Favorite Recipes: Savory
My kids and I don’t eat meat, so the recipes that follow are veggie recipes. We do eat salmon occasionally, so there is one salmon recipe. We don’t eat a ton of dairy, so you’ll see a lot of recipes that don’t use dairy either. If you are on the lookout for new, usually easy, recipes, I think it’s worth looking even if you do eat meat. You could add meat into a lot of these recipes, have it on the side, or have a Meatless Monday meal.
I mostly pull recipes from food blogs, because it’s so easy to look in my fridge/pantry to see what I have, then search, “sweet potatoes + black beans vegetarian recipe” and find multiple ideas to try. I’m hoping this list is helpful in finding quick, easy, tested recipes to add to your repertoire. Yes, you can search Google recipes like I do, but I thought it would be helpful to have links that may expose you to new food blogs. In addition, I am a very improvisational cook, and I think it’s helpful to see others’ notes on how they changed a recipe, usually to make it easier. Lastly, I’ve had enough food blog recipes go wrong that I like it know it’s been tested, and in this case, it’s been tested by me 😊.
*I provide links to the recipes most of the time. Occasionally, I modify recipes so much that I end up only writing down my version because it’s so different from the original.
Also, check out my Baked Good recipes and Holiday Recipes!
Red Lentil Curry from Rainbow Plant Life: I used 1 jalapeño, added some cinnamon to the spice mix, used a heaping ½ tsp salt (not full tsp) and did not use chili powder or Garam masala. I used diced tomatoes and added sweet potatoes at the same time as lentils, and a bag of spinach later in the cooking. I’ve used low fat coconut milk, as well as cashew cream and oat milk. I serve this with rice and/or naan. Trader Joe’s and Aldi both have tasty garlic naan my family love.
Chickpea Curry from Rainbow Plant Life: Another good curry recipe. I use the dry spices (curry, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, tumeric, 1 tsp salt) rather than the whole seeds. Didn’t have curry leaves. I used 1 jalapeño and it was not spicy at all. Again, can use low fat coconut milk, cashew cream, or oat milk. Instead of greens, I used broccoli, sweet potato and carrots, and added after the diced tomatoes, with the chickpeas, coconut milk, water and tahini. Served with rice and naan.
Jane’s lazy curry: If I don’t have time to open the recipe and get the measurements, I sometimes make an improv curry by using roughly 1 tsp of cumin, coriander, less (1/4 tsp or so) turmeric and cinnamon, 1 tsp or more curry powder, salt to taste (start with ½ tsp) and either fresh or powdered garlic and ginger (if using powdered, 1 tsp of each). The amount of spices obviously depends how much food I’m making, and honestly you have to play around with it to see what suits your taste. I’d throw the spices in an oiled pan with an onion and fresh garlic/ginger if using. After a couple minutes, add some water before everything sticks to the bottom. Then I’d add whatever veggies and proteins I’m using, based on how long they need to be cooked. Also would add can of tomatoes or dice fresh tomatoes, and then something creamy like coconut milk/cashew cream/oat milk.
Tip for the non-curry loving kid: One of my kids LOVES curry, the other, not so much. For them, I have a separate little pan going where I throw the exact same things in but change up the spices (I’ll use onion salt, or Italian seasonings instead, for instance). That way, they still get the veggies and protein and it’s not extra work for me other than keeping an eye on a second pot.
Beet Poke by Feasting at Home: I liked this a lot. When my kids were little, I used to make roasted sweet potatoes and beets every week. It was a staple. So for this recipe, I also added sweet potatoes. I roasted the sweet potatoes and beets because it brings out the sweetness and is tastier than boiling. Because of all those veggies, I doubled the marinade/sauce (see note below). I made soba noodles and threw it all together. You can also add edamame to the soba noodles to cook together, and then you have protein too.
