6 Hearty Vegetarian Recipes to Make This Month

Is there any question more relentless than “What’s for dinner?” Like the shrill of your alarm clock, it rolls around daily, yet somehow never gets any easier to answer. That might feel particularly true if you’ve adopted a plant-based diet, but the people around you—your spouse, kids, friends, or extended family—are still committed to eating meat. You may be on board with the satisfying, delicious vegetarian recipes you’ve found, but what will you serve the skeptics in your life, who don't think of veggies as filling?

Enter Ella Mills’ latest cookbook, Natural Feasts: 100+ Healthy, Plant-Based Recipes to Share and Enjoy with Friends and Family ($24, amazon.com). Mills—better known as Deliciously Ella, from her Instagram and food blog—shares plant-based recipes aimed at appealing to an omnivorous crowd.

Eating a plant-based diet doesn’t have to be about deprivation or intimidating new ingredients, she says. “If you’re having a real skeptic for dinner, or trying to get an unconvinced family member to try a healthier meal, then always cook something that looks and feels familiar to them. Choose a classic dish that has a healthy spin on it,” writes Mills in the introduction to Natural Feasts. Fittingly, the recipes featured in the cookbook are approachable for both chefs and eaters—cooks will find that generally there aren't too many steps, kitchen tools, or unfamiliar ingredients, and eaters will also find that flavors and ingredients are familiar (and downright delicious).

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Here are six of our favorite recipes from Natural Feasts to try, from grab-and-go breakfasts and office-friendly lunches to crowd-pleasing dinners.

All recipes courtesy of Natural Feasts: 100+ Healthy, Plant-Based Recipes to Share and Enjoy with Friends and Family.

“Breakfast” is in the name of this recipe, but don’t let that stop you from sticking one of these bars in your purse for a late-afternoon snack. These flavorful bites get their sweetness from honey and medjool dates, chewiness from the rolled oats, and a satisfying crunch from the mix of pumpkin and chia seeds. If you like these bars, know that you can double—or triple!—a batch and freeze them for later.

Makes 8

1 tablespoon coconut oil

3 tablespoons honey

Juice and finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

1 tablespoon tahini

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

6 medjool dates, pitted

1 cup plus 6 tablespoons rolled oats

2 tablespoons chia seeds

Pinch of salt

Melt the coconut oil, honey, lemon juice, and tahini together in a pan over gentle heat. Put the pumpkin seeds into a food processor and pulse a few times until they are roughly chopped. Tip into a large mixing bowl. Put the dates in the food processor and blend until a sticky paste forms. Add this to the pumpkin seeds with all the other ingredients, including the contents of the pan (and not forgetting the lemon zest). Mix thoroughly until everything is evenly coated.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, spoon in the mixture, and press it down evenly. Place in the fridge for about two hours to set. Cut into eight squares or slices before serving.

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Made of pureed sweet potatoes, spices, and chickpeas, these falafel balls are coated in sesame seeds—for crunch—before being baked. The sturdy, nutritious bites travel well, says Mills, making them perfect for lunch at work (sad desk salad no more!).

Makes 14

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Handful of cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

3 tablespoons chickpea flour

Salt and pepper

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2/3 cup sesame seeds

Steam the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, or until completely soft. Blend for a few seconds to make a smooth puree.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line one large or two medium baking sheets with parchment paper. Put 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sweet potato puree into a food processor with all the other ingredients except the chickpeas and sesame seeds. Blend until almost smooth, then season really well. Add the chickpeas and pulse a few times to form a chunky mix.

Tip the sesame seeds onto a plate. With wet hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a ball, roll it in the sesame seeds, and place it on the baking sheet(s). Keep going until all the mixture is used up.

Place the sheet(s) into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for five minutes on a wire rack before eating.

If you’re in need of a stick-to-your-ribs dish as the cold days of winter march on, cook up a batch of this hearty stew, which starts with the holy trinity—onion, bell peppers, and celery—then adds fresh red chiles for spice. This is a great option to serve at a big family dinner, while watching football on Sunday, or at any big gathering.

Serves 6

Olive oil

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 medium onion (optional), finely chopped

Salt and pepper

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 fresh red chiles, seeded and finely chopped

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

4 tablespoons tomato paste

2 red bell peppers, finely chopped

1 15-ounce can each of butter beans (lima beans), black beans, and cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Large handful of cilantro

Heat a large glug of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery and onion (if using) with salt and pepper and stir until the celery is turning translucent. Add the garlic and chiles and cook for a minute, stirring so that nothing catches. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, bell peppers, and 1 1/2 cups water. Let it bubble for about 30 minutes, stirring to break down the tomatoes now and then, until the sauce is starting to reduce and the peppers are soft.

