Get ready for a thanksgiving dish that will have your omnivore skeptics sold on this whole “vegetarian” thing. Bursting with flavorful basil, crunchy almonds, sweet squash and juicy golden raisins you’ll forget all about the meat.

Something I’ve gotten a lot over my decade of vegetarianism (with bursts of veganism) has been “so… what do you eat at Thanksgiving.” It’s an understandable question, because obviously one of the most traditional thanksgiving dishes is turkey. My honest answer is probably that I don’t mind skipping the turkey so I can get an extra slice of pie. However, over these ten years I’ve learned quite a few seasonal dishes to bring to the table. This isn’t to say they’ve all been home runs. Last year’s attempt at a vegan pumpkin pie was less than spectacular. But there have been some big wins.

This year, I’m starting a 4 week series called Long Run Thanksgiving. Whether vegetarianism is second nature or brand new (or maybe your annoying niece just HAD to decide to be a vegetarian this year) these recipes will help you plan for a meatless Thanksgiving. I’ll share 4 different vegetarian recipes that will delight veggies and omnivores alike. I’ll post new Thanksgiving recipes each Tuesday of November leading up to Thanksgiving (that way you can test them before the big day). Sign up below to get all the Long Run Thanksgiving in your inbox!

Don’t Miss Any Long Run Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

First up is today’s dish: Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash. This recipe was inspired by one of the dishes I made for last year’s vegan thanksgiving. Luckily this was one of the two recipes that was a big hit, so I decided to to tweak a few things to take it to the next level.

I wanted to start the series with these stuffed squash because they’re the perfect main dish to a vegetarian Thanksgiving. Squash has an incredible soft texture and sweet flavor AND doesn’t leave you feeling like you only ate a couple leaves (a common concern for vegetarians #sarcasm). Quinoa is a great grain for vegetarians because a 1/4 cup has 6 grams of protein #boom!

The original recipe calls for orange zest, however I felt the orange flavor was a little too powerful for my taste, so I swapped in lime juice which brings out unmistakable flavor from the fresh basil. Lime+Basil+Squash…think about it!

The original also calls for craisins instead of golden raisins. And yes, I know, cranberries are a classic Thanksgiving food, but cranberry sauce is already so amazing so why don’t we mix up our dried fruit selection, eh? And finally, the almonds – mild, sweet with that perfect crunch, they tie the quinoa salad together.

Tips for making this squash: you can pop the acorn squash in the oven for the first part of their roasting while you make the quinoa salad, which cuts down on prep time. Basically you’ll chop, plop, cook, mix, plop, cook eat. Make sense? (You’ll see when you read the actual instructions.) Also, no fear if there’s a bit of extra quinoa salad. It makes an excellent base for leftovers (which everyone knows is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving.)

I can’t wait to hear what you think about these Thanksgiving recipes. Whether you’re a veggie/vegan or omnivore I think there’s a little something for everyone this month on the Long Run. Don’t forget to check back each Tuesday or just sign up below for all the recipes straight to your inbox.

Don’t Miss Any Long Run Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

Your Turn:

• What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
• Have you ever had a vegetarian Thanksgiving?