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Are you constantly looking for quick, simple and cheap vegan meals? I know what you’re thinking: “that sounds about as easy as finding Atlantis”. But it IS possible… You know how? With everyone’s best friend, Aldi. They’re always there for you AND they provide you with fresh and affordable groceries.
All of the recipes below are quick, easy, affordable and most importantly DELICIOUS! And you can get all of these ingredients at Aldi. Don’t forget your quarter. (You know – for the cart… You know you need a quarter for the cart, right?)
If you just want to start shopping, check out our list of vegan foods at Aldi.
If you want to get your shop on but don’t have time to go to the store, check out our partners at Instacart for grocery delivery!
Aldi Vegan Recipes
Vegan Spinach, Tomatoes, and Bean Pasta
This is a really healthy dish that can be whipped up in under 30 minutes (even less if you use canned tomatoes). With the addition of beans it also packs some really good protein to keep you full for a long time.
Serves about 6 people
Ingredients
12 oz box of pasta ( I like bowtie ’cause it’s cute)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 onion chopped
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or 2 cans diced tomatoes
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
8 oz fresh spinach
2 cans Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook pasta according to box and then drain
While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute briefly, then stir in the tomatoes and spices and continue to saute for another 5 minutes until onions are translucent.
Gradually stir the spinach into the tomatoes until it begins to wilt, then stir in the beans. Cook over medium heat for another two minutes, until beans are heated through.
Reduce heat under the skillet to low and add in the balsamic.
***Feel free to use any bean in this dish, though I think it tastes best with a white bean.
Get the full recipe here.
Vegan Black Bean Salsa Soup
This one is an amazing recipe when you legit only have 5 minutes to make dinner. (We’ve all been there) It only has 5 ingredients that you throw into a bowl, which simply amazing… And delicious too! If you’re feeling extra festive add some tortilla chips to the top of your soup.
Serves about 4 people
Ingredients
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chunky salsa
Earth Grown Dairy Free Sour Cream
Directions
Throw all the ingredients except sour cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it’s all heated thoroughly. Enjoy with a dollop of sour cream!
This is as EASY as it gets! If you want a creamier version you can put all the ingredients (except sour cream) in a high powered blender and blend until smooth before heating.
Mock Rugelach
This recipe is not a dinner meal but it is a great go-to option if you need something quick with some protein in the morning.
Aldi crescent rolls say they contain milk on the ingredient list but after reviewing each ingredient I can’t find which item would contain dairy. So if you want to be extra safe I’d go with the Pillsbury brand as it doesn’t have any form of dairy.
Get the recipe here.
Nut goodness roll up
Ingredients
1/2 cup pre-chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc)
1/2 cup raisins
¼ cup almond butter
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non stick spray
Combine the raisins, nuts, sugar, and cinnamon.
Separate the crescent dough into eight triangles and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Top each evenly with the almond butter then add the nut & raisin filling.
Roll each triangle up gently into a crescent shape, from large end to point. Try to keep as much of the filling in as possible, but let’s be honest it tends to always spill out a bit, that’s fine!
Bake at 375 degrees for 13-14 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Vegan Chili
What do you think of when you picture a cold snowy day? A bowl of hot chilli right? Well, vegan chili is one of the most delicious and easy creations you can make and it won’t break the bank if you’re buying the ingredients from Aldi!
Serves 6-8 people
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 cup dried red lentils
1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add the cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the spices don’t burn. Stir in the maple syrup and lentils and cook for a minute more.
Add the tomatoes, broth, and beans, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Serve topped with avocado, scallions, and jalapeño, to taste.
Get the recipe here.
Veggie Enchilada Skillet
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1/4 of a medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
16 oz jar of chipotle lime salsa
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz can chopped mild green chiles
12 small corn tortillas, torn or cut into pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Chop your pepper, onion, and garlic, and drain the corn
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for one minute. Add the corn, onion, and bell pepper and season with cumin & chili powder. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about six minutes.
While the veggies are cooking, rinse and drain the beans and tear the tortillas into pieces.
After sauteing the veggies, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the garlic. Saute briefly, then stir in the salsa, nutritional yeast, black beans, chopped green chiles, and corn tortillas, making sure everything is well distributed and tortilla pieces are nicely coated in the salsa mixture.
