I'm trying to eat less meat....ideas for family dinners?

[FireworkParrot]

For various reasons I've decided to cut right down on my meat consumption, although I'm not ready to go full vegetarian and am not sure I ever will be but I'm aiming to choose vegetarian options most of the time and eat meat only occasionally. DH and DC supportive of this and luckily happy to eat vegetarian meals sometimes but still want meat at least a few times a week. Does anyone who either does this in their family or has one vegetarian in the family have ideas for family meals? So far they're happy to eat pasta that doesn't come with any meat and would be ok with something like a three bean chilli but I'm running out of ideas. Do people cook meals then add some meat separately for the meat eaters? Or keep some vegetarian options in the freezer to add to meals like roast dinners or sausage and mash? I'd appreciate some ideas.

If you’re feeling lazy, there are some good veggie frozen/convenience foods for quick family teas:

Quorn nuggets or birds eye vegetarian dippers (genuinely can’t tell they’re not chicken!)

Birds eye vegetarian ‘meat’ balls (cook separately in the oven, they go a bit soggy in a sauce)

Linda McCartney veggie quarter pounders - best ‘meaty’ veggie burgers I’ve had, don’t overlook so they stay juicy

Asda plant kievs (chilled) again, hard to tell they’re not chicken!

Cauliflower cheese burgers, most supermarkets do their own version

I also second using lentils in place of mince, and lots of spicy stews/curries with chick peas and lentils etc. Sweet potato and coconut cream are good in curries to make it taste rich/substantial.

We went low meat/dairy a few years ago for eco reasons and I’m so glad we did. It’s really fun finding out swaps and trying new things. Like PPs above, the idea of big lumps of meat every day feels a bit much now.

Tival (frozen) do veggie schnitzels and corn versions which are rather nice.

Homemade pizza, everyone gets to do their own toppings.
Macaroni cheese.
Bhajis, dhal, homemade naan (light coconut milk instead of yoghurt) french bean curry.
Sarah aloo with lots of fresh tomatoes.
Chilli
Mushroom stroganoff
Tomato and onion tart (sliced tomatoes and onions on shop bought flakey pastry)
Stir fry veggie kebabs with homemade pitta
Veggie sausage toad in hole

Thanks all, these are brilliant suggestions. Tonight I'm doing a baked gnocchi dish in a rich tomato sauce with onion, peppers and aubergine. I think because it's warm and comforting the meat won't be missed too much. I've put home-made pizzas on the meal plan for this week, that's a great idea as then we can tweak our own toppings.

Have a look at the Happy Pear’s recipes. Great curries and we really like the bean tortillas as a fast dinner, you wouldn’t miss the meat at all but could always add in some chicken or something if you really needed to

Ragu made with red lentils and Quorn mince served with courgetti is lovely. I do sometimes add some lean beef mince (so it's about 1:1:1 ratio) but it's good without.

Check out the BBC Good food website. Millions of veggie ideas on there!

Veggie lasagna? Layered with courgettes and aubergine, creamy sauce with a tomato sauce and maybe add quorn if you still want he meat-like texture?

Every couple of weeks I do a red lentil Dhal with raita, coriander and coconut chutney and some kind of veg dish ( garlicky green beans or okra or a shredded carrot salad). Gnocchi with tomato sauce, spinach, mushrooms and mozzarella baked in the oven. This from Rachel Roddy Is also a fortnightly staple. It's absolutely delicious, just make sure you season it well. Summer rolls are good self assembly food where meat can be an option for those who want it. Refried bean burritos with guacamole, salsa, sour cream.