Though it’s a timeless vegetarian combination, soup-and-salad lunches and dinners do not have to be basic, boring meals featuring predictable dishes. Food Network Magazine puts a twist on traditional favorites using vibrant, in-season ingredients, fragrant herbs and spices and bold textures to ensure its soup and salad recipes are anything but ordinary.

Filled with good-for-you vegetables, each hearty bowl of Food Network Magazine’s Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup is bursting with the warm flavor of curry powder, subtle notes of ginger and plenty of fresh sweet potatoes, carrots, celery and leeks. Before serving, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top of the soup to lighten it and add a bit of refreshing citrus.

While the soup finishes cooking in the slow cooker, prepare Food Network Magazine’s Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad. This lettuce-free salad boasts filling rice and quinoa, crunchy peanuts, smooth chopped mango and a single jalapeno for a touch of heat. Serving up to eight people, one batch of this mixed salad will yield multiple lunches that can easily be packed for the office.

Meatless Monday, an international movement, encourages people everywhere to cut meat one day a week for personal and planetary health. Browse more meat-free recipes.

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Vegetarian Soup Recipes

Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Vegetarian Comfort Food