Can you feel it in the air? The holiday season is rapidly approaching and we couldn’t be happier, because it means that we’re about to have good times with friends, family, and delicious food. If it’s your first Thanksgiving planning a plant-based meal or if you’re just looking for a show-stopping entrée that’ll stand out on the dinner table, then look no further ’cause we’ve got plenty of recipes that’ll help you make this the best Thanksgiving ever.
Classic casseroles and pot pies may be made with ingredients like meat and dairy but truth is, you don’t need either to make a delicious, meaty dish or a delicious, buttery pie crust. Plus, they’re easy to make and we’re all about making the holiday season a little less stressful. So we browsed through the Food Monster App just for you to bring you these 25 recipes for meat-free casseroles and pot pies:
1. Mushroom and Celeriac Shepherd’s Pie
Source: Mushroom and Celeriac Shepherd’s Pie
This comforting Mushroom and Celeriac Shepherd’s Pie by Rachel Carr is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for the holidays. Celeriac, also known as celery root, takes the place of potatoes in the filling, and is paired with a medley of mushrooms and vegetables that are cooked in a thyme-fragranced white wine gravy, then topped with creamy sweet potato mash.
2. Rustic Cassoulet With Veggie Sausage
Source: Rustic Cassoulet
This classic French Rustic Cassoulet from Plant Tribe usually calls for an abundance of different types of meat, but this recipe shows that it’s easy to make plant-based. It’s a warm and comforting meal, full of seasonal vegetables and delicious smoked veggie sausage. Perfect for the holidays!
Gratitude: Plant-Based Thanksgiving Cookbook

No other holiday captures the spirit of home cooking the way Thanksgiving does. This is why you need the ultimate Thanksgiving cookbook, One Green Planet’s Gratitude: Plant-Based Recipes to Create your own Thanksgiving Tradition! In the cookbook, you’ll find our 100 most popular plant-based Thanksgiving recipes like Soft Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, Spiced Apple Cake with Cashew Frosting, Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding with Nut Crumble Topping, Cinnamon Apple Hand Pies, and hearty entrees like Roast Root Vegetable Stack With Dukkah, Vegducken: Butternut Squash Stuffed With Eggplant, Zucchini, and a Mushroom Lentil Stuffing, and Seitan Roast With Sausage and Pear Stuffing and Apple Cider Gravy and so much more!
3. Sweet Potato and Eggplant Casserole
Source: Sweet Potato and Eggplant Casserole
Thanks to an unexpected blend of ingredients, this Sweet Potato and Eggplant Casserole by Anarki “AJ” Tjon Affo is the perfect blend of savory and sweet! Baked eggplant absorbs the rich taste of tomato, chili, garlic, and spices to give delicious, intense flavor in every bite.
4. Savory Lentil Pot Pie
Source: Savory Lentil Pie
This rich and filling Savory Lentil Pie by Elsa Brobbey is the embodiment of comfort food. When the lentil, tomatoes, onions, and spices meld together, it cooks into a tender and deeply savory pie. Each bite is toothsome with a little crunch. The flaky crust is made with coconut oil and white whole wheat flour (spelt flour works excellently too) and is speckled with hints of turmeric, garlic, and cumin.
5. Cheesy Veggie Divan
Source: Cheesy Veggie Divan
A chicken divan is a casserole dish traditionally made with broccoli and a béchamel sauce that includes butter, cream, sherry, and cheese. Despite being so heavy in dairy, this classic recipe can easily be made vegan without sacrificing cheesy flavor or creamy texture! This Cheesy Veggie Divan by Diane Smith is made with super good-for-you cannellini beans and red roasted peppers. Plus, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli are all mixed in for some added nutritional value.
6. Caramelized Onion, Caper, and Mushroom Tart
Source: Caramelized Onion, Caper, and Mushroom Tarts
There’s nothing like a warm, bubbly tart to fill your belly. Having no crust, the creamy onion and mushroom filling in these Caramelized Onion, Caper, and Mushroom Tarts by Emily Wilkinson caramelize beautifully in a hot oven. Add to that some fresh thyme and salty capers, and you’ve got yourself some very special tarts. Serve for dinner with a side of greens.
