Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl

Lets talk about easy and pretty healthy dinner recipes.

I love them. I mean don’t we all.

Especially on hectic weeknights where we don’t want to eat out but want something more filling than a sandwich.

Well let me introduce you to the vegan egg roll in a bowl!

This recipe has been popular for a while out there on the internet. The low carb crowd has been raving about it for years, and I am just late to the party. I am not sure why I didn’t try whipping this up sooner. I think as I have gotten older I have had to become more carb conscience.

If I want to keep eating donuts at my regular rate, I have to find other places to cut some of those carbs…and I 100% plan on always eating donuts…soooo

Back to how easy this is, oh and tasty…tasty is a bonus to the easy. Lots of recipes are easy but not necessarily tasty. This one is both. As a matter of fact, some of my kids teenage friends were over when I made this, and not only happily ate it, but went back in for seconds.

This vegan egg roll in a bowl recipe will take you a grand total of maybe 20 minutes start to finish. Even less time if you don’t chop the cabbage yourself and you buy that pre shredded stuff. I mean you might wait in a drive thru line longer than that. I am pretty certain my Chinese take out place never had my food ready in 20 minutes.

And when it comes to taste, well iIt taste like all the good parts of the egg roll without the guilt. No frying, not carby egg roll wrapper, just all the goodies from the inside.

I like to add edamame to mine. You could add mushrooms, bean spouts, water chestnuts, whatever you like. The more veggies the merrier.

So if you need quick, easy, and tasty, this vegan egg roll in a bowl is just the thing. And maybe now you will feel less bad about the donuts for dessert?!?!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb vegan ground “meat'“ (I used Beyond meat)

• 4 cups shredded cabbage (green, or a mix of green and purple)

• 2 cups match stick carrots

• 1 small onion thinly sliced

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1-2 teaspoons mined ginger

• 1/4 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos

• 1 teaspoons sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons neutral tasting oil

• Optional: 1/3 cup edamame, sesame seeds, sliced scallions, cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium hight heat. Add oils to a the pan once hot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the ground “meat” and cook until brown. Add the ginger to the pan.

2. Next, add the shredded cabbage, carrots, and soy sauce. Reduce the heat to medium/low and cook unit the cabbage softens. This can be a preference thing. I like my cabbage to have a little bite so just cook it until it gets to that point. If you like it totally soft, cook until that point, stirring the mixture around to avoid anything sticking and burning to the pan.

3. If adding edema, add towards the end of cooking the cabbage.

4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions or cilantro to serve.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Lasagna Soup

Unstuffed Vegan Cabbage Rolls

Vegan Cheeseburger Macaroni Helper

Vegan Cheeseburger Macaroni Helper

Raise your hand if you ate your weight in Hamburger Helper as a child….anyone? Beuller?

Maybe it was just me?

My dad was the one who grocery shopped growing up and for the most part, the one who made dinner every night.

Our choices were normally any box of Hamburger Helper in the cabinet, Hormel Chili over rice, or some meat and potatoes. As a kid I had zero complaints. As now a vegan adult, I see the issue.

I do not think I have eaten any Hamburger Helper in nearly 25 years, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss is from time to time, ya know for nostalgia and also because if I am being honest, it really did like it.

Lets break it down shall we. Meat, some kind of carb like noodles or potatoes, and normally some creamy or cheesy sauce. What is not to love, really. Growing up Cheeseburger Helper was my fave! So I felt it was high time I veganize it so I could relive my childhood and share one of my faves with my own kids.

This recipe is super simple. All you need is 1 pound of you favorite vegan ground meat, some noodles and the easiest and most delicious vegan cheddar sauce there ever was.

This dinner comes together quickly, is hearty and full of flavor! Those are my favorite kinds of weeknight dinners.

So even though you can’t dump this all from a box with a smiling white gloved character waving at you, its almost just as easy, and in my honest opinion, way better, and now vegan! Just add a salad or another vegetable side and you have pretty healthy, filling meal in not time at all.

High five to my dad for always cooking for us and teaching me how to grocery shop and coupon, and high five to that white gloved little Hamburger Helper man and his contribution my childhood.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground vegan meat (I used Beyond Beef)

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 2 cups macaroni noodles

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 1/2 cups water (you can also use veggie stock. If you do, eliminate the Bouillon)

• 2 teaspoons Vegetable Than Bouillon

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 2 teaspoons sugar

CHEESE SAUCE:

• 1 cup cashews or sunflower seeds (plus water for soaking)

• 2 cups water

• 4 talblespoons nutritional yeast

• 4 tablespoons tapioca or corn starch

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 teaspoons light miso paste or 1 tablespoon sauerkraut (just cabbage, not the liquid)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add cashews or sunflower seeds to a microwave safe container and cover in water. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain water. If you do not have a microwave you can boil the nuts in a small pot of water for three minutes on the stove top.

2. Add the nuts/seeds and remaining cheese sauce ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and mix on high until the mixture is completely smooth and not bits or nuts or seeds remain. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion and and ground vegan meat. Cook unit the meat has browned and seems cooked through.

