It’s almost time for Lent! That means lots of fruits and veggies in your meal plans. 

At The Produce Moms, we love this time of year because it offers you a chance to play around with new ingredients you may not have tried before. Or use up your favorites in a new and fresh way. 

Even if you’re here because you want to eat a more balanced diet, you’ve come to the right place for some easy vegetarian recipes. We’re moms, and we know veggies aren’t typically the first request you get from your littles.

But our kids love these easy, Lent-friendly vegetarian recipes, and we’re sure your kids will too. And if you’re curious about experimenting with even more veggies, we’ve included a link to help you learn how to select, store, and serve them. Our goal is to make sure you’re never short of vegetarian recipe ideas!

To help you get started with adding more color and nutritional value to each and every meal, we’ve got fifteen vegetarian recipes for you – five each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Check these babies out below!

Easy Breakfast Ideas

If you’re anything like us, you want something quick and easy in the morning. That’s probably every mom’s dream: to have a smooth morning. Even if something doesn’t go according to plan, breakfast gets everyone off to a good start in the day. 

Some of these vegetarian breakfast recipes can be made ahead of time and reheated. Or even grabbed straight from the fridge the next morning. 

Look at you, planning ahead! Don’t you love it when that happens? 

Waffle Pops

Think popsicles, but with waffles. Simply make your waffles like usual and then break them apart into fourths. Insert a popsicle stick into each waffle quarter and top with your favorite toppings, such as:

•  blueberries
• strawberries
• chocolate
• peanut butter
• whipped cream
• Nutella

Waffle pops are a fun option for kids and feel more special than a traditional waffle. Everyone can add their favorite toppings and eat on the go if need be.

Easy Breakfast Tacos

Tacos always taste better when they’re fresh. Breakfast tacos are vegetarian, loaded with flavor, and ready in only 10 minutes. Although these aren’t the best as a make-ahead option, you could make the taco filling the night before if needed. 

Piled with fluffy eggs, juicy tomatoes, mild green onions, and fresh salsa, you just might get hooked on vegetarian breakfast tacos, too! Serve in a warm tortilla, top with salsa, and breakfast is done.

Apple and Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl

Vegetarian breakfast bowls could not be any easier. Ready in five minutes without any cooking, it’s one of our go-to vegetarian recipes. And your kids will love them — you can’t beat that! This vegetarian recipe is so easy that your kids can probably make it themselves, giving you an extra few minutes in the morning. 

Mix the cottage cheese, apples, golden raisins, and maple syrup. Then top with sliced apples, cinnamon, and an extra drizzle of maple syrup. It’s just as easy as a bowl of cereal and packed with protein.

Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes

All kids love a good pancake. The batter is made with ricotta cheese for an extra fluffy bite and a hint of cheesecake flavor. Toss in the blueberries and lemon zest for a fresh vibrancy to this vegetarian recipe. 

Be sure to use two bowls, egg yolks, and milk for the fluffiest texture. Even if your family doesn’t know they’re eating ricotta pancakes, they’ll be sure to request these long after Lent is over.

Swiss Chard Quiche

A crispy potato base baked with a custardy egg filling with herbs and swiss chard … I mean, does it get any better than that? Eggs are a great option for vegetarian recipes because they still offer protein while allowing you to stay meatless. This Swiss chard quiche takes about an hour to make and reheats well for a quick breakfast option during the week.

Lent Lunches

Just because you may be giving up meat, you can still have a protein-rich meal to help you feel full longer. Many veggies have more protein than you might think. And when your kids are feeling full, you hear less of “Mom, I’m hungry!” 20 minutes before dinner is ready. 

Let’s dig into lunch.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Swap your chicken or tuna salad with chickpeas. Chickpeas are an excellent source of plant-based protein. This scrumptious sandwich still has all of the classic flavors of creamy mayo and crunchy celery on perfectly toasted, sliced bread. 

We prefer to use a bag of beans so you don’t need to drain or rinse your garbanzo beans. Dump the chickpeas into your mixing bowl, mash, toss your add-ins, and mix for an easy vegetarian lunch.   

Related: Podcast Episode 195: You’ll Never Have to Soak Beans Again

Asain Grain Bowl with Veggies

Bowls are colorful and packed with flavor, veggies, and nutrients for your entire family to enjoy. Although we used chicken in this recipe, you can swap out the chicken for shrimp, beans, or nuts for an alternative protein option. 

