A Vegetarian Meal Plan You Can Follow for the Entire Week
Whether you’re already devoted to eating plant-based, or you’re just starting to dabble in the vegetarian life, we can all agree that a meal doesn’t have to contain meat to be satisfying. (It doesn’t hurt that it’s budget friendly and better for the environment, either.) We can also agree that coming up with three square meals a day every day is exhausting, no matter what diet you follow. Reader, you’re in luck: This vegetarian meal plan includes recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner to last you an entire week. And with dishes like tandoori cauliflower bowls and cacio e pepe mac and cheese, you’re going to come back to it again and again.
48 Meatless Dinner Ideas That Everyone at the Table Will Love
Monday Breakfast: Morning Soft Serve
Julia Gartland/Dada Eats
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein
Serves: 1
Cure your case of the Mondays before they even begin with this “ice cream” treat. It’s actually just a combination of frozen bananas and nut butter made creamy and scoopable in a blender—resist the urge to add too much liquid, or you’ll end up with a smoothie instead of soft serve.
Monday Lunch: Gena Hamshaw’s Caesar Smashed White Beans
© Ashley McLaughlin/The Vegan Week
Time Commitment: 5 minutes
Why I Love It: vegan, no cook, make ahead
Serves: 6
These garlicky, no-cook beans are excellent on toast or a sandwich, sure. But what’s more, they’re meal-prep friendly and they happen to gluten free and vegan. How’s that for healthy-ish?
Monday Dinner: Spaghetti with Garlicky Yogurt Sauce
Doaa Elkady/The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why I Love It:
Serves: 4
Start the week on a good note with a bowl of this creamy-yet-light pasta. It’s almost like an Arabic version of alfredo, but the yogurt-based sauce is much silkier. Use regular yogurt instead of Greek for the smoothest texture.
Tuesday Breakfast: Cucumber Breakfast Salad with Jammy Eggs
Linda Pugliese/Salad Freak
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Serves: 2
Breakfast salad: It’s a thing. Use plenty of seeds to top the cucumbers and avocado—they give great flavor and texture—and use your best olive oil, as it makes a big difference with so few ingredients. Add a slice of sourdough or pita if you want to round out the meal.
Tuesday Lunch: Tandoori-Inspired Roast Cauliflower Bowls with Tahini
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Heath Goldman
Time Commitment: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Why I Love It: gluten free, beginner-friendly
Serves: 4
Traditional tandoori chicken is made in a clay oven, but you can replicate the deeply caramelized crust with a baking sheet at home. In this vegetarian version, a spiced yogurt marinade lends a similar flavor and helps with browning in the oven.
Tuesday Dinner: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Serves: 6
Here, the humble yet protein-packed lentil is the key to making these vegetarian sloppy Joes. They’re just as quick-cooking and convenient for healthy weeknight dinners (and come together in a single skillet).
Wednesday Breakfast: Green Smoothie with Avocado and Apple
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly
Serves: 2
This green blend combines apple, avocado, spinach and banana with a little coconut water and honey for a not-too-sweet, not-too-bitter breakfast drink. For a creamier texture and a little more protein, try adding Greek yogurt or a spoonful of nut butter.
Wednesday Lunch: Portobello and Avocado Quesadillas with Magic Green Sauce
David Frenkiel/Little Green Kitchen
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
Serves: 4
Within 30 minutes, you can put together a ’dilla that’s way more exciting than just cheese. Make the green sauce—which is a blend of garlic, avocado, jalapeño, herbs and lime juice—ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It’s good on everything from grain bowls to sandwiches.
Wednesday Dinner: Crispy Tofu Steaks with Broccoli Rabe and Romesco
Linda Pugliese/Help Yourself
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegan
Serves: 2
By pressing the tofu, you’ll remove the excess moisture and ensure a crispy, golden-brown crust. The romesco sauce sounds fancy, but it starts with two shortcuts: store-bought roasted peppers and almond butter.
Thursday Breakfast: Mediterranean Sheet Pan Eggs
Ren Fuller/Downshiftology: Healthy Meal Prep
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Serves: 12
Feel free to customize the fillings for seasonality—sweet potato or squash could easily replace the zucchini and tomato. These eggs are delicious on their own, but also happen to be great for topping on toast, rolling into a tortilla or serving as the base of a breakfast salad.
