Recipes for World Vegetarian Day
World Vegetarian Day is here on the 1st of October, and there’s no denying that more of us than ever are looking to eat less meat. Whether you’re following a vegetarian diet already or cutting down here and there, our slimming-friendly recipes make it easy to eat veggie without compromising on flavour or taking you off track.
Family Meal Planners at the ready! We’ve picked out breakfasts, lunches, dinners (plus snacks and side dishes!) that are so easy to fit into your routine, you’re bound to make them time and time again.
Of the 26 exclusive, crowd-pleasing recipes in our latest planner, 8 are veggie-friendly! If you’ve not got your copy yet, you can grab one here. It’s the ideal companion for your slimming journey!
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Vegetarian Breakfasts
When it comes to starting out the day just right, it’s tough to beat a warming bowlful of porridge. Rain or shine, the heavenly combination of fruit, oats and nuts in our Coconut, Banana and Maple Porridge will always wake you up on the right side of the bed. Vegetarian and vegan-friendly, we’ve used a non-dairy coconut milk alternative to keep the calories lower and boost the nutty flavour in every spoonful.
The beauty of porridge is that it’s so versatile, it never gets boring. Have some fun with different healthy porridge topping combinations until you find what works best for you (if you’re not sure where to start, you can find our guide to healthy porridge toppings here).
How do you like your eggs in the morning? It’s tough to complain when they’re served up poached and drizzled with a silky cheese sauce, like our homely Eggs Florentine. Complete with a layer of wilted spinach on a crispy, toasted muffin, it’s every bit as creamy, rich and filling as restaurant versions.
Rather than preparing our sauce with calorie-laden butter and egg yolks, we’ve put together our homemade Hollandaise alternative with a clever blend of reduced-fat ingredients.
Trust us – every forkful is cracking!
One of the easiest, most affordable ways to add an indulgent, silky texture to any dish, it’s no wonder we absolutely love cooking with cream cheese. It works perfectly to mellow out the punchy Marmite flavours in our go-to comfort breakfast: Marmite Mushrooms on Toast.
A savoury brekkie you’re far more likely to love than hate (we promise!), every meaty mushroom mouthful will wake you up with a bang and leave you full and satisfied.
Ready in under 15 minutes with just a handful of ingredients, it’s well worth trying at only 187 calories per portion.
We usually use Philadelphia Light when we prepare our recipes, but any low-calorie cream cheese will do nicely! If you’re catering to vegan diets, plant-based cream cheese alternatives are available too (just be sure to triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for someone with allergies!).
Don’t forget to finish with a sprinkling of chives – they give the whole dish an oniony lift!
If you’re a Marmite lover, we’ve got more budget-friendly Marmite dishes to whet your appetite here.
Vegetarian Lunches
Stuck for what to make for lunch when you’re eating less meat? Look no further than our slimming-friendly Caramelised Onion Quiche. One of the tastiest ways you can combine eggs and veggies, we love that this cheesy, savoury bake comes crustless and slimming friendly at only 164 calories per portion.
You’ll want to prepare your quiche in a durable, oven safe flan dish – this one is the perfect size (24cm) to bake our eggy mixture of chopped veggies.
Don’t forget that you can always experiment with different vegetables based on using your leftovers. It reduces food waste and is kind to your budget all at once – winner!
Whether you enjoy it fresh, take it to a picnic or pop a slice in your lunchbox to reheat later, our filling, oh-so-cheesy quiche never disappoints. Make it more filling with a crisp side salad, or enjoy it alongside Homemade Oven Chips when you fancy a heartier veg-loaded dinner!
Salads don’t have to be built around meat to be delicious, as proved by our decadent Halloumi Fries Salad. Potentially the best salad you’ll ever try (we’re not kidding!), we’ve served salty, breadcrumb-coated halloumi fingers over a bed of vibrantly sweet, crunchy vegetables.
By skipping frying and baking our halloumi instead, we’ve lowered the calories without losing out on that signature chewy halloumi goodness. We’ve prepared our very own sweet chilli-infused dressing, and you’ll find sweetness, saltiness and spiciness in every forkful. It’s a taste sensation!
