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Meatless Moneysavers Megathread

6K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  nuisance26 
#1 ·
~Now that I've personally switched from Flexitarian to Pescatarian(still cooking Flex for the family though), and upgraded the meat we buy to hormone/cruelty free, I've become much more conscious of the cost per meal and more focused on lots of veggies and fillers on our non-meat days.
I'm also being more creative and trying new things. Who wants to eat the same things over and over, right? A couple months ago I stumbled upon seitan(a wheat gluten meat substitute). I'd never heard of it and now that I've learned to make it, I won't go without it. Last night I debuted mashed potato pie and it was a hit. Trying out vegan pepperoni and meatless meatballs today.
Anyway, I thought it would be fun and inspirational to share some meals we all make that are meatless(doesn't have to full vegetarian or vegan to qualify, just eliminate the expense of meat).
If you'd like to post a recipe, feel free!
If you know the cost per person(assuming a satisfying portion, not diet or stuffed portions!)please share that too.
Can't wait to add some more ideas to my meal list!~
 
#2 · (Edited)
~I'm rounding my cost per person to the nearest $.25 increment. Numbers will probably only be useful for me since others won't incur the same cost for ingredients,choose the same quality of ingredients, regional differences, etc. Still it might be helpful so I'm including them.~

Round 1, Soups w/side(includes butter):

chili w/ cheese and sour cream and cornbread $.75
broccoli cheese and rye toast points $1
corn chowder with facon and popovers $1.25
onion w/swiss and bagels w/cream cheese $.75
potato and pitas $.75
tomato(can) and grilled cheese $.75
minestrone w/parmesan and dinner rolls $.75

ETA:

cheese soup and veggie pancakes
white bean soup and steamed corn pudding
 
#3 · (Edited)
Round 2, Skillet/Stovetop meals:

potato hash w/cheese, veggie broth and a fried egg $1
pasta primavera $.75
spinach alfredo fettuccine $1.25
wild rice pilaf with steamed or grilled veggies $1-2 depending on veggie selection(green beans cheap, asparagus pricey)
egg rolls w/sweet & sour sauce $1
steakless cheesesteaks $.75
caprese panini(fresh mozz cheese, basil and tomato) $1
felafel on homemade pitas w/cucumber dressing $1

ETA:
steamed rice and mushroom/carrot/celery cream gravy
Mushu veggies on Chinese pancakes
Veg only fajitas w/pinto beans
Italian stewed veggies(onion, zuch, pepper, tomato)over rice
quesadillas(bean/veg/cheese)
 
#6 ·
pasta fagioli is a great meatless filling recipe!!!! look around the net for great recipes. i have one that is totally from scratch which i may have posted here at time.

ceci beans w/ sauce...super yum!

escarole and white beans...yum!!!! i make the one from molly brown - all about braising - fabulous!!! filling and tastes great. makin it this week!

sliced and roasted sweet potatoes w/ cayenne pepper. great snack!
 
#7 ·
~Steakless cheesesteak is just what is sounds like. I saute the onions, lots of onions, in butter until browned, then melt cheese over them and serve on a hoagie roll with ketchup. I don't miss the meat at all. It really tastes like the real thing to me. :) ~
 
#9 ·
Yes it is very good with peppers too and sauted mushrooms really bulks it up.

A favorite of mine is a vegetarian ruben.....Everything but the meat and sometimes I will add tomato. Now I have never had a "real ruben" so nothing to compare it to. And using dilly rye bread makes them extra tasty in my opinion.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
~I wish I could eat soy products without getting so sick and that's why you won't see any tofu meal ideas from me. :p It does limit the no-meat protein options. But I have had good luck replacing some tofu/tempah recipes with seiten. I actually prefer the flavor of things(my regular recipes) just leaving out the meat, but I would never get enough protein that way. I'm forcing myself to be more creative to keep my nutrition well-rounded.

Here are a couple seiten recipes that I really like:
Facon
Nuggets, I replace the seasoning with Chick-Fil-A seasoning blend~
 
#12 ·
#13 ·
Lunch today Bean Burritoes They are very easy to make. I made it from leftovers so it was super quick.

