Denton County Magazine • Nov_Dec 21 • AN ALTERNATE Thanksgiving Dinner

Change up your Thanksgiving meal with these delicious plant-based options recommended by local restaurateurs.

Traditional Thanksgiving fare is popular for a reason. But if you’re wanting to branch out and try plant-based or vegan dishes, we’ve got some great ideas for you. If you don’t want to make your own food, takeaway dishes from these local restaurants are an excellent way to spice up this year’s gathering.

If you want to stick to traditional Thanksgiving fare, but aim for plant-based options, Stephanie Solomon from Spiral Diner in Denton suggests selecting a Tofurkey seasonal roast -- a blend of wheat and tofu that resembles ham or turkey -- typically available from local natural grocers.

Sides are an easy way to include vegan food. Solomon recommends hearty choices to balance out your meal.

“Sides you can make vegan include green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese,” Solomon said. “I would suggest upping your sides if you don’t have a turkey.”

If you don’t want to cook your own, you can always pre-order Thanksgiving sides or a plant-based loaf from Spiral Diner.

Milpa serves fresh Mexican food with meat and vegan options. For the holidays, Milpa is known for its vegan tamales.

“We call November and December tamale season and they’re a classic for any Mexican restaurant -- and we make them vegan,” said Jorge Landeros, one of Milpa’s owners. “It’s a big plus for people who don’t want any kind of [meat] proteins.”

Other Mexican sides that easily translate to vegan dishes include rice, beans, salsa, chips and guacamole. Jorge says Mexican cuisine is an easy way to dip your toe into vegan dishes.

“You can still get the taste that you go for in traditional Mexican restaurants, but there’s no [meat] protein or cheese,” Jorge said.

Sister restaurant to Milpa, and Denton’s only all-vegan Mexican restaurant, Pepita’s Vegan Taqueria offers to-go orders of soup, taco platters and a Mexican sampler perfect for a Texan Thanksgiving. One of the restaurant’s owners, Edgar Landeros, suggested the classic Mexican soup called pozole.

“We’re working on a red pozole, which is a brothy soup with dry chiles,” Edgar said. “We have a portobello mushroom base, with cabbage, cilantro and avocado.”

Tamales from Pepita’s (and Milpa) follow a pork recipe, with soy substitute, chiles, fresh onions, peppers and a red sauce. They are made in-house and wrapped in corn husk, and are available to-go for the holidays.

Want to order out for Thanksgiving? Restaurants recommend placing your order at least two weeks ahead of Thanksgiving Day.