These 3 plant-based meals taste like love, holidays, and hand-me-down recipes

Some meals don’t just feed you, they gather you. They smell like your aunt’s perfume, sound like cousins laughing in the next room, and taste like someone remembered exactly how you like your carrots cooked.

I grew up around women who could measure with their hands and season with their ears, and those instincts stayed with me, even after years spent analyzing spreadsheets instead of simmering sauces.

As Michael Pollan put it, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." That line echoes in my kitchen most days, but especially when I want dinner to feel like a hug from the inside out. Today I’m sharing three plant-based recipes that carry that feeling, dishes I make when I want the table to whisper: you’re home.

They’re simple, make-ahead friendly, and forgiving. No high-wire techniques. Just solid, cozy food with enough ritual to feel special and enough flavor to make people linger.

1. Cozy lentil and mushroom shepherd’s pie

If “love” had a casserole form, this would be it. I make this on Sundays when the weather is bossy and everyone’s mood needs smoothing. It’s earthy, savory, and deeply satisfying without being heavy.

Why it works: Brown lentils and mushrooms tag-team umami. Tomato paste, miso, and tamari add bass notes. The mashed potato topping is creamy, olive-oil lush, and faintly garlicky.

Serves: 6
Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes (30 minutes active)

Ingredients

Topping

• 2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2–2/3 cup warm unsweetened plant milk (oat or almond)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Filling

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 12 ounces cremini or mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon white or yellow miso
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth, plus more as needed
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (slurry)

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes: Cover potatoes with cold water in a pot, salt generously, and bring to a boil. Simmer until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well.
2. Mash: Return potatoes to the pot over low heat for 30 seconds to steam off extra moisture. Stir in olive oil, warm plant milk, garlic, salt, and pepper until creamy. Taste and adjust.
3. Build the filling: Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt until glossy and soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until their liquid evaporates and they brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Season: Stir in garlic, tomato paste, miso, tamari, thyme, and smoked paprika. Cook 1 minute.
5. Simmer: Add lentils and broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes. Add splashes of broth if it dries out. Stir in peas.
6. Thicken: Pour in the cornstarch slurry. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes until glossy.
7. Bake: Spread filling into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Dollop potatoes on top, raking with a fork to make ridges. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbling and lightly browned.
8. Rest: Let sit 10 minutes. This is when the whole kitchen smells like someone remembered your favorite sweater.

Shortcuts & swaps

• Use pre-cooked vacuum-packed lentils to save time (about 3 cups).
• Sub parsnips for some of the potatoes for a sweeter topping.
• No miso? Add 1 more teaspoon tamari and a splash of balsamic.

Make it ahead: Assemble, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 days. Bake 25 to 30 minutes from cold.

2. Citrus-roasted carrots with chickpeas, za’atar, and herb tahini

When I want dinner to feel like a holiday without the stress, I roast a mountain of carrots until their edges char and their centers turn candy-sweet, then let them fall over a bed of lemony chickpeas. A drizzle of green tahini wakes everything up. It’s bright, generous, and great at room temperature, perfect for a table with many hands.

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience,” wrote James Beard. This platter proves it, familiar ingredients and bold but friendly flavors.

Serves: 4 as a main with bread or rice (6 as a side)
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Carrots & chickpeas

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise (quarter if thick)
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon (reserve the rest)
• 2 teaspoons za’atar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Black pepper

Herb tahini

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1 small bunch parsley (stems fine), roughly chopped
• 1 small handful cilantro or dill, roughly chopped
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

To serve

• 1/3 cup toasted pistachios (or almonds), chopped
• Extra za’atar and lemon wedges
• Warm flatbread or brown rice

Directions

1. Roast: Heat oven to 450°F (230°C). Toss carrots and chickpeas with olive oil, orange and lemon zest, half the combined citrus juice, za’atar, cumin, coriander, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Spread on two parchment-lined sheets for breathing room.
2. Cook: Roast 18 to 22 minutes, flipping once, until carrots are browned and tender and chickpeas are toasty.
3. Blend the tahini: In a blender or with an immersion blender, blitz tahini, herbs, garlic, lemon juice, water, and salt until pourable and bright green. Thin to preference.
4. Finish: Pile carrots and chickpeas on a platter. Splash with remaining citrus juice. Spoon green tahini generously over top. Sprinkle pistachios and a pinch more za’atar.
5. Serve: Pass lemon wedges and warm bread. The table goes quiet for a moment, then everyone starts asking for the sauce recipe.

Make it festive

• Add roasted slices of red onion or wedges of fennel to the trays.
• Keep it gluten-free by serving over herbed quinoa.
• For extra richness, dot with labneh-style coconut yogurt.

Leftovers: This reheats beautifully and becomes a grain-bowl hero the next day. Thin remaining tahini with water and lemon, toss with cooked farro or rice, and fold in handfuls of arugula.

