Lunch

Everyone's welcome to join this vegan club

Crispy baked plantain chips and creamy cilantro sauce top this easy layered bowl for a variety 
of textures and a tropical salty-spicy, savory-sweet flavor combination.

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A sweet-and-sour combination of cauliflower and apple is paired with melted Swiss cheese in a deli-style grilled sandwich. We’ve called for a panini or sandwich press, but you can also make it grilled-cheese-sandwich style in a skillet—just be careful when flipping it to make sure the filling doesn’t fall out.

Ah, sandwiches. I’ll enjoy pretty much any sandwich you put in front of me and smile happily as I polish it off. However, there are “I enjoyed that” sandwiches and there are “Knock me on the floor, I think I will be marrying this sandwich” kind of sandwiches. These Blackened Tofu and Coleslaw Sandwiches are the latter. After tasting the spicy, crispy tofu and tangy, creamy coleslaw on toasted, crusty bread, you’ll want to propose immediately.

Seasonal favorites with an Asian twist

Roasting concentrates the flavor of tomatoes, meaning you can make this soup with less-than-stellar, out-of-season tomatoes, and it’s still fantastic. (But make it when local tomatoes are at their best, and you’ll knock your own socks off.)

Tempeh stands in for beef in this vegetarian, fiber-rich version of a Reuben.

Meatless Mondays aren’t just for Mondays anymore, and Taco Tuesdays are certainly not just meant for Tuesdays! Enjoy these meatless tacos any day of the week.

These fun little flatbreads are a nice change of pace from pizza. Plus, they make a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

You’ll love this version of a Vietnamese street-food sandwich favorite.

This sandwich turns take-along food flaws—travel time, cramped packing quarters, moist ingredients—into assets. Pressing the sandwich lets the crusty bread soak up roasted vegetable juices, and travel time gives flavors a chance to meld.

When you roast asparagus, bell pepper, and squash for this recipe, you’ll be making extra veggies and squash that can be added to salads, pasta, or rice dishes later in the week.

A tangy mustard-based sauce distinguishes Carolina-style barbecue from its sweeter Kansas City cousin.

Smoked sun-dried tomatoes give this sandwich a meaty taste and texture.

Wheat berries and dried white beans are cooked directly within this long-simmering soup, lending body and flavor to the broth.

Pull all those leftover condiments out of the fridge and pick your favorite to pair with this simple dish. Serve with steamed rice.

Slide fried eggs between tortillas slathered with refried beans, and you get this fun twist on a Mexican favorite that you can eat with your hands. Serve with your favorite prepared salsa.

You can prepare the cauliflower and salsa a day ahead, then cook them with the tortillas right before serving.

Sweet corn and spicy jalapeños add Southwestern flavor to this spuds-and-greens skillet supper.

Parsley, toasted garlic, and lemon bring out red cabbage’s sweeter side in this surprising frittata combination.

Celebrate the start of summer with a frittata that makes the most of local squash and potatoes. We’ve called for fingerling potatoes, but any firm “boiling” or new potato variety will work.

Kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens can be used in place of the collards depending on which dark, leafy green looks freshest when you’re shopping.

Ground turmeric lends a hint of Indian flavor and a rich saffron color to this cheese-free frittata.

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Maitake mushrooms, also known as hen-of-the-woods, ram's head, or sheep's head mushrooms, have a woodsy, smoky flavor that pairs well with roasted vegetables.

This elegant first course features hearty king trumpet mushrooms, noted for their chewy, meaty texture.

Silky bitter greens plus sweet dried currants are a favorite Southern Italian pasta pairing.

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Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Is it a pizza? Is it a quesadilla? No, it's a pizza-dilla.

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Here’s a great use for any leftover pumpkin or squash purée you might have after the holidays.

A can of Indian-spiced lentil soup is the “sauce” on this potato-topped naan pizza.

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Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Salsa roja is a cooked salsa made with skillet- or grill-blackened onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Serve in warmed corn tortillas.

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Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Cottage cheese is the secret low-fat ingredient in these sandwiches. Try the recipe with sliced pears or apples as well.

Humboldt Fog and Bûcheron de chèvre cheese are round goat cheeses with the same diameter as an English muffin.

Pimiento cheese, a Southern favorite, travels west here with the addition of cumin and chili powder.

Never had raw beet in a sandwich? This panini will have you hooked.

Cheese pizza is a perennial veg favorite, but it often comes with a hefty calorie count. Here, goat cheese and thinly sliced veggies offer lighter alternatives to shredded mozzarella.

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Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Surprise! These brown-bag-friendly tacos are just as good chilled as they are served hot.

This super-nutritious salad is just what you want toward the end of the work week.

Check out Lisa Turner's author page.

Check out Lisa Turner's author page.

Make a quiche for dinner with your favorite greens, then save a slice for lunch with a salad or raw veggies the next day.

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Lightly steaming broccoli brightens its color and helps it keep its crunch—even when it’s coated in a creamy dressing, as in this recipe.

There’s no need for cheese when you use cilantro-laced hummus to hold pita quesadillas together. Serve with salsa.

The pâté can also be spread on crackers or thinned with additional water and used as a dip.

Vegetable juice gives this grain salad a gorgeous color, a hint of flavor, and a hefty boost of vitamin C and beta-carotene.

This deliciously easy soup became an immediate favorite among VT staffers. It's even better the second day, after the spices have had more time to mingle.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.

Summer favorites avocado, lime, red bell pepper, and mango fill Vietnamese rice paper wrappers to make these rolls.

Tofu and edamame give these wraps plenty of protein. Feel free to substitute chard or flat-leafed kale for the collards.