7. Pumpkin Shepherd’s Pie
Source: Pumpkin Shepherd’s Pie
Comfort foods and pumpkins are a match made in heaven. This delicious Pumpkin Shepherd’s Pie by Ella Suihko is packed with a spicy chickpea tomato filling and then covered with a layer of creamy pumpkin purée. It is the best food to warm you up on a cold windy and rainy day when salad is no longer an option. Even though the ingredients list is quite long, this recipe is super simple and easy to make.
8. Tempeh Pot Pie
Source: Tempeh Pot Pie
This Tempeh Pot Pie by Travis Piper is packed to the brim with tempeh, potatoes, and other vegetables in a delicious, savory gravy spiced with smoked paprika, thyme, rosemary, and sage. It has a flaky, homemade whole wheat crust that’s made from a blend of flours that browns beautifully while baking in the oven. This is a dinner you’ll want to return to again and again.
9. Butternut Squash, Potato, and Kale Casserole
Source: Butternut Squash, Potato, and Kale Casserole
This perfect fall Butternut Squash, Potato, and Kale Casserole by Lisa Dobler is as easy as can be! Sweet butternut squash, potatoes, and kale are tossed in a creamy seasoned sauce, then baked and tossed with vegan cheese shreds that get melty, gooey, and stretchy. It’s an affordable and versatile option for the holidays since you can switch out the varieties of winter squash and potatoes depending on what ingredients you have on hand.
10. Black Bean and Vegetable Cottage Pie With Cauliflower Potato Mash
Source: Black Bean and Vegetable Cottage Pie
There’s little that is more comforting than pie topped with mashed potatoes. This Black Bean and Vegetable Cottage Pie by Dan Waters is packed with black beans and veggies like carrots, cabbage, and spinach that have been cooked in a savory sauce with caramelized onions. The finished dish is packed with protein that has a wonderful fresh taste and is heavenly.
11. Shepherdess Pie
Source: Shepherdess Pie
This Shepherdess Pie by Sasha Gill will wow even the pickiest of eaters. The filling for this hearty meal is made from savory lentils, tender peas, and perfectly cooked carrots, then it’s topped with a creamy mixture of mashed sweet potatoes, garlic, and vegan cream cheese. Yum!
12. Cheesy Spinach Tofu Casserole
Source: Cheesy Spinach and Tofu Casserole
The Cheesy Spinach and Tofu Casserole by Gunjan Dudani uses a plant-based cheese that is somewhere in between parmesan and mozzarella in combination with the subtle flavors of spinach and baked tofu to make a dish that is understated and impressive at the same time. This casserole is easy, healthy, and can serve a crowd.
13. Delicata Squash Bake
Source: Delicata Squash Bake
Tradition is fantastic, but this Delicata Squash Bake by Monica Stevens Le turns the classic sweet potato casserole It’s packed with roasted delicata squash, tart cranberries, toasted Brussels sprouts leaves, and warm, cozy spices. You (and your family) will love it.
14. Broccolini Pesto and Ricotta Tarts
Source: Broccolini Pesto and Ricotta Tarts
These easy-to-make Broccolini Pesto and Ricotta Tarts from Sweet, Savory, and Free are the perfect crowd-pleasers for parties, brunch, or as quaint little snacks just for yourself. These tarts bring out the best that pesto has to offer. Broccolini is just another term for baby broccoli, and it gives you all the nutritional benefits big mamma broccoli has to offer, including an alphabet’s worth of vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, and antioxidants.
15. Pastel de Choclo: Chilean Shepherd’s Pie
Source: Pastel de Choclo
Simply put, this Pastel de Choclo from Smith and Daughters is very similar to shepherd’s pie. Typically, this dish has big juicy chunks of beef, but we find eggplant is the best substitute as it doesn’t have much flavor of its own and carries all the flavors of the dish while still retaining its shape. This is fantastic served with a green salad dressed with our lemon and cumin vinaigrette.