Lunch bowls are easy to assemble and use up leftover ingredients and veggies that need to be eaten. Invite your kids into the kitchen with you so they can pick out the veggie toppings for their Asian grain bowl.

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Comforting, hearty, and veggie-loaded soup is always a winner at our house. With 15 minutes of prep time, you’ll get all of your minestrone ingredients into the slow cooker and have dinner on its way in no time. Serve warm and top with freshly shredded parmesan for a slight elevation of this classic vegetarian recipe. 

Jennifer Aniston Salad

This salad was all the rage when it first came out. But we’re still big fans of the hearty yet light Jeniffer Aniston salad. From the bulgar wheat and herbs to the chickpeas and feta, you’ll feel full after eating a bowl of this vegetarian salad recipe. Make this salad the night before so everyone can quickly grab a bowl or store it in an airtight container for a convenient grab-and-go school lunch. Plus, it’s ready in 15 minutes! 

Jacket Potatoes

Kinda like twice baked potatoes meets veggies, jacket potatoes are baked until the edges are crispy and topped with cooked veggies of your choice. We used onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, and squash to fill our jacket potatoes and topped it all off with some fresh chopped dill. But feel free to add in your favorite veggies for your jacket potato filling.

It only takes about five minutes to prep your potatoes and veggies. The rest of the cooking time is in the oven. 

Meatless Dinners

Dinner should be quick, affordable, filling, and most of all, flavorful. That’s really not too much for a mama to ask for. After a long day of drop offs, work, meetings, and after school activities, you need a simple yet nutritious meal to feed your family. 

Here are a few more vegetarian recipes from our arsenal. 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Rich, creamy, and loaded with veggies, broccoli cheddar soup is a classic comfort food at any time of year. Our kids constantly tell us how much they love this cozy recipe. They request the homemade version more than the one from Panera! We don’t want to toot our own horn, but that’s something to celebrate. 

With two cups of protein-packed cheddar cheese, what kid wouldn’t love it? Broccoli cheddar soup is ready in about 30 minutes and reheats quickly in the microwave.

Black Bean Burgers

The key to a tasty black bean burger is the spices and add-ins. Just add jalapeno, onions, garlic, and four spices to bring these babies to life. Black bean burgers are a great vegetarian recipe because they still have a meaty texture even though it’s a completely plant-based “patty.” 

Cook your black bean patties in the air fryer for a few minutes, top with guacamole and lettuce, and dinner is ready in fifteen minutes.

Tik Tok Feta Pasta

Made famous on Tik Tok, this homemade tomato feta sauce recipe is to die for. You’ll make your own sauce by baking your tomatoes and feta cheese with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. While the tomatoes soften and the feta melts, cook your pasta. Then smash the tomatoes, add the pasta, and top with basil. You’ll have a vegetarian, restaurant-quality meal in less time than ordering take out. 

Red Cabbage and Lentil Sloppy Joes

All of the flavors of traditional sloppy joes minus the meat. This may sound a bit out there, but it delivers on flavor and texture — scouts honor. The lentils create the texture of ground meat you’d find in traditional sloppy joes. While the seasoning creates the illusion of your classic meaty sandwich. Don’t forget to add the beautiful ribbon of red cabbage for extra fiber and a piled high filling to this kid-friendly classic with a veggie twist.

This vegetarian recipe is best made a day ahead and reheated for five minutes until it reaches 165℉. Another make-ahead dinner option! 

Fish Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce

Flaky, tender, and buttery fish with a lemon caper sauce is layered in light, vibrant flavors. Kids usually love foods with a little bit of a fry on them, and this fish piccata recipe is no exception. It’s lightly coated in flour for a crisp yet flaky cook to your fish. Add your cooked fish to your lemon caper sauce so it soaks up all of the lemony goodness and serve with rice or veggies for a rounded out vegetarian recipe in 20 minutes.

Need More Vegetarian Recipes?

We love sharing veggie-forward recipes with you and your family. The color, flavor, and texture that veggies create in every single recipe is a naturally nutritious addition to your family’s meal plan. Especially when you’re sticking to a vegetarian meal plan. 

Looking for a new veggie to try? Check out our how to select, store, and serve section for more vegetarian recipe ideas. Share your favorite lent-friendly recipes on our social channels: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.