5 Easy Vegetarian Cooking Meals

Knowing 5 easy vegetarian cooking meals can help you stick to your diet. When you come home from work in the evening, you're usually tired and hungry. The last thing you want to do is spend an hour on your feet cooking a healthy meal. If you can have something ready fast, you're much more likely to eat healthier foods. Use these five easy vegetarian cooking meals to get you started.

1. Lentil Soup: This is an easy vegetarian cooking meal that you can cook on the weekend and then freeze in serving size portions. Pop one in the microwave when you get home from work, and serve it with a salad.

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp basil
• 16 oz bag of lentils
• Vegetable broth (you can find veggie bouillon cubes at your grocer)
• 1 can diced tomatoes

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat, simmer covered for one hour. Add water if necessary to keep it from drying out.
4. Add the can of tomatoes, cook five minutes more.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Baby Spinach Salad: One of the quickest easy vegetarian cooking meals to make is a giant salad. 

• 1 bag of baby spinach
• 1 can of mandarin orange slices
• 1 red onion sliced very thin
• 1/2 cup of pecans, in pieces
• Raspberry or strawberry vinaigrette dressing

1. Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Top with pecan pieces and dressing.

3. Vegetable fajitas: Meatless Mexican dishes make an easy vegetarian cooking meal.

• Sliced red onion
• sliced red and green bell pepper
• sliced yellow squash
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• fajita seasonings
• 1 can vegetarian refried beans
• Salsa
• Tortillas

1. Stir fry all the vegetables in the oil until done.
2. Mix in the fajita seasoning.
3. Serve wrapped in a warm tortilla with salsa and refried beans.

4. Veggie stir-fry: Stir fries are easy to make vegetarian style.

• 8 oz spaghetti noodles
• 1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
• 2 tbsp peanut or sesame oil
• soy sauce

1. Boil the spaghetti in a large pot.
2. Stir-fry the vegetables in the oil.
3. Add the cooked spaghetti and soy sauce to taste, stir fry together for one minute more.

5. Portobello Burgers: A great substitute when you're in the mood for a burger.

• 2 large portobello mushroom caps
• simple vinaigrette
• hamburger buns and fixings

1. Brush the mushroom caps with the vinaigrette and let them sit while you heat up the grill or oven.
2. Cook the mushrooms on the grill for best flavor, about four minutes each side. You can also cook in a 400 degree oven for about eight to ten minutes.
3. Serve in place of a hamburger patty with all your favorite hamburger fixings.