Jane’s potentially unpopular opinion re: marinades/sauces: Sometimes I don’t have all the ingredients for a marinade/sauce. Most of the time, I either substitute something else, or make it without the missing ingredient. I’m sure it doesn’t taste as good as the original recipe. But most of the time, it tastes pretty good, and it works! So like for the sauce in the recipe above, it calls for sesame oil and lime juice. Those are two items I may not have lying around…actually, I think I stopped buying sesame oil cause one of my kids didn’t like the flavor. Anyway, you can try a small portion with a different oil, and lemon juice, or just a little more vinegar instead of lime juice. Will fresh grated ginger taste better than powdered? Absolutely. But it’s pretty good with powdered too, and definitely better than throwing your hands in the air and saying, “I don’t have the right ingredients or the time to make it exactly right, I’ll just make mac and cheese again!”
Lentil Meatballs from Minimalist Baker: I used a mix of ground flax and nutritional yeast instead of the vegan parm, ketchup for the tomato paste (every time I buy tomato paste, it goes bad before I use it all), garlic and onion powder, and extra flax plus some oats to get it to the right consistency. I’ve also tried using walnuts for some of the dried ingredients and that was tasty. I baked them rather than pan fry, at 350. I checked them at about 25 minutes- bake time depends on how small you make them. And yup, you have to make lentils ahead of time. Well, technically you can buy precooked ones at Trader Joe’s and I’ve heard of canned ones. But once you cook lentils a couple of times, you see how simple it is. You can do it earlier in the day or make a bunch and freeze them. You can speed things up with an Instant Pot, but green lentils take only 20-25 minutes so it’s not too bad.
Chickpea Pot Pie by Nora Cooks: This was surprisingly easy. I made oil free biscuits from another one of her recipes. I like putting less biscuit on top (like 10 out of the 18 it made) and make more plain biscuits, because it felt like there wasn’t enough filling per biscuit.
Shepherd’s Pie from Minimalist Baker: I used broccoli, celery, carrots, and garlic for the veggies in the filling. I’ve also made it with diced potatoes in the filling along with the other veggies, and biscuits on top, like a pot pie. This blog has a good biscuit recipe I used. I pulled pieces off the dough and flattened it a bit on top of the filling.
Spanish rice and beans by Vegan Huggs: This is one of my standby recipes. One pot, very healthy, and whole family likes it. Very customizable and forgiving. Really this recipe is just a jumping off point- I never even look at it anymore. You can use a can of diced tomatoes or 2-3 fresh tomatoes. You can use mild or spicier salsa (I used only 1/2 cup salsa, it was flavorful enough). You can throw in frozen corn. I often throw in fresh chopped or frozen kale. I like to add sweet potatoes too to boost the veggie content. I improvise a lot, but have in my notes that I used probably an extra 1/2-1 cup water than the recipe calls for. I like serving with avocado, shredded cheese, extra salsa, etc. Sometimes we wrap it in corn tortillas, or serve with corn chips.
Kung Pao Tofu by Nora Cooks: This is delicious. I’ve used tofu and seitan, you could use any protein. I used water for the wine and 2 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp sugar, omitted peppercorns and chiles (one of my kids doesn’t like heat). I also used broccoli and peppers.
Stuffed Peppers by Well Plated: This is a good starting off point for stuffed peppers. These use Italian spices, but you can play around with different flavors. Nowadays, I just wing the filling depending on what I have. I would probably toss some veggies into the filling; in this recipe, I’d add frozen or fresh kale, sweet potatoes, corn, or broccoli (chopped small) into the quinoa/lentil mixture as it cooks.
Avocado Pasta by The Kitchn: This is really easy and tasty but doesn’t work well as leftovers because the avocado will brown. I used a little less than ¼ cup oil and more than ½ cup basil.
Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad by Minimalist Baker: I put the artichoke hearts (which are optional IMO) and olives on the side cause my kids weren’t fans. Used maybe 1/2 cup parsley and no basil. Also added 2 small cucumbers. Would be good to add beans too, but maybe add more dressing if you do that.
Orzo Salad by The Kitchn: This recipe is similar to the one above. It’s versatile and easy to sub what you have. I used walnuts and pecans cause pine nuts are $$, didn’t have parsley (but it would have been good), and used raisins and dried apricots. I also added butternut squash; you could easily add more veggies or beans.
