These quick burritos check all the major plant-based boxes—legumes, grains, and veggies—and they taste great. Several of the ingredients are anti-inflammatory superstars. They can be made even more quickly with leftover sweet potatoes. Fast, easy, delicious, customizable—that’s a win, win, win, win!
This comforting combination—chewy soy curls, cheesy grits, and spinach, all slathered with barbecue sauce—tastes great and delivers legumes, grains, and greens, the healthy plant-based trifecta. Cook the soy curls in the air fryer or oven—your choice. With instant grits and an air fryer, dinner will be done in under 30 minutes!
This plant-based chili’s flavor runs deep, a tough challenge for vegan chili recipes. You might not taste the cocoa powder or cinnamon, but they contribute to the complexity of this flavor profile. A little tahini lends it some creaminess, and cilantro and limes add bright notes at the end. As a bonus, this chili freezes well and makes at least 8 servings, meaning “Leftovers!,” one of my favorite words.
This post includes a recipe for oil-free crisp tortilla shells and a list of plant-based, oil-free toppings, including beans, crumbles, sauces, and garnishes. Use your imagination and customize your approach depending on what you feel like and what you have on hand.
These delicious oil-free crumbles are high in plant-based protein, use whole-food ingredients, and taste great. The nuts provide a wonderful contrasting texture and flavor to the tempeh, creating the complexity needed for the base of tacos, tostadas, nachos, or burritos. I provide a number of suggestions for using these crumbles in various dishes.
This gluten-free, oil-free, plant-based burger has the two characteristics most needed in a good veggie burger: the right texture and an interesting flavor combination. Homemade vegan burgers with beans can be mushy, a real turn-off. These burgers get their structure from sturdy legumes, ground chia “eggs,” oatmeal, and seeds. The flavor comes from ketchup, mustard, and a good dose of dry spices.
This salad takes advantage of freekeh, a grain derived from young wheat that cooks relatively quickly, it has a nutty flavor, and it’s a whole grain. In this salad, which could serve as the main dish of a meal, and would be lovely at a summer picnic, freekeh is tossed together with roasted vegetables, currants (or other dried fruit), lemon zest, and a light dressing. It can be served cold or at room temperature, can be customized, and goes well with many foods.
The filling is a snap to make in the air fryer ( oven directions provided too). It’s oil-free with delightful contrasting textures between the crispy chickpeas and the tender cauliflower. The swoon-worthy crema brings lime and cilantro flavors forward, all against the creaminess of blended raw cashews. Top this with a cabbage slaw and hot sauce, and you have a party in your mouth.
This lovely plant-based curry is a snap to make in the Instant Pot. Pre-soaking the black-eyed peas means that all the ingredients will reach the right texture, without getting over-cooked, in 12 minutes of pressure. This method avoids the need for oil, which saves on fat and calories. Seasonings and heat level can be adjusted to taste. The curry freezes well.
The soy curls bring a welcome contrasting texture to the rice and vegetables in this bowl. The curls are chewy and bursting with barbecue flavor. You can make this bowl your own with your choice of grain, vegetables, toppings, and sauce.
Soy curls are a great substitute for chicken in this plant-based recipe. They’re chewy, roasted on the outside, soft on the inside, and they soak up the wonderful flavors of the marinade-sauce. Even without oil, the roasting method works perfectly and yields a lot of color to the soy curls and vegetables. My favorite part is the peanuts!
Mushrooms and lentils share the spotlight in this stew, with support from tomato and vinegar flavors. The result is a protein-packed, deeply flavorful plant-based stew that tastes great on its own or with spaetzle, rice, or other grain.
These plant-based fajitas have layers and layers of flavors and textures. Roasting brings out the best of all the ingredients, including bell peppers, soy curls, onion, tomatoes, and zucchinis. These are oil-free, but you wouldn’t know it from the flavor and caramelization. If you haven’t tried soy curls yet (a very healthy protein made from soybeans), this would be a great recipe to start with. You control the level of spicy heat.
I adapted this recipe from from the New York Times replacing the oil with a combination of tahini and water (saving almost 400 calories) and regular parmesan with vegan parmesan. The freshness of the lemon, the grassiness of the herbs, and the abundant asparagus pieces shout “It’s spring!” This is a perfect brunch dish as well as dinner entree, because it tastes great at room temperature or hot.
Eggplant, zucchini, and other summer squash are sometimes hard to include in a stir-fry. To get these vegetables cooked well and avoid using oil, I broil the vegetables with a tahini-water mixture instead of stir-frying them. The textures and flavors are spot-on. Everything is cooked right, without mushiness, and the flavor combination is divine.