Thursday Lunch: Radicchio, Lentil and Apple Salad with Vegan Cashew Dressing
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Aran Goyoaga
Time Commitment: 35 minutes + soaking time
Why I Love It: vegan, gluten free
Serves: 4
The creamy dressing (which happens to be not just vegetarian, but completely plant-based) is ideal for balancing out the bitterness of the radicchio. According to cookbook author and recipe developer Aran Goyoaga, “It’s great in many recipes where you would use ricotta, like on toast with jam or even tossed with al dente pasta for a creamy vegan sauce.”
Thursday Dinner: Chickpea and Vegetable Coconut Curry
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: one pot, <30 minutes, gluten free
Serves: 4
Any of the veggies can be swapped for whatever you have in your fridge—broccoli instead of cauliflower, snap peas instead of bell pepper, green curry paste instead of red, you get the idea. Think of this as a blueprint and riff as you please.
Friday Breakfast: Chai Oatmeal
Alanna Hale/Joyfull
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why I Love It: one pot
Serves: 2
Sure, making oatmeal from scratch requires more effort than nuking a packet in the microwave, but the results are so worth it. This version is infused with cardamom and chai spices for a warming flavor, while dates provide a touch of sweetness.
Friday Lunch: Chickpea Caesar Salad with a Cheater’s Dressing
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why I Love It: high protein, beginner-friendly
Serves: 4
Roasted chickpeas aren’t just vegetarian, they’re also cheaper and easier to prepare than chicken. FYI, the dressing contains Worcestershire sauce, but since it’s usually made with anchovies, leave it out or swap it with soy sauce for a vegetarian-friendly umami boost.
Friday Dinner: Vegetarian Pizza with Zucchini and Bell Peppers
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
Give your delivery guy the night off and make this homemade pie—it’s easier to do than it sounds. You’ll start with a store-bought pizza crust (or flatbread) and top it with a pile of shaved vegetables. Sliced thin, they’ll crisp up in the oven without sogging out your slice.
Saturday Breakfast: Strawberry Rose Pancakes
Doaa Elkady/The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Serves: 4
Celebrate the weekend with a short stack of these beauties, which are a modern riff on a Lebanese recipe. A hint of rosewater in the batter adds intrigue without overpowering the whole dish.
Saturday Lunch: Za’atar Roasted Carrot & Tabbouleh Bowls
© Ashley Mclaughlin/The Vegan Week
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why I Love It: make ahead, vegan
Serves: 4
The carrots in these meal-prep friendly bowls are seasoned with za’atar, a popular Middle Eastern spice blend that’s a mix of sesame seeds, sumac, oregano and thyme. If you keep all the components separate, they’ll keep in the fridge for up to four days.
Saturday Dinner: Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 4
Why add vodka to your tomato cream sauce? Well, it helps to loosen up the flavorful brown bits at the bottom of the pan and adds a little heat to tames the rich sweetness of the tomato paste. While it wouldn’t really be vodka sauce without it, you can skip the ingredient if you don’t have it on hand.
Sunday Breakfast: Everything Bagel Tomato Galettes
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 6
You don’t have to be a baking sorcerer to make these breakfast-friendly galettes—just use store-bought puff pastry. Heirloom tomatoes will taste top-notch, but even if the produce isn’t perfect, the oven will concentrate their juices to maximize the flavor.
Sunday Lunch: Cacio e Pepe Mac and Cheese
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 6
Unlike traditional cacio e pepe, the sauce for this mac is almost impossible to mess up. The trick is starting with a béchamel—basically, cooked flour and butter that thickens and stabilizes the sauce before you add tons of cheese.
Sunday Dinner: Asparagus and Artichoke Paella
Cara Mangini/The Vegetable Eater
Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Why I Love It: <500 calories, special occasion–worthy
Serves: 6
You don’t need seafood or a special skillet to make this Spanish dish—just a bunch of seasonal produce and a short-grain rice (like Calasparra or bomba). Asparagus and artichokes are perfect for spring, but any veggie is fair game.
36 High-Protein Vegetarian Meals That Won’t Leave You Hungry