Cornbread by Nora Cooks: I adore cornbread. This recipe is incredibly easy. You can use applesauce instead of oil. It calls for a lot of sugar which I don’t like, so I cut sugar to 1/4 cup.
Vegan Okonomiyaki by Vegan Richa: I’m sure this recipe is nowhere near authentic, but it’s tasty and a great way to get lots of veggies in. I used 3/4 of a cabbage (about 4 cups) and about 2 cups worth of potatoes (maybe 3 potatoes?) and about 6 gloves of garlic- all in food processor. Had to double the rest of the recipe because I used so many veggies. I didn’t have any of the optional ingredients. Used onion powder and ginger powder to save time. Added 2 flax eggs and didn’t need any additional water, but did use a little extra flour. I baked them at 375 for 15-20 min each side.
Macaroni and Cheese by The Busy Baker: If you cook it too long, it might get stringy at the end. I shredded my own cheese, and got a little lazy at the end, so I had some bigger chunks that took longer to cook. I’d use shredded cheese next time.
Vegan Chicken by Nora Cooks: Ok, so probably only my fellow vegetarians know what seitan is (I still don’t know how to pronounce it properly; luckily I’m typing it). Turns out it’s fairly easy to make once you do it once or twice (like most recipes). It’s very high in protein. This is my favorite seitan recipe I’ve used cause it’s easy, softer than some ways of making it, and you can adjust the size of the pieces easily. Everyone in my family eats it. I usually end up making this recipe into 7 pieces cause I like them a little smaller. I flip them once during the 30 minute steam time, and spray oil between layers of seitan pieces when I’m first laying them in the steamer.
I’ve also made smaller pieces like wings, and then made some yummy sauces to go with them (see this recipe for the delicious sauces I made). I feel like every single vegetarian food blogger says this in at least one of their recipes, so here you go: Even my meat-eating husband loved these wings.
Walnut Parsley Linguine by The Curious Chickpea: I used only 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. If you wanted to make this a one pot meal rather than adding veggies/protein separately on the side, you could toss some broccoli in the pasta to cook at the same time, then add some beans or whatever protein you had on hand. But you’d probably want to increase the flavor components of the recipe then to compensate for the extra food- more olive oil, garlic, parsley, nutritional yeast or parmesan.
Crispy Breaded Cauliflower Wings by Minimalist Baker: I used the breading on tofu in addition to cauliflower, and then when I ran out left the rest of tofu and cauliflower plain.
Salmon Curry by Detoxinista: I used kale and collards instead of spinach, and added carrots. I used low fat coconut milk and none of the water the recipe calls for. I did roast the fish separately so kids could eat it plain in case they didn’t like it with the curry (I’ve made that mistake too many times).
Sweet Potato Tater Tots by Minimalist Baker: Also know as sweet potater tots. A tray of these gets demolished in 5 minutes around here. The recipe makes a lot of coating so I may try to make 3 sweet potatoes next time.
Broccoli Cheese Soup by Nora Cooks: My kids eat a great variety of different types of foods, but they are weird about soup. They love Trader Joe’s (low sodium) tomato soup, and that’s about it. I still make soups for them to try, and they are getting better at eating more of it, so I’m not giving up. You can easily add cheese here, I don’t even use the vegan cheese because I don’t like it. If you add enough cheese, you could probably omit the cashews.
White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup by Half Baked Harvest: This was an easy and tasty one. I wouldn’t toast the orzo again because it stuck to the bottom. I made 1.5 times the recipe for guests, and it worked fine. I cut back a lot on the butter- just used 2 tbsp, and no olive oil. I used a bunch of Swiss Chard, could easily have done two. I used storebought pesto (Trader Joe’s vegan pesto is great!) but could use homemade.
Egg Muffins by The Recipe Critic: I didn’t use her additions, just her amount of eggs and liquid. I use whatever veggies I have (similar to the quiche), cheese and garlic. Also I use milk or broth instead of half and half.
