Help! I'm taking a vegan a meal and I don't know what to make!
- plantfulhabit
- Feb 19
- 5 min read
It has happened to many of us: you open your email to find that you have an invitation to participate in a Mealtrain for a friend or co-worker. Someone just had a baby or had surgery or is in crisis, and you're happy to help ease the burden of making meals for their family. After all, you know first hand how challenging meal planning and execution is in the best of circumstances, let alone when you're healing from birth or rotator cuff surgery! As you scroll through the info about how many people you'll be feeding, allergies, and drop off times, you see the dreaded words: The Smith family doesn't eat meat or dairy.
I'm sorry...what?!?! What do these people eat?! Your mind is blown.
You panic. You want to help, but you've never made a meat-free meal in your life! You're tempted to close the email and come back to it later. (You probably won't remember it later, let's be honest.) But let us reassure you: you can still help, and we can give you some tips!
Tip #1: Be sure all allergies and preferences are accounted for. Double check that the meal doesn't also need to be gluten free, nut free, etc. Contrary to popular lore, vegan (meat, dairy, egg free) and gluten free do not always go hand in hand.
Tip #2: Find a recipe! Here are our top 5 recommendations to make your life easy and their meal tasty!
Creamy butter beans by Nisha of Cooking for Peanuts. I have made this meal for countless non-vegan friends, and it is ALWAYS a hit. Everyone asks for the recipe! TIP: I always make this and put it in a reusable container atop Lundberg's short grain brown rice, but pair with a sourdough loaf as well if your friends can handle gluten!
Lentil chili by Nora of Norah Cooks. Hearty, filling, and made in a single pot, this could be served fresh or prepped and frozen so that your recipients can heat it up when they want it (file under: take to a new mom pre-birth to stock her freezer!).
TIP: Send some chopped avocados, a bag of vegan shredded cheddar cheese, some corn chips, and a little tub of vegan sour cream. We love to serve our chili over rice, so that would be a nice addition to send along as well!
Roasted vegetable enchiladas by Ali of Gimme Some Oven. I've also made this recipe for non-vegan friends, and even their kids liked it! Be sure to swap out the dairy cheese in the recipe for a vegan cheese alternative. Make this in a foil roasting pan and ask if your recipients would like you to pre-bake it, or if it's ok to bring it unbaked. Include baking time and directions if they opt to bake it themselves and it will be piping hot when they are ready for it! TIP: Like the lentil chili, send some chopped avocados and vegan sour cream to top it with when the enchiladas come out of the oven. Chips and salsa would be a nice add-on!
Spaghetti and plant balls. You don't even need a recipe for this one! Also, it's incredibly toddler-approved. Grab a box of spaghetti (or your pasta of choice), a delicious marinara sauce (Rao's is our favorite!), and a bag or two of plant-based meatballs (Gardein, Impossible, or Beyond all have good plant balls). I like to heat up the meatballs in the sauce (if they are pre-cooked). You could transport this in a casserole dish or a disposable foil pan and put it all together, ready to re-heat and serve. See "add-ons" below for what to send with your main dish.
Vegan harvest bowl with maple dijon dressing from Carleigh at Plant You. A sheet pan in the oven cooks the bulk of this meal, and your Instant Pot can make the rice while you make a quick, homemade dressing. This meal will check all the boxes: high nutritional density, fiber, and lots of flavor!
Tip #3: Include a side or two to round out the meal. Remember to consider other allergies, but here are our favorite things to put together in our meal-to-go bag. Mix and match:
A loaf of sourdough (homemade or store bought--Whole Foods has a great loaf for $6).
A simple fruit salad sprinkled with some Ceylon cinnamon (a pack of strawberries, a pack of blueberries, and 2 ripe bananas is as easy as it gets).
An easy salad: a bag of pre-washed lettuce or spring mix in a container topped with a chopped cucumber and a shredded carrot, pumpkin seeds, and a vinaigrette on the side. A delicious pre-made dressing we love is the JUST brand of Ranch dressing, available at Whole Foods.
Chopped veggies and hummus: some baby carrots, sliced cucumber, and chopped peppers in a baggie with pre-made hummus (Aldi has excellent varieties) make for an excellent side dish with any meal!
Chocolate cookies (recipe below) with added caramel chips, made gluten free for a friend's dietary needs.
Tip #4: A vegan dessert makes for an extra-special treat. And no, it does not have to be complicated.
This lemon loaf from PlantYou, topped with some icing, would make a tasty dessert that could double as a breakfast treat the following day.
One bowl peanut butter cookies would make anyone happy (pending peanuts are a go!); add in some vegan chocolate chips if you want to get fancy.
Chocolate peanut butter cookies are also one bowl and so delicious! Make them even easier by adding in peanut butter chips instead of the actual peanut butter. Also note: I usually have to add more milk to make this recipe work, but the cookies are always a hit.
Four cans of Spindrift sparkly water make a meal a little extra special.
Tip #5: Add in a couple of sparkly waters, bottles of kombucha, or a Poppy soda as a nice touch. This isn't necessary, but it's always fun to have a special drink when you're recovering!
We hope that these recipes and tips take out some of the stress from making and taking a meal to a friend or neighbor in need. Bookmark it so that you can refer back to it time and time again! And remember, these ideas are all delicious and I regularly make some of these items for non-vegan friends, so don't be afraid to add these to your repertoire even if the recipients do consume meat. I promise they will still be happy and won't likely notice the difference!
Peace, love, and plants,
Heather & John