Move skillet into the preheated oven and cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Serve with your favorite enchilada toppings. (I recommend Aldi vegan sour cream and avocado.
Get the recipe here.
Salsa Vegetable Soup with Beans
The thing I like about this recipe is that it not only packs a ton of flavor but can typically be made with things that are already in your pantry. Hallelujah! Perfect for those days when you need to hit the store but want to put it off for one more day.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
32 oz vegetable broth
16 oz jar of salsa (any kind except fruit salsa)
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed & drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can cut green beans, drained
Directions
Chop the onion and garlic.
While chopping, heat the olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat for about two minutes.
Add the onion to the pot and saute over medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the onion is sauteing, get everything else ready. Open, rinse, & drain the beans; open & drain the corn & green beans.
Stir the minced garlic in with the sauteed onion. Add all of the other ingredients to the pot, and stir to combine.
Increase the heat under the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot!
***I like to give mine a bit of extra kick by buying a medium to hot salsa or adding chipotle chili powder.
Get the recipe here.
Vegan Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Have you ever tried the meatless meatballs or italian meatless meatballs at Aldi?!
They’re Phenomenal!
I’ve compared them to almost every other brand including Gardein, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and they blow the pants off of the competition. I use the packaged meatless meatballs almost once a week in different meals but my favorite way to cook them is in good ol’ spaghetti and meatballs.
Ingredients
1 package of Aldi Meatless Meatballs (Original or Italian, both are amazing)
1 jar pasta sauce of choice
1 box pasta of choice
Directions
Heat meatballs in oven per directions
At the same time cook pasta and sauce per directions
Combine and ENJOY! SO easy and so yummy.
I serve this to my family every week as stated above and I haven’t told them the meatballs are vegan! No one has questioned them.
Vegan Meatballs and Potatoes
Another great way to use Aldi meatballs is by slathering them in BBQ sauce and serving them alongside some potato wedges.
Ingredients
1 package aldi meatless meatballs (original)
4 medium (2-1/4″ to 3″ dia, raw) russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into eighths
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste (on wedges)
Directions
For the meatballs:
Cook meatballs according to packaged directions
Approx. 5 minutes before meatballs are done cover liberally with favorite bbq sauce of choice
Take out and enjoy hot with wedges (recipe for wedges below)
For the potato wedges:
Preheat oven to 425F
Place olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and potatoes into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag, then shake to coat the potatoes with the seasoning. Spread the potatoes over a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes
Enjoy!
Vegan Burger and Fries
Have you tried Aldi’s chipotle black bean burger? It’s fantastic. The spiciness isn’t overpowering, just a little to give you a nice kick at the end. I love pairing my burger with a slice of sourdough as the bun. Add in some Aldi steak fries and broccoli steamer for a quick and easy dinner your whole family will eat.
Veggie Paninis
Makes 3
Ingredients
For the roasted veggies:
2 medium portobello mushroom caps, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise and crosswise into flatter pieces
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
½ cup vegan mozzarella shreds
For the sandwiches:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
6 ciabatta rolls
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Directions
First, roast your veggies: Spray two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. Toss sliced veggies with olive oil and spices, then spread them out in single layers on the prepared baking sheets and sprinkle with the vegan mozzarella. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, changing oven racks halfway through, then remove roasted veggies from the oven.
Now, assemble your paninis: Combine olive oil and Italian seasoning. Make sure rolls are open, then lightly brush the outside of each roll (top and bottom) with the seasoned olive oil. Stir balsamic vinegar into whatever is left of your seasoned olive oil, then drizzle a little on the inside bottom of each ciabatta roll. Top each generously with roasted veggies, and then top with the ciabatta roll.
Lastly, grill your paninis: Place assembled sandwiches in a grill pan or large skillet and press them down with a spatula or put a cast iron skillet on top of the sandwiches. Leave weight on top while you cook your paninis over medium heat for 3-4 minutes each side. Enjoy!
Swap out veggies if you like or according to what’s in season: Eggplant would be lovely, yellow squash is always nice, red onion would add a nice pop of extra flavor and color, or throw a little fresh spinach or arugula on top of your provolone while assembling the sandwiches.
Get the recipe here.
