5 nights of vegetarian dinner ideas for this week

Thea Everett

Deputy editor (audiences) Thea loves to be in the kitchen and has a particular interest in cooking on a budget and deep frying. She thinks Sri Lankan and Indian food is the food of the gods. Discover her recipes and tune in to our Instagram feed, which she runs on a daily basis.

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Whether you’re a vegetarian or simply trying to eat less meat, weekdays don’t afford you much time to meal prep. So, if you want to avoid thinking about meal-planning altogether, we’ve done the hard work and picked 5 of our best vegetarian recipes for weeknights, with ideas on how to use up the leftovers too.

We’ve got a comforting curry, a broccoli salad, a moreish parmigiana and sweet potato nachos to kickstart the weekend. Mix up your weekly rotation with these ideas and more with our 5 nights a week guides.

5 nights of vegetarian dinner ideas for this week

Monday: mushroom curry

This mushroom curry is inexpensive, naturally low in fat and simply a gorgeous way to start the week.

Fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and yogurt are key ingredients in this dish, inspired by the Indian chicken recipe methi murgh.

Find the recipe here

Tuesday: charred broccoli salad

This easy dinner for two, charred broccoli steaks and lentil salad is accompanied with a punchy harissa yogurt for a flavour-packed, healthy meal in 20 minutes. If broccoli isn’t for you, try other veggie ‘steaks’ – such as butternut squash, cauliflower or celeriac. Grill until tender.

Find the recipe here

Wednesday: lighter aubergine parmigiana

Hump day MEANS comfort food. So opt for this lighter aubergine parmigiana It’s just 20 minutes to prep, 15 minutes to bake and then a blast under a hot grill until golden and bubbling. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with a crisp green salad.

Find the recipe here

Thursday: mushroom ‘steak’ slice

Our mushroom ‘steak’ slice is a vegan take on a bakery fave. The filling of umami-rich mushroom and smoked tofu makes for a spectacular Thursday night main of. It’s a step up from a veggie sausage, but is super simple to make. Serve with chips and peas or salad for a winner of a dinner.

Find the recipe here

Friday: sweet potato nachos

End the week on a high with the full-on flavour of these clever sweet potato nachos. The recipes feeds four people for just £5.16, and the pickled red onions and avocado really lift the whole dish.

Find the recipe here

As for the leftovers…

The leftover mushroom curry can be bulked out with a tin of chickpeas or a cup of cooked garden peas and served for lunch the following day.

Equally, leftover parmigiana makes for a next level sandwich for lunch. Just reheat and continue from step 5 of this recipe – the chilli mayo and burrata are optional but recommended…

Should you have any left, the remaining nachos would make for a Saturday breakfast bonanza: just top with fried eggs and extra chilli sauce.

Or, go ahead and check out all our midweek meal ideas.