9 Traditionally Vegan Dishes From All Over The World

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Whether you’ve gone fully vegan or you have meatless days in a week, it’s normal to feel like you may not have enough options for what to cook next. The truth is, choosing vegan meals doesn’t have to feel limited. Think of all the vegans from all over the world and how they enjoy their vegetables! 

Vegan meals certainly don’t have to taste bland. In fact, the colourful and flavourful play of different kinds of fresh vegetables should always make for a tasty and healthy meal.

Of course, while you can copy vegan recipes from Cook Gem and others, it’s good to have some go-to vegan meals that you like to cook at home.

This article gives you a list of inspiring traditional vegan meal options from around the world. These are very filling while also not being short on taste.

1. Charred Broccoli Steaks

Charred Broccoli Steaks

Steaks don’t have to be made of meat. You can opt for vegetables such as broccoli, and cook it as you would a steak. Then, add a lentil salad and harissa yoghurt for added flavour.

The broccoli is charred and served over black lentils, antipasti vegetables and yoghurt. This recipe is a great pair for a creamy, cheesy vegan moussaka, which will definitely be a crowd-pleaser for your family and guests.

2. Tian Tart

Tian Tart

Tian tart is your classic French tart with a lot of summer vegetables nestled in a golden puff pastry. You can add more flavour to your tart by finishing it off with vegan crème fraiche and vegan parmesan cheese.

Typically, you want to put in vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, onions, courgettes, garlic and lemon thyme leaves.

3. Baked Stuffed Courgette

Baked Stuffed Courgette

Courgette is always a no-fail and a well-loved choice when coming up with vegan or pasta meals. Also known as squash blossoms, these are a great option for an easy, quick, light and healthy vegan meal.

You can add some flavour to your courgette by adding vegan cheese or nutritional yeast. The stuffing can also be up to you. The options for baked vegetables are limitless, and you only have to take a pick with the vegetables you prefer.

4. Spinach and Sweetcorn Pie

Spinach and Sweetcorn Pie

If you’re running short on time and you’re hosting a dinner with vegan guests, you can’t go wrong with a classic pie. This spinach and sweetcorn pie can be prepped in just 15 minutes, and it makes for a very filling meal.

You don’t have to limit yourself to just spinach and sweetcorn. If you have other options of vegetables, you can add them to your pie as well. Then, top it off with golden filo pastry, bake it in the oven, and it’s ready to go.

5. Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are a favourite in Peru. Being that Peru is the home of potatoes and quinoa, it’s not wrong to rely on the Peruvians to know quite a lot of healthy meal options. Given the wide variety of potatoes available in this South American country, many of their meals have potatoes as a base ingredient.

For non-vegan options, locals in Peru like to experiment with potatoes and cheese. But here, the focus is solely on vegetables, and scalloped potatoes is a dish that can easily be made vegan by using plant-based milk and vegan cheese.

6. Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup

Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup

Butternut squash and pumpkin soup is popular in Australia. Before creating the soup puree, butternut squash is roasted with honey, garlic, and cumin. This becomes your soup base. Then, upon serving, the soup is topped with pumpkin seeds for that added boost in nutrients and crunch.

Pumpkin is quite popular in Melbourne, and so is butternut squash. While it’s mostly for the colder seasons, you don’t have to wait for autumn or winter to prep yourself with this hearty soup.

7. Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut

Moving on to Germany and Eastern Europe, if you want to try your hand out at fermenting, Sauerkraut is a great vegan option to prepare and keep in glass bottles. This method can be used for any vegetable you desire like carrots, cabbage, or fennel.

Just be sure, however, that when you give fermentation a try, you have to be careful with the process. This requires careful observation, which means the vegetables should be covered with enough liquid, so they don’t dry out.

8. Red Lentil Soup

Red Lentil Soup

Red lentil soup is a vegan dish from Turkey. If you have a slow cooker at home, then this is one you may want to consider making. Usually, lentil soup is prepared as comfort food for the cold winter season, so if you’ve got some chilly, rainy days where you’re from, red lentil soup is a good one for you to make.

There’s nothing fancy about this soup except for its aroma and flavour that truly makes for a delicious meal. You can even experiment with the vegetables you put in as you won’t have to be limited only to red lentils. Mushrooms, broccoli, potatoes, and whatever vegetables you have, you can place in your slow cooker as additives.

9. Thai Eggplant Curry

If you’re unsure what a Thai eggplant is, you’re not alone. You may be surprised to learn that a Thai eggplant looks nothing like a traditional eggplant (or aubergine as we know them in the UK).

Thai eggplants are small, green and very absorbent. They’re perfect to use in Thai curries as they soak up the flavours of the sauce like a sponge, becoming soft and tasty.

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s a whole lot of possibilities you can go for with vegan options. These are only a few as there are thousands of other dishes you can choose from. Your options are endless, and you can take your pick with vegetables available on your local market and base the dishes you’ll prepare from there. 

It’s time to be creative in the kitchen, so you can start enjoying whipping up meals for yourself and your entire family. The more you explore, the more you’ll realise that vegan meals can be just as tasty and good as the usual, non-vegan ones you used to have.

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