Healthy Recipes for Weight Loss Vegetarian

If you’re looking for healthy ways to lose weight, you’ve come to the right place. The vegetarian diet has long been regarded as having many health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers. Plant-based foods are packed with nutrients that protect our health, and not only that, but they’re also super tasty, too. What more could you want?

So, if you need a little recipes for weight loss inspo, carry on reading. From gluten-free sweet potato toast to get your tastebuds tingling in the morning, to low-calorie fresh tacos, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Ready, steady, cook!

Breakfast Vegetarian Recipes For Weight Loss

Let’s start at the beginning of the day, and according to some, the most important meal of the day. Whether you fancy something warm and hearty on a cold winter’s day, or the sun is out and you’re after something fresh – we’ve got a recipe for you.

Banana Egg Pancakes

Um, this might just be the easiest recipe of all time. Literally zero meal prep and minimal effort, this healthy meal will become a family favourite, trust.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp of coconut oil

Method:

1. Mash the banana in a bowl.
2. Whisk the eggs and add the banana to the paste.
3. On a low-medium heat, heat some oil and pour pancake size portions of the paste into the pan.
4. After about four minutes of cooking, flip with a spatula and cook on the other side until the pancake is golden brown.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Toast (serves 4)

Sweet potatoes are good for the soul. It’s a fact. And this recipe is good for the soul and weight loss. It’s a bit fiddlier than the pancake recipe and the prep time and cooking time is a bit longer, but it’s so worth it. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper

(For the guacamole)

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 tsp of minced fresh garlic
• 1/3 tsp of salt
• 1/8 tsp of black pepper
• 1 tbsp of salsa

(To serve)

• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 cup of micro greens of your choice

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise, about 1/2″ thick.
3. Coat both sides of the potatoes with olive oil and put on the baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the top-side of the slices.
5. Bake them in the pre-heated oven for half an hour until they’re soft through when poked.

While the potatoes bake, prep the guac:

1. Combine all the guacamole ingredients in a small bowl and mash until you like the consistency.

To serve:

1. Pour 1tsp of olive oil into a non-stick frying pan.
2. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook how you like them.
3. Put the micro greens onto each plate to create a bed for the toast, then place 2 slices of the sweet potato toast on top.
4. Spread a layer of guac onto each slice then top with one fried egg.
5. Sprinkle some black pepper over the top and serve.

Italian-style Breakfast Muffins

The thought of having a healthy breakfast that contains the word muffins is an obvious yes. We just know you’re going to love this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 2 spring onions
• 6 eggs
• 3.5 oz of low-fat feta cheese
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1/8 cup of fresh basil

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 390°F.
2. Chop up the cherry tomatoes, spring onion, sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
3. Whisk the veggies, basil, eggs and salt together in a bowl.
4. Crumble in the cheese and stir once more.
5. Using olive oil, grease the muffin slots and pour equal amounts of the mix into each one.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Voilà! All done and ready to eat!

Lunch Vegetarian Recipes

Once you’ve used up all of your energy from your low-calorie breakfast, you’re going to need a pick-me-up as you head further into the day. All of the below recipes have been tried and tested to help you lose weight in the healthiest way possible. Behold our 3 favourite lunch meals that will fill you right up but keep the pounds off.

(You can have them for lunch or dinner but we’re just splitting them into sections!)

Vegetable Soup

You can’t go wrong with a hearty soup. Meat-free, guilt-free, but by no means taste-free, this simple recipe is full of vegetarian goodness. (This is a vegetable and lentil winter warmer soup, but there are plenty of other recipes out there!)

Ingredients:

• 85 grams of dried lentils
• 2 diced and quartered lengthways carrots
• 3 sticks of sliced celery
• 2 small, sliced leeks
• 2 tbsp of tomato purée
• 1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp of vegetable bouillon powder
• 1 tsp of ground coriander

Method:

1. Put all of the ingredients into a large pan and pour over 1 1/2 litres of boiling water. Stir well.
2. Cover the pan and leave everything to simmer for half an hour. Make sure the veggies and lentils are nice and tender.
3. Use a ladle to pour the soup into a bowl and serve. For those who like thicker textures, blitz a third of it in a food processor or with a hand blender.

Mexican Vegetarian Tacos

Spice up your life (or however spicy you like things) with these delicious Mexican-inspired tacos. You’ll feel like you’re on the beach sipping sangria with this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 corn tortillas
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 onions
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of black beans (435 grams)
• 1 tsp of ground cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 8 tbsp of low-fat sour cream
• 1 lime

For the Pico de Gallo De Mango

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 a mango
• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 a juiced lime
• 5 sprigs of fresh coriander
• Salt

Method:

For the bean filling:

1. Slice the onion into thin half rings. Thinly slice the bell pepper lengthwise. Pour some olive oil into a pan and add the onion, pepper and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat.
2. Drain and rinse before adding the black beans to the onion and pepper. Stir and season with salt, pepper and cumin.

For the Pico de Gallo

1. Peel the avocado and mash it into a bowl. Dice the second onion finely and cut the mango and tomatoes into small cubes, before putting them into the bowl. Season with salt, coriander, and lime.

For the rest:

1. Heat up the tortillas according to their instructions. Then, hang them over your oven wires for 4-5 minutes while it heats up to 360°F. This turns them into crispy tacos.
2. Now it’s time to assemble! Fill your tortilla with a generous amount of the onion bean mix and add the Pico de Gallo on top. You can finish it off with extras if you wish, like lime juice, cream cheese, coriander or a spicy sauce if you’re feeling brave!

