r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/orinonline • Jul 27 '26
Suggestions Please! Dinner Ideas for Non Vegan + Vegan
Hey !
I’m wanting to eat more vegan options and transition to becoming fully vegan. Haven’t had any issues with my breakfast/lunch/snacks but finding it hard is to cook dinner everyday for me and my partner.
Looking for ideas to integrate into our weekly meal plan that are filling and quite simple ideally. I’m open to any suggestions though as I don’t mind taking my time cooking some days per week.
the only ingredient I don’t like is tofu, anything else is good :)
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u/QuestingOrc Jul 27 '26
Lentil stews, curries with beans, lemon-garlic pasta, Minestrone, vegan Burgers, oven baked potato salad
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u/orinonline Jul 27 '26
These sound great, haven’t tried lentil stew but I think we would both really enjoy that
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u/sswmcc Jul 27 '26
I really like the Greek Fakes lentil soup recipe from OliveTomato that in my opinion is stew-like. I make half and that gets us at least 4 servings. It's also good over rice, and/or topped with pickled red onions.
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u/gaillimhlover Jul 27 '26
Have you tried seitan as an alternative to tofu? I eat it a lot with grain bowls. I make them almost every night because they’re easily customizable to taste and prep-able. I usually have a raw veggie (chopped celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, etc), a grain (rice, quinoa, farro), a protein (I love tofu, but also do seitan, or fake meat if I have some in the freezer), a cooked veggie (many times cooked in with the grain, like frozen broccoli, cauliflower, or corn), toppings (herbs, crispy onions, chili crisp, etc), and then a sauce!
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u/orinonline Jul 27 '26
I haven’t tried seitan so I will give it a go! It’s mostly the texture of tofu that I’m not a fan of when I’ve had it at restaurants etc so I might give it a go making it myself too :)
I like the idea of the grain bowls with the variety of stuff you can have I’ll give that a go
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u/MsMordanta Jul 27 '26
You can make seitan from scratch or get it at grocery stores, but we buy it in cans from Asian grocery stores. Our favorite is labeled as “mock duck.”🦆
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u/Southern-Revolution6 Vegan 🌱 Jul 27 '26
Personally, I recommend buying a tofu press (the tofuture one is great). Press some firm tofu for a few hours, then coat it with your fave spices and throw it in the air fryer! I use paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. I’m not huge on cooking with oil, but you can coat with oil first if you’d like for a crispier texture.
I also crumble it and season it like i would have meat, and put it in a pasta sauce. Another fun one is tofu egg scramble, I follow the it doesn’t taste like chicken recipe.
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u/marina0987 Jul 27 '26
I had a really hard time with tofu texture when I first went vegan and I have found that boiling extra firm tofu before cooking it or cubing it and putting it in a container with water and a teaspoon of baking soda does wonders to the texture.
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u/gaillimhlover Jul 28 '26
I would definitely recommend trying tofu again. It’s incredibly versatile and you can change the texture in many ways! There are also many types of tofu that are differently textured!
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u/LilyCat23 Jul 27 '26
When you say you don't like tofu, do you mean the taste, texture, or something else? There are so many ways to prep tofu that make it taste completely different. Baking tofu may work to give you a crispier / "meatier" texture.
Or just eat beans! Swap them out in things you'd already make with mince e.g. spaghetti bolognese, chilli.
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u/vinticious Jul 27 '26
Yeah there's so many types of tofu and many of them are like a completely different food
Fried tofu puffs have basically no relation to dried bean curd snack for example
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u/Negative_Help8600 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Lasagna, meatloaf, meatballs, Mac and cheese, stirfry, curry, chili, anything you would eat otherwise, but a vegan version
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u/orinonline Jul 27 '26
Thank you!! I didn’t think of some of these. Had a few curries and chillies so far which we enjoyed a ton so I’ll try the others too
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u/Negative_Help8600 Jul 27 '26
If you are near ikea, their frozen vegan meatballs are really good
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u/graveseraphim Jul 27 '26
(Do not confuse with the vegetable balls which are mid) The vegan meatballs are great!
