12 Healthy Vegetarian Recipes for Weight Loss

Vegetarianism for weight loss

Going veggie isn’t just great for the planet. Research has shown that it’s good for you too.

Adopting a vegetarian diet requires you to cut out red and processed meats, which are associated with a higher risk of colorectal and cardiovascular disease, as well as overall mortality.(1)

It encourages you to include more fruit and vegetables in your diet, which – as we all know – is one of the best things you can do for your health.

What’s more, it may even help with weight loss. A meta-analysis by the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that vegetarian diets appeared to have significant benefits for those trying to shed a few pounds.(2)

All this to say: if you want to lose weight for health reasons, seeking out healthy vegetarian recipes for weight loss is one of the best approaches you can take.

Here, we’ve gathered a few of our favorites for you to explore. We’ve chosen them based on a few criteria.

All our veggie recipes:

• Are plant-based
• Contain ingredients specially selected to support your health and wellbeing
• Taste delicious and are a joy to eat
• Are satisfying and won’t leave you tempted to raid the snack cupboard at 10pm!

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at our top healthy vegetarian recipes for weight loss.

Tempeh bolognese

Calories per serving: 241 kcal

Just because you’re not eating meat anymore doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this classic pasta dish. Our version is made with tempeh, a fermented soy product similar to tofu. It has a firm texture with plenty of bite, making it an excellent option to replace minced beef.

Meanwhile, the pasta sauce has all the sun-ripened Italian flavors of the original. Crushed tomatoes and garlic transport you to the Mediterranean, while thyme and bay supply the herbal notes.

We like to serve this with courgetti when we feel like a light meal. However, when we’re looking for something more substantial, we pile it on top of a bowl of freshly cooked wholewheat spaghetti. Filling, delicious and packed with flavor!

TEMPEH BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Vegan poke bowl

Calories per serving: 480 kcal

Moving over from Italy to Hawaii, we find our tasty vegan poke bowl. Poke is traditionally made with freshly-caught fish, but its explosion in popularity all over the world has led to new versions popping up. Among these is vegan poke, which takes inspiration from the flavors of the original without any need for fish.

Here, tofu acts as your protein while mango adds a tropical flavor. Avocado, carrot and cucumber supply plenty of antioxidants and fibre. However the star of the show is our addictive poke dressing, made with soy, sriracha, apple cider vinegar and honey.

We freely admit to doubling up the dressing recipe so we can drizzle this over just about everything we eat the following day.

Serve with wholewheat soba noodles for a satisfying texture and plenty of fibre to keep you full.

POKE BOWL RECIPE

Vegan bean chilli recipe

Calories per serving: 185 kcal

This dish is a perfect winter warmer for cold days. It’s packed to the brim with healthy veg such as peppers, leeks and carrot, with kidney beans to provide protein and fibre.

We love making a big batch of this and serving to family and friends on wintry evenings. Serve with a scoop of brown rice and top with vegan soured cream or yoghurt.

Alternatively, try eating alongside a pack of our Rosemary Sweet Potato activated crackers. They are made with raw activated seeds rather than wheat and water, making every mouthful super nutritious.

VEGAN BEAN CHILLI RECIPE

Mushroom burger with tahini mayo

Calories per serving: 385 kcal

If hamburgers were your vice of choice before going veggie, good news: our mushroom burger is here to help you forget why you ever ate meat!

Unlike other mushroom burgers (loosely titled, as they are simply a portobello mushroom served in a bun), our patty is made with a combination of sautéed mushrooms, rice, red lentils, peppers and amaranth flour to bind it together.

As a result, it has a tender, toothsome texture that we find positively irresistible.

Any good burger is only as good as its toppings, and we like to serve ours with quick pickled pink onions and a divine tahini mayo. Add sweet potato wedges on the side if you’re feeling very hungry.

MUSHROOM BURGER RECIPE

Red lentil dal

Calories per serving: 245 kcal

As comfort foods go, dal is pretty hard to beat. Filling and satisfying, its creamy texture comes from red lentils which soften and break down as they cook. Add in comforting spices like earthy cumin and turmeric and you have a quick throw-together weeknight meal that is hard to beat.

The classic accompaniment for dal is rice. Indeed, rice and lentils is a beloved Ayurvedic combination which is thought to nourish all three doshas (life forces). As a result, dal is also the perfect food to eat if you’re feeling a bit under the weather and in need of some all-round nourishment.

However, if you fancy something different or perhaps a bit lighter, we love to serve our dal with our Organic Indian Spiced Crackers. They’re flavored with garam masala, a classic spice blend featuring cumin, coriander and turmeric. Use them to scoop and dip into your dal for a delicious light meal.

RED LENTIL DAL RECIPE

Baked falafel

Calories per serving: 67 kcal

Falafel, with its warming spices and delicious texture – crisp on the outside, soft on the inside – is one of our favorite snacks. However, the traditional recipes tend to call for these delicious little chickpea patties to be deep fried. This seriously increases their caloric content and the amount of unhealthy fats per portion.