3. Slow-roasted tomato Sunday red sauce with walnut “meatballs”

This one tastes like hand-me-down recipes, the kind scribbled on an index card, stained with olive oil, and adapted by every aunt along the way. The trick is low heat and time, slow roasting tomatoes to concentrate their sweetness, plus walnut “meatballs” that bring a tender, bouncy bite.

As Maya Angelou reminded us, “people will never forget how you made them feel.” Bowls of pasta covered in this sauce make people feel looked after.

Serves: 6 to 8
Time: About 2 hours (mostly hands-off)

Ingredients

Slow-roasted tomatoes

• 2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (Roma or cherry mix), halved
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, if tomatoes are pale)
• 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste
• Pinch red pepper flakes

Stovetop base

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Splash red wine (optional)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes or passata
• Handful fresh basil, torn
• 1 to 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, to finish
• Salt and pepper to taste

Walnut “meatballs”

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted
• 1 cup cooked brown rice (or quinoa)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed plus 5 tablespoons water (flax “egg”)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste

To serve

• 1 pound pasta of choice (spaghetti, rigatoni, or shells)
• Extra basil and good olive oil for finishing

Directions

1. Roast the tomatoes: Heat oven to 300°F (150°C). Toss tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, sugar if using, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes on a sheet pan. Roast 75 to 90 minutes, stirring once, until edges wrinkle and juices thicken.
2. Start the base: Warm olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook onion with a pinch of salt until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and oregano, then cook 1 minute. Add a splash of red wine to deglaze if using.
3. Combine: Scrape roasted tomatoes and all their juices into the pot. Add crushed tomatoes or passata. Simmer on low 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in basil. Taste and nudge with balsamic, salt, and pepper until it tastes like a secret you want to keep.
4. Make the “meatballs”: Raise oven to 375°F (190°C). Mix flax and water and let thicken 5 minutes. In a food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground, not paste. Add rice, panko, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, tamari, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pulse to combine. Stir in flax gel.
5. Shape and bake: Scoop tablespoon portions and gently roll into balls, about 24. Place on a lined sheet and bake 18 to 22 minutes, turning once, until brown at edges and set inside.
6. Pasta and finish: Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Warm walnut “meatballs” in a shallow pan with a few ladles of sauce so they soak but do not fall apart. Toss pasta with remaining sauce. Top with “meatballs,” basil, and a sheen of olive oil.

Notes & family-style upgrades

• If tomatoes are out of season, use canned whole San Marzano and roast them briefly with garlic and olive oil to build depth.
• For extra richness, add a tablespoon of white miso to the sauce at the end.
• Make both components a day ahead. The flavor deepens while you sleep.

How to make these meals “taste like love” every time

I’m big on repeatable magic. Here’s what I pay attention to across all three recipes:

• Salt at the right times. Season vegetables before roasting and again at the end. Salt doesn’t just make food salty, it wakes it up.
• Acid is non-negotiable. Citrus juice, balsamic, or tomatoes brighten slow-cooked flavors. Taste before and after and notice how it sharpens the edges.
• Texture layers. Creamy mashed potatoes with saucy lentils, crisped carrots with silky tahini, plush pasta with tender walnut bites. Aim for contrast.
• Heat management. Roasting loves high heat, sauces love low heat.
• Finish like you mean it. Fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon, and a final swirl of olive oil are the confetti.

A cook’s pep talk (and a little science)

You don’t need a perfect kitchen to cook perfectly good food. What you need are cues and a little confidence. Here are mine:

• Use your senses like instruments. Listen for the sizzle softening when mushrooms give up their liquid. Smell when the garlic goes from raw to sweet. Watch for the glaze to cling to a spoon.
• Batch your effort. Roast two trays at once, double sauces, and bank leftovers for weeknights.
• Invite help. Kids can mash potatoes, friends can tear herbs, and everyone can taste-test. The person who stirs becomes the person who remembers.

I keep this perspective close because it turns dinner from a chore into a ritual. And rituals, done simply and often, are how ordinary days start feeling like holidays.

Shopping list recap

• Produce: potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, lemons, oranges, parsley, cilantro or dill, basil, tomatoes or canned, red onion or fennel (optional)
• Pantry: olive oil, plant milk, lentils, vegetable broth, tomato paste, miso, tamari or soy sauce, smoked paprika, thyme, cumin, coriander, za’atar, maple syrup, tahini, pistachios or almonds, crushed tomatoes or passata, red wine (optional), balsamic, walnuts, brown rice or quinoa, panko (gluten-free if needed), nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, flaxseed
• Starches: pasta, flatbread or rice

If you make any of these, I hope your kitchen smells like a good memory arriving right on time. And if someone asks for the recipe, consider that proof that dinner worked.