6 Healthy Vegetarian Recipes to Help Manage Diabetes

Managing diabetes can become a tedious task, especially when it comes to what you can eat. It can be even harder if you’re a vegetarian diabetic. The good news is that it’s not impossible to eat well while also embracing a healthy diet. You simply need to keep a few things in mind when consider vegetarian recipes:

• Fiber helps control blood sugar levels.
• Processed foods may have hidden sugars. They may also have animal by-products.
• Beans are a great ingredient to use because they are an excellent source of fiber and protein. They’re also inexpensive.

The Organic Ingredient Advantage

Choose organic ingredients for your daily needs whenever possible. There are several advantages to choosing these superior fruits and veggies for your recipes:

• Free of pesticides and chemicals: You will nourish your body with a healthful meal, minus the unhealthy additives.
• Reduced waste: Organic foods often arrive free of plastics and packaging, meaning a healthier environment.
• Supporting local farms: Shop your local farmers’ markets or farmstands. You will ensure that you serve up only the freshest ingredients and help your community.

Six Healthy Vegetarian Recipes to Help You Manage Your Blood Sugar

Using these three tips makes it a little easier to create diabetic vegetarian dishes. In fact, here are six vegetarian recipes that will help to reduce blood sugar making them great for managing diabetes.

1. Cheesy Stuffed Red or Green Peppers

This is a simple slow cooker vegetarian recipe. You can use red or green peppers, whichever is your favorite! It has beans which will help reduce blood sugar.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 2.5 – 3 hours

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 whole red or green peppers
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups of shredded pepper jack cheese your favorite brand
• 1/2 cup of yellow corn
• 3/4 cup of organic salsa
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon of salt

Directions:

1. Cut tops from peppers and discard the seeds.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the other ingredients together well.
3. Evenly spoon the mixture into each pepper.
4. Cook in the slow cooker for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until peppers are tender and the mixture is thoroughly heated. Serve hot.

2. Greek Vegetarian Sandwich

There should always be a great sandwich in a list of vegetarian recipes. These Greek sandwiches are very flavorful and easy to make. Traditionally home cooks serve this sandwich on Italian bread, but rye bread helps keep blood sugar down to a healthier level.

Prep/Cook Time: 25 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 finely chopped medium onions
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1-pound fresh baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• One-fourth teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 8 slices of rye bread

Directions:

1. In a skillet, sauté onions in olive oil until they’re tender. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
2. Add spinach, feta cheese, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Sauté until spinach is soft. Remove from heat.
3. Spread a half tablespoon of butter on one side of each slice of bread. Spread 1/4 of the spinach mixture over one slice of bread. Cover with another slice of bread.
4. Grill each sandwich on both sides until the bread is toasty and crisp. Serve hot.

3. Salsa Feta Bean Burgers

This is one of the best vegetarian recipes for people who love cheeseburgers. It is full of fiber, so it’s going to help lower blood sugar and keep you full longer. The prep time is a bit long, but the finished food is worth it.

Prep Time: 32 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
• One cup of salsa
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons of minced cilantro
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mash beans.
2. Mix in breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, half the salsa, and cilantro.
3. Shape mixture into 4 patties then refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Using a skillet and the olive oil, cook patties for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly heated throughout.
5. Place each patty on a bun and top each with 1/4 of the remaining salsa. Serve hot.

4. Spicy Mushroom and Brown Rice Medley

This is one of the best vegetarian recipes for managing blood sugar spikes. Both mushrooms and brown rice have a low glycemic index, so they won’t spike blood sugar. Plus, the fiber content is high, so you’ll feel full and stay full.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1-pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 2 thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 cup of precooked or ready-to-serve brown rice
• One tablespoon of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
• One-half tablespoon of crushed red pepper
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms using 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 3 minutes or until they’re light brown. Add onion and sauté one more minute.
2. Stir in the rest of the olive oil, rice, and carrots and sauté till the carrots are soft.
3. Add green onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are completely tender. Serve hot.

5. Slow Cook Pesto Bean Soup

This may be the easiest vegetarian recipes for soup you’ve ever come across because the slow cooker does all the work. Plus, with so many different beans in the recipe, this soup will do wonders with controlling blood sugar levels.

Prep Time: 10

Cooking Time: 3.5 – 4 hours

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• One large chopped yellow onion
• 1 1/2 cup of precooked black beans
• 1.5 cup of precooked cannellini beans
• 1 1/2 cup of precooked red beans
• 2 cups of sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 3/4 cup of prepared pesto
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• One tablespoon of salt

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, add the vegetable broth, onions, all three beans, half of the pesto, and the mushrooms. Cook for three and a half to four hours or until the beans are soft.
2. Once the beans are soft, add the remaining pesto. Serve in a bowl, sprinkled with cheese on top.

6. Veggie-Sausage and Cheese Frittata

If you’re looking for vegetarian recipes that are good for breakfast, this Veggie-Sausage and Cheese Frittata has you covered. While it doesn’t have a lot of fiber, it does have a lot of protein and no sugar which fights against blood sugar spikes. That makes it great for diabetics.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 12 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup of diced baby portobello mushrooms
• 4 vegetable protein sausage patties, crumbled
• 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese (sharp or mild)
• 1/4 cup of half-and-half
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons of canola oil
• 1/2 tablespoon of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Using half of the canola oil, sauté the green bell peppers and the mushrooms for three minutes.
2. Add vegetable sausage, salt, and pepper. Sauté for one minute. Reduce heat down to medium and let it simmer for one minute.
3. While sausage mixture is simmering, mix eggs and the half and half in a bowl. Pour mixture into the skillet with the sausage mixture. Cover and let it cook for five to six minutes, or until the egg mixture is firm.
4. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle cheese on top. Let the cheese melt.
5. Remove from heat and cut into eight servings. Serve hot.

Final Thoughts on Diabetic Vegetarian Recipes

It can be hard to combine two different diets, especially when they are so different from each other. It’s also hard because a lot of today’s foods have so much of the bad stuff in them that you almost don’t have anything to choose from. That’s why cooking from scratch is more important than ever.

There are great recipes out there that can satisfy both needs. The six recipes above are a prime example. They’re perfect for a diabetic vegetarian because they use such high-quality ingredients and they all have plenty of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

The best part is that they all taste great. So, the next time you think you must do something “boring” to stick with your diabetic vegetarian diet, look at these six vegetarian recipes, and think again!