5 Easy Vegan Recipes We Can’t Stop Making on Repeat
Here's a party trick: Serve up these easy, delicious vegan dishes from the editors of The Beet at your next dinner party. All of our go-to recipes are so satisfying that your non-vegan guests will love them. Make them for your next get-together so everyone – whether they are eating plant-based or not – can eat up and enjoy delicious food.
From a pea and mint soup that works as well cold as it does hot, to easy pasta, Moroccan stew, and dairy-free pesto, you can throw a dinner party without having to compromise taste for dietary restrictions or preferences. Have one you love? Add it to our list on The Beet's Facebook page! Happy cooking, eating, and entertaining the plant-based way.
5 Easy Vegan Recipes Non-Vegans Will Love
Lucy's One-Pot Vegan Pea and Mint Soup
I first was served this by a friend who made it using a version of pea soup that she ascribed to Ina Garten, but when I searched that recipes, I found one significantly different since she uses ham hock and suggests serving it with kielbasa. She also prefers split peas and starts with chicken stock. This recipe does none of those things. We also added mint to it, something I can't take credit for since my pal Cathy added that, but to my mind, it makes the dish.
Here is a personalized, veganized, and thick versatile pea soup. If you don't have leaks, don't sweat it, since the first time I made it I didn't add those, but once I added them and the carrots and potatoes, I decided these extra elements made it even better. You can also make your own healthier croutons with olive oil, and thereby avoid the over-processed vegetable oils that are in most storebought products and that are terrible for you. Make this soup in advance and chill it for a special summer dish that rivals gazpacho for popularity.
Another note: You need either an immersion blender to puree the soup as it cooks, or be prepared to scoop out some soup, blend it in a blender, and add it back to the pot. I bought a hand-held immersion blender and it came with a nifty little food processor blade and I have to say it's my favorite new piece of kitchen equipment. For just $40 you will be making soups for days, months, and years, just to have an excuse to use this fun gadget.
This is a one-pot dish that is ready in under 20 minutes, so make a big batch and serve it hot or cold, freeze it for later, but make more than you need because it's addictive, and on a hot day, a cold mint and pea soup will hit the spot!
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Lucy's Pea and Mint Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups chopped leeks, white and green parts (2) OR 1 cup leeks and 1 cup scallions — I use half leeks and half scallions, including the green parts
- 2 cups (½-inch) diced carrots (3 large)
- 5 small potatoes —diced but with skin on
- 1½ cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 lb dried frozen sweet organic green peas
- 8 cups vegetable stock (or one carton)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs, tied with kitchen twine
- 2 small fresh mint bundles, use leaves only!
- Chop the mint and leave some pretty leaves for the topping as you serve it
- Toasted large croutons, for garnish
Instructions
- Add onions, until translucent then add garlic and allow it to slightly brown.
- Add leeks, scallions, carrots, potatoes, and half of the vegetable stock.
- Heat until the potatoes and carrots start to soften but are not all way cooked
- Add frozen peas in 1/4 batches and stir in with the leeks, potatoes, and carrots, and add the rest of the vegetable stock. Heat.
- Add salt and pepper — generously to taste.
- Let simmer as peas heat up, and soften. You only need to cook the soup for about 10-20 minutes total.
- Chop up the mint leaves (or use a small food processor blade that comes with the immersion blender to make mint small.) Watch out — these blades are super sharp! Add mint into the soup and stir.
- If you have an immersion blender as peas soften and the soup simmers — use a handheld blender to purée half the peas, leaving other whole peas visible. The amount that you purée the soup is up to you. I like a thick soup with lots of whole peas. You can make it more liquified if you prefer. Keep tasting.
- No immersion blender? Scoop half the soup into a regular blender and blend until smooth and then add back to the pot so that half the soup is full of intact peas for texture.
- Heat up or toast your croutons (I suggest you make homemade ones) and garnish the soup with croutons and a leftover sprig of mint!
Stephanie's Easy Dairy-Free Pesto
I get a bit obsessive about my food, and there's one particular item that I've been fixated on for about a year, unable to live a peaceful life if I don't have at least a jar of it on hand at all times: Pesto. Yes, vegan pesto can be just as good as the real thing, with just a few crafty swaps, like cashews and nutritional yeast for parmesan. If there's one easy-to-make recipe that makes it feel like eternal Spring, it's a batch of bright green pesto, loaded with flavor.
I prefer to eat pesto on bread, spread over a slice or two of sourdough that's been toasted to perfection with a bit of olive oil, but of course, it's also great on pasta and fares well in a sandwich, or honestly, just by the spoonful when you're having a hankering. I like to add some power greens like spinach or arugula to boost the nutrient content, but you can omit that if you don't have it on hand, and you probably won't even taste a difference. All that's required for this pesto spread is a blender or bullet blender and a few easy ingredients.
Note: If you don't have cashews on hand, or want to opt for a more cost-efficient recipe, you can swap for any fatty nut like walnuts or almonds.
