the best tofurky roast recipe for a vegan holiday dinner

No matter where you are in your plant-based journey, the holidays can be tricky! 

Many, many years ago, I sat through holiday dinners where all I could eat was potatoes, squash, and/or green beans. As I grew up and started cooking for myself, I could contribute vegan side dishes and desserts that everyone at the table could enjoy. Bringing something you can eat and everyone can share is a great way to navigate mixed gatherings.

There are plenty of options for vegan mains and sides for your holiday meal. When I finally hosted my own dinners, I began experimenting in earnest. Over the years I have done nut loafs, mushroom pastries, squash pie, and so on. I settled on the Tofurky roast because the non-veg folks in my life were interested, tried it, liked it, and now request it! It’s a great way to open up conversations about our food systems, climate change, and demystify plant-based eating. A key point for these conversations – while eating less meat and dairy makes a big impact, you do not have to be vegan to be an environmentalist! Even starting with just one plant-based meal and working from there makes a difference. Why not make it your holiday dinner?

We serve our roast with mushroom gravy, roasted carrots and onions, mashed potatoes, green beans, and squash pie. And with that, let’s just get straight to the recipe and my terrible food photography!

What You Need

• 1 Tofurky (or other vegan holiday roast), defrosted
• 2 lemons or oranges
• 2-3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion or 3-4 shallots, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp summer savoury
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

What You Do

*Be sure to remove your roast from the freezer the day before and remove any plastic wrap before preparing it. 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Grease a baking dish with your preferred plant oil (I use coconut oil).
3. Place your roast in the centre of the dish, arranging chopped carrots and onions around it.
4. Zest one of the citrus fruits, then squeeze its juice into a small mixing bowl. 
5. Add the zest, herbs, soy sauce, olive oil, and pepper to the bowl and whisk thoroughly. Feel free to go a bit overboard on the herbs for added flavour – this recipe is really just a guide!
6. Pour the mixture over the roast, being sure to coat it well. Pour the remainder over the veggies, and give them an extra splash of olive oil. 
7. Thinly slice the second citrus fruit and arrange slices on top of the roast. 
8. Cover and bake according to the package direction, basting every 20 minutes or so
9. Serve thinly sliced, surrounded by the roasted carrots and onions.

That’s it! Whether this is your first plant-based holiday or you are simply trying something different this year, I hope you love it as much as our family does. Happy holidays!