Coming up with quick and satisfying meals during the week isn’t always easy. The trick is having several speed-friendly favorites up your sleeve, using leftover cooked grains, and keeping a few key ingredients on hand. For inspiration, here are some of our most popular family-friendly, whole-food, plant-based meals that people consistently love—all of which can be thrown together in 30 minutes or less.
By Lisa Esile, MS,
Jul 14, 2017
Last Updated:
This dish comes together quickly when you use leftover grains and whatever beans you have on hand. Top with avocado, tomato, fresh herbs, and serve.
“Such a great dish—versatile, fast, can be varied to suit taste, and so satisfyingly good on all levels!” —Mary-Ellen Landry
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Garlic, lime, avocado, and cilantro combine beautifully with the nutty flavor of the chickpeas. Serve over salad greens like spinach leaves, arugula, and mixed baby lettuce leaves.
“I made this for dinner last night and it was awesome! I [use] a more mild pepper and add a little cilantro on top. This is great for hot summer evenings when you don’t want to turn the oven on!”—K.T. Rex
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This exotic Thai noodle dish is made from mixed vegetables, lime, scallions, peanuts, and crunchy mung bean sprouts. And the best bit—you can make it in less time than it takes to drive to the store and pick up takeout.
“I made this recipe for my family last week. Doubled the recipe for a family of seven. Loved it! We will definitely make these again! And again!” —Penny Wright Andersen
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Serve this tangy chickpea salad between two slices of your favorite whole grain bread for a quick and yummy meal. The tanginess comes from ingredients like capers, red onions, tahini, pickle, and mustard.
“We love this and have it on hand always!” —Stephanie McEvoy
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For this simple but sophisticated dish, cook the tomatoes, red pepper, and herbs first, before adding the fresh veggies and pasta. This recipe creates a robust flavor, especially for how quickly it comes together.
“Got the best reception by the entire family (kids ages 7-14) so far! Maybe it was timing too, but they ate all on their plates.”—Mike Jarvis
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These crispy, no-fat hash browns are great any time of the day. The crushed garlic adds an enticing depth of flavor. For potato lovers, it doesn’t get any better than this.
“I know this is supposed to be a breakfast recipe but I’m pretty sure I’m having this for lunch today!!!” —Kristin Ohman Charron
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The whole family will enjoy these zesty, orange taquitos. They’re good for entertaining too! Serve with cooked brown rice or quinoa and a salad.
“These were good. I liked the orange flavor—was a bit different than your typical Mexican dishes. I found they came out better when putting the finished taquitos in the oven rather than heating in a pan—they came out crispier that way. I just put them on a cookie sheet and baked at 400 degrees for ten minutes.” —Kristin Deason
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This nourishing, comforting bowl features warming spices, creamy polenta, and black beans and polenta for extra heartiness.
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Lisa Esile is an author, illustrator, blogger, vegetable gardener, and whole-food enthusiast with a special fondness for potatoes. She has a master’s degree in human nutrition and is passionate about showing people how to live happier, healthier lives. Lisa is the author of Reach your Big Calm and the co-author of Whose Mind Is It Anyway?.
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