Meatfree meals ideas

[NoMoreChubRub]

We need to buy less meat but we're all big meat eaters so its going to be hard. More the others than me.
I do the majority of cooking so they can like it or lump it.

3 adult portions 2 kids 1 toddler

Ive never ever purchased lentils or anything that so many say bulk out meals etc so i need to Start with
EASY, STEP BY STEP ideas.

Our normal food is
Currys, bolognese, chilli, meatballs, pie mash. Sausages mash, encroute, roasts. Fajitas, enchiladas Jackets etc. All quite easy and simple.

So this is all new to me. If i could slowly introduce new stuff then it would be easier.
Kids aren't too fussy thankfully, they're not keen on spices but nor are any of us tbh.

Thank you

All my meals are meat free but also spicy, so... Would your kids eat stir fries with the only spice being soy sauce, ginger and garlic? You can make them with very little chicken and a lot of veg.

I'm not veggie, but have tried to cut down meat this past year. I'm sure those with much more experience will help, but these are my simple changes so far.

• Using less meat in pasta bakes and bulk up the veg. So if I used 500g of chicken previously, then I now halve it and add more veg.
• Bolognese sauce, I add in any veg I have on hand. Grated carrot, grated courgette, mushrooms etc to bulk it out
• I've used soy bean granules in bolognese and pasta bakes in the past to add protein and replace some of the meat
• Smoked bacon and parmesan are stronger flavours, so you can use less. Pasta recipes like carbonara are good for reduced meat but max flavour
• Baked potatoes. With home made coleslaw, or bean chilli con carne, tuna/sweetcorn/mayo
• Instead of a side of salmon fillet, buying smoked salmon or tinned salmon and doing salmon fish cakes with salad or potatoes and veg
• Thai green curry or stir fry, I just cut down the meat and add more veg
• Making lasagne, I add layers of veg such as aubergine/pumpkin/courgette to stretch the meaty sauce

Curry, bolognaise, chilli - I make these without meat - curry is either mixed veg in a balti like sauce or saag aloo. For the former, I often put in a large spoonful of the cheapest lentils. they take a good ten mins to cook and you might need to add a bit more liquid for them. Same for chilli and bolognaise. I also use haricot beans or similar in bolognaise. Lentils are very easy to disguise with mince.

I don't make meat balls, but I do make black bean burgers - black beans drained and dry, roughly chopped and mixed with chopped and cooked onions and peppers. Mix in some grated cheddar, some feta or other cheese and a beaten egg. You can flavour how you like - I use cumin, some Worcester sauce and paprika.

Lasagne - layers of veg in a tomato sauce, lasagne sheets and cheese sauce. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs,

Shepherdess pie - chopped veg sauteed and then mixed into tomato sauce. Two tablespoons of lentils, some small white beans such as haricot (you can use tinned, drained) and lots of very finely chopped mushrooms. Needs a lot of seasoning - i often use leftover chilli for this. Then top with mash.

We're vegetarian. If I make bolognese it's usually with red lentils. You can make it taste meaty by adding a bit of bisto!

My go to recipe at the moment is cauliflower tacos. Cut cauliflower head up into small florets. You could add onion, peppers, peas - whatever you fancy really. I fry the cauliflower with ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and some chipotle paste, with the lid on the pan for about twenty minutes / half an hour until everything is soft on a low heat. Serve with tortilla wraps. Or you could bake them as enchiladas.

Minestrone soup is another one I like doing. I fry down courgettes, carrots, celery, garlic etc, blitz with my stick blender. Then I add a can of tomatoes, stock cube, pasta and leave.

If you can get hold of it unami stock cubes elevate dishes where you'd otherwise be missing meat.

Ruby Tandoh has a recipe for a ground nut curry with sweet potatoes and peanut butter which you could easily adapt if your children aren't so keen on spices.

I think you're going to find it easier (and cheaper and healthier) than you think :) All the meals you've listed are dead easy to make meat-free: curries - google daal recipes, they're so tasty and easy to customise to your taste. A firm favourite in our house is chickpea curry...onion, garlic, chilli & ginger whizzed in food processor to make a paste, fried until soft then add turmeric & garam masala & fry off for a couple of mins. Add two tins of tomatoes, one tin of coconut milk, two tins of drained chickpeas, plus some fresh, frozen or tinned spinach. Serve with fresh coriander & rice/naan breads/roti etc. bolognese, chilli, meatballs, pie mash. Sausages mash, encroute, roasts. Fajitas enchiladas Jackets etc.

Cheesy pasta bake with breadcrumbs topping.
Aubergine lasagne with mozzarella pearls.
Penne with tomato sauce with a sprinkle of parmesan.

Sorry it was a Rukmini Iyer recipe I meant. You can take out the chill. Her green book is really good for ideas.

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/groundnut-stew-sweet-potato-in-a-peanut-and-tomato-sauce/

We do all the meals u listed and substitute meat for courgettes, mushrooms, lentils, pulses, aubergine. Hairy bikers have some good veggie recipes

Oops, sorry, posted before I meant to.

Was going to add - bolognese: fry off your onions, celery, carrots & garlic then just replace mince with any colour lentils. They soak up all the lovely garlicky flavours and I think they're even tastier than mince.

Chilli: cook as usual just replace mince with tins of mixed beans.

You can buy nice veggie/vegan meatballs and I'd recommend Richmond meat-free sausages - great with mash or in place of the meat in a roast dinner.

Fajitas & enchiladas are lovely with the bean chilli - as are quesidillas - warm a tortilla in a large pan, add warmed chilli & grated cheese, place another tortilla on top and cover with something heavy (eg casserole lid - flip & toast other side then cup up like a pizza to serve with salad/rice/dips etc.

Jacket toppings: cheese, beans, homemade coleslaw (grate cabbage, onion, carrots & apple, mix with mayo) bean chilli, bolognese sauce, mushrooms cooked in cream cheese, etc)

Some other favourites in our house are paella (cooked with roasted peppers & spicy veggie sausages) risottos, special fried rice (loads of veggies just diced small & mixed with plenty of soy sauce and egg, if you like it) Ugandan rolex pancakes (great recipe here www.theguardian.com/food/2020/aug/29/meera-sodha-vegan-recipe-ugandan-rolex) stir fries with noodles, cheese & potato pie, sweetcorn fritters & salad...the world is your meat-free oyster OP!

Oh and homemade pesto & puttanesca pasta sauces, we have these at least once a week - pesto is just basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan & pine nuts all whizzed in the food processor. And this is a nice puttanesca, the caper & olive brine replace the anchovies/tuna and it tastes great
cookieandkate.com/vegan-spaghetti-alla-puttanesca/

There's a lot on your list you could.convert to vegetarian or reduce meat....

Bolognaise - I add peppers and mushrooms and then also lentils (red lentils better but I tend to have puy lentils).

Vegetable curries are great. Butternut, cauliflower and aubergine all work well with thai style curried. We do roasted cauliflower with a satay curry sauce that's hugely popular. Chickpea and pepper curry using curry powder and a few other flavourings can be great too.

Pasta is a great way to go vegetarian or low meat meals. Arrabiata with added aubergine and topped with feta is popular here (and sometimes we add chorizo instead of feta which is relatively cheap as you don't need much). Sausages based pasta sauces allow us to budget 1 sausage per person. Spinach and ricotta with lemon and garlic is another favourite here. Piles and piles of fried courgettes on pasta with feta cheese.

Mushroom stroganoff

Risotto - roasted butternut or pea risotto are favourites here.

We make fajitas with chorizo or with halloumi far more than with chicken or steak.