We know that cooking for your partner, friends or family can be tricky when there are both vegans and meat eaters to cater for.
If you can build up a bank of plant-based recipes that everyone loves, all the better. But what do we do when that is not an option?
No one wants to cook two entirely different meals after a long day so here we bring together some tasty, family-favourites where small and simple adaptations can suit everyone.
But First, The Secret
The secret to keeping things easy-breezy is to use plant-based ingredients as the default and add any non-vegan ingredients much later in the cooking process.
This means using vegetable oils and stock, and plant-based butter, mayo or milk wherever they are called for. If the base of your recipe is vegan, you can add whatever you like to a portion of it later.
1. Burritos
This is a popular meal that can be adapted to personal tastes and preferences very easily. Wraps are almost always vegan so just pick a brand that you know is, and then stuff it with rice, beans, avocado, onion and spices.
There are lots of burrito recipes online but this one by BBC Good Food is really good. Then, you can simply add the animal protein of choice, either bought pre-cooked or fried in a separate pan, to that burrito.
You can offer both dairy and dairy-free cheeses quite simply, then wrap them up and everyone is happy.
2. Buddha Bowl
The best thing about a Buddha Bowl is that everyone has their own favourite version.
Ours starts with a spicy peanut sauce at the base, then a layer of warm rice, tofu and veggies, all topped off with raw veg, grated celeriac in vegan mayo, guacamole, kale chips and toasted pine nuts. It is a FEAST.
But it is also very easy to add some animal protein to the rice layer and keep everything else plant-based.
3. Gravy Dinner
This is the name we give to the kind of meal where you take a shop-bought item like sausages or pies, make some potatoes in whatever form you choose, cook up whatever veggies are in the fridge or freezer and cover the whole lot in gravy.
It is our standby when we need something low effort, but still tasty and filling. To cater for multiple dietary requirements, just pop the vegan pie or sausages in the oven beside the non-vegan versions.
If you are mashing potatoes, use dairy-free butter and milk for everyone, and there are plenty of well-known and well-loved gravy granules that are accidentally vegan so just pick one of those.
4. Risotto
This is another dish where cooking the animal protein in a separate pan and adding it to a portion at the end will yield a tasty dish that suits both vegans and non-vegans.
To get the base, use vegetable stock then separate into portions and add the animal protein to the meat-eaters plate.
If you like a sprinkle of cheese on your risotto, it is easy to add dairy and non-dairy cheeses at the end. For something a little different, try making and adapting this barley risotto.
5. Pizza
Pizza is a fully customisable build-your-own-dinner, so everyone around the table can choose the toppings they like best.
Just ensure the bread base and tomato sauce are vegan, and then let the people choose!
Once again, top with grated dairy or non-dairy cheese, or no cheese at all if that is your preference.
6. Thai Green Curry
This much-loved curry can easily be adapted to suit all dietary requirements. Start with a recipe like this tofu Thai green curry and cook the choice of animal protein separately.
At step 5, remove what is needed for the meat-eaters (leaving the tofu in the pan for the vegans), and pop it in the pan with the animal protein. Simple!
7. Stir Fry
We follow the same basic idea here. Take whatever recipe you like or make it up as you go along (as surely we all do with stir fries!).
Start off by making the meal fully plant-based and then separate out the portion(s) for the meat eaters and add their chosen animal protein. Check out this quick and easy stir fry recipe for inspiration.
8. Pasta
There are so many pasta dishes and all can be made vegan, though it is less easy to adapt some dishes for both vegans and non-vegans (we’re thinking of you, lasagne!).
But there are many recipes where it is perfectly simple. This one-pot Mediterranean-style recipe is such a great option. It just requires a sprinkle of dairy or non-dairy cheese at the end to top it off.
9. Jacket Potatoes
Spuds in their jackets are always a great standby and again, easily adaptable for all tastes. Like yours with baked beans? Do it! It’s naturally vegan.
If you like it au naturel, maybe with a little butter and some black pepper, that’s great – just use plant butter.
If you want to add tuna mayo, there are vegan and non-vegan recipes you can make very easily in separate bowls. Just top the potatoes to the eater’s preference and you’re done. Better still, get them to do it themselves, the lazy tikes.
Looking for more tips on cooking plant-based? Check out our guide to vegan cooking hacks.
