8 Easy Vegetarian Meals That Will Make Your Meat-Loving Friends Jealous

Tired of the pitying looks you get from your friends when you eat salad at a barbecue? We’ve got you covered. These easy vegetarian meals are so mouth-wateringly good, even the most hard-core carnivore will be dying for a taste!

1. Mama Ford’s Tortellini Soup

Cooking for a family that includes one person with gluten intolerance, another with a nut allergy, another with lactose intolerance, and a vegetarian (me) is hard. But this easy vegetarian recipe is one dish we can all agree is amazing! 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cans vegetable broth
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 package frozen spinach
• 3 tbsp. spaghetti sauce
• 1 or 2 carrots sliced
• 1/2 package frozen peas
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 package of cheese tortellini

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. In a big pot, sauté garlic in butter until soft, but not brown.
2. Add in everything, except the tortellini. Bring to a boil, then let simmer.
3. Cook cheese tortellini in a separate pot. Drain and add to soup just before serving. Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan as you serve.

Alternate option: Vegans, substitute vegan butter for butter and gnocchi for tortellini, and you are good to go!

2. Bisquick Zucchini Casserole

This easy vegetarian meal is de-lish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! You can also slice it into small triangles for a fun appetizer. It’s light, fluffy, and packed with fiber and other nutrients. Better yet, it’s delicious and mainstream enough that even hardened carnivores will love it─my Nana has been serving it at parties for years! Find the recipe here. 

3. Spinach Quiche Casserole

Even if you are completely opposed to spinach, this recipe is worth a try. It’s delicious, it’s cheesy, it’s simple, and it’s perfect for anyone’s taste buds. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. tiny curd cottage cheese
• 1/2 lb. grated Swiss cheese
• 1/2 lb. grated American or Colby cheese
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk (or half-and-half)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, drained well
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• Dash of salt

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Mix all ingredients and spoon into a greased and floured casserole dish (9″ x 13″ or 7″ x 11″).
2. Bake at 350°F for one hour.
3. Cool for one hour to set.

4. White Bean and Zucchini Salad

My family is super into zucchinis. One summer we grew some really massive ones in the garden, which meant finding lots of creative ways to cook all those bad boys. One favorite that’s stuck with us is Martha Stewart’s white bean salad with zucchini and parmesan. This easy vegetarian meal is a zesty alternative to a leafy salad, making it a perfect side dish or light meal. You can find the recipe here. 

5. Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

A dish marketed as a side-dish for omnivores can easily be made into the main event for vegetarians. This side-dish-turned-easy-vegetarian-meal is a picnic and potluck favorite, and it’s one your meat-eating friends will love just as much as you will! It’s a tangy and crunchy twist on the traditional coleslaw, packed with nuts and seeds that will provide vegetarians and vegans with the protein we need, but can’t usually find in side dishes alone. Find the recipe here! 

6. Mama Ford’s Sweet Chili

I honestly think all other chili dishes are ruined for me after eating my mom’s. I know, I’m spoiled. Her recipe is sweet, juicy, and a hit among vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Give it a whirl next time you need some comfort food!

Ingredients:

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• 2 cans of chili beans (select spice level based on preference)
• 1 can of kidney beans, or 1 lb. of plant-based ground meat
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, peeled and finely diced
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 4-5 carrots, pureed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Chop and puree all veggies. (Food processors make this step easy)
2. Put all ingredients in a crockpot. Cook for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.

7. Braised Chickpeas With Tomatoes, Spinach And Feta

This dish is sure to make your mouth water. Just wait. 

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 24 ounces marinara sauce
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes (1 can is 14.5 oz.), roughly crushed
• 1 can chickpeas (1 can is 15 oz.), drained
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 8 ounces feta cheese (block, cut into large pieces)

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Heat the oven to 375° F.
2. In a skillet over medium-heat, add the olive oil and garlic cloves and cook for 1-2 minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add in the red pepper flakes and spinach. Sauté until the spinach has wilted.
3. Add in the marinara, tomatoes, chickpeas, and kosher salt along with the zest and juice of the lemon. Cook for 5 minutes until the mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat and place the blocks of feta cheese into the sauce. Place skillet in your preheated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted (or transfer to a casserole dish to bake if your skillet isn’t oven-safe).
4. Serve with a nice, crusty piece of bread. This recipe can also be served over pasta.

8. Savory Sweet Potato

For all you college herbivores out there, this is an easy vegetarian meal I love to make in the dining hall on sweet potato days. If you can’t wait for the dining hall to serve sweet potatoes, though, you can always use this recipe to cook up a delicious, savory sweet potato at home, too!

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato
• Mozzarella or vegan cheese (optional)
• Black beans
• Kidney beans
• Chickpeas
• Loosely cooked corn
• Butter (optional)

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Use a fork to poke 3-5 sets of holes in the skin of your sweet potato. Try to scatter these holes all around the potato.
2. Microwave the sweet potato for 5 minutes, or until the skin puffs up. If the skin is not puffed up after 5 minutes, keep going in 30-second increments until it does. This is how you’ll know the sweet potato is cooked all the way through!
3. Slice open your sweet potato and mash it a bit with your fork. Spread butter on top and mash the potato around some more to distribute the butter evenly. If you’re vegan, lactose-intolerant, or just don’t like butter, feel free to skip the butter and just mash in salt!
4. Sprinkle black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and corn on top of the potato. Add cheese on top of that, if you so choose. Once the cheese melts into the beans and potato, dig in!

The next time you need to cook to impress your meat-eating friends, try wowing them with one of these delicious dishes!

Which of these easy vegetarian recipes are you most likely to try? Let us know in the comments below!

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