3 easy vegetarian Thanksgiving side dishes: sage brown butter mashed sweet potatoes, mushrooms Stroganoff, and lemon and rosemary roasted potatoes.
Since I'm Canadian, I figured I'd get this posted before Canadian Thanksgiving (Oct. 10), and it also gives plenty of time for this post to be shared in time for American Thanksgiving. These side dishes would work well for Thanksgiving, but they would also work for any autumn or winter meal where you're looking for a meatless side dish.
Even though I love to cook, prepping big meals where guests are coming can be stressful and I don't like people, so I always like to have some easy options that don't take too much effort to throw together. Each recipe here comfortably feeds four people (or more depending on how many side dishes you offer), and it can easily be doubled or tripled if need be.
SAGE BROWN BUTTER MASHED SWEET POTATOES
These babies are as delicious as they are bright orange! The brown butter, sage, and garlic make these anything but ordinary.
Sage brown butter mashed sweet potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes or yams peeled
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped finely
- 1/3 cup whipping/heavy cream
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut sweet potatoes into smaller pieces so they cook faster. Add to a large pot and boil until they're soft - about 15-20 minutes. Once a knife easily pierces through, they're done.
- About 10 minutes into boiling the sweet potatoes, add the butter into a small skillet or saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter is golden brown and smells nutty. There's a fine line between browned butter and burned butter, so watch it closely. You don't want it to go too dark. Add the chopped sage when you think the butter is about done. Add the garlic in after you've cooked the sage for about a minute. Let the garlic cook for about 15 seconds, then remove the brown butter from the heat.
- Drain the sweet potatoes and mash them with the brown butter, cream, garlic, and salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
MUSHROOMS STROGANOFF
The classic flavors of beef Stroganoff... without the meat. These mushrooms are creamy and cozy and very easy to make!
Mushrooms Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 14 ounces white mushrooms cut into quarters
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions to the pan and sauté for 5-7 minutes until they're softened.
- Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms into quarters. Add the mushrooms, Dijon, and garlic to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will shrink and soften and the juices will be released and mostly cooked off by this point.
- Reduce to low heat and stir in the sour cream, nutmeg, and salt & pepper. Heat through and serve immediately with some fresh parsley sprinkled over top.
LEMON AND ROSEMARY ROASTED POTATOES
These potatoes are crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and infused with lemon and rosemary.
Lemon and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 red potatoes (skins on) cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Add the potatoes to a baking dish and toss them with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and the rosemary (remove the needles from the stems).
- Roast the potatoes for an hour. Stir/turn them and then return them to the oven for an additional half hour.
Which of these 3 Thanksgiving sides is your favorite?
Bonnie says
They all look so awesome! I can't wait to try these! I've been vegetarian for 7 years and actually convinced my mom to go vegetarian as well! The lemon rosemary potatoes look so good! I may have to make them tonight 😀
Natasha says
So glad these recipes appeal to you, Bonnie! Let me know if you do make them 🙂
Natasha's Sister says
Make all of this for me right now.
Natasha says
No.