4. Whisk the Better Than Bouillon into the 2 1/2 cups water (or use vegetable stock.) Add the macaroni noodles, water, seasonings and tomato paste to the pan. Give it a stir. Reduce heat to low and place a lid on the pan.

5. Allow the mixture to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times or until the noodles are al dente, cooked but not quite finished.

6. Pour the cheese sauce into the pan and stir. Allow the sauce to thicken as it heats, stirring as it begins to thicken. Allow the mixture to cook another 5 minutes or so, or until the noodles have finished cooking and the sauce has thickened and is good and creamy.

7. Garnish with fresh parsley or even cilantro (thats my fave) and serve. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Chicken Divan with Jackfruit

Beyond Sausage with Cabbage and Cider

Vegan Cincinnati Pumpkin Chili

Vegan Cheeseburger Egg Rolls with Beyond Meat

The other day I stopped by my friend Bevin’s house so my daughter could drop off a beautiful piece of toddler art for her best friend, who happens to be Bevin’s son.

We are in the thick of social distancing at the moment so it was a quick stop to wave between a glass door, drop off the lovingly crafted popsicle, yarn, cupcake liner, BFF rendering she created, cry a little, and wish we could actually hang out, and spend time with the people we love and miss.

This all sucks to say the least. And hopefully one day I will read back over this recipe, read this blurb, and life will be normal again and social distancing will just be a word of the past. A horrible thing that happened and we all survived. But as I write this, life is weird!

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So when I stopped by and Bevin opened the door to quickly grab the picture, the most amazing smell wafted from the house..and I was all “what in the world are you cooking, that smells crazy good?!?!” The answer was CHEESEBURGER EGG ROLLS!! WHAT?!?!?! How has she not told me about this sooner!?!

Bevin is a vegetarian so gave the the basic run down of what she did to make them…and I went right home knowing I was making them the next day!

Bevin and I both used Beyond meat in the recipe. She mentioned diced onions and pickles so I added those as well. I used vegan cheddar shredded cheese to make them vegan and added a few spices and a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce just like I would if were making vegan burgers. These days it is really easy to find vegan egg roll wrappers as well. My how times have changed.

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Bevin baked her cheeseburger egg rolls, but I live to fry…I mean I’m southern, so I fry all the things, regardless of the knowledge that this is not exactly healthy…but moderation y’all, moderation. That said, I also really do love the ease of my air fryer and the lack of mess involved..also that whole “its healthier” thing. So, I often try any fried recipes I make both ways. Pan fried with oil and in the air fryer. Results are in and it works both ways y’all. I actually really liked the air fried version but my husband preferred the pan fried vegan egg rolls. I think the wrappers cook up really crispy in the air fryer but the texture is more spring roll-ish to me when cooked that way. But I wouldn’t turn away either option. Bevin warned that when cooked in the oven the wrappers were a little weird. So if you decide to bake them, don’t say we didn’t tell you. (the picture below is the air fried version)

These vegan cheeseburger egg rolls are now, without a doubt, my new favorite thing to do with an egg roll wrapper. They are SOOOOO FLIPPING GOOD! I used cheddar shreds but you could use whatever cheese you like. I also loaded them with pickles because I LOVE PICKLES. If you hate pickles, we are not friends, and you can leave them out. You could always add diced mushrooms and some vegan swiss or provolone. That would be amazing too.

We dipped ours in mustard and ketchup but how good would these be dipped in vegan 1,000 island…like a vegan Big Mac egg roll…Y’all….next batch I’m 100% dipping them in 1,000 island dressing.!!!

So everyone says thank you to the beautiful, brilliant, clever, Bevin. Without her, I wouldn’t be sharing this recipe. Although I wish this whole stupid social distancing thing would end and Bevin and I could be eating these together, with our crew of kids laughing and playing and being the goons they are…soon I hope, soon!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb vegan ground meat, I used Beyond ground

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

• 1/2 cup finely diced dill pickles

• 1 cup shredded vegan cheddar, homemade or store-bought

• 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion salt

• 1 package vegan egg roll wrappers

• neutral flavored oil for frying. I used grapeseed oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add the diced onions, pickles, vegan ground meat, Worcestershire sauce, onion salt, and garlic powder to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until the vegan meat is cooked through and onions are soft and translucent. Set aside and allow to cool for a bit.

2. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in 1 cup of vegan shredded cheddar cheese.

3. Lay out the an egg roll wrapper to look like a diamond (points up and down) and scoop a heavy handed tablespoon of filling into the center. Fold the bottom corner up, then fold in the sides, and roll away from you. Continue until you used all of the filling. You will have a few wrappers left over.

4. Pan Frying: Heat a large skillet with a few inches of oil. Once oil is good and hot, add a few egg rolls at a time, letting them cook on each side unit crispy and brown. Place finished egg rolls on a wire cooling rack that you have placed on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Continue until all vegan cheeseburger egg rolls are fried.

5. Air Fryer: Place egg rolls in air fryer and give them a light mist of oil. Cook at 375 for about 10 minutes or unit golden brown and crispy.

