Having a repertoire of quick and easy meals you can get on the dinner table in 20 minutes is key for busy weeknights. But “quick and easy” dinners are often randomly assembled meals that lack flavor and excitement.
That’s why I’m sharing three easy vegan meals that are flavor-packed and fun to make but take just 20 minutes! They’ll quickly become those back-pocket dinner recipes you reach for when you’re in a pinch.
Thank you to ALDI for sponsoring this post! And thank you to my readers for supporting the brands who help make my work possible. It’s back to school (or work) season for many of us, and during these crazy busy times, there’s nothing better than easy meals you can get on the dinner table in in 20 minutes.
I’ll be the first to admit that I love tinkering with new flavors and cooking techniques and cooking gourmet recipes (it’s my job, after all!). But during my busiest periods, I appreciate fast and fuss-free dinners.
That said, I refuse to eat boring meals, meals that are haphazardly cobbled together with random ingredients, and anything remotely bland. Which is why I’m proud to share these vegan meals that take just 20 minutes to make but are flavor-packed.
Read also: Baked Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Soup
Tips For Saving Time In The Kitchen For Simple Vegan Recipes
Recipe 1: Crispy Tofu Slabs with Peanut Sauce and Cabbage Slaw
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Thanks to the creamy peanut sauce and crunchy tofu, this dish appears decadent, but the carrots, cabbage, and cilantro are actually rather healthful and full of minerals and antioxidants.
- Recipes for tofu typically call for pressing, which prolongs the preparation time. However, you can obtain very crispy tofu without pressing with this technique! It all depends on how the tofu is sliced and fried.
- You'll want to make the peanut sauce often since it's so easy to prepare, so quick, and so delicious. You can use it as a dipping sauce, to top stir-fries, or to dress up noodles.
Ingredient Spotlight
- Peanut butter: One of my best purchases from ALDI is Simply Nature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter, which goes well with this amazing peanut sauce. It's very creamy, silky, and drippy, made only with organic peanuts and sea salt.
- Earth Grown Extra-Firm Tofu: You need the extra-firm type of tofu to produce crispy tofu without pressing. Once fried, it has the ideal textural balance, with a crispy outside and chewy within. Another excellent, reasonably priced organic product that I really like from ALDI.
- One of the most underappreciated veggies is cabbage. It is incredibly affordable, adaptable, and loaded with health benefits including fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory chemicals. Use red or green cabbage, whatever you choose.
Tips for this recipe
- Wear long sleeves and avoid standing too close to the pan when frying the tofu since the oil may splash. Although you won't be gravely hurt, it's always preferable to be safe.
- To get this meal on the table in 20 minutes, use a mandoline, box grater, or the shredding disc on your food processor to make the cabbage carrot slaw.
Read also: Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Recipe 2: Spiced Chickpea Tacos with Cilantro Pesto
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Taco night but made quick and easy, in just 20 minutes.
- The tastes blend well together. The earthy, spicy, and lemony tastes of the cilantro pesto, together with the slightly smokey taste of the charred corn tortillas, blend really well with the spices from the pan-fried chickpeas.
- Simple to alter. You may use this recipe as a model for your subsequent simple taco evenings once you test this version. If you have more time, prepare your own salsa (my morning burrito recipe has an amazing pico de gallo!). Alternatively, prepare your own guacamole in place of the chopped avocado. Add some pickled cabbage, red onions, or jalapeños for a spicy, crunchy taste. Alternatively, use pinto or cannellini beans in place of the chickpeas.
Ingredient Spotlight
- Chickpeas in a can: this recipe adds a ton of flavor and texture to canned chickpeas. Check out this post for additional ideas on what to do with a can of chickpeas.
- Roasted cashews: The cilantro “pesto” (air quotes because it’s loosely inspired by pesto) features roasted cashews instead of raw cashews to add extra flavor. I used roasted cashews to save time, but you could easily use raw cashews and toast them yourself. I love the Simply Nature brand at ALDI (they sell both raw and roasted cashews).
Tips for this recipe
- As soon as you add the chickpeas to the skillet, begin preparing the cilantro pesto in order to finish this dish in under twenty minutes. So that you may multitask well without rushing between stations, keep your food processor close to the stove. Alternatively, prepare the pesto one to two days in advance and refrigerate.
Read also: Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Allrecipes
Recipe 3: Lemon Olive Oil Pasta with Green Beans
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Vibrant, invigorating, and energetic. It's a light spaghetti that's ideal for spring or summer.
- Just like the tacos, it's simple to alter this dish. You may use this recipe as a pattern for your simple pasta nights once you test this version. Try adding some asparagus, snap peas, or tiny broccoli florets in place of the green beans. Shallots can be used in place of the scallions, or you could try adding fresh herbs last. Add some white beans or chickpeas to give this pasta some substance.
Ingredient Spotlight
- Simply Nature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is another ALDI staple in my kitchen that I love using for everyday cooking.
- Lemons: Another ingredient I always keep in my kitchen, and I love how reasonably priced they are at ALDI. For the most lemon flavor, this recipe uses both the zest and the juice. The zest brings bright floral citrus notes, and the juice adds a tart acidity that pairs perfectly with olive oil.
- Green beans: I used French green beans for this recipe (regular green beans work fine too), and cut them into 1-inch pieces so they take just 2 minutes to cook in the pasta water.
Tips for this recipe
- When cooking pasta, don't use too much water and season it well. You need highly starchy pasta water for this recipe because the only ingredients that give it creaminess are the olive oil and pasta water. This aids in emulsifying the sauce to give it a velvety, satin-like texture. Use a little less water than you would normally use to boil the pasta in order to accomplish this. That comes out to around 6.5 to 7 glasses of water for 8 ounces of pasta. To guarantee that the pasta has flavor from the inside out, liberally salt the pasta water with two to three tablespoons of kosher salt (use less if you're using table salt or sea salt).
- Remember to save aside some pasta water! Ladle out some pasta water before draining; it will assist to pull the sauce together.