Stephanie's Easy Vegan Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 2 handfuls of spinach or arugula, optional
- 1/4 cup cashews or nut of choice
- 2 large cloves of fresh garlic
- 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- the juice of 1 lemon
- salt, to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Wash and dry your basil. Juice your lemon. Add basil, spinach, cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, spices, and olive oil to a blender.
- Blend until you achieve a smooth, creamy consistency and a vibrant green color.
- Pour into a jar, top with a drizzle of olive oil to cover the top and prevent browning, and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Hailey's Vegan Moroccan Stew
Yes, I even eat stew when it's warm outside, but not just any stew. My favorite recipe was inspired by this Vegan Morrocan Stew by Purely Kaylie who mastered the perfect taste of sweet, salty, and savory.
This stew is filled with beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs, spices, and some greens, and three additions I added to make the stew taste a tad more delicious. At first, I didn't think it was possible. I add chili peppers for heat, a galop of creme fresh, and parsley as a garnish. This is the kind of meal you overeat because it tastes so delicious and you can't help but go back for seconds, thirds, and fourths.
Here's what my process looks like: On Sunday night I make this recipe, on Monday morning I have a bowl for breakfast, for lunch I eat another bowl topped with dairy-free creme fresh, and for dinner, I pour the stew over greens and sort of eat it like a salad with a fork. I save all the leftovers, every last drop, in two sealed containers, one for the fridge, and the other for the freezer for the weeks to come. Everyone I serve this stew to, (if they're lucky) always asks me for the recipe. Coincidentally, they end up serving it to me when they host dinner. I call this, "the communal stew recipe."
Vegan Morrocan Stew
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 chili peppers
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cups cubed sweet potatoes
- 3 cups cubed gold potatoes
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed
- 1 14oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 2–4 cups kale or spinach, optional
- Parsley, for garnish
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Vegan creme fresh
Instructions
- Add the oil, diced onions, minced garlic, spices, and chili peppers to a large pot and sautée on medium heat.
- Add all of your cubed potatoes, carrots, beans, tomatoes, and veggie broth to the pot and bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add your greens to the mixture and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro, parsley, and creme fresh.
Caitlin's Baba Ganoush recipe
This simple Baba Ganoush is a perfect side dish when my house has a Mediterranean night and there are never leftovers – it's that good. Serve it as an appetizer, or like I do aside veggie kabobs, hummus, and Lebanese rice. If you like your food a bit spicier you could always amp up the heat with some red pepper flakes and a bit more paprika.
Easy Baba Ganoush
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3-4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Pinch of paprika
Instructions
- Roast 2 large eggplants at 425 for 45 minutes Remove the eggplant and let it cool. Scoop out the inside of the eggplant and put it in a strainer or cheesecloth.
- Remove excess liquid and put it in a food processor. Add garlic, paprika, tahini, and lemon juice to a food processor.
- As you pulse the mixture, pour olive oil into a food processor. Pulse until well combined or smooth. Put into a bowl and serve with toasted pita or veggies.
Max's Thai Coconut Soup
Featuring a healthy mix of bold, sweet, salty, and even tart flavors, this Thai-inspired soup is designed to nourish the body. Thai Coconut Soup, traditionally known as Tom Kha, contains an exciting blend of authentic Thai flavors that puts this soup at the top of my list. This vegan iteration of Tom Kha is an unbelievably easy and impressively flavorful soup that’s perfect to prepare for large groups. If you’re in need of a recipe for meal prepping, prepare this soup for yourself and save the leftovers for the week.
Regardless of the season, soup is the most comforting and communal food to cook. People will flock to the hefty pot of deliciously creamy soup. Filled with a rich blend of garlic, ginger, curry, lemon, and cayenne, this recipe will prove just how good vegan foods can taste.
The first time I prepared this soup, I cooked it for a group of vegans and non-vegans on a cold night in the Mountains. After a long workday, this savory dinner provided a refreshing burst of flavor that satisfied everyone regardless of their dietary preferences. For a comforting dinner, no matter what the season, try preparing this heartening soup for your dinner guests.
Thai Coconut Curry Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil (avocado oil)
- 5 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 cup of chopped shiitake mushrooms
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 cans of coconut cream
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan red curry paste
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp of grated ginger
- 3 tsp brown sugar
- 2 blocks of silken tofu
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Zest of one lemon
Garnish
- Cilantro
- Green Onions
- Lime Juice
- Rice Noodles
Instructions
- Drain the Tofu and cut it into small cubes. Set Aside.
- Dice the garlic, onions, and shiitake mushrooms. Add avocado oil to a large stockpot. Toss in the yellow onion and garlic until clear. Then add mushrooms. Cook until soft on medium-high heat.
- Lower to medium heat and then add grated ginger, salt, pepper, cayenne, and soy sauce. Once properly mixed in add vegetable stock and coconut cream.
- Once blended together add in sugar and lemon zest. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 25 minutes.
- After simmering, stir in the silken tofu and let cook for 5-10 minutes. Adjust salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
- Serve, garnish, and enjoy.
For more great plant-based dishes, visit The Beet's recipes.
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