If your parents are Boomers who refuse to try plant-based meals, show them these 7 familiar dishes they already love

Getting older generations to try plant-based meals can feel like an uphill battle. I've watched my own parents dismiss tofu and tempeh without even tasting them, insisting they need meat at every meal.

But here's what I've learned: you don't start with unfamiliar ingredients or announce that something is vegan. You start with the comfort foods they've been eating for decades and show them how little needs to change.

The dishes on this list aren't trying to be revolutionary. They're the same meals Boomers grew up with, just made without animal products.

1. Spaghetti with marinara and "meatballs"

Spaghetti and meatballs is probably one of the least threatening entry points into plant-based eating because the marinara sauce was already vegan to begin with.

The only shift here is swapping traditional meatballs for ones made from lentils, mushrooms, and oats.

I make mine by blending cooked brown lentils with sautéed mushrooms, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, and a flax egg to bind everything together.

The lentils give you that hearty, dense texture while the mushrooms add an umami depth that really mimics ground meat. I shape them into balls, bake them until they're firm and slightly crispy on the outside, then simmer them in marinara sauce.

My dad was the toughest sell in my family. When I served him this version, I didn't say anything about what was in them. He ate three helpings and asked for the recipe before I told him they were plant-based.

His response? "Well, they taste like meatballs, so who cares?"

2. Chili with beans and vegetables

Chili is already a dish where beans are the star, so making it plant-based requires almost no adjustment.

Most people don't realize that the chili they've been eating at potlucks and cookouts for years probably didn't even need the meat. The depth of flavor comes from the spices, the tomatoes, and the slow simmering.

I use a mix of kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans along with diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, peppers, corn, and plenty of chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. The smoked paprika is really important because it adds that smoky, almost meaty quality that makes the chili taste rich and substantial.

My mom makes chili for every family gathering, and she was convinced hers needed ground beef to be "real" chili. I brought a plant-based version to Thanksgiving two years ago, and she went back for seconds before asking what made it taste so good.

When I told her it was just beans and vegetables, she admitted she couldn't tell the difference.

3. Pot roast with vegetables

This one might sound ambitious, but hear me out. Pot roast is all about slow-cooked vegetables in a rich, savory gravy.

What really makes pot roast memorable is the carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery cooked until they're melt-in-your-mouth tender in that thick gravy.

I use young green jackfruit as my base. I drain it, press out the excess liquid, then sear it in a Dutch oven until it gets browned and caramelized. Then I add the vegetables, vegetable broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, and herbs like thyme and rosemary.

Everything simmers low and slow for a couple hours until the jackfruit shreds apart like pot roast.

The gravy is what seals the deal. I thicken it at the end with a cornstarch slurry so it coats everything in that glossy, rich sauce.

When you serve this in a shallow bowl with the vegetables arranged around the "roast" and plenty of gravy spooned over everything, it looks exactly like the pot roast they remember from Sunday dinners.

4. Mashed potatoes and gravy

Mashed potatoes are naturally vegan if you use plant milk and vegan butter instead of dairy, and most people genuinely cannot tell the difference.

I use Yukon gold potatoes because they're naturally creamy, boil them until they're fork-tender, then mash them with unsweetened plant milk, vegan butter, salt, and white pepper.

The gravy is where you can really impress them. I make a mushroom gravy by sautéing sliced mushrooms with onions and garlic until they're deeply browned, then whisking in flour to make a roux. I slowly add vegetable broth while stirring constantly until it thickens, then season it with soy sauce, thyme, and black pepper.

I've served this at Thanksgiving for the past three years, and no one has ever asked if it's vegan. They just eat it like they would any other mashed potatoes and gravy.

The familiarity is comforting, and that's exactly the point.

5. Lasagna with ricotta and meat sauce

Lasagna might seem challenging to make plant-based, but it's actually one of the easiest dishes to adapt because the flavors are so bold that small substitutions go completely unnoticed.

The marinara sauce and noodles are already vegan, so you're really just replacing the ricotta and the meat.

For the ricotta layer, I use firm tofu blended with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, dried basil, and a pinch of salt. When you blend it until it's creamy with just a little bit of texture remaining, it looks and tastes remarkably similar to ricotta.

For the meat sauce, I use either crumbled tempeh or store-bought plant-based ground that I brown with onions and garlic before adding marinara sauce.

My mom made lasagna for every birthday dinner when I was growing up, so it's a dish loaded with nostalgia for me.

When I made this version for her birthday last year, she had two slices and didn't realize anything was different until I mentioned it later. She was shocked because she'd always said she could tell when something was "fake."

6. Shepherd's pie with lentil filling

Shepherd's pie is comfort food at its finest: a savory filling topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. I use brown or green lentils because they hold their shape better than red lentils.

I cook the lentils until they're tender but not mushy, then sauté them with diced onions, carrots, celery, peas, and corn. I add tomato paste for depth, vegetable broth to keep everything moist, and season with thyme, rosemary, and a splash of vegan Worcestershire sauce.

The mixture goes into a baking dish, gets topped with mashed potatoes, and bakes until the top is golden and slightly crispy.

I brought this to a church potluck where the average age was probably 65, and it was completely gone within twenty minutes. Several people asked for the recipe, and when I mentioned it was plant-based, a few of them looked genuinely surprised.

7. Pancakes and scrambled "eggs"

Breakfast is often the hardest meal for Boomers to imagine without eggs and dairy, but pancakes and scrambled eggs are both surprisingly easy to make plant-based.

Pancakes just need plant milk instead of dairy milk, and you can replace the egg with a flax egg. The texture comes out fluffy and light, exactly like traditional pancakes.

For scrambled "eggs," I use firm tofu that I crumble and cook in a pan with a little oil, turmeric for color, nutritional yeast for that eggy flavor, and black salt which has a sulfurous quality that makes it taste remarkably like eggs. I add onions, peppers, and maybe some spinach, then cook it just like scrambled eggs.

My parents visited me last year, and I made this breakfast without mentioning what was in it. They both cleaned their plates and complimented the meal.

When my dad asked what kind of eggs I used, I told him they were tofu. He paused, looked at his empty plate, and said "Well, I'll be damned."

Conclusion

The key to getting Boomers to try plant-based meals is meeting them where they are.

Don't start with unfamiliar ingredients or dishes that require explanation. Start with the foods they already love and trust, then show them that those same flavors and textures are completely achievable without animal products.

Once they realize their favorite comfort foods can taste exactly the same, the mental barrier starts to break down.

You're not asking them to give up anything or adopt a completely new way of eating. You're just showing them that the meals they've been enjoying for decades can be made a little differently without sacrificing any of the satisfaction they're looking for.