Last night we this recipe for black bean burgers that we thought looked good. I think it would be yummy with homemade sweet potato fries on the side.
Black Bean Burger | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond
 
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#14 ·
If you are feeling adventurous, you might try these, Potato-Cheese Dumplings VarAndscaron;kes-Bulviu Tinginiai) - Lit Recipe - Food.com . They are a bit like Polish kopytka, but I like the protein boost that the cheese provides. I made these for my husband the other night - his mother used to make something like these - and we really liked them. Think gnocchi, but served with butter and sour cream. Although I think a pasta sauce of some type would work very well - maybe something with pesto? I thought they were easier to make than gnocchi.
 
#16 ·
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#17 · (Edited)
here are the meatless meals I am planning for this week

1)Four Cheese Pasta ( serves 6 we have found it makes a bunch we always have leftovers) the book I found it in says $1.62 a serving.
Four-Cheese Pasta recipe from Pillsbury.com

2) French Toast

3) A dish we affectionately call Noddle Stuff - Pasta, California veggie mix and Spaghetti sauce

4) Eggs over O'Brien - just like it sounds eggs served over O' Brien Potatoes ( pan fired potatoes with onion and peppers)
 
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#20 ·
We enjoyed a lovely thick soup (stew?) from the crock pot a few nights ago- dried chick peas soaked and then cooked in a veggie/chicken broth made from bones/leftover veggie pieces, with chopped carrot, rutabaga, and a wrung out pack of frozen spinach. I added some garlic and a touch of horseradish mustard. It was delicious and hearty, and I have been enjoying the leftovers for lunch this week. The kids were not thrilled but ate some of it.

I still count it as meat-free even though I used leftover chicken bones for the stock, but of course one could just use veggie broth instead.
 
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#21 ·
~Forgot to post my baked items category. Haven't figured the cost on these yet.

Baked items(would probably serve with salad/bread):

eggplant parmesan
spinach lasagna
baked ziti with mushroom meatballs
quiche(lots of possible variations)
loaded baked potatoes
bbq baked beans and biscuits
pizza
calzones
stromboli
empanadas
bean and rice enchiladas
beef-less Shepherd's pie
mashed potato pie
macaroni and cheese
au gratin potatoes
 
#22 ·
I always love a big salad for lunch. Sometimes I add cheese or boiled egg for protien, but if you are vegan then leaving those out is never a problem.

I just get whatever is on sale to add to my salads - sometimes my salads may have more tomato or sometimes more brocolli, etc. Salad can be as varied as your imagination.

I am gonna look at some more recipe ideas though for pasta over the summer. I have a lot in the pantry to use up and that is such a money saving food.
 
#24 ·
Homemade veggie pizza: pick your favorites among mushroom, onions, bell peppers, jalepenos, black olives, spinach, tomato, or brocollli. I like red sauce, but sometimes DH does up white sauce or just brushes the crust with olive oil instead.

Variation on theme is french bread pizza. It is easy to find on the markdown rack - the older bread is better to use than the fresh bread anyway.

Calzones also are easy to do. I have also done a sort of stromboli by rolling the pizza up into a roll and slicing it to serve.
 
#25 ·
~I've been full Vegetarian for months now. Yay! My favorite meals these days:

seitan ribs with greens and mac&cheese
spicy black bean soup with cornbread
fried tomatoes and Vegan gravy with rice or biscuits
chocolate cottage cheese with berries(yes, this is a meal to me now!)
jackfruit carnitas with flour tortillas and guacamole
garden salad with apples and raw seeds, plus honey lime dressing and nooch croutons
quinoa-lentil-kale tacos or taco salads
seitan cheese steaks and a cold veg salad or zucchini chips
hash(fried potato shreds, cheese, fried eggs, veggie broth)
veggie burgers loaded up Whopper style with pickles and crudites
icy vegan protein smoothies
veggie panang curry and rice~
 
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