I call this a "lasagna" and mean that only in the loosest way possible. There is no pasta in here, just layers of Thanksgingy goodness. 

If you're a vegan like me, you find the idea of Thanksgiving dinner to be a bit stressful. Being expected to attend a traditional Thanksgiving meal with the rotting corpse of a poor turkey as the centerpiece has always wigged me out. The other thing that can be stressful is coming up with a dish that is a comparable show-stopper that eliminates the cruelty but still satisfies your desire to have a substantial dish that also provides the traditional flavors of the season. Look no further because this is it!

Serves 8-12

Total time: 90 mins, active time 30 mins

12-15 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of chicken or turkey style seitan*, sliced

Stuffing:

4 cups vegan chicken stock (recommend Better Than Bouillon's No Chicken Base)

16 oz dried bread cubes

1 cup diced onions

3/4 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp rubbed sage

1 tsp thyme

Gravy:

2 cups of vegan chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup flour

1 Tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce

2 tsp ground sage

1 tsp onion powder

1tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste 

Additional oil for brushing the phyllo

*Get ambitious and make your own (I think Skye Michael Conroy's is amazing) or save time and buy some if you don't mind your guests judging you for cutting corners.

Preheat the oven to 375°.

To make the stuffing, heat the oil on medium heat in a large pot or Dutch Oven and then add the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté until the veggies are tender (about 8 - 10 minutes) and then add the sage and thyme and cook for a couple minutes more.

Now add the bread cubes and the stock and stir to combine until all of the bread cubes are moist. Remove from heat and cover.

Next make the gravy by adding the broth, nutritional yeast, Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce), sage. onion powder, garlic powder and thyme in a medium pot. Stirring the broth vigorously with a whisk, add the flour whisking to get rid of all the lumps. (Tip: In a small bowl or Pyrex measuring cup mix the flour with about 1/4 cup of the stock and mix with a fork before whisking it into the pot. This helps eliminate clumps of flour.) Simmer the gravy over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until it thickens a bit. 

Now it's time to get your assembly station ready. Place a 9"x13" baking dish on the counter and put your stuffing, gravy, seitan and phyllo dough nearby. You'll also need a pastry brush and a small bowl with a few tablespoons of olive oil in it for brushing the phyllo.

First brush a small coat of oil on the bottom of the baking dish. Now layer one sheet of phyllo in the dish and then brush the top of the dough with a bit more oil. Repeat this with 3 or 4 more sheets of phyllo. Next spread a layer of stuffing onto the phyllo. Now top the stuffing with slices of the seitan and then cover that with a healthy drizzle of gravy. Next add another layer of 4 to 5 sheets of phyllo brushing oil on each layer. Repeat the stuffing, seitan and gravy steps. Finally top it with the last 4 or 5 sheets of phyllo again brushing each one with oil. 

Place the baking dish in the center rack of the oven and bake for 50 mins to 60 minutes. The top should be golden brown and crispy. If you see that it's browning too quickly in your oven, cover it with a sheet of foil.

Allow the fake lasagna to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve it with cranberry sauce (of course) and any other traditional sides you'd like.

Nutritional information: Coming soon.