Colourful & Tasty, Vegetarian Lunch Recipes For Healthy Indulgence

A good lunch can change your whole mood and productivity for the day. No matter if you are a vegetarian or following a dietary restriction, with the right ingredients and recipes, you can always make your meal both healthy and lip-smacking.

Amid the clicking sounds of a keyboard, when the clock strikes 2 PM, the growling stomach finally gets fed. Everywhere in India, lunchtime is much more than a meal. It is often a much-awaited time of the day to take a break, savour fragrant home-cooked meals and recharge for the other half of the day. While eggs always top the quick-to-prepare lunch recipes, vegetarians are always on the lookout for healthy dishes. 

However, if you pick up the traditional Indian dishes, they are filled with colourful vegetables, making every meal super nutritious. So, if you have been packing yourself a sandwich or salad on most days of the week, this is your sign to stop and add some taste to your tiffin boxes. As for the people who think healthy meals have to be bland or boring, try these Indian lunch recipes and you’ll thank yourself.

Rajma Chawal

There’s nothing better than rajma chawal to start the list of vegetarian lunch options. For most Indians, rajma chawal is a feeling that never fails to remind them of home. And for any day you feel a little gloomy, you can have rajma chawal with a serving of raita and witness your mood levels going up. To make this protein-rich and drool-worthy dish, you need to start by soaking kidney beans overnight. The next morning, take the soaked kidney beans and cook them until they are softer. Until then, you can prepare the tomato-based gravy with chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste and spices like garam masala, red chilli powder, dhania powder, turmeric, etc. Then, add the tender kidney beans to the gravy and cook until the flavour is absorbed. Just pair them with jeera rice or chapati, and your lunch will be the highlight of the day.

Baingan Ka Bharta

Baingan, or eggplant, is one of the most easily accessible vegetables in the summer season. And if you are someone who appreciates the smoky notes of baingan ka bharta, you can quickly whip it up in under thirty minutes. All you need to do is start by roasting an eggplant on an open gas flame. Once the eggplant is tender, you can peel off its skin and mash it with a fork. Simultaneously, you can prepare a basic masala with onions, ginger, garlic, and green chillies, and a blend of spices. Just when the chopped onion slices are pinkish, add in the mashed baingan and cook till well-mixed. Finally, transfer your aromatic baingan ka bharta to a plate or lunchbox, garnish with coriander leaves, and pair it with a fluffy chapati.

Pulao

Pulao is a vegetarian’s go-to comfort food that can be made within half an hour. While you can add all sorts of vegetables to the one-pot dish, the best part about pulao is that you can also add leftover sabzis and make it even better. Just start by rinsing and soaking rice for about fifteen minutes. In the meantime, you can saute jeera, chopped onion, and spices like turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, and pepper. Finally, add in leftover sabzis or freshly chopped veggies like potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrots, and so on. Add rice to the veggies, cook for about ten minutes, and your pulao will be ready to serve.

Palak Paneer

As advertised by the famous cartoon character Popeye, spinach is healthy, and your kids might already know it. While you can add spinach to your meals with a salad or smoothie, nothing beats a classic serving of palak paneer. Whether you want to cook a healthy lunch for yourself or your kids, you can make a palak-based gravy with spinach leaves, onion, ginger, garlic, and your favourite spices. Once the gravy is smooth, you can add in paneer cubes and let the sabzi simmer in a kadai. In about ten minutes, you can serve palak paneer with roti or rice and enjoy a nutritious lunch.

Mushroom Masala

Mushroom masala is another aromatic and finger-licking dish that is cooked in a tomato-based gravy, which ticks all the checkboxes of a tasty and healthy lunch. To make this famous mushroom delicacy, wash and chop button mushrooms. Next, make a tomato-based gravy with chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, and the usual spices. Then, add the mushrooms and cook till they absorb all the flavour and check if they are tender. Add fresh cream for an enhanced taste and pair it with rice, roti, or naan and have a hearty lunch.

Chole Bhature

There’s nothing a plate of chole bhature can’t fix. Whether you want to surprise your loved one with a hearty lunch on a weekday or want to prepare a heavy lunch for a weekend, chole bhature is just the way to go. You can make a savoury and spicy chole with boiled chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and a mix of spices like chana masala, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, hing, salt, etc, as per your preference. You can enjoy the rich sabzi with deep-fried bhature and a side of cucumber raita.

Kathal Curry

As for a South Indian lunch option, you can make kathal (jackfruit) curry. You can make the sumptuous curry by heating some oil and sautéing mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a few red chillies. Once aromatic, add chopped kathal, garlic, ginger, and the traditional spices. Next, add coconut milk and let the curry simmer till you get a smooth, creamy consistency. You can then garnish with curry leaves and pair the kathal curry with rice.

Bharwa Karela

Bharwa karela, also known as stuffed bitter gourd, is another healthy dish that you can whip up for a healthy lunch. To whip up bharwa karela at home, you can slit the bitter gourds lengthwise and remove its seeds. To make the masala, you can mash some boiled potatoes and cook them with chopped tomatoes, onions, besan, water, and spices like haldi, red chilli powder, dhania powder, amchur, and salt. Once the masala is ready, stuff the karelas, and shallow fry till the stuffing is also cooked. In about ten minutes, you can serve the healthy sabzi with roti, raita, and achaar.