7 Vegetarian Lunch Ideas – easy recipes for work or school – whether in a lunch box or bowl, these are perfect meat free lunches.
7 Vegetarian Lunch Ideas
These vegetarian lunch ideas make the perfect meal to help keep you fuelled for the day, without the need for meat. They are rich in protein, nutritious and tasty too – you won’t miss the meat at all!
Vegetarian Lunch Box Essentials
I’ve opted to use these glass containers to store and transport my lunch in. They are perfect for reheating, easy to clean and don’t retain food smells like plastic too. (As a bonus, they are kinder to the environment.)
You may want to invest in a couple of set of good quality lunch boxes, and maybe a flask for making and enjoying veggie soups on the go too.
With the below lunches, you may prefer to meal prep a couple on a Sunday so you have lunches ready and waiting in the morning. Or, you may just prep your lunch while making breakfast, so they are fresh and made in the morning.
A Week Of Vegetarian Lunch Recipes
1. Beetroot Salad
There are so many vegetarian friendly ways to enjoy a beetroot salad, here are some ingredients to include in yours:
- Leafy Greens – spinach, lettuce or kale
- Beetroot – already cooked or you can roast, boil or steam fresh beetroot for your salad
- Lentils, Chickpeas, Beans or Edamame Beans
- Feats or Goats Cheese
- Nuts – walnuts, pine nuts or almonds
2. Creamy Vegetable Soup
You can enjoy a soup at home or meal prep a huge pot on sunday and serve a portion out into a flask or container to reheat at lunch.
My latest go to soup is a creamy veggie soup that includes:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Peas
When recently enjoying a soup at a local cafe here in Ireland, I asked what the secret was as it was the creamiest, tastiest soup I had ever experienced. The answer? Plenty of cream and butter – way more than a home cook would usually be comfortable with including.
So, I boil up all of the ingredients for the soup in veggie stock and then blend with plenty of cream and butter for the creamiest veggie soup ever.
3. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
My 6 Ingredients Chickpea Salad makes a great make ahead lunch that only gets better with a few hours or a day in the fridge. To make the salad, combine together in a bowl or your meal prep dish:
- Tinned Chickpeas – drained and rinsed
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Red Onion, chopped
- Feta, Crumbles
- Juice from 1/2 Lemon – squeezed over a sieve to catch pips
- 1-2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
There are lots of other Mediterranean ingredients to include in your salad, here are some more ideas:
- Olives
- Goats Cheese
- Cucumber
- Peppers/Capsicum
4. Halloumi Salad
Either you’re a fan of halloumi, or you could live without it. If you’re on the fence about the contentious cheese, then this recipe might just sell it to you. It’s my favourite way to enjoy halloumi and it’s really easy to prepare.
Start with a base of your greens of choice, mine is usually spinach. Then, chop and fry the halloumi until golden. Place the halloumi on top of the spinach. I like to accompany my salad with tomato and orange – they perfectly balance the richness of the halloumi.
So, chop a handful of cherry tomatoes, peel and chop an orange and combine together with the halloumi and spinach. I also like to tip the plate I’ve chopped the orange on, over the salad as it acts as almost a dressing.
These flavours work wonderfully well together and are a protein rich vegetarian lunch, full of nutritious ingredients.
5. One Pot Macaroni Cheese & Peas
This is a one pot wonder dish that I regularly make when the rest of my family have a meaty meal. It’s easy to package up for lunch and there’s usually plenty left over.
In a saucepan, combine together:
- 1 Cup Macaroni
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Cup Milk
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the macaroni is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid. Then, add the following:
- 1/2 Cup Peas
- 1/2 Cup Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast (Optional)
Cook until the peas have heated through and cheese has melted. You can then add the (optional) nutritional yeast and any other cheese or dairy free alternatives you like.
6. Pantry Pasta Salad
Another pasta dish that’s really easy to put together with ingredients I usually have in my pantry. Keeping a few options in your pantry at all times, means it’s really simple to create a vegetarian pasta salad with little effort.
Here are ideas for ingredients to store in your pantry to include in your salad:
- Pasta – I like to keep a variety of protein rich pastas
- Pesto – vegan/vegetarian friendly pesto
- Beans/Chickpeas/Lentils – keeping a variety of options rich in protein, fiber and other essential elements
To make the pasta salad, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Then, drain and rinse to cool.
Mix through pesto and other ingredients and enjoy straight away or package up to take for work/school lunch.
7. Roasted Vegetables & Tofu
As with the other recipes included in these vegetarian lunch ideas – there are loads of different variations to create a hearty roasted vegetables and tofu dish.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and grease a baking dish. I chose to fill my dish with the following, but you can feel free to include any vegetables you like:
- Tofu
- Sweet Potato
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
Drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and crush a garlic clove or two.
Toss to combine well and place into the oven for 15 minutes, remove, toss and place back for a further 15 to 20 minutes or until done to your liking.
Enjoy in a bowl or allow to cool and then move to a lunch box and store for a couple of days in the fridge.
You can serve with sour cream, tahini or your dressing of choice.
More Vegetarian Inspiration:
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