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48+ Easy, Delicious Vegetarian Recipes for Beginners

New home cooks, welcome!

These are the best vegetarian and vegan recipes for beginners. You’ll find here everything from easy soups and salads, to healthy, whole food plant-based main courses.

Cooking is easy and fun, especially with these recipes to learn from: 

One of my most popular dishes is this quick and easy 15-Minute Orzo Pasta Salad.

If you’re looking for simple beginner baking recipes, try Mushroom Ricotta Bread Pudding.

Or, for a vegetarian entrée, make Spring Risotto with Peas and Corn. 

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Bowls with Bircher Muesli (overnight oats), peeled apple, spoons, fresh figs, pomegranate seeds, and yogurt

GF & Vegan Bircher Muesli (Overnight Oats)

Light, nutritious breakfast made by soaking rolled oats, dried fruit and nuts in a dairy-free milk and orange juice. Top with fresh fruit and vegan yogurt.

Filed Under: Beginner, Breakfast, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Over 1 hour, Popular, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Bowl with big-cluster granola. Made with oats, pecans, almonds, honey and flaxseed. Served with yogurt and raspberries.

Big-Cluster Granola

Granola with chunky, crunchy clusters that stick together. Made with almonds, pecans, flaxseed, coconut, honey and spices.

Filed Under: Beginner, Breakfast, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Under 60 min

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Plate of harira, a North African stew made with chickpeas, lentils, rice and vegetables. Served with sauerkraut and yogurt, from verygoodcook.com

Harira: Moroccan Vegetable Soup-Stew

Moroccan Harira is a thick soup made with chickpeas, brown rice, red lentils, and vegetables. Scented with aromatic spices, it makes an easy and tasty vegan weeknight dinner. If you ever crave a filling, comforting plant-based dish that doesn’t completely weigh you down, then this one is for you. There are many versions of harira—mine […]

Filed Under: Beginner, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Popular, Under 60 min, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Slice of banana cranberry pecan bread

Banana Cranberry Nut Bread with Lemon Glaze

Dense, delicious and moist, this Banana Cranberry Nut Bread drizzled with homemade lemon glaze is a delightful homemade tea cake or dessert. This banana bread is a total fruitcake in disguise. Yes, there is a smashed, overripe banana in it, but I also packed it with dried cranberries, and chopped pecans. And the lemon glaze […]

Filed Under: Beginner, Over 1 hour, Sweet

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

two bowls and a pot of vegan heirloom-bean chili

Vegan Heirloom-Bean Chili

One-pot comfort food! This high-protein vegan chili is made with heirloom-beans, tomatoes, onion and vibrant spices.

Filed Under: Beginner, Dairy-Free, Featured, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Over 1 hour, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Black cast iron pan with vegan tempeh Bolognese pasta sauce, spaghetti and grated parmesan cheese.

Tempeh Bolognese Pasta Sauce

Calling all vegans, vegetarians and Italian-food lovers. Make this easy Bolognese pasta sauce using grated tempeh. Comforting dish that tastes as good as the original.

Filed Under: Beginner, Dairy-Free, Main Course, Over 1 hour, Popular, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

This apple walnut pie cake is a great everyday coffee cake or your Thanksgiving dessert option. Baked in 40 minutes from simple ingredients: flour, butter, brown sugar, egg, flour, spices, apples and walnuts.

Apple Walnut Cake

This easy Apple Walnut Cake is a simplified version of classic apple pie. No crust necessary, just Granny Smith apples, chopped walnuts, and plenty of cinnamon. I learned this easy apple pie cake recipe a few years back, in a cooking school in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I was in town for the opera festival […]

Filed Under: Beginner, Sweet, Under 60 min

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Plate of rainbow coleslaw.

Vegan Coleslaw With Flaxseed-Cilantro-Ginger Dressing

Crunchy, rainbow-colored vegetables mixed with vibrant, nutrient packed salad dressing. Great on its own or as a side.