6. Server with a side of ketchup and mustard, or vegan 1,000 island for dipping.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Fried Cheese Grits

Vegan Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Vegan Chorizo Empanadas

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Vegan Beyond Meatball Filled Bread Bowls

I love meatballs. Vegan “meatballs” that is.

I love that Beyond Meat can be used to make a deliciously convincing meatball so I can still enjoy one of my all time favorite pre vegan foods.

Before Beyond started selling the beyond meat in a 1 lb. block, I simply bought the burgers and thawed them, mixed them all up and used them as I would ground meat. It works really well and 4 burgers equal 1 lb. of vegan ground. You can use any brand of vegan mince you like. I prefer Beyond but I know there are a lot of new brands popping up these days, so use your fave or what you can find locally! What a glorious time to be a vegan!

So, that said, what do you do with your vegan meatballs? Add them to spaghetti? Sure, I guess, I do love spaghetti and meatballs. Put them on a sub roll and make a sandwich? Sure, It’s one of my favorite sandwiches. OR, you can bake up you very own homemade bread bowls and fill it with vegan meatballs.

Hear me out. These are way BETTER than a sub! For starters it’s less messy, and also you can pile up a LOT of meatballs into a bread bowl. Then you can smoother it, cover it, drowned it, in vegan cheese sauce and bake it up til it’s bubbly brown, and extra gooey. You will likely look a little more classy eating this than you would with marinara running down your chin as you chomp on a meatball sub. Just saying.

Bread bowl meatballs get my vote!

If you don’t want to make bread bowls, you can go buy some smaller round loaves of bread at the bakery and use those. I have done this with a giant round bread loaf and just made one giant bread bowl for sharing. “Sharing” sure…. if you even believe me, then yeah, I shared it.

Anyways, our all purpose vegan cheese sauce gets extra stretchy and gooey, and is perfect for topping these meatball bread bowls. Also, you are going to want to lick the pot you cook it in, so just a heads up, it’s actually that good. You can use the bread scraps to clean up the cheese pot. I am a genius like that, y’all!

So I you are a fan of meatballs, then try them in a bread bowl. Bread makes all meals better and carbs are for sure my love language. Can you even eat a meatball without bread? I would strongly argue that you for sure can not!

INGREDIENTS:

You will need one batch of our Easy Vegan Bread Bowls or 4-6 store bought bread bowls

• 4 thawed Beyond Beef burgers, or 1 lb block of Beyond Meat

• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, sage, basil, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano) if you do not have Italian seasoning feel free to add a combo of any of the listed spices

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

• 1 flax egg

• 1/2 batch All Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce

THE SAUCE: ( or use a favorite pre-made sauce)

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1 small 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes

• 1/3 red wine (optional)

• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Meatballs:

1. Mix thawed burgers, panko bread crumbs, garlic, spices, and flax egg together in a bowl.

2. Once well combined, form meatballs with a small scoop, or spoon, and place them on a baking pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean up.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauce: (you can also easily use store bought sauce)

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, sauté onions and garlic in 1 teaspoon of oil, and a teaspoon of salt, until onions are translucent.

2. Add the wine, and let it cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Add the cooked meatballs, and let simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Prepare cheese sauce according to directions, allowing it too cook until it is thick and stretchy.

2. Cut tops of bread bowls and hollow them out. You can save the extra bread to make croutons, or just save the scraps to dip in extra sauce. No judgments from me. It’s what I do. Fill the bread bowls equally with vegan meatballs and marinara sauce.

3. Evenly top the bread bowls with dollops of the cheese sauce, and sprinkle with some parsley if you like.

4. Place bread bowls on a baking sheet.

5. Place in the oven on the top rack just until the cheese starts to get extra melty and gooey.

6. Allow to cool a bit before serving. You don’t want to burn you mouth ( I am a mom of 4, I can’t help but give this warning)

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If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Beyond Meatloaf Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Minestrone Soup with Vegan Meatballs

The Perfect Vegan Lasagna

Vegan Beyond Meatloaf Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Here we go again, stuffing meatloaf into things. Not unlike our meatloaf stuffed peppers, except not everyone likes peppers, and who doesn’t love a potato!?

The other night there was debate in between our kids over what was for dinner. It was a house divided between Beyond Meat Meatloaf or vegan twice baked potatoes. So I just decided I’d put the meatloaf into the potato and top them with creamy, cheesy, vegan mashed potatoes. Problem solved. I should get some kind of trophy for this parenting win.

I mean, you are more than likely going to make mashed potatoes with meatloaf anyway, why not make it all in one and add some vegan cream cheese, and sour cream to the mash! Now you have cute little individual servings of meatloaf topped with the most glorious mashed potatoes.

We also do this with bell peppers, but not all of my kids like bell peppers. That means several of the kids are just scooping out the insides and wasting a perfectly good bell. This breaks my pepper loving heart, but I get it. So this solution works super well for any pepper haters out there. Nothing is being wasted in this recipe and I love that.

So the next time you go to make meatloaf and mashed potatoes, try making them all in one. I promise your family will think you are a genius, you will feel like a genius, plus they are just flipping delicious.

