How to Cook Plant-Based Meals for Meat Eaters (and a taco recipe)

I have received a few emails from readers asking for my best tips on making vegetarian and plant-based (or vegan) meals for meat-eaters. After posing the question to our Facebook community, it definitely sounds like this is an area many of you are interested in learning more about. And, since I’m in a “mixed eating” relationship myself, I’m always curious about how other couples manage different eating preferences. So, here goes!

First, let’s start with a little background on this: I’ve been with my partner, Ashley for seven years. Ashley was/is a meat eater and when we first met, was a huge skeptic of anything known as a vegetable. When we began dating, I was also a meat eater, but was working my way towards a healthier diet without processed foods. 

A year into the relationship, I began cutting meat and animal products out of my life as well as processed foods and refined sugars. I started eating a greater variety of vegetables, more whole grains, and a variety of legumes. shley was completely supportive of my decision to change my diet and we soon began to find new places to eat out together that could accommodate both of our eating styles. We both discovered that we preferred veggie burgers to the real thing and that there were a variety of plant-based meals that were able to satisfy us both. Even though Ashley was supportive of my dietary changes, she clearly told me that she had no intentions of changing her diet. I strongly believe that the food we chose to eat is a personal choice so although I wished Ashley ate a little healthier, I tried my hardest to respect her food choices.

Let’s flash forward to the present. In our house, I do all the cooking. This works out well for the both of us because I love doing it and Ashley doesn’t. (And I’m pretty sure that if I wasn’t around Ashley would live off of peanut butter pretzels. No joke.)

How meatless meals work for us:


All of the meals I make are completely plant-based. By the time I started learning how to cook, I was already eating this way so I honestly don't have a clue on how to cook meat! Over time I’ve found a variety of meals that we both love and enjoy on a regular basis. We’re big on Mexican food so anything that can be wrapped up in a tortilla is always a hit in our house. 

When I was first learning how to cook, meals weren’t as complex or creative as what you see here on the blog today. I used faux meats several times a week because I was still learning how to create hearty dishes without them. Over time, I transitioned away from processed meat-alternatives and began to rely on legumes to add bulk to our meals.

One thing that I occasionally use (at Ashley’s request) is Field Roast, a local faux meat product made from wheat gluten here in Seattle. I love their company and trust their ingredients so I don’t mind including it in recipes. I also appreciate how it adds a certain texture to meals that I couldn’t achieve otherwise.

What about the veggies?


The funny thing is that the issue in our house isn’t the lack of meat in meals; it’s the addition of vegetables! Ashley is the classic “picky-eater.” I work with young children and do recipe development and menu planning for kids so I will often test out recipes on Ashley because she is pickier than any of the kids I work with! I’ve learned that if she likes a recipe, then the children will love it.

When I began transitioning to a plant-based diet, it was my first time experimenting with vegetables like kale, beets, parsnips, radicchio, collard greens, fennel, bok choy, mushrooms, parsnips, and a variety of others. As I began to incorporate “new” vegetables into our diet, this was a huge challenge with Ashley. Meal planning for us became even more challenging as I pushed my diet further into living seasonally and sourcing locally.

I have learned to treat meals in our house the way that I do when I am working with children: Ashley is expected to try a bite of each dish, but she isn’t pressured to love it or eat the entire thing. I think this is really important because as adults we can be especially closed-minded about trying new things and sometimes our tastebuds surprise us!  Ashley absolutely refuses to eat mushrooms, bok choy, eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes so I reserve those veggies exclusively for my meals to help keep the peace.

Now that I’ve been eating this way for many years (and bringing Ashley along for the ride), it has actually had a huge impact on her taste buds. Even though she was adamant (and still is) that she “would never change her diet,” she now eats a huge variety of vegetables and legumes, in addition to drastically reducing her dairy intake. 

Ashley still eats lots of sweet things and some processed foods, but the overall quality of her food and food choices has increased significantly. I’m also always impressed to hear about the food choices she makes even when I am not around. She recently returned home from a trip visiting some relatives to tell me that she missed my cooking. There is no way she would have said that five years ago!

My point in sharing all of this is that these changes have happened slowly over time without either of us forcing it. As I have cleaned up my diet and prepared better food for the both of us, this has changed the way we both think about food choices and meals, even though it was never her intention to change her eating habits. If you are in a “mixed eating” relationship, I believe that one of the most important things you can do is respect the other person’s way of eating and not force them to change. 

My tips for cooking plant-based meals for meat eaters:

Focus on incorporating hearty, plant based proteins like lentils, beans, tofu or tempeh. Some of my favorites include tempeh tacos (pictured above), lentil loaf, tempeh of the sea, teriyaki tempeh, lentil and greens casserole, spicy tofu with spelt berries, and field roast tacos (see recipe below). Hearty, meatless breakfast options may include banana and seed granola bars, sprouted buckwheat granola, breakfast quinoa, cinnamon oatmeal porridge, or a green smoothie.

When cooking plant-based/vegetarian/vegan meals for someone who doesn’t usually eat that way, as silly as this may sound, I think it’s really important to make good food! Meat-eaters sometimes think that plant-based dishes are bland, boring, and unsatisfying. However, I think it’s important to realize that any dish – plant-based or animal-based - can be bland, boring, and unsatisfying if made incorrectly or not seasoned well.

I always make it a point to make our food delicious and flavorful, as well as use garnishes. People eat first with their eyes so focus on serving meals using attractive plates, plating the food nicely, and adding a variety of colors to dishes. If you are the one doing the cooking, pretend like you are making food at an upscale, hip, vegetarian/vegan restaurant. This may seem like a small detail, but I promise it makes a big difference!

If you are a vegetarian/vegan eater cooking for meat-loving folks, it’s also helpful to cook foods that are already known for being vegetarian/vegan so they don’t feel like the “meat is missing.” I found that Thai and Indian dishes like Simple Lentil Dal, Chana Masala, Coconut Lentil Curry, or Tom Kha Soup, tend to go over well. 

The last tip that I will say here is to relax and have a sense of humor about it all. No, it’s not fun when Ashley tells me that my green smoothie tastes like “liquid barnyard” or the time when she ditched my bok choy stir-fry for a PBJ, but just like all things in a relationship, eating together is about having good communication, mutual respect, and a little compromise.  

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic please leave me a comment telling me about what meals are like in your household. If you are vegetarian/vegan, I’d love to hear what your best tips are for cooking for the meat-eaters in your family. And if you are a meat-eater, what tips do you have for enjoying vegetarian/vegan/plant-based cuisine? 

And now onto the tacos...

This recipe is a great way to satisfy folks of different eating preferences at the same meal. I also think this recipe is helpful for anyone trying to transition away from faux meats or who doesn't like beans. When I was first becoming vegetarian, I honestly didn't like the taste or texture of beans so creating dishes mixed with another veggie protein source (like Field Roast or tempeh) was especially helpful for me. If you are gluten-free or prefer not to use the Field Roast, this recipe is fabulous with just the beans. Be sure to serve the tacos with a variety of toppings like grilled onions, tomatoes, or avocado slices.

Pinto Bean and Field Roast Tacos

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups cooked pinto beans
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 Mexican-Chipotle Field Roast Links, sliced
Freshly-ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
12 corn tortillas, warmed
Toppings of choice

Add olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for five minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic cloves and saute for an additional minute, until fragrant. Add the pinto beans, stock, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and Field Roast. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. 

Spoon bean mixture into tortillas and serve with toppings of choice.