The Best 30-Day Vegetarian Diet Plan
Incorporating more vegetarian meals into your weekly routine is a great way to boost your overall health. Eating more plant-based foods and less meat has been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes and even certain types of cancer. Plus, going meatless can be beneficial for the environmental and can help save you money, too. Whether you're already vegetarian or trying to cut down on your meat consumption, this vegetarian diet meal plan makes it easy with mouthwatering meatless recipes all month long.
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Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
Think of this vegetarian enchilada casserole as a veggie-packed Mexican-inspired lasagna with corn tortillas standing in for the noodles! If your peppers are mild and you like heat, opt for spicy pico de gallo. This easy vegetarian dinner recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.
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Vegetarian Taco Salad
Nobody will miss the meat in this colorful, zesty vegetarian taco salad. The rice and bean mixture can be made ahead and the salad quickly assembled at mealtime. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.
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Tex-Mex Black Bean & Quinoa Bowl
Skip the tortillas and layer your taco fillings onto protein-rich quinoa in this healthy vegetarian bowl dinner recipe. Top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a splash of your favorite hot sauce.
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Baked Eggs, Tomatoes & Chiles (Shakshuka)
This popular Israeli breakfast or brunch skillet recipe features eggs cooked on a bed of roasted tomato sauce. Serve with warm crusty bread and hot sauce.
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Spaghetti & Spinach with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
To achieve flavor quickly in this sun-dried tomato pasta recipe, we use the oil from sun-dried tomatoes to create the base of the cream sauce. Meanwhile, the residual heat of the pasta wilts the spinach in record time for a fast weeknight dinner.
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Butternut Squash & Black Bean Tostadas
The butternut squash-and-black bean base in these healthy vegetarian tostadas has a mild, sweet-spicy flavor thanks to ancho chile powder. If you can't find ancho chile powder, other mildly spicy chili powder can be used. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.
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Peanut-Tofu Cabbage Wraps
Cabbage is a tasty low-calorie stand-in for buns or bread in this healthy, gluten-free lettuce wrap recipe. Don't limit yourself to cabbage for this recipe--any fresh green sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works.
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Gruyere, Asparagus & Pea Baked Pasta
This healthy casserole recipe contains tons of veggies alongside whole-wheat pasta for a satisfying dinner kids and adults will enjoy.
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Quinoa-Stuffed Delicata Squash
With its pretty striped skin and uniform shape, delicata squash is a beautiful vessel for serving up this healthy quinoa stuffing. Serve this recipe as a stunning side dish or a vegetarian main with a big leafy green salad alongside.
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Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Deep-fried falafel can be a total grease bomb. But these pan-seared falafel still get crispy in just a few tablespoons of oil with equally satisfying results. Be sure to use dried, instead of canned, chickpeas in this healthy recipe--canned chickpeas add too much moisture.
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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Broccolini
In this low-carb spaghetti squash lasagna recipe, garlicky broccolini, spaghetti squash and cheese are combined for a healthy take on a favorite casserole. This bakes right in the squash shells for a fun presentation. Serve with a big Caesar salad and some warm and crusty whole-grain bread.
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Vegetarian Tikka Masala
In this vegetarian tikka masala recipe, we combine crisp tofu pieces and vegetables in a spiced tomato sauce to make a healthy and flavorful dish. If you like spicy food, increase the amount of crushed red pepper. Serve with steamed brown rice for a healthier take on a classic takeout dish.
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Black Bean Quesadillas
In a hurry? These satisfying quesadillas take just 15 minutes to make. We like them with black beans, but pinto beans work well too. If you like a little heat, be sure to use pepper Jack cheese in the filling. Serve with: A little sour cream and a mixed green salad.
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Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup
Inspired by creamy turkey and wild rice soup recipes, this vegetarian mushroom soup recipe is a whole lot lighter and gets a rich flavor boost from caramelized leeks. Serve with a green salad with sherry vinaigrette and crusty bread to sop up any bits left in the bowl.