Speaking of sensational salads, have you tried lunch prepping our creamy Greek Pasta Salad yet? With salad leaves, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes and black olives, there’s no shortage of flavour (and colour!) in this Greek-inspired midday dish. To keep our salad filling for fewer calories, we’ve coated small pasta shapes (fusilli or penne will do nicely) in a homemade lemony Greek cheese sauce. It’s so much healthier than using a shop-bought dressing!
Feta often contains rennet that isn’t suitable for vegetarians – make sure to check the Greek salad cheese you’re using before rustling up this recipe.
Vegetarian Dinners
When it comes to planning and preparing vegetarian dinners, recipes that are full of flavour for minimum effort are never a bad idea. With 30 minutes and a short list of store cupboard ingredients, you can add our Cheesy Leek Risotto to the midweek menu at a moment’s notice. With sautéed leek, plenty of onion and lots of cheese, it’s every bit as rich and indulgent as a restaurant version (and only 438 calories per bowlful!).
The best part? We’ve kept the stirring to a minimum, so you’ll have the energy to make it even after a long day at work. The whole family’s guaranteed to love it!
The star of any dish it’s a part of, there’s no shortage of tasty meals you can prepare with halloumi. Our Spiced Halloumi Burgers are one of our favourite halloumi-based dishes, and they’re super quick and simple to make!
While Beef Burgers are delicious and tough to replace, our lightly-spiced halloumi patty, crisp salad and homemade zesty yoghurt drizzle comes close.
We’ve covered each burger in a moreish honey and harissa spice rub, so you’ll need to keep an eye out for them catching in the pan – they’re ready in a flash!
Fancy a vegetarian Fakeaway feast? If you’re drawn to the sweet and sour dish on any Chinese takeaway menu, you’re going to be obsessed with our Sweet and Sour Halloumi. Inspired by the restaurant favourite, we’ve stirred firm yet gooey halloumi pieces into a tantalisingly sticky sweet and sour sauce.
By combining veggies, herbs, spices and juicy pineapple chunks, we’ve recreated all the flavour without anywhere near as many calories (only 298 per portion!). As unbelievable as that sounds, you can find the full recipe in our Family Meal Planner and see for yourself! Order your copy here.
Vegetarian Snacks and Side Dishes
When you’re on the lookout for the perfect snack on World Vegetarian Day, our Spinach and Feta Turnovers are just the ticket. We’ve replaced the calorie-laden pastry you’d find wrapping up bakery-bought versions with low-calorie tortilla wraps, so you can enjoy that moreish, crisp crunch without a worry.
We love them as a speedy snack! The savoury filling of spinach and crumbly feta is to die for.
Another bakery-inspired bite, our Vegan Sausage Rolls are packed with flavour for minimum effort. A surefire solution to pesky mid-afternoon snack cravings, make sure to pop them in the oven if you’re reheating them (no one wants a soggy microwaved roll!).
Looking to add some colour to a veggie-friendly dinner? Our Vegetable Couscous is the closest thing you’ll find to a rainbow in a bowl, and it’s absolutely delicious!
We’ve combined fluffy couscous with zesty lime, harissa and melty feta, so every bite is far from boring. It definitely steals the show!
When it comes to larger than life Mexican-style flavours, our Cheesy Avocado Salsa Wedges have it all. Baked until crisp and topped with zingy homemade salsa, spices, smooth avocado and sour cream, they’re the perfect accompaniment on a Mexican-inspired Fakeaway night.
Did we mention the gooey cheese topping?
Which veggie dishes have made it into your meal plan?
We’d love to know which of our vegetarian breakfasts, lunches, dinners, side dishes and snacks you’ll be cooking up! Nothing gives us more of a buzz than seeing your posts and pictures over in our Facebook group, where we have almost 1 million community members sharing recipe ideas and swapping motivational stories. We’d love to see you there!
Interested in seeing what everyone else has been making lately? Our Pinch of Nom Gallery is THE place to be. There might even be SWAG up for grabs when you share your top recipe hints and tips!