For this summer entree salad, you can use whatever cooked grain you like, whatever kinds of grilled vegetables, and your choices of greens and dressing. The smokiness of the grilled vegetables and the roasted red pepper dressing give this its unique character. This plant-based salad ticks all the boxes on nutrition as well: healthy grains, vegetables, protein (from quinoa), seeds (from tahini), and dark leafy greens.
Rolling zucchini ribbons into spirals stuffed with vegan ricotta cheese makes for a perfect casserole. Baked in a simple marinara sauce, with vegan parmesan on top, these spirals taste like lasagna, but without the bulky noodles.
Try these easy tacos for an impressive dinner for family or guests. The classic combination of black beans and corn is a crowd-pleaser. This combination is especially great when you can get fresh sweet corn for the salsa, but even frozen corn works well. The bean mixture freezes well.
This tasty noodle bowl contains no oil, meaning it’s healthy and lower in calories than most noodle recipes. The simple sauce packs a ton of flavor, and the variety of textures from the noodles to the vegetables (cooked and raw) makes for a dish that satisfies.
Put a delicious Indian-spiced potato-pea filling into whole-wheat flour tortillas, and you get a wonderful fusion creation: a samosa-quesadilla! This recipe has no added oil, either, so these are a far cry from the deep-fried samosas in Indian restaurants. Spread your favorite chutney on top, and you’ll enjoy a healthy, heavenly dish.
Make pasta alla puttanesca the easy way: in the Instant Pot. You add everything into the pot, program 4 minutes of pressure cooking, and walk away. Top it with vegan parmesan cheese, and you’ll never want to make it the old way again. This plant-based dish is also oil-free, which, in combination with whole-grain pasta makes it healthy, but not at the expense of tasting great.
This dish offers a great balance of textures and flavors. If you use store-bought vegan meatballs or if you have already made the meatballs, it’s a very quick meal (15-20 minutes max). This healthy, plant-based take on a meatball favorite is sure to please you and your fellow diners.
Many vegan meatball recipes contain beans, which give the meatballs a soft, squishy texture. This recipe uses mushrooms, walnuts, and grated tempeh—held together with a little vital wheat gluten—to get a firm, chewy texture. These meatballs hold up very well in sauces or soups.
Sweet potatoes can be spiralized or julienned into fantastic noodles. They give zucchini and “Zoodles” a run for their money. What a great way to get the healthy benefits of sweet potatoes.
Without oil and sugar, this vegan take on the wraps made famous by P.F. Chang’s is incredibly delicious. Their wonderful play of textures and flavors hits the spot.
This Instant Pot technique result is a fluffy quinoa dish bursting with flavors and colors. It’s fun to put toppings on the table and let everyone build their own masterpiece.
This delicious plant-based curry is high on flavor and low on calories (about 165 calories per serving). You can customize it, using your favorite vegetables.
Adding kale and chickpeas to this classic plant-based Italian pasta sauce gives it substance and so much more nutrition. I love the layers of textures and the bursts of flavors from the olives and capers.
Stuff baked potatoes with shepherd’s pie filling! This clever solution gets you all the same flavors but skips the oven and making the whipped potatoes.. A perfect plant-based entree.
For those times when you crave the flavor of Alfredo but you don’t need the butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. This lovely plant-based substitute is healthy and delicious.
Crispy taquitos with no oil? Yes, it can be done. Serve these plant-based treats with guacamole, salsa, and/or crema, and you’ve got a major party on your hands!
This no-oil “ground beef” substitute, with its chewy-crispy texture, can be used in tacos, burritos, tostadas, enchiladas, taquitos, or on nachos. They are the ultimate all-purpose ingredient for quick Mexican dishes.
Here’s a ramen recipe that doesn’t take all day or require two dozen ingredients. It’s amazing what the miso and mushroom flavors do for the taste of this dish. From flat to full-bodied!
Fried rice without frying? Yes! Fried rice with brown rice? Yes again. You have to try this to believe it. Healthy and delicious.
The combination of mellow pintos and smoky chipotles makes this dish satisfying on its own or easily combined with other elements for a satisfying and super-healthy meal.
Whole wheat flour tortillas bake up very nice so you can avoid oil for these beauties. These are as healthy as they are delicious.
This no-oil version of the classic Italian dish tastes delicious.. You get the full flavor of the original but this version saves more than 500 calories over the high-oil approaches.
