Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Who says spinach salads are only for spring? Use autumn's tender crop of fresh spinach and other seasonal vegetables to make this fall salad with roasted butternut squash, apples, cheddar and pecans. This colorful and healthy salad would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving menu, but there's no reason to save it for holidays--serve it along with chicken or pork for a healthy weeknight dinner, or turn it into a main course by adding some chickpeas or chopped chicken or turkey.

Easy Savoy cabbage recipes can be far and few between, especially ones that are as delicious as this whole roasted cabbage. The outer cabbage leaves blacken during the long cooking time, but when removed they reveal a meltingly tender center. Orange blossom water adds delicate aroma to the vinaigrette that's drizzled on top. Serve alongside roast beef or pork, or over mashed potatoes as a main course.

Roasted rutabagas become rich and creamy when roasted whole. Then we halve and pan-fry them for a delectable textural juxtaposition. These root vegetables are often waxed to maintain freshness--you'll be able to feel it. It's easy to remove the wax with a quick dip in boiling water, making the skin edible again. Serve the rutabagas as a side or vegetarian appetizer for a special meal, such as Thanksgiving dinner.

If you are searching for a delicious roasted romanesco recipe, look no further. This psychedelic-seeming crucifer looks like cauliflower and broccoli fell in love and had a baby. The earthy, smoky flavor makes this a show-stopping vegetarian side dish or appetizer--or make it the centerpiece of a vegetarian feast. If your store carries the Middle Eastern strained yogurt called labneh, use 1 cup and omit Step 1.

For a nutrient-packed twist, this healthy Caesar salad features spinach and kale in addition to romaine. But it's the Parmesan crisps that make this salad holiday-worthy. Serve it for Thanksgiving or any other special meal.

Can we get a drumroll, please, for the marshmallow fluff recipe you've been waiting for? This dish may look like regular oven-roasted carrots, but when you add the homemade marshmallow "fluff" it immediately goes in the direction of sweet potato casserole.

Agrodolce is a sweet-and-sour Italian sauce made by reducing vinegar and sugar. This easy vegetarian recipe gets its spicy kick from the serrano pepper, which makes a delicious complement to the honeynut squash. File under "fall recipe" with all the flavors.

These garlic mashed potatoes are extra creamy, thanks to the addition of both butter and buttermilk. To prevent the potatoes from getting gummy, be sure not to overmix them in Step 2. Mashed vegetables tend to get cold easily; keep all tools--the ricer and bowl--warm by running under hot water before using.

This riff on the Thanksgiving favorite combines a traditional pumpkin pie filling with swirls of sweetened cream cheese. And since it's only Thanksgiving once a year, we've topped it all off with a buttery spiced-pecan topping. This easy pie recipe will please anyone at your table this holiday.

Nutty parsnips make for a tasty mashed-potato substitute. For the best parsnip mash, puree the root veggie in a food processor instead of using a ricer, as parsnips are woodier than potatoes.

Leftover sparkling wine might lose its bubbles, but the flavor is perfectly paired with orange juice and coriander to make a simple healthy sauce for pork or swordfish.

Here's a new way to delight your green-bean-loving guests. The genius of this easy green bean recipe is in the dressing, which is made with savory oil that has also been used to fry shallots and garlic.

Use up leftover red wine to make this tart and savory sauce that's delicious when drizzled over seared steak, pork chops or turkey. This healthy cranberry sauce will also impress any Thanksgiving guest with its vibrant color and flavor.

This custard filling is what takes this buttermilk pie recipe to the next level. It tastes like a panna cotta with a bit of attitude from the tang of the buttermilk and a generous sprinkling of cranberries on top.

Cranberry sauce has a role beyond tradition at the T-day meal. The tart berry adds excitement to mild turkey, but it also provides balance by cutting through the richness in other dishes. For this easy relish recipe--which comes together in minutes--the earthy sweetness of dates and cinnamon, plus a touch of citrus, complement the zing of the berries to create a familiar holiday flavor profile.

Who knew a pie recipe could taste so good? Homemade chocolate pie is a must-have at many holiday gatherings and this one will set a new bar. The velvety filling is lightened up by swapping in some cornstarch for some of the egg yolks traditionally used for thickening. The pairing of bittersweet chocolate with the nutty amaretto flavor is pure almond joy that's only better topped with cinnamon-spiced whipped cream (included!).

This tart is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat. Serve this potato tart as an appetizer or cut a larger serving for a healthy vegetarian dinner. If you don't have a mandoline, use your sharpest knife to slice the potatoes and celeriac as thin as possible.

You won't believe this enchilada-like casserole isn't made with meat! The smoky chili powder and cumin give it a satisfying meat-like flavor. Look for meatless crumbles in the produce section of the supermarket near the other vegetarian and vegan products. For a twist, swap the meatless crumbles for black beans or ground beef.

Chock-full of quinoa, chickpeas and vegetables, this salad is a meal in itself. The roasted red peppers, lemon, olives and feta add familiar Mediterranean flavor. If you want to provide a meat option, serve with grilled chicken.

Cream cheese makes this all-purpose pie dough malleable. Plus, whole-wheat pastry flour adds fiber and other nutrients. If your dough is too cold to cooperate when you roll it, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Use this easy pie dough recipe as a base for pumpkin, pecan and other holiday pies.