Filed Under: Beginner, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Paleo, Raw, Under 30 min, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

black bowl with soba noodle salad, with peanut butter dressing on the side

Soba Noodles Salad With Peanut Butter Dressing

Cold noodles mixed with baked tofu, vegetables, sesame seeds and peanuts, mixed with a salty/sweet/spicy peanut butter dressing.

Filed Under: Beginner, Dairy-Free, Main Course, Under 30 min, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Cauliflower burgers with feta from very good cook blog, served with white yogurt, arugula salad and sliced almonds

Vegetarian Cauliflower Patties (GF & Paleo)

These oven-baked Cauliflower Patties are made with almond flour, eggs, feta cheese and fresh parsley. It’s an easy, healthy, gluten-free and paleo cauliflower recipe, and ideal for dinner, appetizers or as a vegetarian side dish.  Go grab a good-looking head of cauliflower, and you’re well on your way towards making these crispy, herby cauliflower burgers.  […]

Filed Under: Beginner, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Over 1 hour, Paleo

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Quinoa Salad With Cherry Tomatoes, Radicchio, and Pistachios from verygoodcook.com

Quinoa Salad With Cherry Tomatoes, Radicchio, and Pistachios

A colorful and healthy quinoa salad with tomatoes, radicchio and pistachios makes a light lunch or a plant-based side dish. Let’s face it – cooked quinoa on its own is somewhat bland. So to turn it into a salad, I added juicy cherry tomatoes, bitter radicchio, sweet-sour dried currants, a spicy habañero chili, and earthy […]

Filed Under: Beginner, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Under 60 min, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Kelp noodle salad with almond-tahini dressing

Kelp Noodle Salad With Almond-Tahini Dressing

This quick, super creamy Kelp Noodle Salad with Almond-Tahini Dressing is a nutritious raw vegan meal that’s just as tasty as your mom’s fettuccine Alfredo. I love using kelp noodles as a raw vegan alternative to traditional pasta. They’re a bit crunchy, healthy, and make an easy pairing with almost any salad dressing. Which is […]

Filed Under: Beginner, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Paleo, Raw, Under 30 min, Vegan

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

plate with gluten-free rhubarb strawberry crumble and a scoop of ice cream

Gluten-Free Rhubarb–Strawberry Crumble

Tart and sweet summer dessert with a crunchy layer of caramelized brown sugar-oat on top.

Filed Under: Beginner, Gluten-Free, Over 1 hour, Sweet

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Chopped salad with quail eggs and creme fraiche

Chopped Salad With Quail Eggs

Vibrant chopped salad with tiny quail eggs, Emmenthaler cheese, fresh vegetables and herbs, with a tangy crème fraiche dressing.

Filed Under: Beginner, Czech, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Under 30 min

Home / Recipe Index / by Level / Beginner / Page 2

Raw Vegan Tomato-Pepper-Avocado Soup in two glasses and served with straw

Raw Vegan Tomato-Pepper-Avocado Soup

Somewhere between gazpacho and a green shake, it’s made with raw ingredients and loaded with vitamins and nutrients.

Filed Under: Beginner, Breakfast, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Paleo, Raw, Under 30 min, Vegan

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Hi, I’m Michal.

Photo of Michal Martinek of Very Good Cook - a Czech food blogI help home cooks to make tasty vegetarian food using simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps. More…

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Black cast iron pan with vegan tempeh Bolognese pasta sauce, spaghetti and grated parmesan cheese.

Tempeh Bolognese Pasta Sauce

Plate of harira, a North African stew made with chickpeas, lentils, rice and vegetables. Served with sauerkraut and yogurt, from verygoodcook.com

Harira: Moroccan Vegetable Soup-Stew

slices of strawberry/blueberry/apricot kolache

Authentic Czech Kolache (Koláče) With Fruit Filling

White plate with Spring Risotto With Peas and Corn, topped with micro greens, creme fraiche and ground black pepper

Spring Risotto With Peas and Corn

Czech potato pancakes (bramboráky) from verygoodcook.com

Czech Potato Pancakes (Bramboráky)

Crustless carrot zucchini quiche in a baking dish, on top of a blue/white kitchen towel

Crustless Carrot Zucchini Quiche

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