Welcome to this week’s meal plan. The aim of these plans is to help you plan your weekly meals. Whether you are trying to cut down on your meat intake, and you are looking for some vegetarian dinner inspiration or you’re a new vegetarian and you’re stuck for dinner ideas. I hope you find these plans helpful. You can follow them for the week or you can pick and choose one or two recipes. It’s up to you. All recipes cater for 4 servings. They can be adjusted to suit less or more by using the serving tool in the recipe cards. Toward the end of this page, I have included a shopping list and a store cupboard list. If you’d like to see last week’s meal plan you can find it here.
Monday - Vegetarian Toad in the Hole
Who doesn’t love cosy comfort food this time if the year? Warming, filling and tasty, toad in the hole is an English classic. And just because your vegetarian doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this classic meal too. There are plenty of options now for good vegetarian sausages that you’re really spoilt for choice. We’ve been having vegetarian toad in the hole for some time now, it took me a while to get the batter right but once I did this has ended up being a family favourite.
Tuesday - Creamy Broccoli & Cauliflower Soup
This creamy broccoli and cauliflower soup is a lovely delicate soup that is warming and satisfying. A healthy soup that’s easy to make and ready in no time. It’s easy to make, like most soups, and is perfectly delicious on its own, but I like to serve it with a little helping of grated mature cheddar cheese and some very good crusty bread. This soup is great as a light supper. If you have any leftover this soup is great for a take to work lunch.
Wednesday - Vegetarian Goulash with Beans
This veggie goulash is packed with veggies and is a filling hearty meal, suitable for all the family. It’s warming and cosy and is perfect comfort food for these cooler days. It does take a bit longer to make but is totally worth the wait. So you may want to make this when you have more time. I’ve added butter beans to this goulash for some extra protein, however, you can use other beans too, cannellini beans work really well. I usually serve this with some good crusty bread but that's up to you.
Thursday - Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake
Hearty, comforting and so delicious. This tasty, veggie pasta bake is great for when the weather turns cooler. This spinach and ricotta pasta bake is one of our favourite veggie comfort food meals. It’s rich and satisfying and perfect to come home to after a long day at work or school. This pasta bake is packed with spinach, but don’t worry the kids won’t even notice that! Sometimes we need a few tricks up our sleeves to get them to eat their greens, am I right?
Friday - Vegetarian Chili
This tasty vegetarian chili is so easy to make and is perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s packed with beans and mushrooms and smoky spices. This meatless chili is so good even your meat-eating friends will love it! One of the things I love most about chili is all the extras! I usually serve this with rice, plenty of grated cheddar cheese, and top it off with more chopped coriander/cilantro, slices of jalapeño and a good dollop of sour cream. If we have any leftovers, we have it for lunch with jacket potatoes.
Shopping List
- 350g x baby spinach
- 250g x chestnut (brown) mushrooms
- 1 small bunch of parsley
- 1 x large brown onion
- 4 x medium brown onions
- 1 head of celery
- 1 x medium floury potato (200g)
- 1 small head of broccoli (180g)
- 1 small head of cauliflower (250g)
- 3 x red bell peppers
- 2 x green bell peppers
- 1 x large dried ancho chilli
- 1 x medium red jalapeno pepper
- a bunch of fresh thyme
- 5 or 6 fresh sage leaves
- A small bunch of fresh basil
- A small bunch of fresh coriander/cilantro
- 1 x bulb of garlic
- 500g x small waxy potatoes
- 2 x large carrots
- 500g x ricotta
- 1 x 125g ball of mozzarella
- vegetarian parmesan
- 450g x pasta
- 680g x passata
- 2 x large eggs
- 8 vegetarian sausages
- 3 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 400g can of butter beans
- 1 x 400g can of kidney beans
- 1 x 400g can of black beans
- 2 x squares of dark chocolate (optional)
store cupboard ingredients
- Olive oil
- Light olive oil
- Vegetable stock cubes/ bouillon
- Dried bay leaves (5)
- Sea salt
- Black peppercorns
- Plain flour
- Semi-skimmed milk
- Butter
- Paprika
- Dried oregano
- Tomato puree
- Balsamic vinegar
- Nutmeg
- Dried coriander
- Ground cinnamon
- Soy sauce/tamari
- extras/serving suggestions
- Mature cheddar cheese (sharp)
- Crusty bread
- Frozen peas
- Rice
- Sour cream
- Gravy