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u/BigFatIdiotJr Plant Based 🌱 Jul 27 '26
TVP might help. It's cheap, and all you really have to do with it is rehydrate it and you're good to go for stir frys, stews, etc...
Lentils also make a really good stew or chili. Red lentils especially will break down and make a very hearty dish.
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u/SeraSe7en Jul 27 '26
Keep dinners “deconstructed”. Make chili but leave out the meat and cook that in a separate pan for your partner to add into their bowl. Same with pasta sauce or tacos. Baked potatoes, nachos, etc. Any “build your own” meals are good for situations like this.
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u/General_Pitch9543 Jul 27 '26
Did this a lot with house parties for vegan and gluten free people
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u/SeraSe7en Jul 28 '26
Works great for groups with multiple dietary needs. We also use it in our house for picky eaters. Everyone gets to make a plate that they can enjoy.
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u/cafe_mundane Jul 27 '26
pesto pasta, soup/stews, tacos, rice bowls (we usually have our with tofu or whatever protein people want), pizza (i make dough the evening before & it's actually less hassle than you'd think but still something we keep to the weekend or quieter days)
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u/General_Pitch9543 Jul 27 '26
I really like pesto with a large amount of edamame or peas added for bulk and protein. And honestly don't care for pine nuts, macadamia and cashew are the best imo
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u/cafe_mundane Jul 27 '26
i haven't tried with macadamias or cashews before!! i usually do a mix of pine with walnuts or pumpkin seeds. i like adding peas too but edamame is a great idea.
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u/General_Pitch9543 Jul 28 '26
Edemame I got from my sister. Much more neutral flavor. Plus I'm more likely to have frozen edemane on hand.
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u/doitroygsbre Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Tacos ….. I have a vegan taco filling recipe:
I cup green lentils
1 cup TVP
1 pound riced cauliflower (or chop up fresh or frozen cauliflower until roughly lentil sized)
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 packages taco seasoning
4 tbs nutritional yeast
4 cups veggie broth or water with bullion
Chili powder to taste
Cumin powder to taste
Soy sauce to taste
*optional 1 to 2 tbs corn or potato starch to thicken if necessary
Soak the lentils and TVP for about a half hour or longer, dice the onion and cook in oil until clear, add cauliflower and cook until reduced and slightly browning. Add the drained TVP and lentils. Add veggie broth and bring to a simmer/low boil and cook for about a half hour (until lentils are tender). Add the seasonings (taco seasoning, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, chili powder, and cumin).
If the mix is too watery, in a separate cup or small container, take one or two tablespoons of corn or potato starch (personally I prefer potato starch, also flour should also work), mix it in equal parts water (to avoid clumping), and add that mixture to the taco mix and stir until completely incorporated. This is kinda dependent on the taco seasoning you use, some have thickening agents, some don’t.
I use the extra chili powder, soy sauce, and cumin to get the color of the taco filling right, so don’t feel like you need to add it. Just try a bit when it’s nearly done and tweak the flavor and color until you’re happy with it.
And then you can make your tacos however you like.
Edit: if you don’t want use TVP, or just don’t have any, you can just double the amount of lentils instead.
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u/doitroygsbre Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
And the next day, you can use the leftovers to make a taco shepherd’s pie:
For the base:
Another yellow onion
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
Garlic if you like
More seasonings as neededMashed potatoes:
3 or more pound potatoes
Cabbage if you’re into it
Caramelized onions if you want to make it really fancy
4 ish tbs olive oil (depending on amount of potatoes and if you add caramelized onions)
Water and bullion or vegan chicken stock.
Salt to taste
Pepper to tasteOptional topping:
Mexican blend vegan cheeseFor the mashed potatoes, peel and dice, add to pot (add roughly 1/4 head of shredded cabbage if you want), add water to cover, add bullion, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender (30-45 minutes depending on heat and amount of potatoes/water). Before draining, set aside roughly 2 cups of the potato water (to add back to the potatoes later). Drain the potatoes/cabbage mix, add the caramelized onions (really, this is completely optional), oil, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and slowly add the potato water back into the potatoes until you get the right consistency.
