What the heck does a vegetarian eat?!
For easy meals and recipes to make at home, visit the Meatless Monday section.
For eating out, here’s a general list of vegetarian options.
Work in progress… the list is continuously growing!
Mexican
Chalupas, Nachos, Cheese enchiladas, Spinach enchiladas, Cheese quesadillas, Spinach quesadillas, Veggie quesadillas, Chile rellenos, Bean & cheese tacos, Bean & cheese burritos, Veggie burritos, Taco salads with whole beans (black or pinto) instead of meat, Bean & cheese tamales
Italian
Spaghetti with marinara, Fettuccini alfredo, Cheese ravioli, Spinach ravioli, Cheese lasagna, Veggie lasagna, Manicotti, Eggplant parmesan, Gnocci
Asian
I’m lumping Thai, Chinese, Japanese in this category. I’m not going to list individual dishes for this genre because Asian food is notoriously vegetarian friendly (their culture is much more veg-centered than ours). Asian restaurants often have an entire vegetarian section on their menu including both veggie and tofu dishes. Most stir-frys and pad-thais can be made without meat or with tofu instead of meat. Plus, many Chinese take-out places now have TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) dishes like General Tso’s TVP, etc.
American/Bar Food
Of course, the American genre is the most difficult for finding veggie options (hence the meat-obsessed problem we have in this country). At burger joints, some have veggie burgers, or grilled cheeses. “All-American” places (like Chili’s, Cheesecake Factory, etc) often have pastas, pizzas, and large salads. At bars, I usually have to go for appetizers and side dishes like nachos, cheese sticks, mac & cheese, jalapeno poppers, or salads. At steakhouses, I simply ask if the cook can prepare a vegetarian plate and they have always been happy to do so!
Mediterranean
Hummus, baba ganoush, tsatziki, dolmas, veggie kabobs, veggie pitas, pide (like pizza), falafel, spanakopita (spinach pie), pastas, salads
Indian
Like Asian food, Indian food is notoriously vegetarian friendly, probably even more so than Asian food. Definitely no problem finding options here – as a matter of fact, there are probably more vegetarian dishes in an Indian restaurant than meat dishes.
Fast Food
While I abhor fast food, viewing it as a major reason we got into this disgusting, industrialized food mess in the first place, I realize it is hard to avoid, so here’s a list of some vegetarian options at popular fast food chains, or as I like to call them, “The Evil Empire.”
*A Note on French Fries
It is hard to determine whether or not fast food fries are vegetarian. Some clearly are not (Mc Donald’s uses beef to flavor their fries), some clearly are (Wendy’s & BK claim their fries are completely vegetarian), but there are others that are indecipherable because they include ingredients like “natural flavoring,” which could mean beef, or they are fried in the same vat of oil as the meat (like at KFC). So, I won’t explicitly list french fries here on my list of vegetarian items & you’ll have to use your own judgment about whether you want to eat them or not.
Burger King
Believe it or not, BK has a veggie burger!
Five Guys
Grilled cheese sandwich
Fuddruckers
Fuddruckers has a veggie burger. (I actually REALLY LOVE their veggie burger!)
KFC
All the sides: side salad, biscuits, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, cole slaw, corn on the cob, baked beans, green beans, seasoned rice. The potato wedges are fried in the same oil as the chicken.
Sonic
Grilled cheese sandwich
Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s beans are vegetarian (no added lard)! Bean burrito, Bean burrito fresco, Seven layer burrito, Cheesy bean & rice burrito, Cheese roll-up, Crispy potato soft taco, Triple layer nachos, cheesy fiesta potatoes, pintos ‘n cheese, Mexican rice.
Or, there are a number of things you can order without meat: Taco salad without meat, Nachos (supreme, bellgrande, or volcano) without meat, Mexican pizza without meat, Quesadilla without meat (making it a cheese quesadilla)
Taco Cabana
Unfortunately Taco C’s refried beans contain lard/bacon fat, so they are not vegetarian. Black bean taco, black bean burrito, bean & cheese nachos with black beans instead of refried, cheese quesadilla, cheese enchiladas (sub black beans for refried on meal platters), chalupa with black beans instead of refried, potato & egg breakfast taco
Wendy’s
Baked potato with sour cream & chives, side salad (not the caesar, which has bacon), frosty
Whataburger
Supposedly Whataburger has a Boca burger (veggie burger), but I haven’t been to a Whataburger since I left Texas, so I can’t verify.
