10 Easy Vegan Dinner Ideas (no recipes needed)

Get dinner on the table fast with these easy vegan dinner ideas! No cookbooks or precise recipes are needed. Create balanced and tasty plant-based meals with ingredients from your fridge, freezer, and pantry. 

Do you ever wish you could hit an “easy” button when it comes to dinner? Figuring out what to make for dinner day in and day out is a complaint I hear from many of my clients. There are loads of strategies for meal planning (one of my favorite topics to dig into with my nutrition counseling clients – I love helping them simplify their evenings and decrease stress while feeding themselves and their families yummy and nutritious meals!) and it doesn’t have to be difficult.

One thing I recommend to literally everyone when it comes to meal planning is to have several quick meals that you know how to make without a recipe and keep those ingredients stocked. This way, no matter what life throws at you, you know that you have items in your kitchen that you can turn into a decent meal in no time!

Sometimes these are plan B meals (what you make when plan A doesn’t or can’t happen) or sometimes they are literally planned. It’s OK to plan frozen foods into your week. It’s helpful to plan for things to be easy. Lighten your load. Focus on balance and forget any diet-y rules.

You can get to those complex recipes or more involved meals on the weekend or whenever you have more time or energy. 

If you’re a working parent like I am, or just generally don’t have much time, energy, or interest in cooking, you need to know how to put together quick and easy meals that are also enjoyable and nutritious!

Here are 10 quick and easy vegan dinners to get you started.

Pasta Marinara with Baked Tofu and Veggies

What it is: Pasta marinara turns into a balanced, filling meal with the addition of a vegan protein and easy vegetable. There are endless variations of this. My favorite proteins for this are nooch tofu and Italian-style seitan (the kind that comes pre-seasoned). I’ve also included roasted chickpeas for protein, or for a super fast protein, a can of lentils. My favorite fast veggies to go with pasta marinara are sauteed kale and frozen broccoli (I literally just microwave it!). You could also do a quick side salad. This is also an opportunity to sauté or roast up whatever veggies you have that need to be eaten!

How to make it: Cook whatever noodles you desire (white, wheat, chickpea, lentil, brown rice, whatever you like!) and use your favorite jarred pasta sauce. Add your protein and veg on top or the side. 

For the nooch tofu, I make it in my toaster oven (perfect size to cook a block of tofu) while the water is boiling and the noodles are cooking. For Italian seitan, I sauté it in a pan while the noodles are cooking. Sauteed kale can be made on the stove in a minute and frozen broccoli can be microwaved in a couple minutes. 

Mix up the pasta type and/or shape, proteins, and veggies to keep this meal interesting.

Family-friendly tip: Involve the kids by having them pick the pasta, protein and/or veg for the pasta dinner that week. Invite them to help you prep any items that are appropriate for their age (for example, my toddlers love to help me drizzle oil and seasonings on tofu in a mixing bowl and stir it up).

Simple and a crowd-pleaser! 

Pesto Pasta with Beans and Greens

What it is: Another tasty pasta dish, this time using premade pesto instead of jarred sauce. Cannellini beans and butter beans go great with pesto and sauteed greens top it all off. I like to add halved grape tomatoes for a pop of color and juiciness too!

How to make it: After draining cooked noodles (I think bowtie are especially pretty with pesto), return them to the pan and toss in a drained and rinsed can of beans (1 can of beans feeds 2 people; increase accordingly) and enough pesto to coat everything to your liking. Top with tomatoes and sauteed greens that you whipped up while the noodles were cooking (in my vegan nutrition course I go into detail about my easy way to cook up quick and tasty greens!).

Family-friendly tip: Consider serving the components of this meal separately for young eaters and those who do not like foods mixed together (in other words, instead of mixing or piling everything together, serve individual portions of pasta, beans, veggies on the plate so that they are not touching each other).

Seems kinda fancy but is SO simple!

Frozen Pizza and Side Salad with Baked Tofu

What it is: Literally a frozen pizza and whatever salad greens and fixings you have tossed together and topped with baked tofu! Yes, pizza can be a part of a balanced meal. There are a variety of tasty vegan pizzas on the market, go try some and find your favorites!

How to make it: Cook your pizza and tofu in the oven simultaneously. For simple baked tofu, press and cube a block of tofu, toss in a bowl with your favorite high-heat cooking oil (such as avocado oil, canola oil, vegetable/soybean oil) and salt and pepper (additional seasonings if you desire). Spread it on a sheet pan and slide it into the oven. Keep an eye on it and see if it needs more or less time than your pizza. You can’t go wrong in cooking tofu – it’s safe to eat raw so you’re just cooking it to your desired doneness (do you like it crispy or not?).