Our version is baked, not fried, meaning you can enjoy all the health benefits of the patty ingredients with none of the unwanted fat.

Falafel is made with chickpeas and spices such as garlic, cumin and black pepper, but we also like to sneak in extra veg such as carrots and courgettes. Extra fibre and antioxidants with minimum effort!

That said, our favorite thing about our baked falafel is the ingenious (if we do say so ourselves) addition of our Organic Hemp Seed Powder.

It’s high in plant-based protein and is a brilliant way to turn this tasty snack into a post-workout recovery meal.

Pile into a wholemeal pitta with some vegan yoghurt and plenty of crisp salad for a delicious lunch or dinner.

BAKED FALAFEL RECIPE

Summer rolls with bergamot dressing

Calories per serving: 200 kcal

If you’re looking for a light meal or an alternative to your usual lunchtime sandwich, look no further. These vegan summer rolls are light, refreshing and utterly delicious.

Pack your rice paper rolls with crunchy raw vegetables, fresh plum and crushed almonds and dip into our unique soy and bergamot dipping sauce.

If you haven’t come across it before, bergamot has a sharp citrus flavor similar to bitter orange or grapefruit. It’s energizing and refreshing; perfect to dip our summer rolls into just before eating.

SUMMER ROLLS RECIPE

Roasted cauliflower steaks with parsley chimichurri

Calories per serving: 270 kcal

Transform the humble cauliflower into a delectable dinner with our recipe. The trick is to coat the cauliflower steaks in tasty spices such as paprika and tamari sauce before baking. Thus, you start with a base of flavor on top of which you can add our chimichurri sauce!

Chimichurri is a traditional South American sauce made with parsley, lemon juice and lots of garlic. Usually served with grilled meats, it works beautifully with our baked cauliflower steaks.

The classic recipe usually calls for olive oil, but we love to swap in our Organic Hemp Seed Oil. This is one of the best multi-tasking cold-pressed oils around; it contains vitamins D and E and the ideal 3:1 ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.

CAULIFLOWER STEAKS RECIPE

Pumpkin risotto

Calories per serving: 153 kcal

Think you can’t treat yourself to a luxurious, creamy dinner while you’re on a diet? We’re here to bust that myth with our pumpkin risotto.

This recipe is a two-pronged attack when it comes to creaminess. First, you have the creamy sauce created when you cook arborio rice in hot broth, which results from the starch in the rice blending with water. However, an added layer of creaminess comes from the addition of pumpkin purée.

Furthermore, the addition of almond milk adds a final transformative touch. The result? An unbelievably smooth and glossy risotto, with only the simplest of ingredients.

To finish, drizzle over a little of our Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil. This emerald green beauty is full of free-radical-fighting nutrients and hails from Styria, in Austria. There, pumpkin seed oil is so revered that the locals call it ‘green gold’.

PUMPKIN RISOTTO RECIPE

Roasted root vegetable salad with chia and mustard dressing

Calories per serving: 245 kcal

This roasted root salad is a jumble of colorful veg, from purple beetroot to bright carrot, pale parsnips and earthy pumpkin.

Serve it warm, on a bed of spinach leaves, for a filling dinner that will help you hit your daily target of fruit and vegetables.

Our chia and mustard dressing brings the whole dish to life. Use the milder French dijon mustard for this as you just want a hint of tanginess; the distinctive flavor of chia oil provides the rest of the flavor, along with a citrus kick from freshly squeezed lemon juice.

You’ll find yourself using it to dress all manner of salads!

ROASTED ROOTS SALAD RECIPE

Pumpkin, tofu and sage galette

Calories per serving: 450 kcal

Our pumpkin and tofu galette is quick and easy to put together and is elegant enough to serve to friends and family.

First, put together a simple pastry which you’ll use as your base. Add in our Organic Milk Thistle Powder for extra health benefits. It blends fantastically into pastry as well as cakes, bakes, smoothies and more.

Naturally high in a flavolignan called silymarin, it is a powerful free radical fighter which will help protect your cells from premature damage and ageing. Scientists are also researching it for its effects on your liver health.

Then, pile your galette with cubes of pumpkin, tofu, red onion and sage leaves and bake. Serve with a crisp salad alongside, if you like.

PUMPKIN GALETTE RECIPE

Beetroot salad with aronia berry dressing

Calories per serving: 330 kcal

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, beetroots are packed full of healthy nutrients. As well as being a source of fibre, it’s ranked as one of the top ten plants with the highest antioxidant activity!

So, if you do love ‘em, make the most of the humble beetroot with this fabulous salad.

The unique dressing is made with creamy cashews and tangy aronia berry juice. We also love to throw in a selection of seeds to pack in those essential minerals, plus protein and fibre. Here we’ve chosen sunflower and sesame seeds, but you can work with whatever you have in your cupboard.

BEETROOT SALAD RECIPE

Our favorite healthy vegetarian recipes for weight loss

There we have it! Our favorite recipes for eating healthily to lose weight whilst following a vegetarian diet. Don’t forget, there are lots more recipes and inspiration on Erbology Editorial. You can also find lots of useful information about our products and their origins there.