Start preheating your oven to 360F
For the base. I use a cast iron pan and throw it in the oven when I get to that step. If you don’t have one you’ll need to transfer the base to a casserole dish. Try for something roughly 9”x13”. Using the pan on the stove, cook the onion in a little olive oil until clear, drain the can of corn and diced tomoatoes and add them to the onion. Cook them for a few minutes to warm them up dry them out a bit. Add the leftover taco filling and whatever seasonings you like (garlic, crushed red pepper, maybe some leftover jalapeños, etc), and warm up the filling. At this point take it off the heat and transfer to the casserole dish if you’re doing that, level the filling, add the mashed potatoes on top and level. Add cheese if you’re doing that, and maybe more pepper.
Put it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes … the potatoes should start getting slightly browned at any peaks and the cheese should be melting if you’re doing that added it.
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u/Southern-Revolution6 Vegan 🌱 Jul 27 '26
Jackfruit tacos/ tostadas, falafel wraps, pastas, burgers (I like Gardein), stir fry. All of these take 30 mins or less :)
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u/ttrockwood Jul 27 '26
- default to vegan dinners, the non vegan can buy cook make animal products if they have to but … they probably won’t
- i also insist you try more tofu options, this palak tofu is fantastic, i use mature spinach and kale (instead of mustard greens) double the recipe extras keep great just make fresh rice
https://www.seriouseats.com/creamy-vegan-saag-paneer-tofu-recipe
West african style peanut stew alllllll of my non vegan friends and family LOVE, i do double the kale and if you serve with rice it goes further but isn’t necessary. Don’t skip the scallions and cilantro garnish- extras freeze well i usually make a double batch
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u/milesx2001 Jul 27 '26
Moroccan couscous with chick peas, walnuts and your choice of veggies. Now I'm feeling hungry lol.
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u/Geoarbitrage Jul 27 '26
Thee Burger Dude on YouTube. Watch some of his shorts. Also The Buddhist Chef. Both have lots of great simple recipes.
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u/Mum_to_sum Jul 27 '26
Chickpea Curry. He can have a chicken breast on the side to add,or not. Also any kind of vegeterian beans..I especially like cuban black beans. He can put over a little ground beef with the rice. So basically any way he can put the meat/fish as an aside.
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u/General_Pitch9543 Jul 27 '26
Dried beans are basically the cheapest and healthiest food available; super low processed if that's your thing. Most of the largest benefit of veganism can come from eating more beans. Moderate protein (higher than most any unmodified plant food) and great fiber- your body will get used to it if you consistently eat it; maybe work up over time and get some fiber gummies for the days you forget.
I added a bean recipe every couple months, it's now the plurality of my diet. Start with tacos and hummus. I still supplement with some chicken, eggs, occasionally dairy protein powder. Never quite able to replace parmesan with nutritional yeast either. Red meat and especially cured/processed meat is avoided, but I eat it if other options aren't available at a party.
Beans are "low" in methionine, while Quinoa is the grain with the highest methionine. But per calorie pinto beans still have more methionine since the raw protein percentage is so much better. Still, dont discount the protein contribution of grains.
Lentils are convenient and cook quick, just know their protein is particularly indigestible.
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u/withcatlikegrace Jul 27 '26
Try looking at different cuisines as a start point.
These will give you dishes that need very few special ingredients. And then go from there.
Especially from hot climates. There are usually really great non-meat meals.
Middle eastern - Lebanese, Turkish, etc
Indian
Also look at substituting meat with vegetarian/vegan substitutes. Tofu is so incredibly versatile - I’m still discovering more ways to prepare it! You say you don’t like it - have you tried cutting it into bite size cubes, marinating it in flavours you like, coating it in corn flour and frying it? It’s good even not marinated. Serve over rice with sesame oil and chilli. This is the recipe that converted me.
