5 Weeknight Dinners That Happen to Be Vegan
As chosen by someone who eats meat.
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Photo by Linda Xiao
Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not vegan. I never have been, and I probably never will be. But as I started sifting through recipes to make this week, I noticed quite a few dairy- and meat-free options in the mix. I’m not entirely sure what’s gotten into me (I rarely eat a meal that doesn’t include seafood, dairy, or eggs), but I decided to lean into it and pick five all-vegan recipes for this round of weeknight dinners. Here’s what I’ll be making.
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Last week, I wrote about Lucas Sin’s technique for cooking mushrooms by boiling them in water. It goes against every rule I thought I knew about working with mushrooms, and I’m completely intrigued.
Though nothing can replace a creamy, dairy-rich pasta dish, I’m curious to try other ways of achieving a similarly silky texture. I love eggplant, so this recipe is a no-brainer.
Yes, these beans take a while for a weeknight, but there are only five ingredients (including olive oil and salt) and it’s as hands-off as a recipe can get. I’ll likely wilt some greens into the beans at the last minute, then serve alongside a hunk of crusty bread.
I realize that this is the second eggplant dish of the week, but as I said earlier, I love this occasionally polarizing vegetable. Eggplant + tomato is a particularly magical combination, especially when combined with garam masala, coriander, and other spices.
It’s the end of October, which means I’m legally obligated to include a soup on this list. Here, cashew cream and a Russet potato give the soup body and richness that would typically come from dairy. But it’s the topping—crispy, roasted artichoke hearts—that I’m truly drawn to.
What are you cooking this week? Tell us in the comments!