20 Meal Ideas to Ease the Transition to a Meatless Diet

If you’re thinking of cutting back on meat, you’ve come to the right place! Making the transition to a meatless diet can be tough at first because you must rethink how you view food. It gets easier with time and as you add some great staple recipes to your repertoire. Here are 20 meal ideas to ease the transition to a meatless diet.

1. Eggs Benny and Flo – Vegan Benedict Meets Eggs Florentine

On your next lazy weekend brunch, give this recipe a try and you’ll be eating more tofu in no time.

2. Southwestern Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grab a couple slices of vegan Daiya cheese to make one mean southwestern vegan grilled cheese sandwich, complete with salsa-infused mashed beans and grilled sweet potatoes.

3. Legendary Middle Eastern-Style Veggie Bake

This bake merges the flavors of the Middle East with touches of Greek and Turkish as well.

4. Zucchini Pasta With Garlic Green Beans and Stuffing

Make your meatless diet transition a breeze with this three-ingredient recipe. Grab leftover whole wheat stuffing from dinner and some green beans and zucchini. That’s all you need!

5. Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts With Ginger and Curry Leaves

Need a reason to eat more brussels sprouts? Try this recipe and flavor them with ginger, curry leaves, black mustard and other spices.

6. Crunchy Couscous Tacos With a Sweet n’ Spicy Jalapeno Dressing

These are no ordinary tacos; the sweet n’ spicy jalapeno dressing will help you devour that couscous and those peas in no time.

7. Baked Quinoa Burger Patties + Lemon Tahini Sauce

By following this recipe, you’ll learn to make a nice egg substitute using flax seeds! Plus, the quinoa is a complete protein source, so don’t worry that you’re not getting enough during this meal.

8. Lentils with White Bean and Potato Mash

Serve this with a side salad or some vegetables with crusty bread for a hearty meal.

9. Very Vegan Mac Cheese

Who needs milk and cheese when you can make the classic Mac with cashews and nutritional yeast?

10. Mayim Bialik’s Vegan Reuben Sandwich

You don’t have to give up rueben sandwiches to give up meat! This one is complete with sauteed onions.

11. Vegan Buffalo Tempeh Meatballs

Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and has a rough texture that makes them ideal for these “meat” balls.

12. Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

The mushrooms and ribbon noodles in this dish give it a hearty, satisfying texture.

13. Baked Falafel and Cucumber Noodle Salad With Mint-Tahini Dressing

Going meatless doesn’t have to mean eating boring salads. Try this one, which has tasty, baked falafel and a mint-tahini dressing.

14. Crispy Tofu Nuggets

If you don’t want to deep fry these tofu nuggets, you can also fry them in a skillet until golden brown.

15. Vegan Paneer Tikka Masala

Rich, aromatic Tikka sauces are easy to make without the cream and just as delicious!

16. Quinoa Veggie Burger

Quinoa is a complete protein and makes for excellent veggie burger patties.

17. White Zucchini Pizza

Make this pizza if you’re up for a challenge and want to get your hands a little messy.

18. Easy Veggie Pot Pie

This is a simple meal to throw together when you want a comforting, creamy pot pie that’s full of veggies.

19. Vegetable Rigatoni With Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Making this dish will be a great lesson in how plants like cauliflower can be transformed into rich, creamy sauces.

20. Crunchy Curried Chickpea Tacos

For these tacos, roast chickpeas in the oven for 20-30 minutes and eat with fresh veggies.

Lead image source: Baked Falafel and Cucumber Noodle Salad With Mint-Tahini Dressing