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Dan Dan Noodles with Seitan, Shiitake Mushrooms & Napa Cabbage
Sichuan peppercorns add a touch of floral heat to this mushroom-and-cabbage-loaded riff on dan dan noodles. Look for protein-rich vegetarian seitan--processed wheat gluten with a meaty texture-- near refrigerated tofu in large supermarkets or natural-foods stores. The actual weight of the seitan in a package varies depending on whether water weight is included. Look for the undrained weight on the label.
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Kale & White Bean Potpie with Chive Biscuits
In this vegetarian white bean potpie recipe, kale and hearty white beans are topped with easy, homemade chive biscuits. If desired, add a little shredded Gruyère or Cheddar cheese to the biscuit dough.
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Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata
This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Make it for breakfast, or serve for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette.
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Spanakopita Loaded Potatoes
In this healthy take on twice-baked potatoes, spinach, feta, garlic and oregano are stuffed into the potato shells along with the mashed potatoes. Serve with steak or chicken sprinkled with oregano or marjoram.
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Millet-Stuffed Peppers with Ginger & Tofu
The filling in this stuffed pepper recipe uses millet, which is naturally gluten-free and has a nutty corn flavor--plus it cooks quickly because of its small size. We like Asian-flavored baked tofu in this recipe, but you can choose your favorite flavor. Serve with roasted broccoli or asparagus drizzled with sesame oil.
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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the ground chipotle, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw.
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Squash & Red Lentil Curry
This healthy red lentil curry recipe has a rich flavor and complexity that tastes like it takes hours to prepare. Butternut squash and coconut milk combine with the lentils to make a hearty vegetarian dish. Serve with brown rice or naan bread.
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Vegetarian Muffalettas
Muffaletta sandwiches, named for a Sicilian bread brought by immigrants to New Orleans, are usually loaded with cured meats, pickles and cheese. Our healthy vegetarian recipe has a trio of smoky grilled veggies. Chopped olives and banana peppers deliver the signature flavor of the classic.
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Wild Mushroom Pizza with Arugula & Pecorino
Make no mistake, this healthy pizza recipe is all about the mushrooms; lemon oil and arugula add just enough citrus and spiciness to accent without overwhelming. To that end, Sardinian or Tuscan Pecorino cheese (milder than Pecorino Romano) is called for, but other mellow grating cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, will work.
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Creamy Asparagus-Potato Soup
In this fast asparagus soup recipe, potato adds creaminess without adding cream. Double or triple this soup and freeze the leftovers for a quick lunch.
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Crispy Portobello Cutlets with Caramelized Onions & Blue Cheese
Portobello mushroom cutlets get steak-house treatment--caramelized onions and blue cheese--in this healthy vegetarian dinner recipe. Serve the mushroom "steaks" with a baked potato and creamed spinach.
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Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino
Elevate frozen ravioli with sizzled garlic and shallots, shaved pecorino and fresh arugula. Serve with: Whole-grain baguette and a light-bodied red wine, such as pinot noir.
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Edamame Hummus Wrap
Made with protein-rich edamame instead of chickpeas, this easy hummus recipe is the perfect vegetarian filling for a grab-and-go wrap. Or double the recipe and use the hummus for a healthy snack with cut-up vegetables.
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Mac & Cheese with Collards
Dark leafy collards add bold flavor and boost the calcium in this healthy skillet mac and cheese recipe with a crispy topping. If you don't have collards, kale, Swiss chard and spinach are delicious substitutes.
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Blackened Tofu with Succotash
In this Southern-inspired healthy vegetarian recipe, the crispy, spice-infused tofu is served with an easy succotash of corn, lima beans and bell pepper. For an extra kick, serve with your favorite hot sauce.
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Tomato & Artichoke Gnocchi
Artichoke hearts, olives and a splash of red-wine vinegar give this ultra-quick, healthy vegetarian gnocchi recipe pizzazz. For an additional hit of Mediterranean flavor, try topping with feta cheese.