Next Week’s Meal Plan: A Week of Easy Vegan Dinners

Welcome to Next Week’s Meal Plan! Meal planning isn’t always easy — especially if you’re just getting started. But I’m a firm believer that it’s the secret to stress-free weeknight dinners. I want to help you find inspiration and ease some of the pain points that come with getting dinner on the table night after night, whether you’re cooking for one or a family of eight. Every week, I’ll be sharing a new meal plan solution specifically customized for you from reader requests or from a guest contributor.

This week’s reader-requested meal plan is a week of easy vegan meals. Vegan dinners are brilliant for many reasons: They are generally less expensive, and what they lack in meat and dairy they make up for with flavor in spades. Whether being vegan is a full-time lifestyle choice, or you’re just dipping your toes into the plant-based waters, we encourage you to give these five recipes a try. They’re so hearty, delicious, and indulgent you may find yourself surprised that anything’s been left out at all.

Here are five easy vegan dinners to keep you well-fed this week.

This is just what Monday calls for: Coming home to a ready-made dinner perfuming the house with fragrant spices. You can serve a comforting bowl of this tikka masala over rice, but quick-cooking quinoa makes it more filling (and keeps you from rice repeats if you make Wednesday’s meal).

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Chickpea Tikka Masala

Isn’t this tostada stunning? The coconut and corn salsa might sound unusual, but the flavor is delicious. You may want to make extra and add it to other dishes this week.

Get the recipe: Black Bean Tostadas with Coconut-Corn Salsa

Start this baked risotto on Sunday by pre-caramelizing a big batch of onions. (You can freeze what you don’t need for this recipe.) After that, the rest comes together relatively quickly — and the baking method makes it largely hands-off, without all the stirring in a traditional stovetop recipe.

Get the recipe: Baked Mushroom Risotto with Caramelized Onions

Take advantage of the curry and corn you needed earlier this week to make a simple, hearty soup for Thursday’s dinner. Bonus: Save leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch!

Get the recipe: Curried Cauliflower Chowder

Unlike the bulk of homemade veggie burgers, these can go onto a grill without falling apart. (Of course, they can be cooked on the stovetop as well.) How? We added a secret ingredient — miso — which does wonders at keeping everything together, and can be found at most natural foods stores and Asian supermarkets. Top with your favorite mustard, guacamole, and pickled red onions to celebrate the end of the week.

Get the recipe: The Ultimate Grilled Veggie Burger

• The Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning: What to Know, How to Succeed, and What to Skip
• The Best Way to Use a Weekend for Meal Planning Success
• Ask Yourself These 5 Questions Before You Start Meal Planning
• 5 Strategies for Picking Recipes for a Week of Meal Planning

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