Meal Ideas For When There's No Meat!

Right now in these crazy times you never know what you will find out of stock at the grocery store! You make your shopping list with good intentions, but when you are browsing the aisles and see that one ingredient you need for a dish is GONE....well we've all been there! And now more than ever with meat shortages and purchase limits we have to be more flexible than ever with our cooking.

Meat is one of the most expensive items on your shopping list! For this reason I have built a decent arsenal of meatless meals over the years. We have actually come to enjoy vegetarian meals, and even our little ones have favorites! I don't buy a lot of red meat and my husband doesn't like pork so that greatly limits our options as well.

I know many of you are in the same boat right now and may be looking for some new and fresh ideas on what to make for dinner. Maybe you've been recycling the same old casserole, or eating out a lot, and your family is ready for something different! Here's a batch of ideas (and some recipes!) of super easy and cheap meals you can make that don't require ANY meat.

• Black bean burgers -- easier than you think! Use a food processor for the quickest prep using just a can of beans and a few common ingredients.
• Goulash -- everybody makes this differently, but my quick and easy go-to is just pasta, diced tomato, black beans, corn, and seasonings.
• Pasta fazoul/fagioli -- aka pasta and bean soup! You can make homemade, or go easy with a can of bean and bacon soup and pasta
• Grilled cheese and tomato soup
• Minestrone soup -- many different varieties out there, but all delicious and meat free!
• Quesadillas -- make as simple or as complex as you like! My quick and easy variety is simply cheese, black beans, and a sprinkle of chili powder
• Spaghetti
• Cheddar broccoli soup -- you may raise your eyebrow at this one, but try my recipe and you'll be convinced! It's so delicious.
• Egg salad sandwiches
• Loaded salad -- top it with hard boiled egg, croutons, cheese, beans--the sky is the limit!
• Breakfast burritos -- everyone loves breakfast for dinner! Stuff your burritos with egg, cheese, potato, and sweet peppers.
• Bean and cheese burritos
• Vegetable fried rice
• Nachos -- top them with all the things! Beans, cheese, sour cream, avocado, jalapenos, diced bell peppers...

I hope this list helped spice up your nightly dinner menu! Comment and let me know if you tried any recipes, or what your favorite meatless meal is.