Vegetarian Meal Plan: March - Week 4

M O N D A Y

Beyond Beef Meatballs (That Don't Fall Apart)

These Italian-seasoned Beyond Beef meatballs swap out ground beef for plant-based Beyond Beef. They come together super-quick, and are baked, not fried.

Serve it with the below Spicy Smoky Tomato Sauce.

Arrange the meatballs in a baking dish, and pour the Tomato Sauce over and around them. Top with 2 cups (or to your own preferences) of grated melty cheese and ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375˚F for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Fontina, Colby Jack are all good choices of melty cheeses to use.

Spicy Smoky Tomato Sauce

This spicy smoky tomato sauce develops layers of flavor from roasting in the oven. It only takes 15 minutes to put together before sliding it into the oven, and can be used for many recipes.

Adding one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce adds a touch of smokiness and heat to the sauce, making it unique from any store-bought sauces. And a little balsamic vinegar increases that umami flavor we all crave.

T U E S D A Y            

Sesame Crusted Sweet Potato Cakes

These easy sweet potato cakes are perfect for lunch, dinner, side dish or even an appetizer, with a little coleslaw. They're easily made vegan, and are loaded with protein from quinoa, nutritional yeast and hemp seed hearts.

Best of all, they're ready in under 30 minutes, if you have a microwave oven for cooking the sweet potatoes and buy frozen pre-cooked quinoa.

W E D N E S D A Y

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

This creamy, cheesy cauliflower soup is loaded with cheddar cheese, and is ready to serve in around 30 minutes if you have a high speed blender to purée it. If not, no worries, just use an immersion blender to make it a rustic, slightly chunky soup.

As a bonus, no flour is needed as a thickener for this soup thanks to the pectin (yes, pectin!) in the cauliflower, so it's gluten free! Pectin, as all you jam makers know, is a natural thickener.

T H U R S D A Y 

Broccoli Cranberry Salad with Beans

This broccoli cranberry salad recipe is a complete meal, thanks to the added white beans and rice, but can also be served as a side dish.

Very little prepping is required to make this recipe, so it can be ready in 40 minutes. Or make it the entire salad ahead and store in the refrigerator.

F R I D A Y

Instant Pot Curried Lentil Soup

This easy Instant Pot curried lentil soup is made with red lentils, red curry paste, curry powder, ginger and garlic. It's ready in 30 minutes when cooked in the Instant Pot (or other electric pressure cooker), and is based on an Ottolenghi recipe on Epicurious.

B O N U S    R E C I P E

Spiced Pepitas

These spiced pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds) are pan-roasted in warm, smoky spices to make an ideal protein snack or topping for dishes.

For example, add a handful to the top of Monday's Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake, the Broccoli Cranberry Salad, or the Meatballs and Tomato Sauce before serving. Or serve them on the side.