Looking for a comforting lunch menu, without the meat? Here are five ways to enjoy some classic hot lunch with a healthier twist.
Mix up the sandwich circuit with these five healthy vegetarian lunches.
Hot Lunch Tips
- If the office or classroom does not provide a microwave or stove to heat up lunches, try placing hot lunches like sloppy joe mix or wieners and beans in an insulated thermos container until lunch.
- Keep dry ingredients separate from the wet until ready to eat. For example, don’t top buns with sloppy joe mix until ready to eat; the bread with get soggy.
- Even if meals will be re-heated at lunch time, keeping them cool until then can help prevent bacterial growth. Try a flexible cold pack that wraps around plastic containers.
- Packing a lunch can be healthier, lower in calories and fat, and costs less than eating out.
- Balance out carbohydrate-rich vegetarian meals with fruit, cut-up vegetable sticks, or a side salad.
- Supplement high-fibre, vegetable-rich meals with a whole grain roll, fruit, yogurt, or nuts.
Hot Vegetarian Lunch Ideas
1. Sloppy Joes
The versatility of textured soy protein (TSP) makes it an easy substitute for ground beef with the bonus of a short cook time and easier cleanup.
Mix one can sloppy joe sauce (like Manwich brand) with 1 package prepared TSP and heat through. If sloppy joe sauce is unavailable, substitute pasta sauce mixed with barbecue sauce.
Or, mix prepared TSP with this recipe, which makes one serving of sauce:
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tsp. prepared mustard
- 1 tsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (optional, can substitute soy sauce)
- 1 tsp. vinegar
- 1 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
- Dash salt
Top with grated cheese, if desired and serve on a toast or crusty roll.
2. “Meatball” Sub
Using homemade or purchased vegetarian meatballs simmer with spaghetti sauce, onions and garlic until heated through. Serve on a panini bun or French roll.
To make meatless balls at home, simply substitute faux beef crumbles for ground beef in your favourite family meatball recipe.
3. Tortellini Caesar Salad
Combine 1 package cooked cheese tortellini (or leftover cooked tortellini) with one head washed romaine lettuce. Add ¼ cup vegetarian (no anchovy) Caesar salad dressing. Top with vegetarian parmesan or Romano cheese, croutons, and fake bacon bits. Serve with garlic bread. Makes 6 servings.
4. Veggie Dog Delights
Hot dogs are reminiscent of childhood summers. Veggie dogs (meatless wieners) are pre-cooked and easy to prepare; simply pierce the dogs and heat in the microwave, boil in water, or simmer in sauces. Use them in one of these easy lunch ideas and get bonus points from the kids:
- Pigs in a blanket: wrap dogs in crescent roll dough and bake according to crescent roll package directions. Many brands of refrigerated crescent roll dough are vegan; check the ingredients.
- Salsa dog: roll in a tortilla and top with salsa and cottage cheese. This is especially good with chili-flavoured dogs.
- Wieners and beans: pop a few cut-up dogs in Cheater Baked Beans.
