side dishes aren’t afterthoughts. They add valuable nutrients and balance to your meal. Best of all, many are innately plant-based, making your work easier. Consider the following as an accompaniment to either of the above main dishes.
This easy side comes together in minutes. Using a mandoline allows for faster, more even slicing and heating. With only six ingredients, you might have everything you need in your cupboard already, although locating summer squash may require a trip to the grocer’s.
Did you know that peppers have more vitamin C than oranges? While this nutrient can shorten a cold’s duration, it only works if you have an adequate supply when symptoms first start. Serve this dish to shore up your guests’ immunity against winter colds while filling them with whole-grain goodness — you might use up any extra grain left over from the salad in this dish.
Dessert is considered the best course by many. End your vegetarian Christmas dinner with one — or both! — of these sweet treats.
Be inclusive of the vegan crowd with this yummy dessert. It’s all the goodness of a pie without the crust, although the sugary crumble doesn’t exactly make it friendly to the carb-counting crowd. Serve with a side of vegan custard or oat milk ice cream.
Bread pudding has a rich, creamy consistency that’s somewhere between cake, pie and pure heaven. The bourbon sauce makes it a particularly rich indulgence. Using your Instant Pot reserves your oven for making other goodies, which is useful if you have limited cooking space.
You don’t need a ham or a turkey to steal the show and warm your guest’s hearts this holiday. Instead, show your dedication to human and planetary health by serving up this vegetarian Christmas dinner menu that’s sure to delight and leave your guests well-sated.
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