Thanksgiving can be really challenging for vegetarians – with side dishes laced with chicken broth and turkey as the main event. Thankfully, our friends at Cooking Light have rounded up a bunch of delicious, meatless holiday recipes that are sure to be a hit with your vegetarian and non-vegetarian dinner guests, alike!

Pappardelle with Roasted Winter Squash, Arugula, and Pine Nuts

“This fresh and easy dish packs in lots of seasonal flavors, and you can put everything together in the 25 minutes it takes for the squash to roast. The recipe makes six filling servings, so it’s great for a family dinner or casual get-together, but you can always double or triple it to be the main course at any holiday party.”

Click here for the recipe!

Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan

“Cauliflower is a versatile yet often overlooked vegetable. Roasted here until just tender and browned, and flavored with Italian herbs, garlic, Parmesan, and lemon juice, it’s the highlight of any meal. It’s heavy on flavor but light on calories, with only 89 per serving.”

Click here for the recipe!

Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash

“This side is simple and fabulous. The cooking is mostly hands-off, and the prep is easy. Serve the tender butternut squash in large pieces to catch every last bit of the honey butter drizzle.”

Click here for the recipe!

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Looking for ways for your little chefs to get involved in the family meal preparation? Cooking Light offers a scrumptious spaghetti squash recipe that’s a nutritious contribution to a well-balanced winter-time family meal AND is easy enough for the kids to help assemble. And, the kids will get a kick out of how the squash truly looks like spaghetti!

Ingredients

1 (3-pound) spaghetti squash 

Cooking Spray

1 T. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, divided

6T. shredded pecorino Romano cheese

Preparation 

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.

2. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds; discard. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350˚ for 1 hour or until tender.

3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 1/3 cup basil.

4. Cool squash at room temperature for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Scrape inside of the squash with a fork to remove spaghetti-like strands to measure about 5 cups. Divide squash evenly among 6 plates; top each serving with about 1/3 cup sauce and 1 tablespoon cheese. Top with remaining basil.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.