Crustless Quiche: I don’t know where I got this recipe originally, but probably from my mom. Heaping bowl (1.5-2 cups) of cooked veggies (usually broccoli potatoes garlic and greens), 1/4 cup milk or vegetable broth, ¼-1/2 cup cheese, 8 eggs, salt. Cook at 375 in a round dish (like a pie pan) for about 40 min.
Sloppy Joes by Nora Cooks: I never liked these as a kid, but my husband has a soft spot for them. This is a very easy recipe and you can use various types of protein- TVP, beefless crumbles from TJ or another store, Beyond Meat, lentils, or even ground turkey or beef. I only used 1 tbsp each of mustard and maple syrup, and I added cumin and paprika.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken: This is an easy meal if you roast a butternut squash ahead of time. I do this often in the fall, just pop a squash it in the oven whole or cut in half and bake until soft. I usually cut the squash in half, deseed, place flesh side down and pierce the skin a couple times. You can then use it in soups or sauces like this one. In this recipe, she cubes and boils the squash but I’m lazy and it’s much faster to roast. I would then cube up the extra (the recipe only calls for half) and throw it in with the pasta. I usually make other veggies to go in too; the easiest option is to boil some broccoli or similar veggie with the pasta. You could probably omit the white miso if you don’t have it, and up the salt slightly. I use more nutritional yeast, like ¼ cup.
Tofu tip: My favorite way to make tofu is to roast it. I use extra firm tofu for best texture. I toss it in paprika, cumin, tiny bit of tumeric, basil, salt and chopped garlic or garlic powder. Add to oiled pans (I use Pyrex type glass baking dishes). We like that spice combo but you can try anything. Cook at 375 for 20 min, toss, cook another 10-20 min depending how browned you like it. I’ve noticed the timing also depends on brand of tofu, so play around with it.
Bean tip: I also prefer cooking beans from dried though it does require extra steps. The taste and texture is SO much better though. You know how I said you can modify sauces (or really whole recipes) if you’re missing something and it may taste not quite as good but still pretty darn tasty. In my opinion, dried beans vs. canned beans is a situation that does make a huge difference. If I gave my kids plain canned beans they would not eat them, but they will eat whole bowls of plain cooked beans from dried. One of my kids says its one of their favorite foods- plain black beans. If you think you or your kid doesn’t like beans, try them cooked from dried!
Also, this is where I highly recommend an Instant Pot. I made beans from dried for years before an Instant Pot: rinse, soak overnight, rinse, bring to boil, lower to simmer, keep an eye on them for an hour and a half. Can’t tell you how many times the beans boiled over cause I was occupied with the kids. Or I forgot to soak them the night before and then my dinner plan was ruined. An instant pot is amazing for dried beans, it’s really the whole reason I bought one. And I even have limited kitchen storage space! You don’t have to soak the beans- just rinse, dump them in, add water, and walk away. No watching for them to boil. I hate the phrase “game changer” but in this case, it is.
The Non Recipe Recipes
This probably seems overly simplistic, but for an easy meal I don’t have to think about, I shoot for making a protein, grain, and vegetables. Then, either add toppings or a sauce for flavor and variety.
Lots of times I make one pot meals by throwing quinoa or rice with veggies and a protein (tofu, brown or red lentils, beans, frozen edamame) all in a giant pan to cook together. Just make sure you put longer cooking things in first and give them a little extra time- like potatoes/sweet potatoes and brown lentils- or chop longer cooking veggies like carrots smaller. I think there’s lots of room for flexibility though- sure, your broccoli may be a bit softer than you’d like, but sometimes it’s worth only using one pan. Then top with a sauce (see below for some ideas) or go super easy by adding flavor with toppings like hummos, guacamole or plain mashed/diced avocado, salsa, etc.
Another non recipe recipe I often use is what’s often called something like “the sheet pan dinner.” (I don’t use sheet pans though, I have three pyrex baking dishes I use for everything). I chop a bunch of veggies, add flavorings (usually lots of chopped garlic, sometimes onion, whatever spices I feel like) and roast. I usually put a bit of water in the pan too, to help the veggies steam a little rather than just roast. My kids don’t like “fancy” browned veggies, they prefer a bit more softness and less browning. In another pan, I might bake tofu, or cook beans and/or a grain on the side. But roasted veggies are so easy and tasty and make great leftovers.
