Whatever you’ve been cooking up for you and the family recently, protein is usually a major part of any meal. People often assume that animal protein needs to be consumed in order to meet the body’s protein needs, but this is not true at all.
There are so many high protein vegetarian meals that can be made which can help you and the family feel full for hours on end. There are all sorts of vegetables and alternative sources of protein, plus plant-based protein is actually healthier on the whole.
If you are in the family trying to eat less meat or have gone meat-free altogether, we’ve come up with 5 recipes to cook for easy vegetarian meals that will leave everybody feeling full.
1. Black bean Tostadas
Packed full of party ingredients such as sweet potatoes, black beans, cabbage, peppers and herbs, these cruelty-free Tostadas are a brilliant way to fill you up.
Black beans are total protein powerhouses, containing 7 g per half a cup serving. All of the ingredients are tied together with a dose of crema, however, if you want to make it a richer dish than finish things off with a crumble of feta cheese.
2. Bean and spinach Enchiladas
Enchiladas make for a fun and kid-friendly vegetarian meals. Rather than in your best paella pan, another way that you can make them is in a slow cooker – pack them in tightly and they’ll stew for hours, resulting in divine flavour.
You can add any of your favourite beans to create a tailor-made, winning flavour combination that is full of protein. It’s wholesome food without the guilt, plus the perfect swap if you’re getting tired of tacos.
3. Souffle mushroom pancake
One of our favourite sources of vegetarian protein are eggs, and when you combine them in a miso-based pancake, your tastebuds will be invigorated. Mushrooms are also full of protein, plus they are jam-packed with copper, antioxidants, vitamins and selenium.
This pancake is similar in format to a frittata and it gets its intense flavour from spicy ginger, tamari and toasted sesame seeds. You can top it off with bok choy, crispy scallions and more mushrooms to taste.
The miso element is the bit that makes it game-changing – toss-up all of your vegetables in deeply flavoured miso to add a killer umami element.
4. Eggplant and mushroom meatball sub
The hearty sub can be created entirely using plants, without having to skip on flavour. If you roast eggplants for 45 minutes in an oven, you can then scoop out the insides and combine them with rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, salt, pepper and spices in a blender.
Add some breadcrumbs and egg, unless you’re vegan, pulse it all up and chill in the fridge after shaping the mixture into meatballs. Simply delicious!
5. Pesto green bean and potato pasta
A lot of people have a misconception that vegetarian meals with rice make up 90% of a vegetarian’s repertoire, but pasta is super simple and effective. To pasta, add green beans, pine nuts, potatoes and Parmesan.
It is straightforward but packed full of protein. You could also try using wholewheat pasta or pasta made with lentils for additional protein. We would also recommend stopping with walnuts or almonds to add additional nutrients and fats.
Vegetarian meals to die for
We guarantee that these five ideas will give your family healthy vegetarian meals that will never disappoint.
No longer will you and the gang be needing to worry about getting enough protein, because going vegetarian provides more than you need. Enjoy these five veggie meals more than we’ve enjoyed writing about them!
What do you make of vegetarian seafood meals? Are they vegetarian in your eyes? We’d love to hear more from you. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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