Need a non-obvious meatless dinner recipe

stuffed pasta shells with ricotta cheese? and a nice tomato sauce and what ever else you feel like adding - mushrooms are good for adding meaty flavour...

quiche? or something else egg based - still get lots of good protein without the flesh lol

ummm maybe something black bean and corn - can't think of anything right now but a google search might turn up some good stuff

my daughter is vegetarian so most of our meals are meatless. We do a pasta dish each week - she likes Alfredo but I like to do a vegetable saute of onions mixed bell peppers and baby heirloom tomatoes with pesto. I also serve some egg dishes like eggs Benedict (actually it would be Florentine because I substitute spinach for the Canadian bacon) and spinach souffle. Then I rotate some soup recipes, vegetable bean (which you can add leftover cheese tortellini to) Sweet potato bisque, and pumpkin soup. You can also make a nice ratatouille - but it is pretty obviously meatless.

and im am not a vegan, i love my meat, but in either of those i think i prefer the vegie ones

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sweet_potato_black_bean_chili.html

^This is really really yummy! Im a vegetarian but my boyfriend isnt and he really likes it

Eating Well has a really great swiss chard, gnocci, skillet dish that is amazingly good.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/skillet_gnocchi_with_chard_white_beans.html

Since your hub likes a lot of protein how about egg-based dishes like frittatas or Spanish tortillas, afforable & lot's of protein.

Love this meatless dinner recipe...Thanks..

My husband is the same way. He refuses to believe that we can have a meal without meat. My daughter made some stuffed shells for the family last week, and they were amazing. Even my husband liked them!

I posted the recipe in a blog post for my friends. I don't think I have my blog set to private, but let me know if you can't see it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/SarahRuthRuns/view/stuffed-shells-with-artichokes-692591

This is one of my favourite winter recipes: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4382/veggie-shepherds-pie-with-sweet-potato-mash

Did this the other day and it was quite good: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/412629/ginger-sweet-tofu-with-pak-choi

Going to try this in the next few days after a friend recommended it: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2940671/tomato-and-harissa-stew-with-cheddar-dumplings

I make some tasty veggie enchilladas - roast butternut squash with garlic, make a tomato sauce with onion, cumin and smoked paprika then stir in the roasted squash and some beans (I like butterbeans but pretty much anything will work) and use to fill tortilla wraps. Top with spare sauce and grated cheese and bake.

I used tempeh to make an Ethiopian-style stew that tasted like it was made of meat. Spices go a long way toward disguising the absence of meat.

I particularly recommend Spanish smoked paprika. I swear that if you make lentils, carrots, and onions with a liberal amount of smoked paprika, it tastes like you've put ham in it.

I'm a huge fan of beans and quinoa, and there are an easy place to start for vegetarian meals. You could do southwest stuffed bell peppers with black beans, quinoa, corn, tomatoes, and salsa. Tup with a bit of cheese and bake. Very filling and tasty.

Black beans and brown rice are also great. You could serve them in tacos, burritos, etc. Or go Cuban and top with a fried egg and sauteed onions - yummy and lots of protein.

You could also do lentil loaf or nut loaf (mix with lentils if you need to watch fat).

Last night we had meatless / total vegetarian spaghetti! Thats a good one that can be vegetarian and people usually wont complain if you put alot of veggies in the sauce!

ours was even vegan becuase we used spaghetti squash for the pasta so super healthy and super filling and no one noticed there was no meat- even my three children!

Just an idea!

Not sure if anyone mentioned this already or not but the vegetarian crumbles, like Boca or Morningstar farm can be substituted in your spaghetti or lasagna or pretty much any meal you would use ground beef in and not be totally obvious. Also, since you mentioned you are doing it to save some money rather than necessarily trying to go vegan - how about some tuna dishes? Tuna is less expensive than some of the vegetarian options and tuna mixed with brown rice and broccoli is quick and easy and super yummy!

I make vegetarian high-protein lasagna. I make two trays - one with veggies, one without. My man eats the vegetarian high-protein one without the veggies (he won't eat them), and I eat the one with. This is what I would use for my tray with veggies:


-1c tomato sauce of your choice
-2 servings of no-boil lasagna noodles
-1 smaller container of Breakstone's 2% cottage cheese (I am the first person to hate on cottage cheese. I detest it. But this recipe makes it edible). I think there are 2 servings per container? Or maybe 4? I create a new recipe each time I make this lasagna on MFP and log my ingredients separately each time because my quantities/brands that I buy vary.
-450g frozen zucchini
-6 servings of Trader Joe's meat-less ground beef - cooked
-40g fresh mozzarella


Preheat oven to the temperature dictated by the packaging on the no-boil lasagna noodles (some are 350 degrees fahrenheit, some are 375, etc.)
Spray a casserole dish with a non-stick spray.
Spread a small amount of tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish.
Layer 1/3 of your little pile of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the dish.
Add 1/2 of the frozen zucchini, like 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce, half of the cooked meatless ground-beef.
Add half of the container of cottage cheese.
Layer half of the remaining lasagna noodles over this mixture.
Repeat the toppings for the next layer, top with your remaining lasagna noodles and save some tomato sauce to pour over the top (if the noodles on top are not covered with at least a little tomato sauce, they get crunchy and brittle in the oven).
Add 40g chopped mozzarella on top.
Cover with foil, bake for 10-15 minutes longer than dictated on the no-boil lasagna noodles (to account for the frozen zucchini).

As I mentioned, I make this somewhat differently each time based on what I have on hand at that time, but generally each dish makes 3 servings for me, and each serving is somewhere around 500-550 cals and 35-40g protein. I use a food scale for everything and just create new recipes on my diary dated with the day I made it so I can keep track.

It's DELICIOUS. And I normally hate zucchini. And cottage cheese. My man is also normally a veggie ground-beef hater but he loves this dish.