I make a pretty mean meatloaf if I do say so myself, and the creamiest mashed potatoes in all the land. So It’s really just a win win here! And we all need a win sometimes!

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 large russet potatoes

• 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese

• 1/2 cup vegan plain yogurt or sour cream

• 2-3 teaspoons vegan butter

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Beyond Meatloaf:

• 1 pound vegan ground “meat.” You can also use 4 thawed Beyond Burgers

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free bread crumbs work, too)

• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, plus 3 tablespoons water

• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon all purpose greek seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• dried parsley, chives, or green onion for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Wash the potatoes, leaving the skin on. Pierce each one serval times with a sharp knife and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft on the inside. You can insert a knife or skewer through the top of one and if it goes through easily, they are done. Let the potatoes cool completely.

2. Once potatoes are cool, carefully cut an oval around the perimeter of the top of the potatoes. Remove the tops and scoop out the insides (not the skin, unless you like the skin in your mashed potatoes) using a spoon, placing the insides into a medium sized bowl.

3. Add the sour cream, butter, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the potato bits in the bowl. Use a hand masher or electric mixer to mash them all up. You want them on the thicker side, if they seem too thick you can add a splash of plant milk to thin them out some, just don’t get them too thin. They need to sit nicely on top of the meatloaf.

4. To prepare the meatloaf, add the ground meatless “meat” to a large bowl. If you are using thawed burgers then break them up with a spoon.

5. Mix in the diced onion, garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings.

6. Next, mix in bread crumbs, starch mixed with water, and Worcestershire sauce.

7. Divide the mixture between the hollowed out potatoes, gently pressing it into the potato shells, careful not to break or tear the potatoes. Spread ketchup over each meatloaf potato.

8. Place meatloaf filled potatoes back on the baking pan and place in the oven to bake for 25 minute. After 25 minutes, carefully remove. Divide the mashed potatoes evenly and top each potato with the mash. Place back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until a skewer poked all the way into the meatloaf comes out clean.

9. You can garnish the potatoes with diced chives or green onions.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Beyond Meat Vegan Meatloaf

Vegan Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers with Beyond Meat

Unstuffed Vegan Cabbage Rolls

Vegan Lasagna Soup with Beyond Meat

I have a handful of lasagna recipes. Classic Vegan Lasagna, Lasagna in Muffin Cups, Lasagna Stuffed Peppers, and now vegan lasagna soup!

If you can’t already tell, I love lasagna. I love most saucy, “meaty,” cheesy dishes, actually. So it stands to reason vegan lasagna would be in my top 10 all time favorite foods.

I actually hardly ever ate lasagna growing up. I can not think of one time my mom or step mom ever made it, actually. My parents grew up in Alabama, and my mom grew up on a farm, so lasagna was not a dish my southern grandmama EVER made. Not that I am sad about that, because what she did cook was the best food on earth. But, if we ever ate out at a place that had lasagna, I ordered it, and I was in heaven.

Once I was grown and married it was the first thing I wanted to learn how to make and I could not turn to my mom for this one. I worked in a small town bank at the time, and decided I would turn to my nice southern co-workers for help. Well, lets just say I was given a recipe that involved Velveeta cheese (if you don’t know what that is, it’s a block of soft American cheese, and it does NOT belong in lasagna, even when I was not vegan!) and I, young and naive, made it how I was instructed with the Velveeta, despite never liking Velveeta to begin wit. At the time I knew how to cook like three things and clearly was not a vegan, and although this seemed off to me, I decided she was older and wiser and knew better than I did. Suffice to say my husband was kind about it, but I don’t think he ate it. I don’t blame him. I mean if you love Velveeta then maybe that lasagna is the best thing on the planet?!? And I adored the woman who gave me the recipe, and she swore her family loved it? To each their own, I suppose. Needless to say, that set in motion my mission to find and make the best lasagna recipe ever, Velveeta not included!

I have made a lot of lasagnas over the last twenty years, but a classic sauce, “meat,” and cheese lasagna is still my favorite, with a nice veggies lasagna coming in second. Once we went vegan it became a whole new task to make the perfect vegan lasagna and I truly think I nailed it. That said, I am always playing with the recipe, baking it into muffin cups for parties, bell peppers for something fun and different, and most recently soup. Vegan lasagna soup is so quick and easy, making it the perfect lasagna dish when you are in a hurry, or just want a warm, hearty, comforting soup on a cold day. It comes together quickly and easily and in a fraction of the time it takes to make regular lasagna!

This soup is a full meal in a bowl and so delicious. Its saucy, creamy, flavorful, and filling. We added cashew cream right into the soup to make up for a lack of cheese, and topped with the perfect easy tofu ricotta! I think this soup would also freeze nicely for easy meal prep! It is also delicious sever with some Easy Homemade Garlic and Herb Artisan Bread or Garlic Challah Rolls So, if you love vegan lasagna as much as I do, try it as a soup! I don’t think you will be disappointed!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb vegan ground meat. I used Beyond Brand ground.

