Chef Tips for Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Meals

“I can’t afford to eat a plant-based diet.” That’s a statement I hear quite frequently. And I’m here to set you straight! While it may seem like a plant-based diet is costly, it doesn’t really have to be. It’s true that you can find plenty of high-cost, specialty plant-based foods in natural food stores, but it doesn’t mean you have to snack on $5 tiny packs of berries, and rely upon $20 tubs of protein powders. In fact, many healthy, satisfying, plant-based foods don’t come at a great cost. That’s why we reached out to Chef Paul DelleRose CHE, professor of culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, for some of his best tips for preparing delicious budget-friendly plant-based meals that are truly satisfying—and easy on your wallet.

Chef Tips for Planning Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Meals

Sharon: Why is learning to cook such an important part of healthy, plant-based eating? Aren’t there lots of foods available today that eliminate the need to cook?

Paul: When you learn to cook, you control your own destiny. Just because it is plant-forward, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy; there can be hidden fats, sugar and salt. Learning to cook fundamentally empowers you and gives you the confidence to experiment with different products and rely less on convenience” foods.

Sharon: People often fear that plant-based cooking is too difficult. What are some of the challenges people face when trying to cook delicious, healthy plant-based meals at home?

Paul: The biggest challenge I find with people cooking plant-forward foods is their own fear. Success is on the other side of fear. You need to own it. It will take you several times of cooking a recipe unsuccessfully before you are able to feel comfortable with it. That’s fine, no one will judge you. Focus on the technique and experiment with different flavor profiles. By understanding the cooking competency and technique, you can change the ingredients and have a repertoire limited only by your pantry or local markets shelves and creativity.

Sharon: Many people think that it will be very expensive to eat a plant-based diet. What are challenges for cooking healthy, plant-based meals while on a budget?

Paul: There is no better bargain than a bag of beans for a buck, that’s how I would, and do answer people who claim healthy, plant forward cooking is not affordable. Legumes are a very inexpensive and, quite honestly, an often times overlooked as a plant-forward protein source. They lend themselves very well to a whole host of various ethnic cuisines and can be cooked and used in various applications. Canned beans are a viable substitution too. Shop wisely, purchase food that’s on sale, look for produce that is “reduced for quick sale.” I do; it is often times fine, just will be beyond the best-by-date soon. Avoid the use of prepared foods, they tend to be costly. There are many resources available to us on line to help us be successful. Some farmer’s markets, YMCA’s, community centers and public libraries are offering free cooking classes in their teaching kitchens, take advantage of them.

Sharon: How can a plant-based diet be actually budget-friendly? Which foods are economical, staples?

Paul: Whole, intact grains, beans, legumes, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and pulses. Base your meals around these items, they are generally inexpensive and healthy while satiating. Purchase these items in bulk, shop the sales and stock your pantries. Purchase produce in season, it is always better quality wise and more affordable. Do not discount the value of frozen vegetables, they are picked at the height of their quality and quick frozen. Stock up when they are on sale and use a coupon. Go with the generic, non-named brands, and avoid shopping while hungry. Cook at home; hearty soups, stews and chilis are great ways to stretch your dollars and pack leftovers for the next day’s lunch.

Sharon: What are some frugal shopping tips people can practice in the store aisles each week?

Paul: Shop the sales, look at sales circulars from different markets and combine with coupons. Create a meal plan and stick to it. Buy in bulk, consider a warehouse club. Challenge yourself to use what you have at home. Avoid the name brands, stick to the generic.

Sharon: Which affordable plant-based foods should people keep as staples in their kitchen?

Paul: Whole, intact grains, lentils, legumes, whole grain pasta and brown rice. Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and winter squashes; the items have a long shelf life, are in-expensive and satiate. Items like tofu, tofu skins, seitan, textured vegetable protein are nice to have on hand to round out a well-stocked pantry. Chia, rolled and steel cut oats are essential as well. In-expensive and versatile vegetables like carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, and celery. I also like having cornmeal on hand for various applications. Things such as olives, capers and pepperoncini peppers all have a long shelf life and can add zest to any dish.

Sharon: Can you recommend inexpensive, plant-based seasonings, sauces, and other ingredients that are must have additions to cooking?

Paul: This is a crucial component to a well-stocked pantry. Having a variety of seasonings, sauces and condiments and fresh herbs will keep you from getting bored and force you to be creative with your meals. Vegetable broth, agave, wine, canned tomato/tomato sauce, cashew cream, vegan Worchester, soy sauce or liquid aminos, vinegars, hot sauces, fermented chili pastes and miso, tahini paste, coconut milk, and curry pastes. Spices and spice blends, everything bagel seasoning (my new favorite), zaatar, dukkah, nutritional yeast, curry, Cajun or blackening spices and rubs, cumin, coriander and chili powder, smoked paprika, seasoning salt, old bay and the list goes on and on. Let’s not forget the aromatics like ginger, garlic, scallions, fresh herbs and citrus.

Sharon: What are a few of your go-to nutritious and delicious plant-based meals that are easy on the wallet?

Paul: I tend to think globally, these types of cuisines typically are or can be easily adapted to a plant-based lifestyle and are usually budget-friendly. Vegetable stir-fries with tofu or tempeh is one of my favorites, as is a vegetarian ramen. Seitan tacos, tempeh Ruebens, celery root pastrami, buffalo tofu tacos, falafel shawarma, vegetarian chili, whole grain stuffed peppers and sweet potatoes, Thai green curry, vegetarian shepherds or pot pie, and hummus wraps, the list goes on and on.

Here are a few of my plant-based budget friendly tips and recipes:

5 Plant Powered Pantry Foods I Can’t Live Without
Top 9 Dietitian’s Tips for Enjoying Processed Tomatoes
Top 5 Ways to Use Oats
Top 5 Ways To Use Black Beans
Lunch Bowl Recipes

Here’s one of Chef Paul’s favorite plant-based recipes.

About Chef Paul DelleRose

Paul DelleRose, CHE, is a professor of culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. Paul teaches Non-Commercial Foodservice and High-Volume Production in the college’s degree programs. He was instrumental in designing the course, which operates on a teaching kitchen in the CIA‘s student dining venue known as The Egg. Through lectures and hands-on practice, Paul’s students learn the skills necessary for a successful non-commercial high-volume foodservice operation. Paul also helped develop the curriculum and taught the two cohorts of a joint pilot study with the CIA and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study involved a multi-dimensional approach to training consumers to eat better through healthy cooking techniques and lifestyle modifications. Paul is a 1994 CIA graduate, and returned to his alma mater as a faculty member in 2007. Before that, he was consulting executive chef for Cornerstone USA. His professional experience also includes serving as executive chef for the Doubletree Hotel and Hilton in Tarrytown, New York and executive chef and partner at Civile’s Venice on the Hudson.

Written by Veena Manohar, Dietetic Intern with Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN

Image: Moroccan Chickpea Sorghum Bowl, Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN

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