If you’re already following a vegetarian diet or are just looking to add some vegetarian meals into your regular eating routine, it’s always fun to try new recipes that make eating healthier effortless.
In addition to being tasty, vegetarian diets provide so many health benefits, including:
- Good for your heart: Vegetarians may be up to one-third less likely to die or be hospitalized because of heart disease.
- Reduces cancer risk: Vegetarians may have a slight edge with lowering cancer risk.
- Helps prevent Type II diabetes: A healthy vegetarian diet may help prevent and treat Type II diabetes or complications.
- Lowers blood pressure: Research suggests that people who don’t eat meat may have lower blood pressure.
Plus, on top of all of these benefits, vegetarian meals can be delicious, filling, and good for promoting a healthy weight too. If you’re wondering where to start, or are just looking for a few new vegetarian options, try these healthy vegetarian recipes that are so flavorful even meat lovers will want to make them again.
5 quick ’n easy vegetarian dinner recipes
Classic minestrone soup
With its tomato-based broth, nutrition-packed beans, and pasta finish, Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup that is perfect for cold winter nights. Traditionally made as a means of using up leftover vegetables, this soup allows you to improvise on the basic recipe and use any seasonal veggies and greens you have on hand. Simple to make, delicious, and nutritious too, minestrone soup makes it so easy to go meatless.
Slow-cooker Mediterranean stew
Throw together this Mediterranean stew in the morning, and let your slow cooker do its magic while you’re away at work, school, or running errands around town. This vegetarian dinner recipe chock-full of vegetables and protein-rich chickpeas is also super healthy. Feel free to swap out ingredients based on personal taste preferences or what you have on hand in your pantry or produce drawer. Any way you make it, it’s sure to be a popular option in your weekly food rotation. At just 191 calories per serving, it’s a low-calorie choice too.
Sweet potato black bean burgers
Vegan sweet potato and black bean burgers are spiced with curry powder and infused with flavor. By blending the mixture with your hands, you’ll be able to achieve a soft, uniform texture to the patties, which will crisp nicely when cooked in a cast-iron pan. Going gluten-free? Use gluten-free oats and skip the buns by serving the patty in a lettuce wrap instead. Time-saver tip: Prepare the patties and wrap in advance, and refrigerate for up to two days.
Beefless vegan tacos
If you’re looking for an easy vegetarian recipe your family is going to love, this is it. You’ll take taco night in a whole new direction when you swap in crumbled tofu in place of ground beef. This vegan recipe maintains all of the savory seasonings found in standard tacos, minus the meat. Use the filling for taco bowls or salads, in burritos, or to top nachos.
White bean & sun-dried tomato gnocchi
Shelf-stable, store-bought gnocchi is so easy to work with that you’ll be able to pull this meal together in under 20 minutes. But the real star of this recipe is the sun-dried tomato; it adds texture, flavor, and savory goodness to every bite. When you add white beans and spinach, you’ve provided good sources of protein and vitamins C and K.
3 healthy vegetarian recipes for breakfast
It’s the most important meal of the day, so be sure to start your day off right with a tasty, filling, and healthy vegetarian breakfast. These recipes are so easy to make, you can squeeze them into your everyday breakfast routine. Start with these three, and then expand with others to round out a week’s worth of breakfast ideas.
Healthy overnight oats
Join the overnight oats craze with this healthy version you can easily adapt to suit your taste and your available ingredients. The night before serving, stir cinnamon and water or milk into your oats, along with a pinch of salt. In the morning, add a little more milk or water to loosen up the oatmeal, and then top with yogurt, fresh berries, sliced banana, a drizzle of sweet honey, and some nut butter. Delicious and nutritious.
Vegetarian breakfast burrito
Easy to eat even on the go, this breakfast burrito wrap features protein-rich eggs and “good fat” avocado. Just five minutes of prep and 10 minutes to cook, it’s one of the most satisfying — and tasty — breakfast recipes you’ll ever try.
Cinnamon crêpes with nut butter, sliced banana & raspberries
Fancy enough to serve on the weekends, easy enough for any day of the week. We use gluten-free flour in these thin breakfast pancakes, then serve with almond butter, fruit, and lemon. Feel free to change up the extras according to your tastes and what you have on hand.
If you’re already a devotee of the vegetarian lifestyle, or you’re just trying to incorporate more meat-free options into your weekly routine, these healthy and tasty vegetarian recipes offer something for everyone. Packed with nutrients, easy to make, and wonderfully tasty too, they are proof positive that with the right vegetarian recipes, you can satisfy everyone’s appetite.