Once you’re ready to eat, add the beans. They’ll need about 10 minutes. When they’ve had that, remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Serve in bowls topped with a sprinkling of cilantro.

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This creamy risotto is so rich and satisfying—thanks to coconut milk and pureed peas—that no one will miss the cheese that typically accompanies a risotto dish.

Serves 4

For the risotto

Olive oil

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 3/4 cups short-grain brown rice

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 small zucchini, sliced into half-moons

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

Few sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped

For the creamy pea mixture

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Put a big glug of olive oil in a large saucepan with a lid and set it over medium heat. Add the celery and salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute before adding the rice, coconut milk, 5 cups water, the vinegar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed. Check it every now and again and give it a stir. You may need to add slightly more water during cooking, as the water can be absorbed at different speeds depending on the shape of your pan and the heat under it.

When the 50 minutes is up, uncover, stir in the zucchini, and cook for five minutes. Throw in the peas, stir again, and cook for another five minutes, then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, make the pea mixture. Place all the ingredients in a blender, season well, and blend until smooth.

Stir the creamy pea mixture into the risotto, sprinkle with the chopped mint, and serve.

If you need a super-speedy weeknight meal option, sub in rice or quinoa in place of the sweet potatoes—the chili itself only takes around 30 minutes to cook. If you’ve got a bit more time, bake the sweet potatoes, and then heap mounds of this savory chickpea chili—flavored with spices, garlic, and fresh red chiles—on top, along with a spoonful of yogurt.

Serves 4

For the potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed well

Olive oil

Flakey sea salt

For the chili

Olive oil

2 fresh red chiles, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon miso paste

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper

2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

7 ounces spinach

Yogurt, to serve

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pierce the sweet potatoes all over, making small cuts to make sure the air can escape as they bake. Pour a little olive oil into your hands and rub the sweet potatoes all over so they have a thin coating. Place them on the baking sheet and sprinkle them evenly on all sides with sea salt. Pop them in the oven and bake for one hour, or until tender inside.

Meanwhile, make the chili. Heat a generous glug of olive oil, the chiles, and celery in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, miso, mustard seeds, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Let this cook for about five minutes, or until the celery has softened. Add the cherry tomatoes, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste, then carefully stir in the chickpeas and vinegar. Let everything cook for about 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to eat, stir in the spinach to wilt. Split the baked sweet potatoes and serve with the chili and a dollop of yogurt.

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The “cheesy” layer in this comforting casserole comes from blended butternut squash, cashews, tamari, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. This creamy goodness tops lasagne-like layers of zucchini and eggplant, making for a filling dish to feed a crowd (or your family, with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch).

Serves 6–8

2 large eggplants

Salt and pepper

2 zucchini

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to brush

1 fennel bulb, finely chopped

3 red bell peppers, roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, crushed

4 teaspoons smoked paprika

3 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 10-ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (6 ounces drained weight), drained and chopped

Few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chili flakes

3/4 cup hazelnuts

Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

1 ounce flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped

For the cheesy sauce

7 ounces butternut squash (about 1/3 of a squash), peeled and roughly chopped

1 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours, then drained

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon tamari

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the eggplants lengthwise into slices roughly 1/4-inch thick, place on two baking sheets in a single layer, and sprinkle liberally with salt and set aside to let water draw out. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices too.

Place a grill pan over high heat. Brush it with olive oil and start grilling the zucchini slices. Lay them on gently and leave them until you can see the grill lines coming through the top side. Set aside. Keep going until all the zucchini slices are done.

Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the fennel, season with salt and pepper, and cook for three minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and cook for three minutes. Add the paprika, stirring to coat. Now tip in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and chili flakes. Let the tomato sauce simmer and reduce for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can get on with the eggplants. Using paper towels, brush off the salt and water from the eggplant slices and start grilling on the hot grill pan. (Make sure you have your exhaust fan on! It gets smoky, but the flavor makes it worthwhile.) Grill for about a minute each side and set aside.

Once the eggplants are done, the tomato sauce should look glossy and coat the back of a spoon nicely. If this is so, you can start assembling the bake. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

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Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for seven to 10 minutes, until they turn golden. Set aside to cool.

Take a lasagne dish and put a layer of eggplant on the bottom, followed by a layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of zucchini. Keep layering until everything is used up, finishing with a layer of the tomato sauce. Cover with foil and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the cheesy sauce. Steam the squash for 15 minutes. Add to a high-powered blender with the remaining sauce ingredients and blend until totally smooth, seasoning well.

Remove the foil from the bake, pour on the sauce, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the hazelnuts and mix in a bowl with the lemon zest and parsley.

Remove the bake from the oven, sprinkle half of the herby nut mixture over the top, and take to the table to serve. Put the rest of the hazelnut mixture in a bowl on the table so people can add extra to their plate should they want it.