Ever tried a meaty, meatless meal that had you doing a double take? Well, you’re in for a treat! To celebrate Earth Day this year, we’ve hand-picked some hearty, environmentally friendly, meat-free dishes that are so flavorful, you’ll be double and triple-checking the ingredient list! From mushroom and quinoa shepherd’s pie to a beefless “beef” stew made with textured vegetable protein you can find at H-E-B, these earth-friendly meals will taste just as good as they make you feel! Happy Earth Day!
Hearty Mushroom Bolognese Pasta
You won’t miss the meat a bit in this hearty Bolognese sauce from Serious Eats. Substitute button and shitake mushrooms for the meat that’s normally found in Bolognese sauce, and you’ll be glad you did! The secret to the flavor and texture in this hearty sauce is frying the mushrooms in olive oil until they’re chewy and reduced to a quarter of their original volume. Mange!
Vegan Sloppy Joes
Who doesn’t love sloppy Joes? This is pure comfort food at its best, but can it really be meatless? You bet! This recipe from Minimalist Baker comes together in about 30 minutes so it’s perfect for meatless Monday. These flavor bombs are smoky and sweet and have no meat at all. Instead, that meaty texture comes from lentils. Yes, lentils! Better yet? Each sloppy Joe comes in at less than 300 calories.
Portobello and Poblano Fajitas
Meatless fajitas? Heck, yeah! Mushrooms are a great stand-in for meat-based dishes given their umami flavor. This fajita recipe from Cookie + Kate uses hearty portobello mushrooms that have been marinated for 30 minutes. These fajitas are heavy on veggies and contain healthy fats. The avocado sauce on top is the icing on the cake!
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is comfort food at its finest, but it can also be heavy. This vegetarian version from Feel Good Foodie lightens up this favorite meal by using mushrooms and quinoa instead of ground lamb. Have doubts? Well, it gets a five-star rating from nearly 500 reviews! It’s packed with vegetables and has a thick, rich gravy. Your carnivorous friends will love it!
Beefless “Beef” Stew
Beefless “beef” stew sounds like vegetable soup, but it sure doesn’t taste like veggie soup! This hearty, beefless stew from Holy Cow Vegan is loaded with flavor from a variety of herbs, carrots, potatoes, celery, and meaty TVP chunks. TVP – textured vegetable protein – is the secret ingredient in this stew. The recipe has step-by-step instructions from start to finish, pics included. If you’ve never heard of (or never tried) textured vegetable protein, you can pick up a 12-ounce bag of Bob’s Red Mill Textured Vegetable Protein at H-E-B for under $4.
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