2 Light and Easy Vegetable-Forward Weeknight Meals

Consider these light and nourishing vegetarian weeknight meals the perfect segue into next week’s Thanksgiving feast.

By
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo's recipes, writing, and food styling can be found on King Arthur Baking, Food Network, Delish, Food52, and more. She collaborated on the cookbook Delish Vegan Dinners and trained at Gramercy Tavern and Untitled at the Whitney Museum.
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Updated May 30, 2025
Myo Quinn
Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup
Elise Bauer

Our family has been eating far less meat and we’re liking it. It’s not because we’re particular about eating seasonally, we feel strongly about sustainability, or want to boost our well-being (although bonus points for all of that). There are so many scrumptious vegetable recipes out there, it’s easy to eat meat only occasionally. 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this week I’m motivated to make lighter meals that are simple, satisfying, and nourishing. It’s a fitting segue to next week’s feast. 

I gathered two weeknight vegetarian meals that are substantial enough to hold their own from an Indian-style tofu dish to a slurp-worthy noodle soup, plus an easy orange bread for dessert. 

  • Pressure Cooker Saag Tofu (Indian Spinach and Tofu)

    Pressure Cooker Saag Tofu
    Coco Morante

    Our very own instant pot expert, Coco Morante, created this garam masala-spiced spinach and tofu dish that only requires 10 minutes of prep. I’ve used curry powder in a cinch instead of garam masala and it’s still delicious. The saag will be bright yellow because curry powder has turmeric and garam masala doesn’t.

  • Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

    Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup
    Elise Bauer

    If it feels like one too many steps to roast the vegetables before adding them to the soup, try it once. Caramelized (it means the sugars in the vegetables were intensified, just like, well, caramel) vegetables plus the browned bits stuck to the sheet pan all translate to big flavor. If meat is a must for you, some cooked sausage would work well with this dish.

  • Weekend Baker: Orange Bread

    Orange Bread
    Elise Bauer

    Loaf cakes are my favorite category of dessert because they are unfussy. Often made in one bowl using pantry ingredients, it can be whipped up without advanced planning. Use lemons, tangerines, limes, or grapefruit instead (or in addition to!) oranges. 

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