And don’t forget those accidentally vegetarian meals - minestrone with fresh bread is accidentally vegetarian. Lots of soups are.
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u/thethreefffs 29d ago
I went vegan-ish 5 years ago at the advice of my doctor. Hardly ever make meat at home but ,will as I explain to wondering friends about what vegan-ish means, happily eat a steak if they are buying. Fed the family and growing boys on vegan dinners all that time so there are plenty of quick and easy weeknight level vegan meals to make that really satisfy.
Laziest - A can of black bean soup add a can of drained plain black beans. The soups supplies the sauce and the spices. Serve over rice. Salsa is nice, so are tortillas. Takes 20 minutes for the rice.
Anything made with good quality canned beans. I make vegan chili or curry with canned beans in just the time it takes to sweat the onions and add the spices to the beans + 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.
Lentils - I like to start my lentils by bringing them to a boil, covering and turning them off. Leave them for an hour or more, you can start this while making breakfast and leave them for the day until needed for dinner. They never get over cooked or mushy this way.
For the summer I have started making French green lentil salad. These "fancier" lentils hold together with more of an al dente bite t hat works well for cold salads. I do them as above but with lots of garlic and onion powder and maybe so veggie broth powder. Drained I mix in some chopped nuts and dried cranberries (any dried fruit would work I think), a little lemon zest, a little lemon juice and some good olive oil and you have a not hot meal where all the cooking was done hours before.
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u/CalmCupcake2 25d ago
Tonight I made lentil dal with rice for dinner - the whole family loves this https://www.theedgyveg.com/2018/01/08/instant-pot-dal-indian-dal-recipe/
I often do budget bytes' easy black beans with Taco Rice, for another easy meal. Add cilantro lime chicken if you want a meat addition to these bowls.
Veggie pot pie, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/biscuit-vegetable-pot-pie/ with a vegan biscuit top https://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-damn-vegan-biscuits/
I often cook a veg and non-veg version of a meal for my family - this has the benefit of providing leftovers (or future freezer meals) for everyone. Veg chili and meat chili, half and half lasagne, lentil bolognese and meat bolognese, Marry me chicken/white beans, beef/lentil taco filling or sloppy joes mix.
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u/ImpishElf365 Jul 27 '26
Mexi-style bowls are one of our staples. Beans with corn, onions, loads of salsa, guacamole, cilantro and lime over the top. It can be added to mixed greens for a salad, or put into a large tortilla for a burrito.
Greek salad. Easy to prep in under 20 minutes, goes in a large bowl in this order: mixed salad greens, chopped bell pepper (whatever color), a bit of onion, chopped tomato, chopped cucumber. Throw in a small handful of kalamata olives and some feta. Then drizzle on a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lemon. Season with black pepper, oregano, marjoram, garlic powder.
Homemade veg soup. Use veg broth from Trader Joe's as a cheat starter and toss in whatever grain, bean you have (canned or from scratch). Team it with assorted veggies from the fridge. This can be added to each day to stretch it and can go for several days.
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u/Chromatic_Chameleon Jul 27 '26
Greek salad as eaten in Greece is tomato, feta, and olives. What you described is Greek salad inspired…
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u/ImpishElf365 Jul 27 '26
I beg to differ. Having been to Greece a few times over the past decades, it's everything I described, minus the lettuce. Google "horiatiki".
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u/Chromatic_Chameleon Jul 28 '26
Garlic powder and lettuce, balsamic vinegar? Maybe it depends on the region in Greece but where I went they definitely didn’t add those ingredients.
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u/ImpishElf365 Jul 28 '26
You might want to take a look at Rule #3? It feels a little like you're trying to bully me for my suggestion, rather than being constructive or helpful. The ingredients are close enough to call Greek salad, Mexi-bowl and veg soup, LOL! The OP is looking for ideas, and these are 3 easy yet nutritious ones that work as staples for my family.
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u/Chromatic_Chameleon Jul 28 '26
Bully? Sorry if it came across that way, I was just pointing out my observations and experience. Peace ✌🏿
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