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

• 1 ( 28 oz can) crushed tomatoes

• 8-10 lasagna noodles

• 1 teaspoon dreid thyme

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1-2 teaspoons dried basil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 cup cashews, plus water for heating

• 5 cups water divided

• 2 teaspoons Vegetable Better Than Bouillon

• 1-2 teaspoons olive of grapeseed oil

• Tofu ricotta and fresh basil for topping

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In large pot of dutch oven, heat 1-2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the vegan ground “meat” to the onion and cook until the “meat” is cooked through.

2. Add both cans of tomatoes, all of the seasonings, 4 cups water, and Better than Bouillon to the pot. Reduce heat to a simmer.

3. Place cashews in a microwave safe container covered in water and microwave for 3 minutes. Drain the water. Add the cashews and 1 cup fresh water to a high speed blender and blend unit completely smooth. Add to the pot and stir in.

4. Break up the noodles to fit in the pot. Let the noodles cook until they are soft, being sure to stir serval times while they cook to help avoid them sticking together or the bottom of the pot.

5. Once the noodles are cooked through the soup is done. Top soup with a dollop of tofu ricotta or even vegan mozzarella, fresh parsley, or fresh basil to serve.

If you like this recipe, try these:

The Perfect Vegan Lasagna

Minestrone Soup Vegan Meatballs

Vegan Meatball Sub Bake

Vegan Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers with Beyond Meat

The other day I was sitting, staring off into space, when one of my kids started talking to me about meatloaf. I was actually deep in thought, thinking about the lasagna stuffed peppers I love so much, and when the kid said meatloaf, it came to me like a bolt of lightening; stuff the peppers with Beyond Meatloaf! What!?!?!?

It was one of those serendipitous moments in life. I ran right outt to the store to grab peppers. I had those babies stuffed and topped with creamy, delicious, mashed potatoes before anyone even knew what was happening.

Now I can officially announce that THESE Beyond Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers, topped with the perfect mashed potatoes, are my new favorite stuffed pepper! T

hey are so pretty, and a whole meal in one colorful little edible cup. What’s not to love here, y’all? You can use any ground “meat” you like, Beyond, Impossible, Lightlife, or whatever is your favorite, you just need a pound. You could even do half vegan ground and half vegan sausage! In case you like things a little spicy.

These peppers come together so fast, and so easily, which is an added bonus. You could even prep them the night before and pop them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them for dinner! I also think if you were having a pretty chill holiday meal, these would be lovely on a table! No matter when you serve them, I think you are going to love them!! I know they are going to be a constant at our house, now!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 6 bell peppers, any color

• 1 lb Beyond ground or 4 Beyond Patties

• 3/4 cup bread crumbs

• 1 tablespoons tapioca starch, plus 3 tablespoons water

• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced

• 1 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon all purpose greek seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• dried parsley for garnish

MASHED POTATOES:

• 4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter

• 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese or plain vegan yogurt

• salt and pepper to taste

• a few splashes of plant based milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and let them cook until they are soft and you can easily poke a fork through them. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot you cooked them in. Add the butter, cream cheese or yogurt, salt and pepper. Mash using a hand masher or an electric mixer. If the potatoes seem too thick you can add a splash of plant milk, or more yogurt, or cream cheese. Set aside.

2. For the meatloaf, add the ground meatless “meat” to a large bowl. If you are using thawed burgers, break them up with a spoon.

3. Mix in the diced onion, garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings.

4. Next, mix in bread crumbs, starch mixed with water, and Worcestershire sauce.

5. Mix until well combined.

6. Cut the tops off of the peppers and clean them out, removing all seeds and the white rib parts. If the pepper will not sit upright and wants to fall over, you can cut the bottom and turn it over. It’s just a little harder to clean them out that way.

7. Place pepper on a baking sheet and fill 2/3 of the way full with the meatloaf mixture, packing it down well. Spread a little ketchup over the meatloaf mixture in each pepper. Next, divide the mashed potatoes evenly and top each pepper with a big scoop.

8. Take a large sheet of aluminum foil and gently place it on top of the peppers. Place the pan in the oven on the middle rack and let the peppers bake for 35 - 40 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes. You can run a skewer though the side of one pepper. If it comes out clean, the meatloaf is done.

9. Allow peppers to cool just a bit before serving.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Lasagna Stuffed Peppers

Beyond Meat Vegan Meatloaf

Vegan Meatball Sub Bake

Beyond Meat Vegan Meatloaf

I have been a fan of Beyond Burgers since the second they went on the market. The burgers were the most convincingly “meaty” burgers we had found up util that point, and I was beyond (pardon the pun) excited!

What I was most excited about was the possibilities these burgers opened up. Once they are thawed they can be used in place of “ground meat” in just about any recipe.

Meatloaf was always a weekly meal at our house in our pre vegan days. I personally loved the leftovers more, because that meant a meatloaf sandwich, and a meatloaf sandwich is seriously one of the greatest food on earth.