While the pizza and tofu are in the oven, compose your salad. Prewashed greens save loads of time. Use a bottled dressing or drizzle on some vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil with salt and pepper. I like lots of citrus and a hearty sprinkle of za’atar to make it really flavorful! Top with your cooked tofu (or if you prefer, a drained/rinsed can or beans or lentils). 

Family-friendly tip: Invite kids to help you make the salad! My kids love to munch on veggies while they’re at the counter with me.

Pizza night has commenced!

Instant Ramen with Tofu and Frozen Broccoli

What it is: Yes, you read that correctly. The cheap instant ramen packets can be a part of a balanced meal. This is a favorite in my house and honestly feels like hitting the easy button because it pleases everyone, is very fast and affordable, and we always have these ingredients on hand. 

How to make it: Boil water and cook your ramen like normal, but at the end of the cooking time (and after adding as much of the seasoning packet as you like – you can just add a little if you’re trying to minimize sodium), add in chopped tofu (no need to cook it first) and frozen broccoli. Boil for a couple more minutes until tofu is hot and broccoli is heated through. 

You can make this at scale depending on how many people you’re feeding (use a pot big enough to handle it, boil as much water as you need, cook all the noodles at the same time). My family of 2 adults and 2 little kids eats 3 packs of ramen with 1 block of tofu and about 2 cups of frozen broccoli.

Family friendly tip: Add some cold water or ice cubes to the kids’ bowls to help cool down the ramen and also dilute the super salty broth.

EASY vegan dinner!

Breakfast for Dinner: Tofu Scramble

What it is: Classic tofu scramble paired with whatever fruit you’ve got on hand along with toast. Make it heartier with whole-grain toast topped with avocado or nut butter.

How to make it: There’s no right or wrong way to make tofu scramble. You can make it super plain by just sauteing crumbled tofu in a pan or make it colorful by adding a little turmeric for that classic yellow color, and loads of veggies for texture, flavor and nutrition. My favorite tofu scramble veggies are onions, mushrooms, kale, broccoli, and bell peppers. If loading with veggies, cook the tofu in one pan, the veggies in another, and then combine. Serve next to whatever fruit and toast you’ve got!

There are so many fun and colorful ways to make this one!

Family-friendly tip: Involve the kids in choosing the veggies, fruit, and toast toppings. 

There’s something about breakfast for dinner that is just FUN!

Breakfast for Dinner: Sausage, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches

What it is: This one takes advantage of frozen vegan convenience foods like sausage patties and JUST egg folds. You could also do vegan bacon in addition to or instead of the sausage. Serve with a big side of fruit!

How to make it: Cook the sausage patties in a pan on the stove while the egg folds cook in the toaster (yes, this is how you make them according to the package directions – I use my toaster oven and they come out perfect!). I like to use an Ezekiel English muffin for these sandwiches because they’re rich in nutrition, taste and texture. I toast up the English muffins in my toaster oven and right before they’re done, I throw on a slice of cheese to get it melty. Then I layer on the cooked sausage and egg. If you want to make it saucy, convenience options include vegan mayo or Bitchin’ sauce or whatever other sauce you like. You could also whip up a quick and tasty sauce like the Chicago Diner’s creole mustard (the recipe is in their cookbook and is a combo of mayo, mustard, and seasonings).

Family-friendly tip: Young eaters may want a deconstructed sandwich, with the sausage, egg, and English muffin served individually.

YUM!

Taco Salad with Crumbled Tempeh

What it is: A filling lettuce salad loaded with all your favorite taco toppings! Including tempeh ensures a good serving of protein. You can make this as complex or simple as you’d like. My favorite ingredients are tempeh, black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, cilantro lime rice, crushed corn chips, tomatoes, red and/or green onion, cilantro, jalapeño, avocado, creamy dressing (bottled or homemade) with hot sauce mixed in. This is also an opportunity to see what veggies need to be used up and throw ‘em in. 

How to make it: Crumble tempeh into a pan and sauté. Add your favorite taco seasonings (I usually do cumin, chili powder, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper; you could also use a taco seasoning packet) and cook until warmed through and to your desired crispiness. Assemble salad in a big bowl or platter and layer it up with your ingredients!

To make roasted sweet potatoes, I toss a bag of frozen sweet potatoes in a bowl with high-heat cooking oil, salt, onion powder, and chili powder. Then spread on a pan and roast in the oven (about 20 minutes at 400, keep an eye on it). 

