Many of these 44 cheap vegetarian meals you can whip up in minutes. For your picky eaters you can check out these vegetarian toddler recipes.
Cheap Vegetarian Meals – 44 Easy Recipes
For a myriad of reasons, more and more Americans are searching out cheap vegetarian meals. In fact, Harvard Medical School reports that about 6 to 8 million adults in the U.S. are vegetarians. Their reasons for giving up meat range from health to religious to moral to financial. On the financial front, according to Time.com, “New research suggests vegetarians can save at least $750 more than meat-eaters per year.”
Whether you’re interested in becoming a full time vegetarian or just want to experiment with giving up meat one or two days a week, there are plenty of yummy (and cheap) vegetarian meals to try!
Have a picky little eater? No problem! There are even cheap vegetarian meals for kids.
Now, strap on a bib, get comfy, and dive into 44 of my favorite delicious and cheap vegetarian meals! 🙂
Pasta Vegetarian Meals
1. Super Simple Tomato Kale Spaghetti with Frywall (The Baking Fairy) – Looking for an easy and cheap vegetarian meal? Look no further! After all, not many dishes are easier to whip up than spaghetti. Make this dish even healthier by opting for whole wheat noodles or noodles made from vegetables.
2. Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Macaroni (The Baking Fairy) – This vegetarian meal recipe takes a childhood classic (mac-n-cheese) and gives it a sophisticated (and yummy!) twist in the form of pumpkin. Chances are even your picky little eater will enjoy this creamy dish.
3. Simple Greek Pasta Salad (The Baking Fairy) – If you’re vegan, not vegetarian, no worries. Many cheap vegetarian meals can easily be transformed into cheap vegan meals. For example, for this simple recipe, just leave out the feta cheese to get a vegan-friendly dish that’s a welcome treat, especially when the weather turns hot and you can’t bare to use your oven.
4. Small Batch Gluten Free Vegetable Lasagna (Strength & Sunshine) – Frankly, this recipe almost seems too good to be true. It’s vegetarian (obviously), gluten-free, top 8 allergy-free, and ready to serve in just 30 minutes!
5. Lemon Garlic Asparagus with Pasta (Mama Likes to Cook) – Need vegetarian meals for beginners? No problem! If you can boil water and cook noodles according to package instructions, you can tackle this meat-free pasta dish.
6. Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Pasta with Parmesan, Lemon and Garlic (Two Healthy Kitchens) – I love vegetarian meal recipes, like this one, that use yummy ingredients (like cheese!) to disguise healthy ones (like cauliflower) that kids might otherwise turn their noses up at. Plus, this all in one meal (no need to make a bunch of side dishes!) is a breeze on busy weeknights.
Bonus: Need other weeknight appropriate meals? While they aren’t all meat free, try these easy slow cooker recipes for large families.
7. One-Pot Whole Wheat Spring Pasta with Asparagus, Peas and Parmesan (Two Healthy Kitchens) – Cheap vegetarian meals with the words “one pot” in their title are another fav of mine. One pot means fewer dishes to do after dinner and more time to spend with my family. What’s not to love about that? 🙂
8. Cajun Mushroom & Spinach Rigatoni (Stylish Cravings) – Spice up your week with this cajun pasta dish. Opt for whole wheat pasta to make this dish a little healthier and more filling. Oh, and definitely make extras as this recipe makes an awesome lunch option the next day.
9. Vegetarian Pasta Primavera (Hearth & Vine) – One thing that makes many cheap vegetarian meals great is that they’re adaptable. For example, while this recipe calls for broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms, you could easily swap in other vegetables that are on sale or lurking in your fridge… and this dish would still be super tasty.
10. Caprese Bake Pasta (The Petite Cook) – Just because you’re on the hunt for vegetarian meal recipes doesn’t mean you’re ruling out comfort food. This recipe more than proves that. It’s hearty, cheesy, cozy, and simply oh-so-satisfying with it’s fresh Italian flavors. Bonus: It’s ready in just 30 minutes!
11. Broccoli Parmesan Macaroni (Thrify Jinxy) – Follow the chef’s recommendations and make this cheap vegetarian meal a little more veggie rich by adding sautéed peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Yum!
Bonus: Many of these pasta dishes are awesome vegetarian meals for beginners and novice chefs. If you need even more simple recipes, whet your appetite with these 18 Easy Meatless Meals.
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