15 Vegetarian Recipes for Meatless Monday
If you’re trying to eat less meat and looking for inspiration, I’ve got you covered! 15 Vegetarian Recipes for Meatless Monday is a mouthwatering collection of flavorful, meat-free recipes that are sure become new favorites!
A lot of people decide to make big changes as a New Year’s resolution. Whether it’s Veganuary (eating vegan in January), a new gym membership, or wanting to shed a certain number of pounds, I find a lot of them to be unsustainable, and thus, not very effective.
I think the best way to make a lasting change is through small steps that add up and eventually, become commonplace.
I, myself, am an omnivore that recognizes the fact that I don’t need/want to eat as much meat as I have in the past. Therefore, I often have “Vegetarian Week”. It’s one week out of the month where regardless if I am eating out at a restaurant or cooking at home, I eat only meat-free meals.
At the end of the week, my body feels so much better! The vegetable-rich, meat-free meals are a welcome re-set button for my body.
While an entire week of vegetarianism might not be possible for some people, I honestly believe that anyone can partake in Meatless Monday!
I focused my list of 15 Vegetarian Recipes for Meatless Monday around main courses or entrees, as vegetarian side dishes are pretty easy to come up with. With 15 recipes that include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you’re sure to find some new meat-free dishes to add to your collection!
Breakfast
Although the breakfast recipes I am sharing are Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian (meat-free, but include eggs/dairy), many vegan breakfasts are easy to whip up and don’t even require a recipe!
One of my favorites is an avocado toast that has smashed avocado on top of toasted whole wheat bread, topped with thinly sliced red onion and chimichurri sauce drizzled on top.
1) Spinach & Mushroom Muffin Pan Omelets
I love vegetables and try to include them in my recipes as often as possible, so while my kids might love my cheesy scrambled eggs, I like making these Spinach & Mushroom Muffin Pan Omelets!
These veggie-filled mini omelets are great because you can make a batch of them so that you have breakfast throughout the week!
2) Avocado Toast with Harissa Scrambled Eggs
I think I could eat avocado toast everyday, it’s just so versatile! This version has creamy avocado spread on toast and topped with harissa-spiked scrambled eggs for a little kick!
A grating of cotija or even parmesan cheese is an excellent finish!
A bowl of vanilla yogurt topped with this granola and fresh berries is such a flavorful and healthy breakfast! I usually use strawberries, but raspberries and blueberries are great too!
Lunch
While soups, salads, and sandwiches are some of the best lunches, I would be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes make snack plates for my vegetarian lunches!
Basically, I make a healthy Lunchable with crackers, slices of cheese, a little mustard, and my homemade Garlic Dill Pickles. I’ll add an orange, or whatever fruit I have on hand to complete the mini smorgasbord. So good!
4) Mediterranean Arugula Quinoa Salad
I love, love, love arugula! It’s my favorite green in a salad, but it’s especially wonderful in this Mediterranean Arugula Quinoa Salad!
The peppery bite of arugula combined with salty feta cheese, chewy quinoa, Greek kalamata olives, chickpeas, and a homemade Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette is just dynamite!
These wraps are what keep my panini press in business! Although you could skip the panini press, if you have one, now is the time to bust it out!
The slightly crispy exterior of your wrap/tortilla that envelops sautéed mushrooms, onions, and garlic, tangy goat cheese, and fresh greens is a delicious symphony of flavors and textures. One of my all-time favorite vegetarian meals!
My recipe is a little more mustardy than a traditional egg salad, and that’s what I love about it! If you’re not a big fan of celery, you could leave it out, but I do love the crunch it adds.
7) Mediterranean Hummus Veggie Wraps
I almost always have everything on hand to make Mediterranean Hummus Veggie Wraps, so they are in frequent rotation on my vegetarian weeks.
They’re fresh, crunchy, healthy, and loaded with veggies. My usual fillings are usually a combination of hummus, spinach or arugula, red onion, feta cheese, red bell pepper, cucumber, and sliced pepperoncini. They’re extra special with my Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips! Vegan without the feta.
Dinner
While a lot of the dinners in this list make wonderful vegetarian lunches, they often take a little bit more time to prepare and require more ingredients.
They also tend to make larger quantities. I often eat leftover dinner for lunch the next day anyways! Win-win-win.
8) Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
In general, legumes are a great way to get vitamins and fiber in your diet, but they’re also an excellent source of protein for vegetarian meals.
Combine that with all the vegetables in this soup, and it is incredibly nutritious! I like to serve this soup with a variety of toppings so that even the carnivores feel satisfied with their customized bowls.
Some of our toppings are: sour cream, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, pickled jalapeno slices, shredded cheese, avocado, and of course, hot sauce. The soup without toppings is vegan.
This quinoa is both an excellent side dish and a vegetarian main course. It’s hearty, filling, and an absolute must for mushroom lovers!
Feel free to add prepared tofu, plant-based meat, or sautéed veggies alongside it.
10) Buffalo Wing French Bread Pizza Sticks
All the delicious buffalo wing sauce flavors you crave, but in pizza form!
My kids love these pizza sticks with a side of ranch or blue cheese and some baby carrots for dipping. A meat-free meal the whole family loves!
11) Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup
This hearty soup is a wonderful bowl of comfort food in the colder months! It’s loaded with veggies and it’s super easy to make thanks to the slow cooker!
12) Spicy Kimchi Garlic Noodles
What’s better than garlicky noodles? Spicy garlicky noodles with kimchi!
Kimchi is a polarizing ingredient, but I absolutely love it! I add it to my instant ramen, make kimchi fried rice, and kimchi pancakes. The stuff is so good! Here I added it to some deliciously garlicky noodles.
13) Chickpea Cauliflower Curry
Believe it or not, my kids actually love this curry! When I first made it for them, I was awaiting the negative comments about all the vegetables, but instead they told me how much they loved it!
We are a household of chile heads, so I add extra cayenne to mine and also add some dried Thai chilies from my local ethnic market. For those not into spicy, just omit the cayenne.
14) Italian Chickpea Vegetable Soup
This soup is a warm blanket for my soul. Since I moved from San Diego to Virginia, my fall and winter menus have become increasingly soup-centric!
All the vegetables plus my favorite legume, chickpeas, and the delicious broth that’s infused with a parmesan rind. Pure deliciousness!
I saved the best for last. Mushroom Kale Lasagna is my absolute favorite vegetarian recipe on Flavorful Eats!
It’s pure comfort food. It’s so good, meat eaters will turn their nose at it and then ask for a slice when they see it come out of the oven. Then they want another slice. True story.
Wondering what those plant-based meats are all about?
Check out: The Beyond Burger, I Tried it! to hear about what an omnivore thinks about the Beyond Burger Plant-Based Patties.
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
I also have a fun Facebook group for us foodies to share recipes and talk about food. I’d love to have you! Request to join HERE. Cheers!