So learning I could just thaw the burgers and make my old meatloaf exactly the same as I always had, minus the actual real meat, had me beside myself!! I hear a lot of complaints about the price of these burgers, and I hear ya. That said, I also reason that as an occasional meal for my family of 6, the price really is not terrible. I 100% promise you that it is still a TON cheaper than taking my large family out to eat. Also, as an added bonus, Costco now carries the burgers in packs of 8 for about $14. So If I use 6 burgers to make a meatloaf, it’s costing me around $10.50 per loaf, or $1.75 a person. I would reason that this is not astronomical. It is less than I would spend ordering pizza delivery.

I have seen other brands of meatless ground “meats” popping up as well. Even Beyond Brand is selling their product packaged as a ground chuck alternative, not just in patties. If there is another brand you have tired and like, by all means, use it! You can NOT however use frozen meatless crumbles in this recipe. It won’t work. You need it to be an uncooked meatless product that is moldable, for forming into a loaf.

This meatloaf will also convince most carnivores. I fed it to my dad a few years ago at Thanksgiving and he thought he was eating meat. A man that scoffs at us being vegan, and eats some form of meat at every meal. He ate it, he liked it, and would eat it again. Win, win, win.

These new meatless products are designed to help those who want to give up meat but never stopped liking meat. I am in that camp. I gave it up for health, animal welfare, and the environment, not because meatloaf tasted bad.

So if you have been on the fence about trying these meatless brands, give them a try, you will be very surprised! You can actually give up eating animal products, and not give up all the foods you always loved. There are meatloaf sandwiches in your future….and they don’t have to taste like beans.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 1/2 pounds vegan ground “meat.” I use 6 thawed Beyond Burgers.

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, plus 3 tablespoons water

• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon all purpose greek seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• dried parsley for garnish

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Add the ground meatless “meat” to a large bowl. If you are using thawed burgers then break them up with a spoon.

2. Mix in the diced onion, garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings.

3. Next, mix in bread crumbs, starch mixed with water, and Worcestershire sauce.

4. Line a loaf pan with some parchment paper making sure it hangs over the sides a bit, and give it a spray with some nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan and press it down into the pan.

5. Add the ketchup to the top and spread it evenly.

6. Bake on the middle oven rack for about an hour.

7. Let the loaf cool for a about 5 minutes, then carefully lift it out of the pan by the parchment paper that is hanging over the edge. Place the meatloaf on a cutting board, sprinkle with dried parsley, and cut to serve.

Serves 4-6

If you like this recipe, try these:

Unstuffed Vegan Cabbage Rolls

Savory Cranberry Vegan Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

Vegan Meatball Sub Bake

Vegan Meatball Sub Bake

My oldest daughter’s favorite meal has always been a meatball sub.

I don’t blame her, they are delicious. That said, they are also messy and I have 4 kids to clean up after. So over the years I discovered this vegan meatball sub bake makes them just as happy as a big messy sub does.

It also works great for feeding the extra gaggle of teens that are often at my house. They don’t even care that is vegan, and often go back for seconds.

If you don’t want to use Beyond Burgers, then use any plant based meatball you prefer. A little heads up though, my local Costco has started selling packs of 8 beyond burgers for around $14!! Less than $2 a burger. So even if I use 4, this meal is still far cheaper than eating out!

I LOVE making meatballs with thawed Beyond Burgers because they remind me the most of real meatball.

We top the meatballs with our perfect all purpose vegan cheese sauce, after letting it get extra thick and stretchy! It makes the perfect gooey mozzarella for this recipe. Lastly, we top it with buttery, toasty garlic bread! I’m telling y’all, this dish will more than likely be a hit with who tries it, vegan or non vegan! So forget trying to bite into a messy meatball sub, and turn it into this vegan meatball sub bake!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 4 thawed Beyond Beef burgers, or a bag of your favorite frozen plant based meatballs

• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, sage, basil, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano) if you do not have Italian seasoning feel free to add a combo of any of the listed spices

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

• 1 flax egg

• 1 loaf french bread

• 1/2 batch All Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce

• 1-2 tablespoons vegan butter

THE SAUCE: ( or use a favorite pre-made sauce)

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1 small 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes

• 1/3 red wine (optional)

• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Meatballs:

1. Mix thawed burgers, panko bread crumbs, garlic, spices, and flax egg together in a bowl.

2. Once well combined, form meatballs with a small scoop, or spoon, and place them on a baking pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean up.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauce: (you can also easily use store bought sauce)

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, sauté onions and garlic in 1 teaspoon of oil, and a teaspoon of salt, until onions are translucent.

2. Add the wine, and let it cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Add the cooked meatballs, and let simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.

The Casserole:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Scoop sauce and meatballs into a 9x13 or large casserole dish.

2. Prepare cheese sauce according to directions, allowing it too cook until it is thick and stretchy.

3. Evenly top the meatballs with dollops of the cheese sauce,

4. Slice the french bread into 1/2- 1 inch thick slices and place evenly on top of the cheese sauce. Spread softened vegan butter over the bread. Sprinkle with garlic salt or any other seasoning you may like .

5. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for around 20-25 minutes. You just want heat the casserole through and toast the bread.

