Vegetarian Meal Plan #21 | The Wimpy Vegetarian

This vegetarian meal plan offers 5 meatless dinner ideas for the week ahead, plus options for others at your table who don't follow a vegetarian diet.

Also included are shortcut meal prep ideas to make dinner as easy as possible.

Artichoke on a plate stuffed with a tabbouleh salad with text overlay.

Meal Planning Takes the Stress Out of Dinner

I'm all for anything that simplifies dinnertime.

I prefer most dinners to be ready in 30 minutes or less. Bonus points for recipes that can be partly made ahead. And a Meal Plan for the week so I can make sure I'll have everything I need when I need it.

And with my meal plan of vegetarian dinners in hand, I'm much more likely to stick with a vegetarian diet that week without resorting to frozen pizza. So, it helps me create healthy eating habits in general.

There are enough things to be stressed about in life. One of them shouldn't be dinner.

MEAL PLAN

MONDAY: Artichokes Stuffed with Quinoa Tabbouleh V, GF

TUESDAY: Vegan Burrito Bowl V, GF

WEDNESDAY: Asparagus Carbonara

THURSDAY: Spinach and Garlic Chickpea Pancakes V, GF

FRIDAY: Cauliflower Tacos GF

M O N D A Y

Artichokes Stuffed with Quinoa Tabbouleh

Get the recipe HERE.

VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE MEDIUM DIFFICULTY

Cooked artichoke stuffed with tabbouleh on a white plate.

Gluten-free, plant-based dish of artichokes stuffed with tabbouleh. The tabbouleh swaps out the traditional bulgar grain for protein packed quinoa.

Time-Saving Tips

There is some fine chopping involved in making tabbouleh, but this simplified version only needs 4 ingredients besides the quinoa - cucumber, red onion, parsley and mint. Feel free to add finely chopped tomatoes and scallions if you want.

Save time by making the tabbouleh a day ahead, or at least make the quinoa up to 4 or 5 days ahead.

You can remove the fuzzy choke of the artichoke either before cooking the artichoke or afterwards when it's softer. A melon baller or serrated grapefruit spoon works best for this. In a pinch, use a regular spoon.

Make it a Bigger Meal

Toss cooked white beans into the tabbouleh, and double the dressing. Serve with pita breads and more tabbouleh on the side.

T U E S D A Y

Vegan Burrito Bowl

Get the recipe HERE from Love & Lemons blog.

VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE

White bowl with a grilled portabello mushroom, red peppers, guacamole and mango salsa.

This burrito bowl is loaded with chipotle-marinated mushrooms, black beans, and grilled fajita veggies.

Time-Saving Tips

Cook the beans ahead in the Instant Pot, slow cooker or on the stove top or purchase canned beans.

Make the rice ahead.

If you don't want to make the pineapple salsa from scratch, purchase freshly made mango salsa in the deli section of your market. Many markets sell it in plastic containers.

Want more vegetarian and vegan dish ideas? I can help! I have three newsletters for different topics: 1) Weekly Recipes, 2) Vegetarian Meal Plans, and 3) Leaning Vegetarian Tips for helping you to move to a more vegetarian diet. Choose which newsletters are most relevant to your lifestyle, and you'll also get my 5 Secrets to Fuss-Free Dinners!

W E D N E S D A Y

Asparagus Carbonara

Get the recipe HERE.

EASY 30-MINUTE RECIPE

A plate of asparagus carbonara with grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Carbonara is a traditional Italian pasta dish that tosses hot pasta in raw eggs. The heat of the pasta cooks the egg into a silky sauce with seasonings and cheese. The tradition version includes bacon or prosciutto. For a vegetarian version you can always add sun-dried tomato slivers to get that umami flavor we all crave.

Ingredient Tips

If you don't love horseradish, make these Gremolata Breadcrumbs instead.

Omnivore Tip: Add bacon lardons or prosciutto.

T H U R S D A Y

Spinach and Garlic Chickpea Pancakes

Get the recipe HERE.

VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE 30-MINUTES OR LESS

Thick pancakes made with chickpea flour and spinach.

Make-Ahead Tips

Macerate fresh rosemary in olive oil overnight to make rosemary infused olive oil.

Make it a Meal

These pancakes are great with a big leafy salad, this Morrocan Citrus Salad, this or Citrus Salad with Cauliflower, Olives and Feta. Roasted red peppers are another great choice for a side dish.

F R I D A Y

Cauliflower Tacos

Get the recipe HERE from Two Peas & Their Pod blog.

GLUTEN FREE 10-MINUTES PREP

Cauliflower tacos with cabbage, topped with lime crema.

Prep Tips

Make the Lime Crema and prep the toppings while the cauliflower and beans are roasting.

Make it a Meal

If you have some fresh corn at your markets (I just saw the first shipment at my market this week!), it would be the perfect side. Or make some tomalito, which is a Mexican sweet cornbread!

I hope you have a chance to make a couple of these dishes this week. I'm making them ALL, and can't wait!