1. Omelets
If you eat eggs, omelets are a great way to get a meal on the table any time of day. Start with this basic recipe from Alton Brown, but add in cheese, pre-cooked vegetables, greens, yesterday’s leftover beans and rice, whatever you like.
2. A really good pot of beans
Sure, canned beans are fine most of the time, but there’s something entirely different about cooking beans from scratch. It takes time but almost no effort on your part, and you can change the flavor based on what vegetables and spices you use (just remember, no salt until the end, because salt slows the cooking process). Try this tutorial from The Kitchn, which is full of great tips for how to cook and use beans.
3. Chili
Now that you know how to cook great beans, it’s time to use them in some awesome veggie chili. The aptly named Best Vegetarian Bean Chili from Serious Eats is a great place to start (and even though it calls for canned beans, you can do better). This one is full of chile flavor and there’s no fake meat in sight.
4. Grilled Cheese
5. Quinoa Salad
6. Hummus
7. Vegetable Soup
8. Bean Salad
9. Baked Tofu
10. Tofu Stir Fry
11. Curry
12. Ramen
13. Soba Noodle Salad
14. Stuffed Peppers or Tomatoes
15. Roasted Vegetables
16. Macaroni and Cheese
17. Fried Rice
18. Falafel
19. Veggie Burgers
20. Tomato Sauce
21. Vegetable Stock
22. Risotto
23. Polenta
24. A Really Good Salad
25. Lasagna
I am one of those semi-vegetarians who uses my limited meat eating as an excuse for eating more cheese. This is not an every-day indulgence, but lasagna is another great comfort food, and when you pile it high with both vegetables and cheese, it has to balance out a little, right? This Fresh Vegetable Lasagna from Inspired Taste is perfection, with roasted red peppers in the sauce and zucchini and yellow squash taking the place of meat.
26. Lentils
27. Burrito Bowl
28. Pizza
29. Pot Pie
30. Granola
Featured photo credit: Damn Delicious, Minimalis Baker, Pioneer Woman, Mario Batali via damndelicious.net