Healthy Vegetarian Recipes on a Budget

Inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this peanut butter and jelly lunch will be loved by kids and adults alike. Accompanied by sandwich sides including a yogurt parfait, fruit, veggies and popcorn, this healthy packable lunch will keep you full until dinner.

Perfect to pack for lunch to take to work or for a picnic in the park, this vegan bistro box is filled with Mediterranean diet-inspired crunchy vegetables, pita bread, creamy hummus and olives.

Crumbled extra-firm tofu is a great stand-in for ground beef for a meatless meal. This vegan substitute is perfect in lasagna, tacos, soup and more. We boost the flavor with garlic powder, paprika and tamari, but feel free to add your own flavorings.

Our lightened-up version of a classic chocolate cupcake uses whole-wheat flour and less butter and sugar than the average cupcake. Topped with rich chocolate ganache frosting, these are a birthday party must-have.

These oven fries crisp up without the greasy mess of deep-frying. Plus they're a bit easier and faster to make than traditional hand-cut fries thanks to the quick work of the spiralizer. Just watch the thickness: cut too thin, the fries will burn easily.

Impress your guests with this stunning beet salad that's quick and easy to make. Because the beets are sliced so thinly by the spiralizer, you don't have to worry about cooking or painstakingly chopping veggies. Regular red beets look great, but striped Chioggia beets, golden beets or a mix of any of the three would make the presentation even more gorgeous.

Restaurant-style Mexican rice (sometimes called Spanish rice) gets a healthy, low-carb makeover in this recipe that swaps white rice for riced cauliflower. Cooked with other flavorful ingredients like tomatoes, jalapeño and cilantro, this makes the perfect, festive side for taco night.

We've divided the tofu and veggies onto separate skewers because the tofu is delicate and sticks to the grill more easily than the eggplant and zucchini. If you like, swap halloumi cheese for the tofu for another twist on this combination.

Zesty Greek salad packed with tomatoes, cucumber and olives--plus chickpeas for a protein punch--gets tucked into a whole-wheat wrap for a healthy vegan lunch that's easy to pack for work. It's so flavorful and satisfying, you won't miss the feta!

Milanese, the traditional Italian preparation of breading meat then sautéing it until crispy, is just the treatment to give cauliflower steaks for a healthy vegetarian dinner. Roast up the leftover florets or whirl them into cauliflower rice another night. Served with a zesty salad and a glass of chilled verdicchio or pinot grigio, this deeply satisfying vegetable entree is swoon-worthy to vegetarians and meat-lovers alike.

Whether you're vegan, vegetarian or none of the above, these plant-based "dogs" are magically delicious--period. This recipe makes these vegan hot dogs Chicago-style, but feel free to doctor them up any way you like. Break with convention and add shredded cabbage, sprouts and cilantro, for example.

Eggplant's meaty texture is a delicious vegetarian stand-in for the lamb that typically fills a gyro sandwich. The vegetable absorbs the lemony-herby-spicy marinade like a sponge, so if you have time, let it marinate for the full day.

Give this hearty vegetarian recipe the true steakhouse treatment and serve it with steamed asparagus, french fries and a big, bold cabernet sauvignon. Or serve it as a side dish; it goes really well with... steak.

Chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream pops get a vegan upgrade with this healthy copycat recipe. Vegan chocolate forms a shell around creamy peanut butter and banana nice cream garnished with your favorite toppings, like chopped peanuts or shredded coconut.

Sweet strawberries are nestled between layers of sponge cake and a cream filling in this easy cake. We add nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt to whipped cream to lighten up the filling and give it a little tang.

Star Wars fans, this is the cookie for you. These fun and festive "Wookiee" cookies are perfect for a theme party or movie viewing. Almond slivers are arranged over melted chocolate to look like Chewbacca's belt.

Get into the Star Wars spirit with this healthy and delicious party treat. This 3-ingredient banana ice cream uses activated charcoal to make the frozen yogurt a striking black color to look like the carbonite Han Solo is frozen in.

Grilling is a simple and fast way to cook asparagus that yields a delicious result every time. Trimming off about one inch of the asparagus yields the best flavor--the ends are tough and hard to chew.

Your co-workers will be jealous when you pull out this healthy lunch of roasted veggies and brown rice. Put together 4 lunches when you have time and you will have packable lunches (or ready-to-eat dinners) for several days--just grab a container on your way out the door in the morning.

Mixing mashed canned beans with whole beans and seasonings makes an incredibly simple taco filling from your pantry. Top these speedy 5-ingredient tacos with lettuce, tomato and salsa or any of your favorite taco toppings.