6 Family-Friendly Meatless Meals that Pack the Nutrition

Whether you’re doing Meatless Monday or it’s a Friday during Lent, it’s a good idea to have a few meatless meals in your arsenal. I like to make sure that when there isn’t a meat on the table, I am still serving my family a protein-packed meal.

Try these 6 go-to meatless meal ideas for your family:

Veggie Tostadas

If you are looking for a super easy and quick meal, this one is awesome!

Ingredients:

• Tortillas
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• Sour cream
• Cheddar cheese
• Any additional toppings such as shredded lettuce, avocado, chopped tomato, pico de gallo, cilantro, lime, cotija cheese, etc.

Directions

1. In a saucepan, warm the refried beans. Once warm, mix in ½ the taco seasoning packet, 1 TBS sour cream, 1 TBS cheddar cheese.
2. In a second saucepan, warm the black beans with the remaining taco seasoning.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil, and broil tortillas for about 2 minutes, watching carefully as not to burn, only lightly crisp.
4. Once the tortillas are crisp and beans are warm, top the tortillas, first with refried beans, then with black beans. Add on additional toppings per your preferences.

Sweet Potato Risotto

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 1 sweet potato, cubed
• 4 cups of spinach
• 3 TBS butter
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I use bouillon)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp parsley
• 2 1/2 cups arborio rice (this is exactly a 1-lb. bag)
• Parmesan cheese for topping, if desired (I always desire!)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, caramelize the onions by heating 2 TBS of butter and 1 TBS Olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and stir occasionally until browned. Remove and set onions aside including any caramelization stuck to pan.
2. Add cubed sweet potatoes with last of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and 2 tsp of parsley. Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally until tender (about 8 minutes).
3. Add spinach, the last of the butter, and rice. Stir for a minute, slightly browning the rice before adding the broth. Cook covered on medium-low, stirring occasionally until rice is al dente and the broth is absorbed into the rice.
4. Stir in caramelized onion.
5. Once the rice reaches the desired consistency, top with Parmesan and serve.

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Spinach and Cheddar Quiche

Ingredients

• 2 TBS butter
• 1/3 cup grated onion
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 12 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 unbaked pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent.
3. Add in spinach and cook down. Once it is wilted, remove the pan from heat.
4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cream, garlic, salt, and pepper.
5. Add in the spinach mixture and cheese and mix until well combined.
6. Pour into pie crust.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the mixture is set. (Pro Tip: Cover crust with foil halfway through to prevent from browning too quickly.)

Garlic Shrimp Alfredo Pasta

Check out this recipe! My family loves it!

Spinach Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 10 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1 fresh lime (small)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 can (4.5 oz.) chopped green chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chili powder
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cans (10 oz. each) Old El Paso Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
• 8–10 tortillas
• 4 cups Monterey Jack cheese (divided)
• Suggested toppings: lime, green onions, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped diced avocado (We like lime and cilantro.)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3–4 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add the spinach and cook until wilted and shrinks down.
• Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, green chiles, cumin, and chili powder.
• Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle ½ of the cheese over the mixture.
• To assemble, spread about 1/2 of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. When all enchiladas have been rolled and placed in the pan, top with the other 1/2 of the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top of enchiladas.
• Bake 20–30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
• Garnish enchiladas with lime, green onion, cilantro, and avocado, if desired. Serve warm.

Veggie-Packed Rotini

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) box rotini veggie pasta
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ Yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 cup of vegetable or chicken broth
• 4 cups of broccoli florets (small)
• 2 cups of grape tomatoes cut in half
• 8 oz jar of pesto
• 1/2 cup Parmesan plus more for garnish if desired
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package, drain, and set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking, prepare a large skillet with olive oil and sauté onion and garlic.
3. Add in the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of pesto. Stir and let cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add in broccoli florets, making sure they are in the center of skillet over medium heat. Add in another tablespoon of pesto and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender. (Keep the lid off so broccoli doesn’t get mushy.)
5. Add in pasta, broth, remaining pesto, Parmesan, salt, and both black and red pepper.
6. Remove from heat and let sit, stirring occasionally to let flavors marinate. Top with extra Parmesan, if desired, and enjoy!

Which meatless meal are you going to try first?