One of the most important rules when it comes to holiday feasts is: make so much food that you will be sure to have leftovers!
So, if you’ve enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with your family, you probably don’t want to get into the kitchen to cook another full-blown meal the next day.
free 7-day vegan meal plan
Your next week of eating is planned out with these quick and delicious vegan bowls, meal prepping steps & full grocery list.
Why not take all of your delicious vegan Thanksgiving leftovers and transform them into one colorful and scrumptious dinner bowl?
Packed with protein-rich vegan chickpea meatloaf, alongside crispy Brussels sprouts, creamy oil-free vegan mashed potatoes drizzled with a savory 5-minute brown gravy, this Thanksgiving leftover bowl has it all.
And if you happen to read this article before Thanksgiving, wondering how on earth to create a well-rounded Thanksgiving meal, well, this dinner bowl is for you!
It’s just going to take a bit longer than 30 minutes to put everything together if you’re not working with leftovers.
Recipe features
- Reduces food waste & cost
- Easily customizable
- Nutrient-packed & flavorful
- Healthy 30-minute dinner
- Full of seasonal goodness
Depending on which Thanksgiving leftovers you want to use, your dinner bowl can take a bit longer or even much less than 30 minutes!
We decided to add our favorite maple Brussels sprouts which you can make from scratch following our recipe in the card below just because roasted veggies taste best fresh out of the oven.
But if you swap them for pre-roasted vegetables, your leftover Thanksgiving dinner bowl will be ready to devour in no time!
Tips & ideas for this Thanksgiving bowl
Combine lots of color, texture and flavor if you can! Don’t be afraid to mix and match whatever vegan Thanksgiving leftovers you have in your fridge.
From vegan roast or sautéed vegetables to sauces, stuffed squash, dips like beetroot hummus or vegan stuffing, even appetizers like roll-ups can create a delicious meal when they join forces.
Some of them are best reheated on the stove or in the microwave while others like to be freshly roasted in the oven.
Feel free to add a dollop of cranberry sauce, green beans or a fresh salad like this roast pumpkin spinach salad, spinach fig salad or sweet potato arugula salad.
Even just combining leftover Thanksgiving mains like vegan meatloaf with a simple green salad and homemade baked potato fries makes for a great meal as you can see in our lentil mushroom loaf post.
For more ideas, check out these vegan bowls recipes and our favorite vegan winter recipes!
More easy vegan dinner ideas
If you like this vegan Thanksgiving dinner bowl, why not try some of the following recipes next?
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Winter Rainbow Buddha Bowl
- Warm Lentil Kale Salad
- Quinoa Veggie Bowl
- Lentil Carrot Soup
Did you make this vegan Thanksgiving dinner bowl? Let us know in the comments below, rate our recipe and be sure to Pin it here! You can also tag us on Instagram — we’d love to see your creations.
Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Bowl (Leftover Idea)
Make this delicious vegan Thanksgiving dinner bowl using different leftovers from your holiday feast! Creamy mashed potatoes meet hearty chickpea loaf, crispy roasted Brussels sprouts and homemade gravy. Ready in 30 minutes and endlessly customizable!
Ingredients
Maple Brussels sprouts
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts (180 g)
- ½ red onion
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup almonds, sliced (40 g)
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries (50 g), soaked in water for 15 minutes
- Pinch of smoked paprika (optional)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
For the Thanksgiving bowl
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425° F (220° C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Trim the Brussels sprouts and remove any yellowish or damaged leaves. Then rinse them well, pat dry and cut them into halves.
- Slice your onion, then whisk together the balsamic vinegar with maple syrup and salt in a medium-sized bowl. You can add smoked paprika and olive oil here if you like.
- Add your prepared Brussels sprouts and onion into the bowl and toss until everything is coated with the marinade.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet, making sure the brussels sprouts are all face down.
- Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, reheat your leftover mashed potatoes and gravy in two separate pots or a skillet on the stove.
- Once the 15 minutes have elapsed, remove your baking sheet from the oven. Drain the cranberries and add them together with the almonds to your roasted veggies.
- On a second baking sheet, put as many slices of chickpea meatloaf as you want to reheat.
- Transfer the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 5-7 more minutes, until everything becomes fragrant and slightly golden.
- Once everything is warm, assemble your vegan Thanksgiving leftover dinner bowls with the mashed potatoes, gravy, chickpea loaf slices and roasted maple Brussels sprouts.
Notes
- You can also roast different veggies alongside or instead of the Brussels sprouts for this dinner bowl.
- Feel free to make use of any leftover lentil loaf or other vegan roasts instead of the chickpea meatloaf.
- Add a dollop of cranberry sauce to this bowl if you like!
- You can enjoy this vegan Thanksgiving bowl up to 4 days after Thanksgiving dinner — that’s how long the cooked items should keep well in the fridge.
Alena Schowalter is a Certified Vegan Nutritionist who has been a vegetarian since childhood and vegan since 2012. Together with her husband, she founded nutriciously in 2015 and has been guiding thousands of people through different transition stages towards a healthy plant-based diet. She’s received training in the fields of nutrition, music therapy and social work. Alena enjoys discussions around vegan ethics, walks through nature and creating new recipes.
Make this delicious vegan Thanksgiving dinner bowl using different leftovers from your holiday feast! Creamy mashed potatoes meet hearty chickpea loaf, crispy roasted Brussels sprouts and homemade gravy.