With such a strong focus on sustainable eating these days, it’s great to have a few quick, plant-based dinner recipes on hand. These five quick and easy vegan dinner ideas are perfect for any night of the week and will have your family asking for more.
- Weeknight Vegan Burritos. I keep organic tortillas in the freezer to make these burritos for unexpected dinner guests or extra kids at my house. This vegan dinner is a real crowd pleaser and none of my friends ever miss the greasy cheese or meat in these delicious burritos. Another nice thing about this vegan burrito recipe is that you can make them with as little as three filling ingredients, or add in as many optional veggies as you have on hand. I make this easy vegan meal almost every week at our house.
Weeknight Vegan Burritos
Ingredients:
- 1 can of organic black beans (15 ounces can or around 2 cups)
- 3 small or 2 large ripe avocados
- 1 ½ cups of organic salsa
- 6 organic flour tortillas
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Optional additions:
- 1 cup cooked and seasoned rice or quinoa
- 1 cup sauteed bell peppers and onions
- 1 cup organic sweet corn
- ½ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup sliced pickled jalapenos
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Note: If you add a few of these optional ingredients, you’ll likely need more tortillas
Instructions:
Drain and rinse the black beans and put them into a large bowl. Slice the avocados in half, remove the pits and cut each half in a square pattern while it’s still in the skin. Do not cut through the skin, just through the flesh of the avocado. Cut the lines about a half-inch apart, then scoop out the cut pieces with a spoon and add them to the black beans. Add in any optional ingredients that you have on hand at this time. Pour in the organic salsa and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
Divide the filling mixture among six organic tortillas and roll them up into burritos. Heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place as many of the burritos as you can fit into the pan with the opening side down and in a single layer. Allow them to cook for about two minutes or until lightly golden. Flip them over; reduce the heat to low and cover the pan so that the burritos can heat all the way through. Check them often to make sure they don’t get too brown. Once they are heated through and golden all over, remove the burritos from the pan and serve.
- Vegan Avocado Lettuce Wraps. I found this delicious and easy vegan dinner recipe on the back of a bag of avocados. It’s simple to make and super healthy! This is a guilt-free, high antioxidant, vegan dinner that will make everyone happy.
Vegan Avocado Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
- 2 large or 3 small ripe avocados, diced
- 3 teaspoons lime juice
- 2 organic tomatoes
- ½ cup cooked quinoa, couscous or rice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup organic sweet corn
- ½ cup cooked black beans
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 5-6 large organic lettuce leaves
Instructions:
Put the diced avocado into a large bowl and add the lime juice. Set it aside. Dice the organic tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Then add the cooked quinoa, salt, pepper, sweet corn, beans, diced onion, and chopped cilantro leaves. Stir it a few times to combine and cover the bowl. Let it sit for at least fifteen minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
Serve with clean, organic romaine leaves or any other type of large lettuce leaves you like. Fill the leaves like they are taco shells and enjoy a tasty, healthy vegan meal.
- Vegan Portobello Mushroom Burgers. Mushrooms are my favorite source of plant-based protein. They are anti-inflammatory foods that are also high in B vitamins, selenium and other nutrients. Mushrooms are also cancer fighters. I try to eat them as often as possible and include them in vegan dinners.
Our family loves portobello mushroom burgers. They are a more healthful, whole food option than processed soy-filled veggie burger patties, and so delicious.
Vegan Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Ingredients:
- 4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons organic soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mustard (dijon, spicy or yellow)
- Juice from half a lemon
- 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon parsley flakes
- salt, pepper and seasoning to taste
- ½ thinly sliced red onion
- 1 sliced organic tomato
- 2 sliced avocados
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 4 organic sprouted grain burger buns (or whole grain)
- your preferred condiments
Instructions:
Wash and dry the portobello mushrooms. Remove the stems and discard them or save them for another dish. Combine the olive oil, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl that’s just a little bit larger than the diameter of the mushroom caps. Whisk those ingredients together well.
Heat your skillet to medium. As the skillet is heating, put the mushroom caps into the marinade, one at a time. Coat both sides well. Then put them onto the heated skillet, top side down, for about three minutes. Pour the remaining marinade from the bowl over the mushroom caps. Flip and cook the other side of the mushrooms for two to three minutes. Once all of the portobello caps are heated through, serve them on whole grain or sprouted grain buns with sliced onions, avocados, tomatoes, lettuce and the condiments of your choice.
- Pan-fried Vegetables. Although this recipe might sound too simple to be a full dinner, it will fill you up and really provide fantastic flavor and high nutrition. When I have no plan for dinner and a bunch of random produce to use up, I go for this dish. Also, when our family has strayed from our high vegetable diet, this kind of meal can help us get back on track. Usually, we have it weekly.
It’s important to note that you can use any combination of these ingredients – but you don’t need them all. Sometimes I cook up potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Other times, I add in all of these vegetables and more. Whatever vegetables I have to get tossed into the pan when we make this simple vegan dinner.
Pan-fried Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 2 large organic sweet potatoes
- 2 white, yellow or red potatoes
- 1 cup Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 onion (red, yellow, or white)
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (any kind)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Wash and dry all of the product before you begin. I like to put a medium-sized towel down on my countertop when I start the meal prep. All of the vegetables get a bath in a tub of water with a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar in it. Then I lay them on the towel to dry while I start chopping.
Chop all the potatoes into about one-inch cubes. Halve the Brussels sprouts. Chop the bell peppers and onions to about one-inch pieces. Slice the celery into half-inch slices and mince the garlic.
Heat a large skillet to medium. A cast-iron skillet works very well for this meal. Once the pan is hot, add two tablespoons of cooking oil. I like using olive oil (not extra virgin) for this dish. Add both types of potatoes, onions, Brussels sprouts with the cut side down, celery, and bell peppers. Cover the pan and cook for about three minutes. Flip all of the veggies and cover the pan again. Continue cooking for three minutes, or until the sweet potatoes begin to brown slightly. Stir again and add the garlic and mushrooms.
Keep cooking the vegetables and flipping them periodically until all the potatoes are tender. Once the vegetables have reached your desired consistency, add salt and pepper to taste. If things start to stick during cooking, or it seems like some of the vegetables are browning too quickly, add about a tablespoon of water to the pan and cook it uncovered for a while. If the potatoes seem to be taking too long to become tender, add the water and cover the pan to steam them.
Upgraded Vegetable Pasta. Spaghetti with red sauce from a jar is fine in a pinch. But it does get a little boring. I like to make this pasta dish with fresh basil, tomatoes, and other healthy vegetables when I want to dress up some pasta and add a big punch of flavor to a weeknight meal.
- Upgraded Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 pound organic pasta – regular or gluten-free
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 organic tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- ¼ thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup pitted, halved kalamata olives
- ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the water is boiling and your pasta is cooking, wash and dry all of the produce. Chop the tomatoes and basil leaves. Slice the red onions and halve the kalamata olives.
When the pasta is done cooking, pour off the water. Do not drain it in a colander or rinse the pasta. Rather, Use the pan lid to cover it as you pour off the water. The small amount of remaining liquid is helpful for flavor and texture.
Pour the olive oil and all other ingredients onto the noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then toss to combine.
We hope that you give one of these healthy vegan meals a try the next time you are looking for a new way to treat your family at lunch or dinner. We’re confident that these delicious plant-based meals will keep you full and satisfied.
Tired of dealing with uncomfortable digestive issues? Try our 14-Day Quick Start program below:
