Favorite Meatless Recipes?

HeatherC

Alas...these people I live with ...
Joined
May 23, 2003
Since we are hearing about and already seeing some meat shortages, thought I would ask what are some of your favorite meatless meals and recipes?

I love roasted veggies. Any kind. I roast them and blend them with chicken or vegetable stock for soup, serve them room temperature with some olive oil over them with bread and cheese, serve them over pasta, top pizzas with them, add them to rice along with some soy sauce. My favorite combinations always include onions, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, and butternut squash.

I don’t use a recipe per say. Just chop the veggies, out on a sheet pan and season with herbs, olive oil and salt and pepper. I roast them in a 400 degree oven until they start to brown and get crispy.

What are some of your favorites?
 
stuffed portabello mushrooms. hollow them out (set the stuff you pulled out plus the chopped stems aside), put a layer of pesto in first, top with cheese (i prefer goat but anything gooey works), dribble with marinara. put into a baking dish that has some marinara (not much) and sprinkle the remaining portabello (stuff you hollowed out/stems) around the mushrooms. bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until bubbly).

we do TONS of grilled veggies in the summer. mushrooms, zucc, yellow squash, eggplant. i cut them up and then pop them into a container or ziplock with either flavored olive oil or whatever oil based salad dressing i have on hand. eggplant grills in slices, the others go on skewers. i also got one of those finger spiralizers (goes on your index finger-much easier than the machines) and make spiralized veggies that i do up aldente using oil based salad dressing in a pan on the stove top. if i have any odds and ends of other veggies (a slice of onion, a few mushrooms...) i chop them up and toss them in as well.
 
Thanks!

I saw this and my first thought was, why isn't the Fed/NG helping with the cleaning issues, they help in nursing homes so why isn't the NG helping them clean? Food supply is a big deal. I'm also wondering if the meat co's realize they are just teaching us how to live without meat, sort of shooting themselves in the foot isn't it? I hope the workers all get through this safely - I'm just not sure this is all there is to it and antics aren't playing a part.

I am going to start reducing how much meat I use at every meal and doing full meatless every other day so my family gets used to this slowly. My daughter won't care but filling up my son will require extra PB&Js during the day I think, a bowl of hard boiled eggs or maybe I'll be sure to leave a heavy soup in the fridge for him snacking as he gets used to less protein. Butt that's ok, I'll figure it out.

I'm not big on directions and straight lines so I apologize to the by-the-book sorts, I'm a wavy line creative sort.

For meatless I do a lot of lentil, barley, split pea & black bean soup.
Tarragon tuna salad, Taste of home
Going through a ton of eggs here:
Egg salad, hardboiled in salad, omelette, frittata, fried, scrambled, quiche. Depression era grandma did a lot of frying a cooked potato until browned then adding scrambled eggs, and also onion peppers with eggs in a sandwich.

Sartù di riso (Neapolitan Rice Timbale) by Frank, just no meat I guess -I did this 3-4 nights ago. Grandma also made this which is delicious, with or without tomato sauce, and she didn't use meat. The recipe calls for way more work then needs to be, I just put in a layer of ground beef with tomato sauce LOL

I put a can of tomato sauce in a pot to get it boiling - made the rice in its own pot at the same time(20 min too)
as they were cooking I browned ground beef ( totally not necessary)
*Into rice went about 1/4 cut tomato sauce, oregano, garlic and onion powder a bit of (1/2-1 cup) mozzarella and parmesan (maybe 1/8 cup)
*into meat went peas and tomato sauce, with meat I used a little can but without I'd prob do a big one- let thicken a bit so it will sit on top of the rice when it bakes. Grandma didn't use meat so I'm sure it's fine.
I got my lasagne pan out and smeared some oil in it then sprinkled some breadcrumb (Not needed but why not)
Layer of the rice mix, then the tomato mix, then the rice mix on top. Baked at 350 about 30 min.

No sauce grandma made looks like All Recipes Torte di riso, but there were no veggies, just rice goodness - never got the recipe, I'd ask and she's say to whip an egg or 2, add cheese and bake. My brother and I would fight over the extra crispy corners.

Stuffed peppers, boil rice & boil peppers cut in half and take the peppers out of the water and lay in a baking pan - if I am of the mind I'll boil the rice in the remaining pepper water for flavor
saute a bit of onion & garlic, add 3-4 cups cooked rice, 1-2 cans tomato soup (no water) 1/2-1 cup chedder or taco cheese & 2 teaspoons chili powder (I've used cumin if I don't have much chili)
Put this mix into the peppers and bake. I have also done this with laying pepper strips on top of a casserole if I didn't have a lot of peppers or just skipped the pepper and called it stuffed pepper insides LOL

Spaghetti pie with leftover pasta (I'm not picky) is like an easy baked ziti dish, leftover pasta of any kind 1/2 - 1 lb pasta- I put this in last 1/2 - 1 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, a few shakes of parmesan, some shakes of italian spice or oregano and an egg - blend it then pour on top of pasta. then put into an oiled roast pan, I'm thinking the bread crumb thing might be nice here too. A splash of tomato sauce on top looks pretty
Saute' garlic or shallots in oil and whatever veggies you have then mix in pasta, in PA I was introduced to cabbage and noodles w butter which is sooo delicious.
Creamy tomato soup from Taste of home with Cambells tomato soup and cream cheese is amazing as soup, and my kids discovered is delicious as a pasta sauce
Mac and cheese
Broth with rice
Onion Soup w garlicy bread and cheese on top instead of traditional indulgent kind
Stuffed cabbage w just rice, Tyler Florence's recipe
Fish taco, whole foods taco sauce is amazing & I use any sort of round tortilla ish thing as a taco
 
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In the event of a meat shortage I will have stuff to make the following. I am relying on being able to get fresh produce and so hopefully that doesn't change.
Lentil and brown rice tacos
Black bean and quinoa burgers
Black bean and quinoa salad
Veggie lasagna
Regular lasagna (never liked with with meat)
Broccoli alfredo
Spaghetti
Mac & cheese
Veggie pizza
Veggie quesadillas
Vegetarian chili
Soups- lentil, cream of broccoli, chicken noodle minus the chicken, minestrone, cheesy cauliflower
Pancakes for dinner although without bacon it won't be the same LOL
Eggs- as long as we can continue to get them we'll eat those a variety of ways for dinner.
 


Is a dish w/ shrimp considered meatless? Is meat any meat or for purposes of this thread is it beef/pork/chicken/venison and the like? I'm not familiar with the different terminologies and classification of meatless/vegetarian/ vegan so forgive me!
I do a sauteed shrimp in a bit of olive oil and a lot of garlic. After it's cooked thru I toss in a fair bit of fresh spinach and a bunch of cherry tomatoes I've already roasted. Give that a toss to wilt the spinach, then eat as is, or over lentil penne. Maybe some crusty french bread, too.

I love homemade tomato soup, too. And it's easy to make.
 
Sweet potato and black bean tacos
https://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-tacos/Portobello "philly cheesesteaks"
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/248986/portobello-philly-cheese-steak-sandwich/
Quiche

I make sloppy vegetables sometimes with half veggies half meat and smother on fries and top with cheese

Veggie pot pie

Veggie lasagna with or without noodles. I sub in sliced eggplant

I love grilled veggie sandwich with roasted red peppers, hummus, cheese and arugula.

Here is link to ton other ideas: https://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/best-vegetarian-recipes
 


Our faves are:
Linguine with tomatoes , basil and brie
Cheese spatzle with fried onions and tomato soup
Ratatouille (we make it like inthe movie!) (vegan)
Broccoli soup - vegan - no butter or cream
Veggie frittata
 
Thanks!

I saw this and my first thought was, why isn't the Fed/NG helping with the cleaning issues, they help in nursing homes so why isn't the NG helping them clean? Food supply is a big deal. I'm also wondering if the meat co's realize they are just teaching us how to live without meat, sort of shooting themselves in the foot isn't it? I hope the workers all get through this safely - I'm just not sure this is all there is to it and antics aren't playing a part.

I am going to start reducing how much meat I use at every meal and doing full meatless every other day so my family gets used to this slowly. My daughter won't care but filling up my son will require extra PB&Js during the day I think, a bowl of hard boiled eggs or maybe I'll be sure to leave a heavy soup in the fridge for him snacking as he gets used to less protein. Butt that's ok, I'll figure it out.

I'm not big on directions and straight lines so I apologize to the by-the-book sorts, I'm a wavy line creative sort.

For meatless I do a lot of lentil, barley, split pea & black bean soup.
Tarragon tuna salad, Taste of home
Going through a ton of eggs here:
Egg salad, hardboiled in salad, omelette, frittata, fried, scrambled, quiche. Depression era grandma did a lot of frying a cooked potato until browned then adding scrambled eggs, and also onion peppers with eggs in a sandwich.

Sartù di riso (Neapolitan Rice Timbale) by Frank, just no meat I guess -I did this 3-4 nights ago. Grandma also made this which is delicious, with or without tomato sauce, and she didn't use meat. The recipe calls for way more work then needs to be, I just put in a layer of ground beef with tomato sauce LOL

I put a can of tomato sauce in a pot to get it boiling - made the rice in its own pot at the same time(20 min too)
as they were cooking I browned ground beef ( totally not necessary)
*Into rice went about 1/4 cut tomato sauce, oregano, garlic and onion powder a bit of (1/2-1 cup) mozzarella and parmesan (maybe 1/8 cup)
*into meat went peas and tomato sauce, with meat I used a little can but without I'd prob do a big one- let thicken a bit so it will sit on top of the rice when it bakes. Grandma didn't use meat so I'm sure it's fine.
I got my lasagne pan out and smeared some oil in it then sprinkled some breadcrumb (Not needed but why not)
Layer of the rice mix, then the tomato mix, then the rice mix on top. Baked at 350 about 30 min.

No sauce grandma made looks like All Recipes Torte di riso, but there were no veggies, just rice goodness - never got the recipe, I'd ask and she's say to whip an egg or 2, add cheese and bake. My brother and I would fight over the extra crispy corners.

Stuffed peppers, boil rice & boil peppers cut in half and take the peppers out of the water and lay in a baking pan - if I am of the mind I'll boil the rice in the remaining pepper water for flavor
saute a bit of onion & garlic, add 3-4 cups cooked rice, 1-2 cans tomato soup (no water) 1/2-1 cup chedder or taco cheese & 2 teaspoons chili powder (I've used cumin if I don't have much chili)
Put this mix into the peppers and bake. I have also done this with laying pepper strips on top of a casserole if I didn't have a lot of peppers or just skipped the pepper and called it stuffed pepper insides LOL

Spaghetti pie with leftover pasta (I'm not picky) is like an easy baked ziti dish, leftover pasta of any kind 1/2 - 1 lb pasta- I put this in last 1/2 - 1 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, a few shakes of parmesan, some shakes of italian spice or oregano and an egg - blend it then pour on top of pasta. then put into an oiled roast pan, I'm thinking the bread crumb thing might be nice here too. A splash of tomato sauce on top looks pretty
Saute' garlic or shallots in oil and whatever veggies you have then mix in pasta, in PA I was introduced to cabbage and noodles w butter which is sooo delicious.
Creamy tomato soup from Taste of home with Cambells tomato soup and cream cheese is amazing as soup, and my kids discovered is delicious as a pasta sauce
Mac and cheese
Broth with rice
Onion Soup w garlicy bread and cheese on top instead of traditional indulgent kind
Stuffed cabbage w just rice, Tyler Florence's recipe
Fish taco, whole foods taco sauce is amazing & I use any sort of round tortilla ish thing as a taco
I love the torte de riso idea! thanks!
 
I'm not concerned about a meat shortage. Oh, sure, I've gone to the grocery store and found no chicken -- but then the very next week the store's been well stocked again. And when chicken's been missing, beef has been available. Or vice-versa. It's the same with other products: stores aren't as well stocked as usual, but it's not like everything's missing at once. I think the supply chain is wonky but not broken.

Suggestions for meatless meals:

- Baked potatoes topped with all the bits left in your refrigerator.
- Mac-and-cheese
- Bean burritos
- Salads
- Pinto beans & cornbread
- Grilled cheese (with or without tomato soup)
- Scrambled eggs
- Cheese pizza
 
For a "recipe", this is my favorite and it's vegan...and it's a great way to use up any stash you might have built up from the shutdown...and you can sub regular beer for pumpkin beer and just add more pumpkin. My other note is SEASON...I usually add more of all the seasonings b/c I like a vibrant chili...

And if you need to be GF, you can sub white wine or even water for the beer...

https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/pumpkin-sweet-potato-black-bean-chili
 
My favorite right now is a sushi bowl. Use short grain rice, and top with what you have. I like edamame, blistered shiseto peppers ( which are in season now), avocado slices, carrot matchsticks, cucumber, toasted nori. You can use small amounts of salmon,or shrimp if you have it, but it’s fine without as long as you are using a plant protein, such as edamame.
You can make a simple sauce with mayo and siracha, or use soy sauce, or a ginger dressing. You can top with sweet potatoes, scallions, radishes, ...so good.
other favorites are ramen bowls, with or without an egg,
or soba noodle bowls, soba noodles have a decent amount of protein.
you can top all of them with whatever your favorites are.
 
I love the torte de riso idea! thanks!

Hope you like it! I keep making it and the family loves it.

Tonight will be eggplant rollatini, which is just lazy eggplant parmesan to me. More or less, all the ricotta bases are the same whether it's rollatini, lasagne, stuffed shells, spaghetti pie or baked ziti which means about 16 oz ricotta, 2 eggs, a handfull or mozzarella and about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese with a few shakes of garlic powder, onion powder and either Italian seasoning or oregano and parsley - just taste first and add the egg last to make sure it tastes good.

I also love a nice quiche which is you saute some onion and garlic (or just sprinkle powdered spice) about 4 eggs, 1 & 1/2 cups milk and same amount of cheese (maybe 1/4-1 teaspoon salt - depends on saltiness of cheese you want) & a shake of pepper - this can work with or without crust and with any veggies you like. I like spinach and feta for a spinach pie like vibe or broccoli and cheddar or even potato, pepper and onion & will toss whatever other spices I think would be good in there.

Recently, my family discovered we adore Rachel Ray's Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. I also used the recipe with just pasta but think the squash makes it tastier.

If anyone has a copycat for the roast veggie sandwich mix Wegmans used to make I'd love it. Going back a while they used to make the most amazing to go roast veggie sandwiches, same sandwiches were in catering too, but don't make them any more - at least the ones I go to haven't in ages.
 
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My husband is a big fan of meat and always wants more protein, so my desire to transition away from meat at every dinner also requires I, as the meal planner and willing chef, satisfy his desire for a substantially filling meal with protein. And cheese and veg protein (like spinach or the like raw veg) doesn't work! He is all in on reducing meat as an earth friendly choice... as long as he isn't starving after. For example, just a hearty soup makes him irritable, no matter if I include a slide of bread and have lots of goodies in the soup!

Some good options in our house:
  • falafel
  • mujaddara (with or without fried egg, always with yogurt/ sour cream sauce)
  • huevos rancheros or shakshuka
  • Quiche
  • a giant salad with nuts and cheese, maybe with meat as an accessory like diced ham or chicken
  • beet or butternut squash risotto (with a nice salad)
  • butternut squash bisque, with a good sized heavy cream drizzle
  • crispy tofu with a peanut sauce (and veg- stir fry or otherwise)
  • pinto bean burritos, enchiladas, or nachos
  • nachos with just a little leftover meat as an accessory
  • crab or tuna cakes for a pescatarian option

Lentils and beans/ chickpeas are our favorite options, and you can find lots of good Indian recipes that use them and are vegetarian. I could never go vegan because I love eggs and cheese and they really add heft and yum to dinners. (I also love ice cream and white Russians, but that's not really meal related...)
 
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Most of our meals are meatless so I've got lots of them!

Season lentils with taco seasoning and they make a great filling for tacos.

Quinoa prepared with chicken stock, roasted red peppers, onions, and garlic, sprinkle cheese on top.

Stuffed pepper casserole--cook sliced green peppers in tomato sauce with onions and garlic and spices until tender, then stir in instant rice. the taco seasoned lentils go great with this!

vegetarian chili

vegetarian lasagna

breakfast for dinner--pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese

hot greek pasta salad

and my favorite comfort meal, mashed loaded potatoes with broccoli on the side and cheddar sprinkled over the top. yum!

I usually serve fresh fruit or fruit smoothies as a side with our meals, especially with meatless meals because it feels more balanced for some reason.
 
I made mujadara two nights ago, it's a family fave- I like greek yogurt on top personally- 2nd night as leftover, I put in a covered casserole along with a shredded chicken breast (for some variety) I had to make another batch of caramelized onions bc they got eaten in entirety the first night, layered and reheated in casserole dish.... every crumb eaten! That dish is so simple and satisfying.... I tend towards middle eastern or Indian style dishes normally anyway, I like using a LOT less meats in our everyday life....
 
Summer pasta salad... you can use it as a meal or a side dish..One reason I really like it you can change it up... and it looks different and you can get a different taste..

Choice of Pasta... use what you have on hand... follow direction on box, Al Dente' ... Best tip do not over cook the pasta... oh salt the pasta while warm or sprinkle on some other seasonings, don't get heavy handed, the warm pasta will soak up whatever you put on it...

Dressings- you can really get creative here... Bottled dressing or homemade, just olive oil and herbs to champagne vinaigrette, or something creamy a creamy cucumber dressing is always so good in the summer times.... its up to you.. Tip - start with a little and just barely coat the pasta..

Ingredients... Can you can go crazy with a whole lot of veggies or keep it simple... We grill alot of veggies in the oven or on the grill... left over go well in pasta salad... the one thing is they will get soft and mushy quickly... so make the pasta and dress it, and let it sit over night, and then right before serving toss in the veggie in the leftover pasta.. so it will hold up and not get to soft and mushy...

Stuffed mushroom are another good thing for the oven or grill... everything thing from seafood stuffing, you can even use up left over stovetop if you have it... fill with gooey cheese, chop up for tacos, season the mushroom with taco seasoning or make burgers with the large mushroom caps...
 
Summer pasta salad... you can use it as a meal or a side dish..One reason I really like it you can change it up... and it looks different and you can get a different taste..

Choice of Pasta... use what you have on hand... follow direction on box, Al Dente' ... Best tip do not over cook the pasta... oh salt the pasta while warm or sprinkle on some other seasonings, don't get heavy handed, the warm pasta will soak up whatever you put on it...

Dressings- you can really get creative here... Bottled dressing or homemade, just olive oil and herbs to champagne vinaigrette, or something creamy a creamy cucumber dressing is always so good in the summer times.... its up to you.. Tip - start with a little and just barely coat the pasta..

Ingredients... Can you can go crazy with a whole lot of veggies or keep it simple... We grill alot of veggies in the oven or on the grill... left over go well in pasta salad... the one thing is they will get soft and mushy quickly... so make the pasta and dress it, and let it sit over night, and then right before serving toss in the veggie in the leftover pasta.. so it will hold up and not get to soft and mushy...

Stuffed mushroom are another good thing for the oven or grill... everything thing from seafood stuffing, you can even use up left over stovetop if you have it... fill with gooey cheese, chop up for tacos, season the mushroom with taco seasoning or make burgers with the large mushroom caps...
yesterday I went on roasting spree with all my veggies, did cauliflower,zucchini and asparagus. Made a summer rice salad- added the chopped veggies to rice, squeezed a lemon, fresh parsley and basil from garden, olive oil,salt and pepper. Finished with shaved parmesan/romano and it was delicious! I roasted all the veggies at once, now I have a few days worth stored in fridge for other recipes this week...
 
My easy go to meatless recipe is Mexican Soup.

1 Jar Salsa
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can chickpeas
1 can kidney beans
1 jar diced tomatoes

Just open & pour all cans into pot without draining and heat.

Top with sour cream & shredded cheese.
Serve with Chips.
 

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