I volunteered to cook Thanksgiving dinner one year, with a caveat. I was still a sorta-kinda vegetarian, so I served all the myriad side dishes but skipped the turkey. This gravy recipe was so successful, nobody even complained.

Nowadays, I do the whole turkey and drippings gravy thing, but we always run out of gravy long before we run out of turkey, mashed potatoes, or stuffing. With this recipe, you can easily make more gravy, even if you don’t have any drippings.

2 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 C fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 1/2 C water
2 tsp cornstarch
2-4 T soy sauce
1 tsp vegetable bouillon granules
1-3 t dried sage
1 pinch of oregano
2 pinches of thyme
Salt to taste

Heat butter in a medium saucepan, add onion and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes so that it browns a bit. Add garlic, pepper, and mushrooms, cook 5 minutes longer, continuing browning process. Add water and bring to a boil.
Blend cornstarch with soy sauce, add 1 tsp to boiling liquid, mix, then add remaining cornstarch mixture. Add bouillon and spices. Mix, then let simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken and develop flavor.