This January vegan meal inspiration will give you some super simple plant-based meal ideas to use as part of a weekly meal prep or to share with your family! These dishes are nourishing, filled with veggies, and can be customized to fit your needs and tastebuds.
I love to check out simple meal ideas, since eating well shouldn’t be complicated or overwhelming. That’s why I put together this January Meal Inspiration to give you some ideas of potential combinations of plant-based proteins, carbs and roasted veggies. You can switch them up for other options that you may have on hand. For example, some of my favorite carby ingredients that I love to use are sweet potatoes, farro, quinoa, cous cous, potatoes, rice and pasta (can be gluten-free if desired).
Top Tips for These Kinds of Meals
Season, season, season. Don’t be shy with the salt and pepper, along with other pantry seasonings you may have.
I suggest using different seasoning combinations for the meals, to keep things interesting. For example, you can use fajita-inspired seasonings on some of your roasted veggies (check out this recipe for inspiration), and use Italian seasoning on the rest of the veggies.
Build a group of your favorite sauces and dressings to add to your meals. For example, you can use salsas, homemade or store-bought marinara (my go-to super simple marinara recipe is in this post), or dressings. I mention some dressing ideas below, and my vegan honey mustard is always a great go-to.
Roasted Veggies – Meal Ideas to Try
Roasted Broccoli & Tomatoes with Tofu & Quinoa
What you’ll need:
16 oz. broccoli florets
1 pint cherry tomatoes
avocado oil or avocado oil
2 14-oz. blocks extra firm organic tofu
salt, pepper, garlic powder, seasoning of choice (such as Italian seasoning, paprika, cumin, za’atar, chili powder)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place your broccoli and cherry tomatoes on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle generously with oil and seasonings of choice. Tip: be sure to use plenty of seasoning, to jazz up these veggies. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until the tomatoes begin to release juices, tossing halfway.
Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to package directions. Feel free to add seasonings directly into the water for cooking the quinoa, to give it more flavor. You can also add some olive oil and lemon juice, and even chopped fresh herbs to the quinoa once it’s finished cooking. If you like, check out this Quinoa Salad with Zucchini & Tomatoes for inspiration.
To make the tofu, preheat a large pan on medium heat. Drain the tofu and gently squeeze out excess water with your hands, or you can use a tofu press. Then pat the tofu dry with kitchen towel. Slice the tofu lengthwise down the middle, then make crosswise slices to create squares. Add 1 to 2 tsp oil to the pan and lay out the tofu across the pan. Season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any other seasoning of choice. Cook for 5 to 10 min, depending on your liking. The longer the tofu cooks, the firmer it will become. Then flip and cook another 3 to 5 min. Then repeat the process for the second block of tofu. Alternatively, you can bake the tofu at the same time as the roasted veggies on a separate tray, also using parchment paper, oil, and plenty of seasonings. The veggies and tofu may take 5 to 15 minutes longer to cook if they’re cooking together, depending on your oven.
Divide your roasted veggies, quinoa, and tofu into 4 portions, or however many suits your needs.
I love to top this meal with Fody Foods Salsa Verde (this isn’t sponsored, I just love their products!). You can also add sliced avocado.
Roasted Veggies with Chickpeas & Sweet Potato
What you’ll need:
2 medium to large sweet potatoes
2 zucchinis
2 bell peppers
1 1/2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt, pepper, garlic powder, seasoning of choice (such as Italian seasoning, paprika, cumin, za’atar, chili powder)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in oven for 45 to 60 min. If your sweet potatoes are large, they may take additional time. You can check if they’re tender by poking them with a fork after 45 min. The fork will pierce the skin and the potato should be soft on the inside.
Meanwhile, dice the zucchini and peppers and place on a large baking tray lined with parchment. Sprinkle generously with oil and seasonings, toss and bake for 20 to 30 min, tossing halfway, until tender and lightly browned.
Serve the roasted veggies with the sweet potatoes and chickpeas, dividing among 4 portions or however many suits your needs. To jazz up the chickpeas in a crazy fast way, sauté them for 3 to 4 min in a bit of avocado oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Check out this recipe for inspiration on that.
I topped half of mine with Fody Foods Marinara, and the other half with Avocado Dill Dressing from this recipe.
Other Super Simple Recipes to Make this Month
Quinoa Salad with Avocado Dill Dressing (or simply use your favorite dressing you may have already on hand)
Roasted Tomato & Artichoke Macaroni
Creamy Pumpkin Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Chickpea, Mushroom & Spinach Curry