12 Exciting Vegetable Dishes for Your Thanksgiving Feast

I think the vegetable side dishes are the most exciting part of the Thanksgiving meal (besides dessert).  Here are 12 of my favorite recipes from my own blog and some of my favorite food bloggers. Get inspired by these recipes. They’re all gluten free, paleo and mostly vegan.

When planning your Thanksgiving feast I recommend choosing a few vegetable dishes that are delicious but don’t have too many ingredients and are super easy to make. This way you don’t get overwhelmed.

Then, if you’re inspired, make a few special vegetable dishes with a variety of textures tastes and colors to WOW your family and friends.

Everyone will love eating lots of vegetables at your Thanksgiving feast. The vegetables will keep their body in balance too!

I indicated the ones that I think are super easy to make.  Click on the photo to get to the recipe.

Roasted Butternut Squash w/Crispy Kale & Pomegranate Seeds | Eat Well Enjoy Life

This is a gorgeous dish with a variety of textures and tastes. The sweetness of the butternut squash is balanced by the slightly bitter kale.  The pomegranates give your mouth a tart crunchy surprise.

Kale Salad with Apples Cranberries & Pecans | Cookies & Kate 

A hearty raw kale salad with chopped Granny Smith apple, cranberries, toasted pecans and goat cheese, tossed in a zippy honey mustard dressing. It’s both vegetarian and gluten free. The salad gets better as it marinates in the dressing for 10 to 20 minutes beforehand. Toss it a few minutes before serving and you  don’t have to worry about it getting soggy throughout the meal.

Sautéed Spinach with Caramelized Mushrooms | Eat Well Enjoy Life

You’ll love this dish for your Thanksgiving feast.  It can be made in 15 minutes and is full of umami flavor.  Use shiitake, hen of the woods or chanterelle mushrooms to make it even more exciting. SUPER EASY

Pan Roasted Potatoes and Leeks | Cotter Crunch

The is a beautiful one pan dish packed with Leeks, Potatoes, and Spinach Greens! It’s a flavorful, healthy, and easy to make side dish. Instead of microwaving the spinach as written in the recipe, add it to the potatoes at the end.  Toss and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes until wilted. ( I don’t  use a microwave.)

Moroccan Spiced Cauliflower | Eat Well Enjoy Life

In this dish cauliflower is transformed into a sublime dish full of sweet and savory spices.  Currants and pine nuts are added for a unique taste and texture you will love

Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole | One Lovely Life

This naturally sweetened, gluten free, dairy free sweet potato casserole is an upgrade to the traditional sweet potato casserole. It’s just as creamy and satisfying!  If you are vegan you can use an egg substitute but I made it with the free range eggs.

Green Beans with Cashews and Coconut | Eat Well Enjoy Life

Try these richly seasoned green beans with crunchy cashews and coconut instead of the usual green bean casserole your mother use to make.

Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts | Cookies & Kate

Add a little Asian flavor to your Thanksgiving feast with these Roasted Brussels Sprouts tossed with spicy Kung Pao sauce! It’s a delicious paleo, vegetarian side dish inspired by a popular Chinese dish.

Roasted Delicata Squash | Eat Well Enjoy Life

I love this recipe because it’s easy and quick to make, super flavorful, savory-sweet, comforting and delicious. Roasting delicata squash like this gets it super crispy.  It tastes almost like candy.  SUPER EASY

Vegan Zucchini Gratin | Minimalist Baker 

This is a beautiful dish for your Thanksgiving table. Instead of the usual breadcrumbs, cheese and butter this gratin is made with an incredibly tasty Vegan Parmesan.  The recipe includes asparagus but it comes out fine with only green and yellow zucchinis.

5 Minute Green Beans w/Garlic & Thyme | Eat Well Enjoy Life

These savory and aromatic 5 Minute Green Beans with Garlic and Thyme are incredibly delicious and a wonderful fresh vegetable for your Thanksgiving feast. SUPER EASY

Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Gremolata | Food and Wine

Turn your carrots into something special with the carrot greens made into a tasty topping (along with cilantro, lemon zest and jalapeño).  They’re even more beautiful if you can get multi-colored carrots.  They hold up well so you can prepare them a few hours in advance and reheat.

Paleo Lemon Garlic Broccoli | I Heart Umami

This is a healthy broccoli recipe with a creamy lemon garlic butter sauce made with ghee.  SUPER EASY

These delicious vegetable dishes will give your friends and family so much to be grateful for.

As they appreciate you and the delicious food, and you appreciate them for being part of your life, you create a feedback loop that expands joy in the world and boosts your immune system.

Take a few minutes on Thanksgiving to put your hand on your heart, and just ask what am I grateful for? If you just ask the question in your own stillness, things will come up…You don’t have to go looking for the answer, you just have to ask the question and then allow any sensation, image, feeling or thought to come to you…

Deepak Chopra says “People who practice this kind of ritual, they have a boost in their immune functioning, a shift in their hormones, it’s pretty interesting what happens even at the level of cell markers of information…This kind of thing actually has very powerful biological consequences.”

On Thanksgiving don’t stress about how much food you’re eating. Focus instead on what’s good in your life, how much you love the food and the people around you. When you feel joy and satisfaction you digest your food much better. You’re healthier.

Expressing gratitude on Thanksgiving isn’t just tradition—it’s also good for the body and spirit.