Veggie Taco Bowls Are The No-Cook Dinner That Should Be In Your Weekly Rotation. Here's Why

The mid-week slump can get the best of us all, and it's understandable if, come Wednesday or even Tuesday, you've lost any and all motivation for cooking. That's why it's important to have a few, no-cook dinners like veggie taco bowls in your weekly rotation of recipes. Made from a combination of fresh and canned produce in your pantry, and shelf-stable, plant-based proteins, along with whatever cheeses, creams, and/or sauces you might have stowed away in your fridge, veggie taco bowls are an easy and endlessly adaptable week night dinner that will help make the end of your day go just a bit smoother.

With the exception of whisking up a sauce and hitting some buttons on your microwave, veggie taco bowls are a nutritious and satisfying dinner that don't actually require any cooking. First, you have your base, which could be anything from bagged quinoa, frozen packs of Trader Joe's rice, or chopped crispy romaine lettuce — feel free to use any you have, or a combination of whatever sounds good. From there, you have your toppings, which could be a combination of freshly chopped tomato, onion, and avocado, as well as canned sweet corn, pickled jalapeños, roasted red peppers, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, or a bit of everything.

Once you've got your base and toppings picked out, all you have left is your protein and sauces. Fortunately, these segments are as customizable as the rest — it really just depends on what you have on hand and how creative, or not creative, you're feeling.

Being veggie taco bowls, this weekday recipe is inherently vegetarian — although it can also be easily made vegan by opting out on the cheese and any dairy-based sauces or replacing them with your favorite alternatives. While the vegetarian-ness of your veggie taco bowl also inherently leans into the lack of cooking required to make it, you could certainly use any leftover ground beef or pre-cooked chicken should you have any in your fridge. If you don't, however, plant-based proteins are going to be your friends, with simple, pantry-stable options like canned beans, chickpeas, and pre-cooked lentils being your best pals on any of those particularly busy week-day evenings. To make your work that much easier, reach for pre-seasoned protein options such as the steamed lentils from Trader Joe's — which we use in our vegan taco salad recipe — and the protein-packed canned vegetarian chili from Amy's.

With the protein, base, and toppings for your veggie taco bowls secured, the only thing that's left to do will be to assemble everything together. If cooking for a group, all of your ingredients can easily be left out along with bowls and utensils for people to build and put the meal together themselves. Just don't forget to leave out a few sauces at the end. Whether it's a jar of salsa, some sour cream, your favorite variety of hot sauce, or a Chipotle-inspired vinaigrette dressing whisked together with lime juice and Chipotle peppers in adobo, you'll need a sauce to tie it all together.