   Serves 4-6

If you like this recipe, try these:

Beyond Meatball Stuffed Challah

Savory Cranberry Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

Stewed Sauerkraut with Lentil Meatballs

Vegan Meatball sub bake using beyond meat burgers

Muffin Cup Vegan Lasagna

If you have been looking for the perfect, cheesy, gooey, saucy, vegan lasagna, look no further! Layers of noodles, tofu ricotta, homemade marinara, and the perfect vegan mozzarella sauce make this lasagna the best vegan lasagna I have had, hands down!

It’s my go to dish to bake up for all of our non vegan friends and family, because no one ever even knows its vegan! We are house divided where lasagna is concerned, some preferring veggie lasagna, and others a classic “meaty” lasagna. So I have given instruction on making this lasagna 2 ways! Because two kinds of lasagna are always better than one!! Right?!?!?

You can always bake a lasagna in a 9x13 pan BUT how much cuter is it to make it in am muffin pan?! Everyone gets a little individual lasagna of their own. I love it! These also work great for pot lucks and parties since they are single serving. AND they freeze well for meal prep! Hooray for meal prep!!

I am telling you, you will never want to use store bought shredded mozzarella again after using this perfect cheese sauce. It’s super easy to whip up, and gets ooey gooey, bubbly, and browns. Its magic and it is staple in our house for so many recipes! Sometimes, like right now with this vegan lasagna, the secret is in the sauce!

So bake up a muffin tin for yourself, and one for a neighbor or friend. They will be so thankful for a night off from cooking and so impressed that this lasagna is actually vegan! I always say the way to convince someone that vegan food is just a delicious, if not more, than the non vegan version is by sharing it!! 

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INGREDIENTS:

CHEESE SAUCE:

• 1 cup of cashews (soaked in hot water a few hours, or microwaved in water for 3 mintues)

• 2 cups of water

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 5 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca starch

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Drain cashews.

2. Put all ingredients into a high speed blender, or food processor, and blend for several minutes until completely liquified. Totally Smooooooth!

3. Heat on stove in a medium sauce pan, on medium heat, stirring with a whisk until it begins to thicken. It will thicken quickly so do not stop stirring! Once it thickens, remove from the heat!

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SAUCE:

• 1 large can crushed tomatoes

• 1 small can diced tomatoes drained

• 1 carrot diced

• 1 onion diced

• 1 cup diced mushrooms (optional)

• 1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon salt

• pepper to taste

• splash of red wine (optional)

“Meaty” option:

If you would rather have a "meaty” sauce, you could omit the carrot, pepper, and mushroom, and add a bag of meatless crumbles, or even use 2 Beyond Beef brand burgers. Simply thaw them, and cook as you would ground meat before adding to the sauce.

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large sauce pan, saute all of the veggies and garlic in a few teaspoons of oil until tender. If using meatless crumbles or Beyond Burgers, heat the faux meat, garlic, and diced onion together in a pan until cooked through.

2. Add wine and let cook for a minute.

3. Add both cans of tomatoes, and spices, and let the sauce simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

 

Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box lasagna noodles, regular or gluten free

• 1 batch tofu ricotta

• White cheese sauce

• Homemade veggie marinara, or you can use a jar of store bought to save time

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Boil lasagna noodles according to package instructions.

2. Once noodles are drained, and cooled, cut each noodle into 4 pieces.

3. Once marinara, ricotta, white cheese sauce, and noodles are ready, you can begin building your lasagna cups.

4. Prepare muffin tin by spraying with some oil.

5. Start building the lasagna cups by first placing a piece of noodle into the bottom of the tins.

6. Next add a tablespoon or so of ricotta, then marinara, then white cheese sauce. Repeat until cups are full. You should be able to fit 3 layers, ending with white cheese sauce.

7. I like to place my muffin tin on a large cookie sheet while baking just in case any sauce bubbles over.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

9. Allow to cool some then sprinkle with fresh chopped basil and serve.

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This recipes will yield around 12 lasagna cups. We typically serve 2 per adult, and 1 per child. They will freeze and reheat really well, so we normally just make a full batch and pop the leftovers into the freezer in an air tight container for up to one month. 

You can optionally cut this recipe in half pretty easily and make 6 - 8 cups. When halving the recipe I still make a full batch of marinara, and ricotta, then freeze half for next time. You can easily cut the cheese sauce recipes in half. I do not suggest making a full batch as the cheese does not freeze well. 

Beyond Meatball Stuffed Challah

 The only thing better than vegan challah may just be stuffed vegan challah! And the only thing better than a meatball sub may just be a whole loaf of soft, delicious bread ,stuffed with cheesy, saucy, meatballs.

You read that correctly! Soft, fluffy, perfect vegan challah, stuffed with vegan meatballs, marinara, mozzarella.

It’s saucy, “meaty”, gooey, vegan cheesy magic, all wrapped into a warm fluffy challah bread.

It’s a meatball sandwich you can eat without worrying about the meatballs falling out the back and into your lap, and that will feed a whole family ( or maybe still just you if you are extra hungry!) This recipe actually makes 2 loaves so you can be stingy and there will still be one to share!

I promise vegan challah is easier than it may seem, and I also promise stuffing it with vegan meatballs (or anything else for the matter) is not that hard either!

