The Best Vegetarian Food of 2020 – My Top 5 Picks!

Hey earth muffins! I recently wrote a whole post about my thoughts on being vegetarian for over a year. I am still going strong with this diet and was thinking about what posts I would write to close out 2020… It’s been a crazy year for sure! Staying at my apartment all the time forced me to cook at home more. While I wasn’t eating out often, I occasionally would pre-pandemic. So, I feel like quarantine has helped me find some very tasty vegetarian goodies to whip up in my own kitchen. For today’s post, I will be sharing the top 5 best vegetarian food items… Let’s jump right into it!

1. Quick Black Bean Nachos

If I could eat any type of food for the rest of my life, I would probably pick Mexican. I am such a fan of tacos, nachos, and everything in between! This is a great go-to meal (or snack) if you just want something quick. I’ll typically make it when I have some leftover beans in the fridge. Grab your nacho essentials:

-Tortilla chips
-Beans
-Diced onions (optional: I always have a mason jar of diced onions in the freezer, so I’ll grab a few of those!)
-Shredded cheese (I mentioned this in my post about the plastics I still buy… My boyfriend and I always have a massive bag of cheese in our fridge!)
-Your favorite dip! Guac or salsa is always a great option.

I’ve made these in the microwave and the oven; they turn out great either way! If you aren’t a fan of beans or don’t have any in the cupboard, I’ve also made “taco crumbles” with tofu and lots of taco seasoning. Another great vegetarian food!

2. An Easy Greek Yogurt Snack

Let’s just say I LOVE sugar. 😬 I know it’s not good for me or my teeth, but I just love any dessert. If I’m craving sugar in the evening, I try to eat healthy sugars instead of reaching for cookies or candy. This snack was an absolute favorite of mine in 2020. All you need is:

-Scoop of plain greek yogurt
-Dollop of peanut butter
-A type of berry (fresh or frozen)

My personal favorite is raspberry, which I bought in bulk over the summer. Because there were so many, I laid them on a baking sheet, popped them in the freezer, and then put them in mason jars once they were frozen solid. Freezing them on a tray is a great way to get them to not stick together in the jar! 😊 I pop a few frozen raspberries into a bowl, then let them thaw for a couple of minutes before mixing in the yogurt and peanut butter. Ta-da, a quick and delicious evening snack!

3. “Nice” Cream

Sticking with the sugar theme, I thought I would mention another dessert I treat myself to sometimes – “nice” cream! This is basically just using frozen fruit to make a sorbet/ice cream… Which is a great alternative to Ben & Jerrys! 😂 If I see a few single bananas at the grocery store, I will buy them, chop them into chunks, and pop into the freezer. It is a great way to prevent that food from going to waste, but you can also use browning bananas that are already at home too. For my favorite classic “nice” cream, you need to blend up these ingredients:

-Frozen banana chunks
-Two or three frozen strawberries
-Splash of milk or greek yogurt

I personally like my nice creams to have a thicker consistency, but you can add more milk/water to water it down. There are so many great flavors you can make from any type of fruits, so I recommend experimenting with this best vegetarian food!

4. Easy, Stovetop Mac n’ Cheese

Back in 2019 I shared a recipe for some tasty stovetop mac n’ cheese… But I’ve mastered an even easier version in 2020. Mac n’ cheese has always been one of my favorite foods… So it’s a good thing it is vegetarian! 😅 All you need:

-Cooked noodles of your favorite type
-A splash of milk
-A handful of your favorite cheese(s)
-Salt and pepper

While the noodles are still hot, throw everything into the pot and stir constantly until the cheese is all melted. I personally love just cheddar in there, but I bet it would taste even better with a mix of multiple cheeses! You can also throw in vegetables or caramelized onions to make this comfort food even better.

5. Air Fryer Salmon

To close out my list of best vegetarian food items, I had to include this delicious salmon that I’ve cooked quite a few times in 2020. My boyfriend brought along an air fryer when we moved in together last summer… And it is quite helpful in the kitchen! I would highly suggest getting yourself an air fryer, like this one on Amazon (affiliate link). For the salmon, I first cut the fish into portions. Then I lay it in the air fry pan and put some soy sauce, honey, and salt/pepper on top. Then I cook it at 375 degrees for 8 or so minutes. Super fast but SO tasty! 😍

Looking back at 2020, were there any foods that you were absolutely loving this year? I’m hoping that we will eventually get to eat out again, but as of right now I’ll just keep finding new recipes to try out!

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