Today i'm going to go over my top vegan staples and giving you some ideas of cheap vegan meals to make.
Rice is my first one because it's a great base for many dishes, comes in many varieties and most importantly, it's super cheap. Some different varieties of rice to try when you're bored of plain old white rice are:
Brown rice offers extra protein and fiber, you can use it place of white rice.
Black rice or forbidden rice is rich in antioxidants and makes your meal more exciting. I recommend this rice for Asian style rice bowls.
Basmati is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice that is soft and fluffy. I use basmati rice in Indian dishes, curries, etc.
Some of my favorite cheap rice dishes are:
Basic fried rice: rice, frozen or fresh veggies, soy sauce, sesame oil.
Rice and beans: Kidney, black, pinto or any other beans, rice, tomatoes, diced onion, seasonings.
Rice bowls are a delicious and filling. You just make some rice and add varius veggies and a sauce. My pinterest board has a whole section on different bowls. Here.
Cilantro Lime Rice: Rice, lime juice and cilantro.
Coconut lentils and rice (Arroz con Coco y Lentejas): green lentils, rice, coconut milk, onions, seasonings.
Beans is next, beans are very cheap just like rice. Rice and beans is a classic dish that has many different combinations.
There's the classic, red kidney beans or pinto beans and rice wit cumin and tomatoes.
Chickpea Salad is a variation of a Portuguese dish with chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes and other cheap ingredients.
Re fried beans can be used for burritos, vegan taquitos or tacos. Even just on top of a plate of chips with lettuce and salsa can be yummy.
Vegan chili is also easy to make.
And of course, there's curry's with lentils or chickpeas and curry powder and coconut milk or a store bought sauce.
A good way to save money is to buy dry beans and cook them yourself.
Now for my favorite, pasta! There are lots of different types of pasta and many different dishes you can create with them that's not just plain ole' red sauce. Though, If you do just want plain ole' red sauce, Ragu's Garden Combination and Chunky Tomato, Onion & Garlic are both vegan.
Most grocery store pastas are vegan and contain no egg so vegans have a lot of options, especially when they only cost about a dollar a box.
Spaghetti can be made with classic red sauce or if you want to switch it up, you can make some really fun dishes. Like, garlic pasta or my own recipe for Vegan ''Scallops'' with lemon-butter sauce.
Macaroni is usually used for pasta salad and of course, mac and cheese but one of my favorite dishes is Taco pasta which can easily be made vegan with vegan cheese.
And of course, there's other shapes and you can mix it up anyway you want.
Potatoes are a very good starch that you can also do many things with.
Baked potatoes are a classic butt did you know there's vegan sour cream and cheese AND McCormick Bac'n bits are vegan?
Potato soup is also classic and easy to make vegan with some plant milk.
Roasted potatoes with some olive oil make a great side or main dish.
If you want to indulge, Kraft has a recipe for Cheesy Potato Pie that's easily made vegan with Gardien or Beyond Meat beefless crumbles and vegan cheese shreds, and A1 Sauce is already vegan!
If you need more ideas or inspiration, please check out my Pinterest board Recipes To Try. I have categories for almost everything, pasta, rice, soups etc.
Check it out here