To make cilantro lime rice, I cook a pot of rice (basmati is my favorite and white cooks faster than brown) and when it’s done, I stir in fresh cilantro and lime juice and season with salt. The rice and sweet potatoes could be cooking while you’re making the tempeh and prepping your veggies. You could also use those convenience rice packets. I like to make extra whenever I cook rice so I can freeze it for later, and this is a great opportunity to reheat some frozen rice.

You don’t have to add the rice or sweet potatoes, but the salad will not be as hearty. Perhaps have some extra tortilla chips with your salad!

Family-friendly tip: Offer the salad deconstructed to little ones and hold on the spicy peppers and dressing. My kids love rice, beans, tomatoes and avocado so I know they will eat those components and I still offer them the sweet potato too even though they rarely eat it. 

Chik’n Sandwich and Veggies

What it is: A simple vegan chik’n sandwich with a side of whatever veggies you’ve got! As an elder vegan, Boca chik’n patties have a special place in my heart and I think they are super tasty. There are so many options out there now! 

How to make it: My quick cooking hack is to cook the chik’n patty for a minute or two in the microwave to get it hot, then toast it in the toaster oven (you can also do this in a toaster) for another minute or two to make it crispy. I serve it on Ezekiel bread with lettuce and whatever condiments I’m feeling that day. In college I would have this with a side of frozen peas. This meal is still just as easy and tasty today as it was then! You could serve it with a side salad, crudité and hummus, or even fruit.

Make it fancy by melting some vegan mozzarella on the patty and layer on arugula and jarred roasted red peppers and serve on a hearty bun or roll. Pesto makes a great spread on this sandwich too!

Family-friendly tip: Little kids may have an easier time eating a deconstructed sandwich. 

Bean Burrito Bowls

What it is: Rice, beans, and your favorite toppings. An underrated classic that leaves your tummy feeling full and your tongue feeling happy! 

How to make it: Get your rice cooking first as this takes the longest and you can do everything else while it cooks! My go-to is basmati rice. 

In a skillet, sauté some onion and garlic in your favorite cooking oil. Then add a can or two (depends on how many people you’re feeding – remember 1 can is ~2 servings) of drained and rinsed black beans, along with a few tablespoons of water and a dash of cumin and cook until warm (a few minutes). Then, using a fork or a potato masher, mash the beans to your desired consistency. I like to mash them slightly so there is some texture but still plenty of whole beans. Turn off heat and finish with lime juice, salt and cilantro as desired and stir to incorporate. 

Prepare your toppings. Keep it simple with tomato and avocado. Go wild with your favorite spicy peppers. Add more flavor and color with sauteed bell peppers and onions.

Give this an added protein boost by adding some cooked tofu, tempeh, seitan, or vegan crumbles (I like to use chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano for flavor).

Family friendly tip: Create a burrito bowl “bar” by setting all the ingredients out in bowls and allowing kids to choose or serve what they desire. Giving kids some autonomy at the table helps them build a healthy relationship with food and it lessens mealtime battles!

Buffalo Tempeh Bowls

What it is: A flavorful bowl of your favorite grain (I usually choose quinoa or rice), cooked greens, easy Buffalo tempeh, chopped carrot and celery, topped with a creamy sauce. 

How to make it: First things first, get your grain cooking. Then, prepare the tempeh. I recommend “steaming” it first by putting your tempeh pieces/slices in a pan with a little water and covering it with a lid (this helps tame that strong tempeh flavor if you happen to dislike that). Let it steam for a few minutes, making sure to replace the water if it runs dry. Then, drizzle in some olive oil and and sauté until desired crispiness. Next, drizzle on your desired amount of hot sauce and toss to coat. Then turn off the heat and sprinkle on desired amount of nutritional yeast and toss again to coat. You should have a thick coating that sticks to the tempeh. 

Prepare your greens (I tend to use kale) in your preferred method such as a quick steam or sauté in a pan. 

Chop up carrots and celery. Whip up a creamy sauce or use a store-bought one. For a tasty and easy creamy vegan sauce, you can use vegan mayo and/or plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt and season with salt, pepper, minced garlic (fresh really does taste better than dried here but use what you have), dried dill, dried parsley, and some lemon juice. I like to add everything to a little jar, screw on the lid, and shake to combine. Easy peasy!

Layer the bowl however you please! I like to do rice, greens, tempeh, veggies, sauce. YUM!

Family-friendly tip: Reserve some tempeh before adding the sauce to offer kids plain cooked tempeh. And consider offering an additional protein as I’ve found kids rarely enjoy tempeh. When we have a tempeh dinner, I always plate 1 piece of tempeh along with my kids’ preferred protein. Sometimes they nibble it, sometimes not. 

What are your easy vegan dinner go-to’s? Share in the comments!