Transitioning to a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet doesn't mean sacrificing flavor or spending hours in the kitchen. Cooking WFPB meals can be both simple and satisfying, offering a delicious and nutritious way to enjoy food. This article offers a collection of easy vegan recipes, perfect for those new to plant-based eating or seasoned vegans looking for fresh inspiration. These recipes emphasize whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, herbs, and spices.
Why Choose a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet?
Plant-based diets have gained popularity due to their potential health and environmental benefits. They encourage the consumption of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes, which provide essential nutrients and fiber. By focusing on real, whole ingredients and a diverse range of colors, plant-based diets promote overall well-being.
Breakfast Ideas to Kickstart Your Day
If you are also looking for breakfast ideas, explore options like "14 Boredom-Busting Plant-Based Breakfasts" or "Healthy Vegan Brunch Recipes."
Quick & Easy WFPB Recipes
The key to success with a WFPB diet is having access to a repertoire of reliable and tasty recipes. Here are some examples to get you started:
Pasta Dishes
- Green Bean Pasta with Cashew Pesto: This pesto pasta features a glossy sauce made from blending cashews, fresh spinach, fresh basil, and nutritional yeast. To prepare, soak the cashews for 30 minutes before blending. Collard greens can be substituted for spinach in the pesto sauce if needed.
Bowls
- Thai Rice Salad Bowls: This colorful brown rice bowl combines textures and flavors with red cabbage, scallions, and sweet potato wedges. It can be served with cilantro, sriracha sauce, and an almond-lime dressing.
- Southwest Potato and Red Bean Bowls: Ready in 20 minutes, this meal combines russet potatoes, red kidney beans, and pico de gallo, seasoned with lemon juice and paprika or chili powder.
Pizzas
- Tex-Mex Pita Pizzas: Use pita bread as the base for these single-serve vegan pizzas. Top with avocado and a corn and black bean mix for a quick family meal.
Burgers
- Sneaky Chickpea Burgers: These burgers, created by Dreena Burton, are a hit with all ages. Carrot and bell pepper add sweetness, while tomato paste, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and nutritional yeast provide a tangy flavor.
- Black Bean Burgers: These vegan patties rely on whole-food, plant-based pantry staples, unlike store-bought veggie burgers that often contain oil and processed ingredients.
Soups and Stews
- Lentil Vegetable Soup: This easy lentil-vegetable soup features everyday veggies and brown lentils.
- Hearty Vegan Red Bean Chili: This stovetop chili has a rich base of red bell pepper and onion, with fire-roasted tomatoes for smokiness, kidney beans for bulk, and millet for texture.
- Best-Ever Beefless Stew: This stew offers comfort and flavor, with portobello mushrooms for umami flavor and plenty of potatoes and other everyday veggies.
- Easy Vegan Corn Chowder: This vegan corn chowder achieves creaminess using almond flour and potato instead of dairy.
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup: Loaded with mushrooms, wild rice, and red bell pepper, this soup is suitable for both family meals and company. Double the batch as needed.
- Quick and Easy Noodle Soup: This one-pot soup combines basic veggies, whole grain noodles, and dried herbs for a comforting dish similar to chicken noodle soup.
- Vegan Minestrone Soup with Potatoes and Kale: This hearty stew combines russet potato, mushrooms, kale, and white beans.
- Sweet Potato Chili with Kale: Cooked with orange juice, this chili combines citrusy-spicy flavors with sweet potato and kale.
- 8-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Chili: Canned tomatoes, garlic, and vegetarian chili seasoning give this plant-based chili flavor with minimal effort. Add dried beans and let the slow cooker do the work.
- Curried Lentil Soup: This flavorful curry is a quick and filling meal served over rice.
- Vegan Butternut Squash Soup: Fresh sage and rosemary add rich autumnal flavor to this soup.
- Dairy-Free Broccoli Cheese Soup: A plant-based twist on a classic.
- Roasted Tomato Soup: Roasted tomatoes infuse this soup with rich, savory flavor.
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup: Blended cauliflower creates the luscious texture of this secretly healthy soup.
Tacos and Wraps
- Spinach-Potato Tacos: This taco filling combines spinach and potato for a plant-based meal.
- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas: These quesadillas are stuffed with salsa, rice, spinach, and beans.
- Avocado & White Bean Salad Wraps: These wraps feature crunchy veggies, avocado, and mashed white beans. Cut into bite-sized pieces for an appetizer.
Sandwiches
- Greens and Things Sandwiches with Carrot Hummus: This sandwich includes cucumber, pepperoncini (or roasted red peppers), fresh baby kale, and toasted sunflower kernels, complemented by homemade carrot hummus.
- "No-Tuna" Salad Sandwich: This 10-minute sandwich filling combines mashed chickpeas with capers, red onion, pickles, tahini, mustard, and maple syrup.
- Shiitake Bacon BLT: Crispy shiitake bacon replaces the meat in this plant-based riff on a BLT.
Other Mains
- Kale Arrabbiata-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash: Bake spaghetti squash halves and top with a chickpea-marinara sauce.
- Lentil Sloppy Joes: Simmer the filling for an hour and a half for a quick weeknight meal. Extra filling can be frozen.
- Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce: Crisp veggies are cooked until tender and served atop brown rice, drizzled with low-fat peanut sauce.
- Chickpea Omelet: Made with seasoned chickpea flour and water, this egg-free omelet is a savory veggie pancake.
- Cauliflower Steaks: Slabs of cauliflower become hearty "steaks."
- Stuffed Acorn Squash: A tempeh and mushroom filling makes this stuffed acorn squash a satisfying main dish.
- Stuffed Peppers: Tomatillo salsa adds zesty flavor to these super-veggie stuffed peppers.
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Rosemary White Bean Bake: Sun-dried tomatoes and fresh rosemary add depth to this comforting plant-based recipe.
Sides and Snacks
- Carrot Dogs: Soak carrots in a smoky marinade to satisfy hot dog cravings.
- "Nacho" Vegan Baked Potato: Top a baked potato with beans, salsa, and avocado.
- Taco-Spiced Tortilla Chips: Baked, not fried, and coated with spices.
- The Best Oil-Free Hummus: Ready in 10 minutes, this hummus can be customized with add-ins like spinach, olives, mint, or eggplant.
- Zucchini Fritters: These fritters use grated zucchini and chickpea flour, combined with tahini, lemon juice, green onions, and fresh dill seed.
- No-Fry Fried Rice: This oil-free "fried" rice is packed with veggies. Pineapple adds sweetness, and a garlic-ginger-tamari sauce completes the dish.
- Veggie and Apple Slaw: This coleslaw features red and white cabbage, apple, carrot, and celery, tossed with a Dijon vinaigrette.
- Potato Salad with Avocado and Dill: Avocado is the key to this creamy plant-based potato salad.
- Spicy French Fries: These baked fries make a great snack or side dish.
- Potato-Cauliflower Curry: Potato, cauliflower, and frozen peas soak up the flavors of a homemade curry sauce.
- Falafel: Crispy baked falafel.
Salads
- Radish and Greens Salad: This energizing salad uses radish greens.
- French Lentil Salad: This salad combines French green lentils, olives, pickled onions, and dried fruit.
- Taco Salad: This plant-based taco salad includes crispy tortilla strips, shiitake-walnut taco "meat," and cilantro lime dressing.
Tips for Whole Food Plant-Based Cooking
- Plan Your Meals: Utilize resources like Forks Meal Planner for weekly plant-based meal plans with recipes that take 35 minutes or less to make.
- Embrace Variety: Incorporate a wide range of vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes into your diet.
- Experiment with Flavors: Use herbs, spices, and flavorful sauces to enhance your dishes.
- Prepare Ahead: Cook grains or roast vegetables in advance to save time during the week.
- Read Labels: Be mindful of added oils, sugars, and processed ingredients in packaged foods.
A Note on Oil-Free Cooking
Many WFPB recipes are oil-free, focusing on the natural fats found in whole foods like nuts and avocados. If you're new to oil-free cooking, experiment with different techniques like water sautéing or baking to achieve desired textures.
Read also: Satisfy Your Cravings with Whole Foods
Read also: Whole Foods Breakfast Options
Read also: Plant-Based Diet Guide