“I could never give up meat”… How many times have we heard that? Or said it ourselves?

The foods we are used to can have a very strong emotional bond, even though they’re not always the best for us. Plant-based eating is better for our health and the planet (and of course the animals!), but I can understand having cravings for the foods we used to eat… or feeling challenged by having non-vegan relatives or friends over!

The keys to satisfying vegan dinners for meat-eaters are taste and texture. Meat contains fat, which is one of the things that keeps us coming back for more – this can be emulated with olive oil for instance. It also has a certain bite to it, which can be recreated by combining lentils and walnuts or using jackfruit / mushrooms as an alternative.

Read on for easy vegan dinners for meat-eaters!

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Gnocchi with aubergine + a tomato and lentil sauce

For each dinner, I’ll offer two options. One is the 100% vegan option and one is the one to use if you’re taking baby steps towards going vegan. The ideas is that over time you can increase the proportion of plant-based ingredients until there’s no meat!

For example, if you’re in the process of transitioning to a vegan diet, maybe you could start adding lentils to your usual bolognese sauce.

100% vegan	Going vegan
Recipe here*	Add lentils to sauce until they replace beef

* The recipe I linked to is for pasta. You can do whichever you wish of course, but gnocchi do have a nice texture to them, which will be satisfying and filling.

One of the secrets to making this dish feel meaty is to add crushed walnuts in with the lentils. Or you can fry some shredded tempeh with the aubergine for a meaty texture and a protein boost!

Since writing this list, I’ve been seeing meaty bolognese videos everywhere, so here’s a couple:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBiicQZSbX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNhcZJx7Bf4

It’s funny how he says he’s not a fan of celery so he’s leaving it out – I’d leave the onion out!

Chili with pulled jackfruit

100% vegan	Going vegan
Chili recipe here	Add lentils or beans to sauce until they replace beef

Bonus points for baking some crumbled tofu and adding it to the chili at the end!

The secret to making this meal satisfying for meat-eaters is in the sides. Add some avocado if you have some and some pulled jackfruit on the side. The recipe is for putting it in a sandwich, but you can have it in your bowl / on your plate with your chili:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9K8KAQmBuk

This can also work with shredded mushrooms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_EW_8RF6Kw

You can enjoy the leftovers (if any!) in a burrito.

Potato and tofu curry

100% vegan	Going vegan
Recipe here	Add tofu to curry until it replaces chicken or whatever you normally have in your curry

Follow the recipe above and either add potato to the curry itself or have the curry with fries (looove it!) for a satisfying meal for meat-eaters and vegans alike.

Tofu stir fry

100% vegan	Going vegan
Recipe here	Add tofu until they replace prawns / chicken

Sausage and roast vegetables

100% vegan	Going vegan
Recipe here	Add vegan sausages until they replace non-vegan sausages

If all else fails, go the vegan meats route! I wouldn’t build my diet round them (just like I wouldn’t build my diet round real meat), but they’re great for adding flavour now and then.

My omnivore partner’s favourites are the Richmond sausages, whereas I like the tofu-based ones (as I’m a tofu addict!).

You could go two ways with this meal:

• Sausages, potatoes, veg and peas, all separate on the plate, with gravy for example.
• A tray bake with bits of vegan sausage, potatoes and veg. You could even pick a theme, like Mediterranean and choose the vegetables, herbs and spices to go along with it.

This post was all about vegan dinners for meat-eaters

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