Love stuffed bell peppers but don’t like how much pepper you have to eat to get to the filling? Try this approach—cut the pepper into rings, stuff them, and roast them.
This is a family-friendly recipe and great for summer dinners. And only one pot to clean up! I found that green lentils work best because they hold their shape better than brown or red. Delicious!
This recipe is fast, easy, and delicious. In about 30 minutes you have a healthy, satisfying entree for dinner that the whole family will love.
In this gorgeous plant-based pasta dish, the peppery arugula holds it own again the velvety lemon-infused sauce. The dish is oil-free. The combination of flavors and textures is assertive and entirely pleasing.
This recipe started from one of the many recipes for “green rice,” but I wanted to use kale instead of parsley as the green. Taking out the butter meant building a white sauce with cashew and tofu for creaminess and texture. Delish!
Not the first combination you think of: spinach and mushrooms? They work really well in this fast and easy quesadilla recipe. Optional layers and toppings make these extra-special.
So few ingredients, such a great taste! These quesadillas are spicy but also sweet and savory, and the texture isn’t mushy. That’s my kind of plant-based quesadilla.
This salad has the taste of a Greek salad but is much healthier. Packed with protein and fiber, this salad does your body good. But the flavors keep your mouth happy.
This curry dish features two popular vegetables along with an appealing creamy tomato sauce with Indian spicing.
This creamy tomato sauce gives the traditional Italian vodka sauce a run for its money. Peas are the perfect complement to the nutty, cheesy sauce, and all kinds of pasta would work well in this dish.
This fabulous dish is pure plant-based comfort food, even though it contains no oil or refined ingredients. The blend of vegetables with the plant-based cheeses hits the spot.
This easy recipe turns any grape or cherry tomatoes into an intriguing pasta dish that will keep you coming back for more.
Sugar snap star in this stir-fry, with other vegetables of your choosing serving as the supporting cast. The sauce brings ginger, garlic, miso, sesame, and chili flavors to the party.
Bowls aren’t always the fastest meal to make if you’re starting from scratch. Here are my strategies for cooking everything you need for a bowl in 15 minutes.
The fresh basil and combination of oregano, thyme, and garlic give this classic dish its pop. The absence of oil and dairy mean it’s healthy and satisfying.
These are for people who like a classic red enchilada sauce. This filling of mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and corn—with a little tofu and spices—is flavorful, with lots of different textures and tastes. Free of oil and other processed ingredients, these plant-based enchiladas deliver a great meal.
The magic ingredient in this recipe is time. As much as I strive for efficient recipes, I haven’t yet found a shortcut for the soaking time in this one. But almost all of the time is hands-off.
This curry is super-satisfying because it features two popular vegetables, potatoes and green beans. I replaced coconut milk with cashew milk in order to decrease the significant saturated fat that coconut milk brings with it.
In this recipe, you get the goodness of potatoes and broccoli. They bring different nutrients, textures, and taste to the party, resulting in a very satisfying dish.
This is a variation on the British “Bubble and Squeak,” a dish using potato and cabbage leftovers, fried with butter, bacon, or other fats. This is a healthier dish with tons of savory goodness, especially when topped with gravy.
No-oil method for turning bland tofu into flavorful slices of umami goodness. I love how this method takes all the jiggle out of tofu, too. The slices are great on sandwiches, or you can cut the slices up and use the pieces for bowls, stir-fries, fajitas, and the list goes on.
These delicious wraps use whole wheat flour tortillas and baked tofu to turn a well-loved traditional Chinese dish into a well-loved healthy Chinese inspired meal.
A mixture of tahini, water, and spices coats the sweet potatoes and browns them as they roast. You save calories and fat and still get a great roasted flavor.
Easy baked sweet potatoes can make for a quick lunch or dinner. Combine them with leftover soup or salad, and you’ve got a meal.
This savory plant-based recipe results in beautiful, tasty sweet potato cakes with a light texture. They're perfect as a main dish or a side dish, and they're baked, not fried.
Some dishes are just homey and good. Scalloped corn, like its close relation scalloped potatoes, is one of them. Blended cashews made into a white sauce provide an excellent substitute for a traditional dairy-based white sauce.
These three “sisters”—corn, squash, and beans—taste delicious together. This fast and easy approach yields delicious quesadillas in less than 30 minutes.
This lovely curry makes good use of home gardens’ harvests—eggplant and summer squash. I like to serve this curry with baked Indian fritters.