Chickpea Salad with Avocado

This low-carb and low-calorie meal is summer in a bowl and can be cooked ahead of time, kept in the fridge and eaten over a few days. It’s super easy to make, tastes amazing and is all plant-based. You can also eat it as a side dish at dinner with some of the other delicious recipes we’ve provided. Read on to find out about the meal prep time, cooking time, and the most important part, eating time!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas (435 grams)
• 1 avocado
• 1 handful of fresh coriander
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/3 cup of feta cheese (or something similar that you enjoy)
• 1 juiced lime
• 1 tsp of honey
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Drain and rinse your can of chickpeas.
2. Cut and dice the avocado, chop the coriander, and dice half an onion.
3. Put everything in a bowl together and add the feta cheese (or your alternative), lime juice and honey. Season with the salt and pepper.
4. Serve!

Dinner Vegetarian Weight Loss Recipes

OK, so now you’ve enjoyed your healthy breakfast and lunch options, it’s now time for the last meal of the day – dinner. We’ve whipped up a few weight loss recipes that will suit all palettes, from a tasty pasta dish to a fragrant curry. All are packed with protein, healthy fats, and delicious flavours.

So, whether you fancy a light dinner or something more hearty, we’ve got just the recipe for you.

Vegan Chickpea Curry

Chickpeas are used a lot in vegan and vegetarian cooking because they’re high in protein. This recipe is not only low calorie, but also high in the nutrient, and it’s the perfect dinner after a long day’s work. Enjoy…

Ingredients:

For the paste:

• 2 tbsp of oil
• 1 diced onion
• 1 tsp of dried or fresh chilli
• 9 cloves of garlic
• 1 piece of peeled ginger
• 1 tbsp of ground coriander
• 2 tbsp of ground cumin
• 1 tbsp of garam masala
• 2 tbsp of tomato purée

For the curry:

• 2 cans of drained chickpea (400 grams per can)
• 400 grams of chopped tomatoes
• 100 grams of creamed cocunut
• 1/2 pack of chopped coriander (and a bit extra for garnish)
• 100 grams of spinach

To serve:

Cooked rice (brown rice is healthier)

Method:

1. To make the paste, heat some of the 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add 1 diced onion and 1 tsp of the fresh or dried chilli (your choice), and cook for about 8 minutes until soft.
2. Put all of the garlic cloves, a small bit of peeled ginger and the rest of the oil in a food processor. Then, add 2 tbsp of ground cumin, 1 tbsp of ground coriander, 1 tbsp of garam masala, 2 tbsp of tomato purée, 1/2 tsp of salt and the fried onion. Blend until you make a smooth paste. If you need, add some extra oil or a dash of water to get the correct consistency.
3. In a medium-sized saucepan and on medium heat, cook the paste for 2 minutes. Make sure you stir occasionally so the paste doesn’t stick.
4. Pour in 2 of the chickpea cans and a can of chopped tomatoes. Then, simmer for 5 mins until it’s reduced down.
5. Add the creamed coconut with a small amount of water and cook for an extra 5 minutes. Then, add 1/2 pack of coriander, 100 grams of spinach and cook until it’s wilted.
6. Garnish with the extra coriander and serve with rice.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Avocado Sauce

A zesty summer meal that’s low calorie and incredibly delicious…

Ingredients:

• 2 stones, peeled, and chopped avocados
• The zest and juice of one lemon
• 25 grams of blanched almonds
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small pack of basil
• 300 grams of wholewheat spaghetti
• 25 grams of finely grated parmesan cheese (or vegan alternative)

Method:

1. Place the avocados, lemon juice and zest, garlic, almonds and half of the basil in a food processor. Blend everything until it’s smooth and then put it in the fridge.
2. Cook the spaghetti, then drain and toss in the avocado sauce. Top with the leftover basil and grated parmesan and serve. Simple!

Spicy mushroom & broccoli stir fry

This stir fry recipe uses shiitake mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms as they give a super meaty texture. It’s topped with roasted cashews to give some extra crunch, and is low in calories.

Ingredients:

• 1 low-salt veggie stock cube
• Egg noodles (or if you’re gluten-free, rice noodles)
• 1 small broccoli, broken into florets
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil (plus, a bit extra to serve)
• 250 grams of thickly sliced chestnut or shiitake mushrooms
• 1 finely chopped garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
• 4 thinly sliced spring onions
• 2 tbsp of hoisin sauce
• A handful of roasted cashews

Method:

1. Fill a pan up with water, put the stock cube in, and bring to the boil.
2. Then, add the noodles and bring the stock back to the boil before cooking for 2 minutes.
3. Add in the broccoli and boil for 2 more minutes.
4. Keep a cup of the stock left over and drain the noodles and vegetables.
5. Heat a frying pan, add the sesame oil and stir fry the mushrooms for around 2 minutes until they’re golden.
6. Add the chilli flakes, garlic, some of the spring onions, cook for one more minute and then tip in the broccoli and noodles.
7. Pour in 3 tbsp of the veggie stock and then the hoisin sauce, and toss together for one minute using 2 wooden spoons or a pair of tongs.
8. Serve the noodles in a bowl and sprinkle the cashew nuts and leftover spring onions over the top. If you want, you can pour some more sesame oil over the top to taste, too.

Lose Weight the Healthy Way

So, if you’re looking to lose weight and you follow a vegetarian diet, all of the recipes above are extremely healthy and extremely tasty. What are you waiting for? Start breakfast, lunch and dinner prepping now so you can enjoy the most delicious meals!