Lifestyle March 26, 2024 | 3 min.

4 super-easy vegetarian meals

These are so easy that anyone can make them—and so tasty that everyone will want some.

Written by Alaina Matthews

A person garnishing a plate of pasta with tomato sauce and parsley, sitting on a counter with fresh ingredients. Photo: Klaus Nielsen

I’m not going to lie to you, I hate cooking. From the grocery shopping to the prep, the actual cooking process, and the clean-up, it’s just not a task I enjoy doing. However, I can’t afford to eat takeout as if it's my weekly grocery shopping list. So, I need to be crafty. After much trial and error, I’ve discovered a set of four staple vegetarian meals that I can always count on to keep my fridge and my stomach full for the whole week. Even better, they cook—if you can call it that—in less than 30 minutes, and make for fantastic meal prep.

 

Chili

Ingredients

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce (not pasta sauce, just blended tomatoes)
1 packet of chili seasoning (my favourite is Old El Paso, but you can use whatever you like best)
1 can of lentils
1 can of chickpeas

Instructions

  1. In a pot on medium heat, pour in the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce.
  2. Bring to a simmer, and then add your chickpeas and lentils. Feel free to add veggies or any other kind of bean you want!
  3. Let the mix return to a simmer and then add your chili seasoning.
  4. Let it cook for 5–10 minutes to let the beans soften and that's it! Serve over rice, quinoa, or pasta (sounds weird, but trust me it's delicious!).

 

Butter chickpeas

Ingredients

1 jar of butter chicken sauce (my favourite is Patak’s)
1 can of chickpeas
Brown rice

Instructions

  1. In a pot over medium heat, add the can of chickpeas.
  2. When they start to sizzle, add the jar of sauce and bring to a simmer.
  3. Cook until the chickpeas are tender.
  4. While your sauce simmers, boil your rice following the instructions on the package.
  5. Once your rice is finished, serve it with the chickpeas, and voila!

 

Pasta sauce

Ingredients

1 tbsp of olive/vegetable oil
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of pasta sauce
1 pack of Original Yves Veggie Ground
Italian seasoning (optional depending on what type of pasta sauce you use)

Instructions

  1. Add the olive oil to a pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the veggie ground to the pot. Be sure to break down any large chunks. It will be easier to mix as it warms up.
  3. Once the veggie ground is thoroughly broken down, add the cans of diced tomatoes and pasta sauce. Bring to a simmer.
  4. (optional) Add the Italian seasoning. Measure with your heart.
  5. While your sauce simmers, cook your pasta.
  6. All done!

 

Veggie stir-fry

Ingredients

Brown rice
Frozen veggies (this all comes down to personal preference. I usually use broccoli, green beans, and snap peas. Bags of mixed veggies are also fantastic!)
1 packet of beef and broccoli seasoning mix (mine is from Clubhouse)
(optional) Gardein Crispy Chick’n - Mandarin Orange flavour

Instructions

  1. Cook the rice (follow the directions on the package).
  2. Add the rice to a frying pan over medium heat.
  3. Add the frozen vegetables. Measure with your heart (or anywhere between 1–2 cups).
  4. To the rice and frozen veggies add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, then add the packet of beef and broccoli seasoning.
  5. Cook until the veggies are tender and all the water is gone.
  6. In another pan over medium heat, cook the Gardein Crispy Chick’n pieces following the instructions on the back of the bag.
  7. Once cooked, serve the stir-fry and add the chick’n pieces to the top (and a little extra of the mandarin orange sauce because it's delicious).
  8. Success!