Balanced weekly ovo-lacto vegetarian menu

Who is this menu for, and who is it not for?

It is designed for a healthy adult who eats eggs and dairy and wants to plan an ordinary week. Well-planned vegetarian eating patterns can be nutritionally adequate for adults, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ 2025 position [2]. Here, “well planned” means three things: protein at every main meal, variety throughout the week, and a reliable source of B12. The underlying guidance is in the guide to vegetarian and vegan diets.

This menu has not been calculated for pregnancy or breastfeeding, anyone under 18, or people with diabetes treated with insulin or medicines that can cause blood sugar to drop too low. It is also not for people with chronic kidney disease or those who have or have had an eating disorder. If you have a condition with its own dietary requirements, such as coeliac disease, a diagnosed allergy, or heart or liver failure, follow your prescribed plan. If you have been diagnosed with anaemia, have new symptoms, or eat a very limited range of foods, consult your doctor or dietitian-nutritionist to adapt the menu.

Weekly ovo-lacto vegetarian menu

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Oats with plain yoghurt, walnuts and kiwi	Lentils with rice, red pepper and orange	Courgette omelette, wholemeal bread and tomato
Tuesday	Toast with fresh cheese, tomato and mandarin	Warm chickpea, couscous, spinach and strawberry salad	Stir-fried tofu with broccoli, rice and pear
Wednesday	Plain yoghurt with oats, banana and seeds	Pasta with tomato, peas and boiled egg	Courgette soup, hummus toast and citrus salad
Thursday	Wholemeal bread with a French omelette and fruit	White beans with potato, Swiss chard and tomato	Fresh cheese with roasted sweet potato, salad and walnuts
Friday	Milk or yoghurt with bread, olive oil and fruit	Rice with tofu, mushrooms, peas and pepper	Spinach and mushroom scramble with bread and kiwi
Saturday	Toast with cottage cheese, fruit and almonds	Chickpea burger in a bun, cabbage salad and mandarin	Homemade vegetable and mozzarella pizza with salad
Sunday	Plain yoghurt with oats, strawberries and hazelnuts	Chickpeas with spinach, tomato and wholemeal bread	Baked potato with egg, fresh cheese and pepper salad

Each dish is one serving for an adult, and the quantities for the whole week are in the shopping list. Legumes are included every day, above the minimum of four servings a week recommended by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) [3].

Shopping list for the week

The quantities are for one person and all seven days of the menu . If there are more people at home, multiply them and cross off anything you already have. If you choose soy drink, bear in mind that soy is an allergen. The guide to plant-based drinks explains what to look for on the label.

Legumes

• 80 g dried lentils, or one 400 g jar cooked
• 240 g dried chickpeas, or two 400 g jars
• 80 g dried white beans, or one 400 g jar
• 300 g frozen peas
• 1 200 g tub of hummus

Eggs and dairy

• 8 eggs
• 5 plain yoghurts, 125 g each
• 1 l milk, or calcium-fortified soy drink with no added sugars and at least 3% protein.
• 2 tubs of fresh cheese, 250 g each
• 1 250 g tub of cottage cheese
• 1 125 g ball of mozzarella

Tofu

• 2 blocks of firm tofu, about 200 g each

Grains and tubers

• 250 g rolled oats
• 1 kg wholemeal bread, including a loaf and sliced bread; freeze any leftovers.
• 250 g rice
• 100 g pasta
• 100 g couscous
• 1 pizza base
• 1 kg potatoes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes

Vegetables

• 1 kg tomatoes
• 3 red peppers
• 3 courgettes
• 1 broccoli
• 400 g spinach
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard
• 400 g mushrooms
• One quarter of a cabbage
• 2 bags of lettuce or mixed leaves

Fruit

• 4 kiwis
• 1.5 kg oranges and mandarins
• 500 g strawberries
• 2 bananas
• 2 pears
• Seasonal fruit for three servings

Nuts and pantry items

• 100 g walnuts
• 50 g almonds
• 50 g hazelnuts
• 50 g seeds
• Extra virgin olive oil and spices

How to put the week together with a cooked base

Cook once and portion it out. Start with a batch of lentils or chickpeas, rice or boiled potatoes, and washed or roasted vegetables. With that base, serve lentils with rice on Monday, beans with potatoes on Thursday, and chickpeas with spinach on Sunday. It is enough to prepare two or three components that go well together.

If you eat out, look for the same structure: a dish with legumes, egg, dairy or tofu, a vegetable side, and a grain or tuber. Change the recipe while keeping the same plate structure.

Do legumes and grains need to be combined in the same dish?

No. A varied diet that meets your daily energy needs provides all the essential amino acids, even if legumes and grains are eaten at different meals [2]. Combining lentils with rice or chickpeas with bread is common in our cooking, and it is fine if you like it that way.

The key to structuring the week is including legumes, egg, dairy or tofu at every main meal.

How can you improve iron absorption from legumes?

Lentils, chickpeas, beans and tofu provide non-haem iron, the type found in plant foods, which is absorbed less well than iron from meat. When they are the main part of a dish, add tomato, pepper, citrus fruit, kiwi or strawberries. The vitamin C in these foods improves absorption of this iron, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) [1] [2].

Coffee does the opposite and reduces that absorption [2], so it is best not to have it with these dishes. You do not need to monitor it at every meal, either. It is enough to plan for this pairing most of the time.

Do you need to watch your B12 if you eat eggs and dairy?

Yes, although there is more flexibility than with a vegan diet. Milk, dairy products and eggs can provide the recommended amount of vitamin B12, but more may be needed to prevent deficiency, especially with age [2]. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics considers supplements the simplest and most reliable way for any vegetarian to ensure an adequate intake [2].

Algae, yeast and fermented foods are not reliable sources of B12. Your doctor or dietitian-nutritionist can assess whether you need a supplement and whether a blood test is advisable. If you need a supplement, they will prescribe it.

What if I need to adapt any of the dishes?

Change the vegetables according to the season and what agrees with you. If a legume causes discomfort, try a different preparation or a smaller amount before cutting out the whole food group. The guide to legumes has tips to help you digest them better. If the discomfort persists, discuss it with your doctor or a dietitian-nutritionist before restricting your diet further.

Common mistakes we see in consultations

When someone gives up meat, one of the questions we hear most often in consultations is: what do I put on my plate now? These three mistakes come up a lot.

Relying on cheese in every dish. It makes a meal easy, but leaves little variety across the week. Alternate egg, legumes and tofu, as in the table.

Leaving legumes out because you are unsure what to pair them with. They fit into familiar dishes with rice, bread, potatoes or pasta.

Filling the gaps with pastries, soft drinks or snacks when nothing has been planned. This often happens on a day when the base ingredients have not been cooked.