Zucchini “noodles” cook quickly, making for a fast dinner. Pair it with a no-oil pesto and you’ve got a delicious, satisfying, healthy dish that’s light on calories.
These fritters are very much like pakora appetizers at Indian restaurants. Baking them rather than deep-frying makes them a lot healthier.
These gluten-free black bean burgers have incredible texture and taste without any added oil. The burgers are baked rather than pan-fried, which not only saves on oil but also eliminates time standing at the stove. They freeze well and go with lots of toppings.
Mushrooms and ricotta cheese couldn’t be more complementary: earthy vs. sharp, chewy vs. creamy, brown vs. white. Throw in tomatoes and Italian spices, and you’ve got a delicious party going on inside the folded-over pizza crust.
Your friends and family won’t miss the meat with this lasagna. The cashew-based ricotta is the key, and it’s super-delicious.
Yes, you can make eggplant parmigiana without oil! Roasting the eggplant slices releases their flavor and keeps the dish clean-tasting. Light and delicious, this Parmigiana will please the eggplant lovers among us.
Whether you’re a new cook, experienced, or a plant-based expert, there’s a vegan pizza for you. You’ll be well rewarded for your efforts. Use my guide to choose your crust, sauce, and toppings.
This creamy oil-free, plant-based ricotta tastes excellent and a lot like its dairy equivalent. It works well on pizzas, in calzones, in lasagna, on bruschetta and open-faced sandwiches, and in many other recipes.
The difference between this recipe and most vegan Parmesan cheese recipes is the addition of a little miso paste. The miso adds a salty umami undertone that works well with the nutritional yeast to mimic Parmesan.
These verde enchiladas are easy and quick—they’re folded rather than rolled and then go right onto the plates. They keep their shape, look fantastic, and taste divine.
This excellent curry is surprisingly flavorful, given the simplicity of the recipe. The spices’ aroma fills up the kitchen and makes your mouth water while you’re cooking the dish.
Make these gorgeous pesto-stuffed pasta shells for an elegant vegan dinner. The pan sauce, with a hint of white wine, adds savory goodness.
Using raw cashews instead of coconut milk, you save 12 grams of saturated fat per serving. This plant-based curry is rich and delicious, and it comes together in about 30 minutes.
This gorgeous and deeply tasty plant-based pie, made without oil or butter, gets its power from perfectly whipped russet potatoes and a umami-rich dark gravy that mingles with lentils and a host of chopped vegetables.
This plant-based version of General Tso’s is significantly healthier than the original—no meat, no deep-frying, no oil in the sauce, a whole-food-based chicken substitute, and dates instead of sugar in the sauce. A guilt-free, incredibly delicious General’s!
This plant-based pot pie takes a little work, but it’s so worth it. It’s chock full of vegetables, including potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and peas. Makes a great Thanksgiving entree.
Recipes with eggplant usually call for loads of oil. I used my broiling method to cook the eggplant with only light sprays on both sides. The rest of the recipe brings classic Indian spices and ingredients to the party for a delicious curry.
Raw cashew milk substitutes for coconut milk and matches the taste and creaminess. You save a lot of saturated fat that way making this a healthy plant-based dish. You can choose your own favorite vegetables and proteins and make it your own.
The secret of this dish is the lemony-briny flavors in the kale pesto. The pasta and zucchini serve as an excellent base, although you could go all-pasta, all-zucchini, pasta-and-potatoes, or other bases that I haven't thought of.
These are the perfect plant-based centerpiece for Thanksgiving, but they’re great all year round. Baked and not pan-fried, they contain no oil. The autumn spices can be changed up to reflect the season…or your current mood.
This is my plant-based Thanksgiving entree. Its mild flavors are perfect for Thanksgiving, but "mild" shouldn't be confused with "boring." Many succotashes are made on the stove, but this one is baked, with cashew cream, flaxseed meal, and a creative mix of spices and herbs holding everything together deliciously, without oil or butter..
This is a great dish for using your farmers' market greens! This is downright healthy, even as Thai food goes. The peanuts, jalapeño, and cilantro combine with the bitter broccoli rabe or mustard greens for a bracing and delicious plant-based, oil-free entree.
These satay soy curls are a flavorful plant-based twist on a classic Thai-inspired dish. Coated with a rich, savory, whole-foods peanut sauce featuring coconut, lime, and Thai curry flavors, the healthy soy curls are then roasted on bamboo skewers. The same vegan peanut sauce serves as a dipping sauce. Satisfying, and packed with wholesome ingredients, this recipe is a must-try for any plant-based enthusiast.