I am looking for your favorite vegetarian dinner recipes! We have an au pair arriving tomorrow who is a vegetarian so we would like to accommodate her as much as we can for dinners. What are your favorites? Bonus points if they come together quickly.
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Last 2 contain egg and cheese. We LOVE these and they’re on our regular meal rotation. We also do lots of tacos/burritos with black beans. The only cooking for that is I usually roast peppers which takes about 20-25 minutes while I prep the rest.
Vegan Sloppy Joes (super quick): https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-sloppy-joes/?epik=dj0yJnU9Rk14R3lRd1otcGgyZ05KVkMxNGR4cTlfVTZBTVJYb2Qmbj1ZNXE0TFRzWE1rb0tuSWgxRHAxNVF3Jm09MyZ0PUFBQUFBRjR2UDNv
Cauliflower Cakes (buy cauliflower rice instead of making it): https://naturallyella.com/cauliflower-cakes-with-brown-rice-and-cheddar/
Black Bean Burgers (skip the food processor): https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-black-bean-burgers/
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Chili and pasta sauce/ pasta dishes are super easy to make vegetarian. You can sub in a veggie ground round or tvp to both or just do the chili with beans.
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I have a lot I’ll post if I have more time but I just made this a couple days ago - for the first time I used tofu instead of chicken - and it was very good. It did make it come together faster because I used TJ’s sriracha baked tofu so you just slice and throw in at the end vs the time it takes to prep and cook the chicken.
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Fajitas with black beans, cooked peppers and onions and your other favorite toppings are great and come together quickly. I do a lot of veg/tofu or veg/egg stir fries, too. And chana masalas or dal soups are delicious and life giving in the winter if your family likes indian food (https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/chana-masala-for-instant-pot). Also, our favorite super quick, need something now meal is scrambled eggs with garlic sauted broccoli. Not something I would serve right away to a new au pair, but definitely a meal I keep in my back pocket because it's nutritious, delicious, and takes 15-20 minutes all in.
Also, second what @BHBee: said about subbing tofu for chicken (or mild fish) works best if you're buying pre-cooked tofu, because tofu generally takes longer to cook than animal proteins due to water content, but it's a good option for adapting something your family already likes.
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@Becky: @Petitduck: @Ms. RV: @bhbee: @karenbme: Thank you ladies! Bookmarking all of these. We have a bunch of good pasta recipes and some veggie enchiladas/burritos we make. She is from Poland so who knows if she will like any of it, but I'll try!
@karenbme: And I agree, scrambled eggs and roasted sweet potatoes is a super quick go to for us!
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@psw27: If she's from Poland, Pierogies (sp?) are generally meat free.
They're not particularly healthy, as potato or cheese filled dumplings, but you can buy them frozen like Ravioli and cook in a pan or steamer.
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@karenbme: yes! She said she will make those for us, so we will definitely be eating them soon
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@psw27: Oh yum! I'm sure home made pierogies will beat from a box by a mile.
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we do a lot of pasta/vegetable combo dishes in our house, but made this recently and it was soooo hearty and delicious https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019221-vegetarian-shepherds-pie
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Zucchini enchiladas from skinnytaste.com! Also pasta with pesto.
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@bhbee: TJ’s baked tofu is awesome. I usually use the teriyaki flavor because my family is spice-averse, though. It’s also great cubed and scattered on a salad for extra protein—totally takes the place of chicken or even feta cheese!
@psw27: I love baked gnocchi. Get a package of shelf-stable gnocchi (I usually get it at Trader Joe’s but they have it lots of places). Chop up a bunch of whatever veggies you like (I use broccoli, cauliflower, onions, zucchini, and/or whatever is in season). Mix it all in a big bowl with a cup or so of cherry tomatoes, a few garlic cloves (peeled and cut into a couple pieces if they’re big), a couple tablespoons of olive oil, a big pinch of Italian herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan or crumbled feta and serve.
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I use a lot of farro, mostly for salads. TJ's sells bags of it for cheap that take 10 minutes to cook. It's got a good amount of protein, but I usually mix it with some kind of bean (chickpeas and black beans, typically, but also lentils), and then whatever vegetables I've got (roasted squash/roasted other veg works well, but fresh stuff like tomatoes works well too, as well as steamed broccoli). Feta or some other cheese, if you want. Then top with vinaigrette.
Lentils are reasonably fast. They need some vinaigrette, I think, but they pair nicely with roasted or raw vegetables.
Egg dishes like frittatas are easy and relatively quick, too.
Tacos with black beans or pinto beans. I typically get a can of vegetarian refried beans and mix in some whole beans. Usual toppings.
If I don't do a green salad, I usually roast frozen broccoli or frozen Brussels sprouts. We also like frozen peas and edamame. All of those things can be mixed into lentils or farro/barley, too.
We eat beans in some form nearly daily. I generally use the slow cooker to make them, but I keep some cans on hand for convenience and usually buy hummus. The slow cooker is great for beans, but you have to remember which ones need to be boiled first (kidney and navy/white) or soaked (black and pinto) and to put any tomatoes/acids in at the end.
I make macaroni and cheese (not boxed) occasionally and add frozen broccoli or peas.
Oh, and everyone in my family likes caprese salad, which is also fast. Slice up some mozzarella (Costco sells a big ball of tasty mozzarella) and tomatoes, drizzle on olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Basil is nice too, but I don't go out of my way to buy it if I don't have any growing. Caprese goes nicely with lentil salad too.
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@PurplePeony: baked gnocchi sounds so good! I have never had it that way.
We eat a lot of hummus here. It’s often a side with bread or spread on wraps mixed with veggies or mixed in with pasta. We’re vegetarian and this week we had sweet potato sushi, wraps with veggies and touf made like pulled pork, and sweet potatoes, veggie sausage, and onion over a brown rice mixed with veggies.
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@honeybear: I love that TJs farro! I use it in this recipe, it’s so good and you can leave out the chicken. Add hummus and pita and done. https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/15-minute-chicken-shawarma-bowls
Also good in this: https://www.budgetbytes.com/pineapple-black-bean-salad/. I always add sriracha, so good!
Another recipe I love: https://www.budgetbytes.com/cold-peanut-noodle-salad/
I’ve recommended budget bytes on here a bunch. Lots of veg/vegan recipes or ones that can be modified and soooo tasty.
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Oh.. also... weight loss cabbage soup is surprisingly yummy
https://www.budgetbytes.com/can-eat-cabbage-soup/And grilled portobello
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/214903/grilled-portobello-with-basil-mayonnaise-sandwich/ -
We like rice bowls - when I make them it’s a base of rice topped with spinach sautéed with garlic, chopped tomato, avocado, shredded cheese, a fried egg, and sriracha.
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@bhbee:
I like Budget Bytes too. Her recipes are reliable and easy to execute. I think the thing that makes her blog so helpful is that she's usually using readily accessible and not terribly expensive ingredients, and not a billion of them in one recipe because she has the "budget" focus.
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Oh, this Thai Red Curry from Cookies and Kate is delicious: https://cookieandkate.com/thai-red-curry-recipe/
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@honeybear: yes I love the budget aspect!
They're not particularly healthy, as potato or cheese filled dumplings, but you can buy them frozen like Ravioli and cook in a pan or steamer.
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