Weekly Meal Plan: 7 Beginner Vegetarian Meals

If you are testing out being vegetarian these seven recipes are perfect vegetarian meals for beginners. They are kid and husband friendly.

When Rob and I decided to try being vegetarian for a full month, my meal planning tendencies went into overdrive.

I could finally try all those recipes I had been eyeing but was not sure Rob would want to try before this.

Meals like walnut quinoa tacos, dipping potatoes, and potato cake sandwiches made it to the list.

After a few of those unusual meals, I realized I had to pull it back. Not only were some of the meals too intense to make in terms of amount of dishes they used, but they were just a bit too far off from our normal meals to jump right into.

I reeled myself in, got realistic about my time to cook, and came up with some quick meals that would satisfy a beginner vegetarian.

These vegetarian meals for beginners were all husband approved. As with most meals, they are hit or miss with the kids often depending on the specific kid and the night – how tired they are, how big of a snack they had, etc.

BBQ Cauliflower with Rice and Veggie Sticks

This was one of Rob’s request to try. We both had been eyeing this recipe over the year and finally found a reason to give it a go. Since we tried it about three months ago, we have probably had it 3-4 times since. It is really delicious and does not leave you feeling super full.

We like this recipe from Dinner at the Zoo, though I usually skip the honey.

The one caveat is that it does take a longer time to make and a few ins and outs of the oven. Not ideal if you are cooking dinner on your own and need help keeping the children away from a hot oven.

Southwest Vegetarian Quinoa Dip

This is above and away our go to vegetarian meal. The whole family loves it because you can use what you have in the pantry making it a meal that is always on hand.

Get the full recipe for this Southwest Vegetarian Quinoa Dip here.

Build Your Own Sandwich

Zoey (our four year old) just about fell off her chair when I placed the big tray (aka baking sheet) of sandwich fixings in front of her and told her she could have free reign over it to make her own.

We had so much fun trying new combinations of things in our half sandwiches. It is now her #1 requested meal apart from mac and cheese.

Rob’s comment was something to the effect of, “I never realized how good a sandwich without meat could be.”

Tex Mex Zucchini Boats

Inspired by my Italian Chicken Zucchini Boat recipe, this Tex Mex version is super easy to make. I also love that part from zucchini, this is a good pantry meal that uses a can of black beans and a can of corn. The whole family ate it!

• Drain and dry the corn and black beans before tossing them together with cumin, ginger, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and chili powder to taste.
• Cut the zucchini in half and scoop out the middles. Coat them with avocado oil.
• Place them in a non-stick baking pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Take them out and load them with the corn and black bean filling. Sprinkle with cheese and bake another 10 minutes or until a fork goes through the zucchini.
• Serve with sour cream and avocado.

This is also a really easy recipe to have your kids help you make. They can coat the zucchini in oil, dry the beans and corn, add the seasonings, and mix it all together.

Rice Bowls

One of our absolute favorite vegetarian meals for beginners, it usually makes an appearance every other week. The kids love to pick out the apples, but they make good headway with the vegetables too.

Rice bowls are super versatile and so easy to add whatever veggies you have on hand. You can keep them all raw, or cook some of them to your preferences.

Get our main Simple and Filling Rice Bowl recipe here.

Vegetable Fried Rice

I always forget about fried rice though I am not really sure why. Another quick and simple meal to make that the whole family likes and is easy to throw together with what you have on hand or in the freezer.

• Saute your vegetables in avocado oil and soy sauce until medium-soft.
• Add in rice and mix it all together. Let rice and vegetables fry together for about 4-5 minutes.
• Add in whisked eggs and cook all together until eggs are cooked through.
• Top with poppy seeds before serving.

Vegetables I like to add are peas, finely chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and green beans. You can totally customize the vegetables to what you prefer!

Simple Thai Pasta

We eat quite a bit of Mexican-American food and about a year ago, I was starting to get a bit tired of it. We also eat pasta about once a week and I was tired of our same old vegetable red sauce.

Enter the Simple Thai Pasta. Inspired by the year we spent in Vietnam and our love of fresh vegetables, this dish is a hit with everyone. In full disclosure, I need to actually start measuring my spices because the sauce always turns out a little bit different each time I make it.

• Whisk together lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cumin, garlic, and ginger.
• Soften any hard veggies like carrots in a fry pan until just soft.
• Slice cucumbers and bell peppers to thin 1-inch strips.
• Load cooked pasta with vegetables, green onion, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Add the sauce to taste.

You can certainly use rice noodles to make this dish, but we tend to use what we have on hand.

These are seven of our go to vegetarian meals for beginners. As beginner vegetarians, we have a long way to go as the whole process feels like we are re-learning how to cook and how to build a nutritious plate. Just like everything else, practice makes perfect!