I thought it was about time for part 2 of my ‘what do vegetarians actually eat?’ mini-series. It’s lunch time! If you missed all my breakfast inspiration, check that out first – then come back for lunch.

As I mentioned last time, this series will hopefully be useful for two reasons:

Firstly, if you’re a vegetarian and you’re constantly asked ‘what do you actually eat?’, you now have a place to send people! It’s a pretty obnoxious question (depending on context, obviously – I’m sure there are some well-meaning people who are genuinely curious, and that’s fine!), and it’s one that’s asked all too often, so hopefully these blog posts will give you an easy response.

Secondly, I hope this little series will help out any vegetarians (or anyone else!) who need a bit of new inspiration. If it wasn’t for this blog, I’d probably eat the same ten meals on rotation – it’s nice to not have to think too much when cooking. But it’s also nice to eat a varied diet! So hopefully you’ll find some new ideas here.

The idea of this post isn’t necessarily that you come away with specific recipes in mind – more just that you get some new ideas for the kinds of things you could make / eat for lunch, and feel inspired to try something different this week.

Let’s get right down to it! I’ve split this post up into a few sections to make it easier to navigate.

What do vegetarians actually eat for lunch?

Sandwiches etc

There are lots of sandwich filling ideas in this post! Here are a few more:

– cheddar cheese with anything – salad, Branston pickle, Marmite, apple slices, hummus, etc (probably not all together!)
– chickpea salad sandwiches, which I make differently every time – any combination of veggies works nicely. Avocado chickpea salad is a favourite too, as is this creamy lemon version.
– tofu is great in sandwiches, especially if it’s fried until really, really crispy – try my tofu bacon BLTs
– hummus and thinly sliced veggies (cucumber, carrot, radishes)
– green goddess sandwiches
– fresh mozzarella with sliced tomatoes and basil
– if you’re feeling naughty, add a few crisps to your sandwich for an extra bit of crunch, like in my epic avocado sandwich
– and one of my favourite sandwiches ever – halloumi with sun-dried tomatoes

– wraps – use your favourite sandwich fillings, but with a bit less bread.

– bagels, croissants, baguettes, baps, muffins (this kind not this kind!), or any other kind of bread you fancy, filled with your favourite sandwich fillings. Some combinations will work better than others!

– tortilla roll-ups – little bite-sized nibbles that you can fill with whatever you fancy. These are definitely one of my favourite options.

– or if you want to avoid bread altogether, my low-carb cauliflower tortillas are a great alternative and work with all sorts of fillings.

– cheese on toast / Welsh rarebit

Soups

Soups are a great way to use up whatever you have in the fridge. Make a big batch each weekend, and eat it through the week – you’ll have no more wasted veggies, and a healthy lunch ready to go every day.

– Veggie soup – just fry up whatever veggies you have in the fridge, then add vegetable stock and simmer until they’re cooked. Add herbs and spices for extra flavour, and grains for bulk. Blend (or don’t!) and serve. A few examples:

– creamy leek and potato soup
– 15 minute tomato soup
– creamy spring vegetable soup
– creamy coconut corn chowder
– kale and asparagus Asian broth
– creamy cauliflower cheese soup
– quick red Thai curry noodle soup

– Bean soup – chickpeas, beans and lentils are a great way to make soup more filling and protein-rich. Use the same method as above, and make the soup smooth or chunky. Some ideas:

– 15 minute black bean soup
– spicy three bean soup
– Thai green curry spinach soup with chickpeas
– smoky coconut butternut squash soup with lentils

– Slow cooker soup – same as above, but throw everything in the slow cooker. The low, slow cooking will break everything down and give maximum flavour for minimum effort. For example:

– veggie-packed slow cooker black bean soup
– slow cooker French onion soup
– slow cooker wild rice and mushroom soup
– slow cooker loaded baked potato soup

Salads

Start with a leafy green – lettuce, kale, spinach, etc. Add beans or nuts for protein, plenty of other veggies for flavour, and grains for bulk. Finish everything off with a tasty dressing. Depending on your ingredient choices, they can also be served warm or cold. The possibilities are endless! Here are a few.

– superfood kale salad
– artichoke and feta quinoa salad
– wild rice and kale salad with smoky sweet potatoes
– avocado caprese salad
– cheese and onion salad with walnuts and grapes

Other lunches

– Ploughman’s lunch – a lump of cheddar cheese with chunks of apple and bread, a bit of Branston pickle, and some salad

– sausage rolls (vegetarian of course) – made either with vegetarian sausages, or with something totally different, like my lentils rolls

– a slice of quiche or tart, served with salad

– beans on toast

– frittata or omelette, served with a bit of bread or salad

– savoury flapjacks (great for lunch boxes!)

– hummus, guacamole or another dip (I like spinach dip), served with veggies, tortilla chips, pitta bread, etc. for dipping

– tikka mushrooms, served in pitta with salad

– crepes stuffed with your choice of filling

– lettuce wraps – a great low-carb option!

– homemade falafel

– roasted chickpeas – great with salad or just as a snack. My favourite is pizza roasted chickpeas!

– fritters, which can be made with all kinds of veggies and are great served with salad (e.g. corn and avocado fritters, or broccoli and feta fritters)

– tortilla pizza – just top a flour tortilla with whatever you fancy, and pop it under the grill

– pasta salad, with loads of veggies and a dollop of pesto

Do you have any other easy vegetarian lunch ideas? I’d love to hear, so feel free to share your ideas in the comments below! Tell me – what do vegetarians actually eat for lunch?