Soups are forgiving and easy to create on your own too. In the fall, one easy way to make soup is to roast squash (butternut, acorn, delicata, whatever) and/or sweet potatoes in the oven until they are soft. When they are done, saute some onion, garlic, and whatever flavorings you want (I like cumin, coriander, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon and salt for a curry flavor) while you get the squash/potatoes out of their skins. Then add water or broth, and go at it with an immersion blender. I usually add cashews and let them simmer with the onion/garlic/spices and a bit of water to soften them. They’ll blend in when you use the immersion blender, and give the soup a nice creaminess. You can also add beans for protein, or more veggies like greens. I like to top them with “tofu croutons”- basically, baked tofu bites.
Veggie burgers are pretty easy to make yourself, although there are a ton of great recipes out there too. I’ve made them by throwing the following into the food processor: 2 cups beans, 4 leaves of kale, torn into pieces, spices (onion and garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt, basil), ½ cup any flour, a bit of veggie broth to get the right consistency. Then I cook at 370 for 20 minutes or so on each side.
Sauces
I love making a cashew based sauce- it’s rich, and often used as a sort of vegan Alfredo. This kitchn article breaks down how to make it. I don’t often have a lemon, so I use rice wine vinegar for the little bit of tang. I use more than 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast, but good to taste it first if you haven’t tried it before. And we have a Vitamix, so you don’t even need to soak the cashews because it’s so powerful.
I also love a good tahini sauce. Here’s a good one from Minimalist Baker. I often don’t have a lemon, so use bottled lemon juice (gasp!) or rice wine vinegar. I usually make that on the side cause my kids and Justin say they don’t like tahini much. Although sometimes I mix it right in and they don’t notice and eat it without complaint…
This almond butter dressing by Plant Based Jess is quick and tasty. I use ¼-1/3 cup almond butter, 1 tbsp olive oil and only 4tsbp water. It makes a lot!
I also love this vegan queso from Plant Based Jess. It takes a bit longer because you need to boil or bake a potato, but if you can factor it is, it’s worth it and makes a TON. I add garlic and cashews to the potato while it’s boiling to make for easy blending. You can do with or without cilantro. =
Peanut sauces are great too. I use this recipe so much that I don’t even remember what it’s from. 1/3 cup peanut butter, 2/3 cup water, chopped garlic or garlic powder in a pinch, ginger (fresh or powder), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar. Cook in small pan over low/med heat until creamy and pourable. Add more water if necessary. Laziest version: you can whisk ingredients together and skip the cooking part! I do think heating it makes a nice consistency, but in a pinch I don’t heat it and just pour it over the veggies and tofu/edamame (usually what I pair with it) and it’s good.
Dressings aren’t just for salads! Sometimes I use dressings to punch up the flavor in a one-pot meal or over roasted veggies and grains. The most simple dressing I use is ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red or wine vinegar, salt and any seasonings I may want. I’ll sometimes add a bit of Dijon mustard, or honey, or lemon juice instead of vinegar.
Pesto is one of my favorite sauces to make when basil is in season. Again, from years of experimenting, I don’t use a recipe. Just a package or bunch of basil, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup water (you could do a whole ½ cup oil and no water), ½ cup or so roasted walnuts (you could do raw, I just like the flavor better when I roast them a bit), salt, and ¼ nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese. I’ve also made pesto with cashews if that’s what I have. I’ve tried it with parsley too, though the rest of the family wasn’t a fan. It’s very forgiving, and you’ll find a million pesto recipes online with different combinations of nuts/herbs.
Here is a delicious recipe for tzatziki sauce by Live Eat Learn. I use the food processor to shred the cucumber. We used this sauce for a fun dinner inspired by a Highlights magazine recipe. We made a layer dip with tzatziki and hummus, then cut up cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and carrots to put on top. Then we used pita chips to scoop it all up. I also added roasted chickpeas in there for extra protein and flavor. It was really good and a great meal for a hot day.