Week 1: The Weekday Vegetarian Challenge

Or...Just Start Somewhere

Thank you for subscribing to Dinner: A Love Story. If you’re new, here is what you can expect: Every Tuesday you’ll receive my Three Things dispatch, which is a trio of reading and eating recs I’m excited about — recipes, books, travel, kitchen discoveries, and “surprise-and-delights.” Paying subscribers get a bonus newsletter on most Fridays, which is what follows: The Weekday Vegetarian Challenge Kick-Off. Welcome!

Greetings readers and eaters and welcome to your 2025 Weekday Vegetarian Challenge!

Whether you are a new subscriber or a veteran Dinner: A Love Story reader, I’m glad you’re here. Every Friday this month, you’ll receive a packet of five hand-picked-by-me nourishing vegetarian dinners that you can cook the following week. Maybe you’ll only make four of them…or maybe you’ll only make one. Either way, congratulations! You’ve won the first battle: Deciding to start. This is all I ever hoped to accomplish with my Weekday Vegetarians book series: Meeting people where they are and dispensing zero judgment.

Here’s What to Expect

You’ll find a range of recipes in each week’s dispatch — I’ll never give you three straight nights of pastas or beans. There will be a healthy mix of everything: egg-based and tofu-based dishes, sandwiches, tacos, robust dinner salads and soups, and “large format” recipes like casseroles, enchiladas, and lasagnas.

I wish I could say that every single one of these recipes will be an under-30-minute, no-fuss, one-pot, crowd-pleasing undertaking. Many will be like that — so easy you’ll wonder why you even need an official recipe for it — but the truth is, some will require a little advance planning and maybe even breaking out a blender on a weeknight. I’ll always be upfront about this, just check the “degree of annoyance” rating on each recipe as you plan.

Shopping List FYI

Like previous meal plans, I’ve included your shopping list, but unlike previous meal plans, I’ve organized the shopping list by recipe (instead of by produce, pantry, etc) so if you decide to make, say, three of the five, it will be easy to figure out which ingredients you need and which ones you don’t.

Some of the recipes will call for a salad on the side or a hunk of crusty bread. You’ll find suggestions for those side dishes in a separate attached PDF called Simple Sides. Your weekly shopping list will not include ingredients for those side dishes. You’ll have to decide what you want and add to your shopping list accordingly.

Lastly

Don’t get too hung-up on the Monday-to-Friday “weekday” thing — just aim for more vegetarian dinners than not over the course of seven days, whether they happen on Tuesday or Sunday or whenever. And if you want a little crash course on vegetarian family dinners, here are a few tips.

OK, ready?

Let’s see that line-up…