We used Beyond Brand Meat for the meatballs because it is my favorite brand to use. You can use whatever is handy or easy to find. You can also use pre-made vegan meatballs if that is easier for you. I like Trader Joes brand if going that route!

For the cheese you can use store bought vegan mozzarella or fry your hand at making your own. We have serval mozzarella recipes on the the site. This vegan mozzarella cheese stick recipe can be molded in a bowl then easily shredded for this recipe. It shreds, slices, and melts really well!

This recipe hands down my favorite stuffed challah to make and eat! If you love challah and you love meatball subs, then this is gonna be your favorite too. I have zero doubts!

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Challah

Follow the recipe for my basic Challah Y'all, Vegan Challah. You will follow the instructions through the first rise, then follow the below instructions for stuffing and braiding.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 thawed Beyond Meat Burgers or 1 lb of vegan ground mince

• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, sage, basil, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano) if you do not have Italian seasoning feel free to add a combo of any of the listed spices

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

• 1 flax egg

• 1 bag vegan mozzarella shreds, like Follow Your Heart brand

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Sauce

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 carrot, diced

• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1/3 cup red wine (optional)

• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

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Meatballs

1. Mix thawed burgers, panko bread crumbs, garlic, spices, and flax egg together in a bowl.

2. Once well combined, form meatballs with a small scoop, or spoon, and place them on a baking pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean up.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauce

1. Sauté onions and carrots in 1 teaspoon of oil until onions are translucent with 1 teaspoon of salt in a large pot for 5 minutes.

2. Add the wine, and let it cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Add the cooked meatballs, and let simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.

Stuffing the Challah

1. Once Challah has completed its first rise, remove from oven and separate dough in half. This recipe will yield 2 stuffed challah loaves.

2. Cut each half into thirds. (each loaf will have three pieces of dough. Work with one loaf at a time, leaving the other three pieces of dough covered in a bowl until you are ready to use them)

3. Take one piece of dough in you hand and begin to stretch it both length wise, and width wise and the same, time, letting gravity help with the length. You want the dough to be about 12 inches long, and maybe 4 inches wide. Once you have it stretched length wise, you can put it on a floured counter top and press it to get it the width stretched.

4. Once your dough is the correct size, begin adding the meatballs in a row, it works best if you cut them in half. You can add a LITTLE sauce, but if the dough becomes wet on the edges, it WILL NOT seal together when pinched. So do not over fill. Sprinkle with vegan cheese shreds. Save the extra sauce for dipping, later.

5. Once stuffed, bring the outside edges together, and pinch to seal.

6. Repeat with the other two strands.

7. Once all three strands are stuffed, and formed, carefully braid the three pieces together. If the seams begin to open, pinch them back and continue braiding. Tuck both ends of the loaf under when done braiding. Once again I will refer you to Tori Avey's challah braiding guide if you are unfamiliar with braiding challah! She does a fantastic job showing all the different ways to braid your bread, plus she has some really great recipes on her site.

8. Repeat with the second loaf, and place both stuffed loaves on a baking sheet, and back in the oven to rise again for about 45 mintues. Once they have risen, remove from oven and pre-heat to 350.

9. Brush tops of challah with some vegan butter.

10. Bake both loaves for about 35 - 45 minutes. You can tap the tops to see if they sound a little hallow. It is hard to tell when stuffed challahs are done when there are wet ingredients inside, so if they do not seem cooked through after 35 minutes, let them keep cooking for 5 - 10 more minutes.

11. Remove challah from the oven, and allow to cool some before cutting. Serve with reserved sauce for dipping.

Vegan Cajun Dirty Rice

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups cooked rice (white or brown)

• 4 thawed Beyond Meat burgers or a bag of your favorite meatless crumbles

• 1 large white onion diced small

• 3 celery stalks diced small

• 1/2 yellow or red bell pepper diced small

• 3 - 4 teaspoons of cajun seasoning (if you do not have any cajun spice, you can add 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic, paprika, onion powder, thyme, salt, pepper, and 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne). You can add more of the above if it is not seasoned to your liking.

• 1/4 cup of water

• 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon vegetable Better Than Boullion (they also make a reduced sodium version)

• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)

• sliced jalapeno (optional)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions or in a rice cooker.

2. Heat a large skillet, or a wok works well too, with 2 teaspoons of oil on medium high heat.

3. Toss the chopped veggies into the pan, cooking until the onions are translucent and the peppers and celery have softened.

4. Add your "meat" and dry seasoning to the veggies, and continue cooking until the Beyond Meat, or crumbles are cooked through.

5. Whisk Better Than Boullion and Worcestershire sauce with the 1/4 cup of water

6. Reduce heat to med/ low and add water mixture, and the 4 cups of cooked rice to the pan.

7. Stir well and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. The rice will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan and get a little crispy. You want this! Just keep scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon while you stir.

8. Taste a little of the rice to see if it has enough spice, or seasoning for your liking. You can always add extra heat by adding some extra cayenne or black pepper.

9. Garnish with fresh parsley or jalapeño peppers.