16. ‘Meat’ and Potato Casserole
Source: “Meat” and Potato Casserole
This meat-free “Meat” and Potato Casserole by Elsie Kriz is a meal that truly warms your body and soul! Classic, simple, delicious, and hearty, it combines potatoes, aromatics, fire-roasted tomatoes, and fresh thyme with textured vegetable protein to create a dish that will please the meat lovers in your family.
17. Black Lentil Charred Broccoli Shepherd’s Pie
Source: Black Lentil Charred Broccoli Shepherd’s Pie
This Black Lentil Charred Broccoli Shepherd’s Pie by Stephanie McKinnie is warming, hearty, and most excellent comfort food. This pie is packed with charred broccoli, caramelized onions, and black lentils that are all tucked in with a generous layer of mashed potatoes.
18. Cheesy Rutabaga Casserole
Source: Cheesy Rutabaga Casserole
Nothing says “comfort food” like a good casserole. This Cheesy Rutabaga Casserole by Rachel Hanawalt has all of the warm, bubbly goodness that you’ve come to expect from a casserole with one difference – it’s healthy too. The kale, rutabaga, and onions are covered in a delicious cashew cheese sauce that will make this dish a household favorite.
19. Mini Pot Pies With Black Lentil, Fennel, and Thyme
Source: Mini Pot Pies
These Mini Pot Pies by Hannah Sunderani are exactly as they sound; a blend of vegetables including fennel, celery, carrots, and potatoes with lentils and herby thyme – it’s a hearty and comforting veg-packed dish that’s healthy too. This classic dish was made healthier by reducing the amount of pie crust needed and baking the meal into adorable, portion-controlled dishes (so you can eat more dessert)!
20. Minestrone Pot Pie With Biscuit Topping
Source: Minestrone Pot Pie
This Minestrone Pot Pie by Liz Martone may not look like the traditional pot pie, but it has all of the makings of one. A golden brown encasing of bread and a deliciously savory and chunky filling. Specifically, this pot pie has a minestrone filling – broth, diced tomatoes, beans, onions, and veggies – and a wheat biscuit-like crust that is flavored with coconut oil and a touch of rosemary. Talk about comfort food!
21. Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Source: Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
This Lentil Shepherd’s Pie by Diane Smith is a comfort food sure to please even the pickiest of eaters, plant-based or not! Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with ground beef, but with this version, you’ll get the benefit of eating legumes filled with potassium, calcium, zinc, dietary fiber, lean protein, and plenty of other good stuff. The mashed potato crust is infused with garlic and makes the dish a cozy treat.
22. Creamy Baked Penne With Kale and Fennel
Source: Creamy Baked Penne With Kale and Fennel
Creamy, luscious pasta strewn through with tender kale, sweet caramelized fennel, onion, and garlic… Are you into this? What if we added a bubbly, browned cheesy top and crunchy herbed bread crumbs? Are we there yet? This Creamy Baked Penne With Kale and Fennel by Nancy Partington is a total game-changer for the holidays.
23. Cheesy Cauliflower Bake With Bread Crumbs and Thyme
Source: Creamy Cauliflower Bake
This Creamy Cauliflower Bake by Hannah Sunderani is the A+ procrastinator of brilliant recipes. Meaning you can make this delicious dish quickly and easily with few ingredients. It’s creamy, cheesy, savory, and ooey gooey. This Cheesy Cauliflower bake is a winning recipe that’s destined to please all. What more could you need in a side dish?
24. Ratatouille White Bean Casserole
Source: Ratatouille White Bean Casserole
This Ratatouille White Bean Casserole by Liz Martone is a simplified, rustic take on ratatouille! The vegetables are tender and melted into the tomato sauce and mix with the creamy white bean puree – it’s pure heaven! This is a lighter dinner since it’s mostly just vegetables, so you could easily bulk it up with a grain like couscous or quinoa on the side. Or also a huge baguette of french bread— because you KNOW there’s going to be some leftover tomato juices that need some mopping up.
25. Portobello Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Source: Portobello Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
This hearty, savory Portobello Lentil Shepherd’s Pie by Megan Sadd has a delicious filling of French lentils, sautéed mushrooms, and vegetables in red wine gravy. Topped with creamy mashed potatoes, it’s the ultimate plant-based comfort food.
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It was delicious!

Shayna Orr