This vegan version of the Rochester-inspired garbage plate is 2 vegan cheeseburgers, served on top of home fries, and vegan macaroni salad; and topped with vegan meat sauce and mustard. Today’s recipe is the Ultimate Vegan Garbage Plate. This recipe is Rochester-inspired as it originates from Rochester, New York and can be found at many local restaurants. Originally, this dish was served with hot dogs, but in recent years, cheeseburgers have replaced hot dogs as the most popular topping for Garbage Plates. Typically, Garbage plates aren’t vegan, so I made a Vegan Garbage plate for those looking for one!
Feel free to share & print my recipe below to make your own Ultimate Vegan Garbage Plate recipe! Or you can watch me on YouTube show you how to make it!
Related Recipe: Vegan Macaroni Salad Recipe for BBQs
This garbage plate recipe is something that was invented to use up the leftovers you have sitting in the fridge. And although we recommend sharing this dish with friends, you can also eat it if you’re very VERY hungry. This recipe makes 2 Garbage Plates, but one plate can feed 2 people.
How To Make A Vegan Garbage Plate
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If you want to view or print the recipe card, just scroll down for the full list of ingredients & simple instructions on how to make this Ultimate Vegan Garbage Plate.
This dish is not the healthiest of vegan foods… but WOW is it a cheat meal masterpiece and full of guilty pleasures. Garbage Plates are traditionally made up of 4 layers.
Layer one consists of two base items, typically home fries and day-old macaroni salad, or sometimes people choose baked beans, mac & cheese, or french fries.
Layer two is typically 2 thin cheeseburger patties, or 2 hot dogs, or eggs. Layer three is a meat sauce, like one that would be used on a chili dog.
The final layer is chopped raw white onions, and yellow mustard and ketchup drizzled across the dish in opposite directions. Finally, the Garbage Plate is garnished with a soft roll or a few slices of white bread to “sop up” all of the excess liquid.
Now, here’s my Rochester-inspired version of a Vegan Garbage Plate!
INGREDIENTS FOR THE ULTIMATE VEGAN GARBAGE PLATE RECIPE
Layer 1
- 1 bag Store-bought frozen home fries
- 1 recipe of day-old Macaroni Salad (here’s the recipe for my favourite macaroni salad)
Layer 2
- 1 Vegan Burger Patty, cut into 2 thin patties
- 2 slices of vegan cheese
Layer 3 – Meat Sauce Recipe
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cooking onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 lbs veggie ground
- 1 3/4 cups no-beef vegetable broth
- 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Layer 4
- 1/2 raw white onion, diced
- Yellow mustard
- Ketchup
Garnish
- 2 slices white bread
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ULTIMATE VEGAN GARBAGE PLATE RECIPE
Start this recipe by making your meat sauce (layer 3). Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onions and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and translucent. Add veggie ground, and cook, stirring constantly until heated through. Add your broth, tomatoes, chili powder, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, cook 30 mins-1 hour, until liquid is slightly reduced and the mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Next, make your own garbage plate mac salad! Here’s a recipe of my fave vegan macaroni salad!
Cook home fries (layer 1) and your favourite vegan burger patty (layer 2) according to package directions, melting a slice of vegan cheese over each of the burger patties at the end of their cook time.
To assemble, start by laying out the home fries and macaroni salad on either half of the plate, covering the surface of the plate. Place the burger patties side by side on top of the base. Top with a generous pour-over of the ‘meat’ sauce. Sprinkle diced white onions, and drizzle mustard and ketchup in opposite directions over the entire plate. Add white bread to the side of the plate, to soak up any excess liquid as you eat.
And voila! The ultimate vegan garbage plate!
If you want more vegan recipes, click here for my newest recipes.
Related Recipe: Vegan Animal-Style Fries from IN-N-Out
Recipe for The Ultimate Vegan Garbage Plate
- 1 bagStore-bought frozen home fries
- 1 recipe of day old Macaroni Salad (here's the recipe for my favourite macaroni salad)
- 1 Vegan Burger Patty, cut into 2 thin patties
- 2 slices of vegan cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cooking onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ lbs veggie ground
- 1¾ cups no-beef vegetable broth
- 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ raw white onion, diced
- Yellow mustard
- Ketchup
- 2 slices white bread
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
- Add onions and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and translucent.
- Add veggie ground, and cook, stirring constantly until heated through.
- Add broth, tomatoes, chili powder, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and let simmer, cook 30 mins-1 hour, until liquid is slightly reduced and the mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally.
- Set aside.
- Layout the home fries and macaroni salad on either half of the plate, covering the surface of the plate.
- Place the burger patties side by side on top of the base.
- Top with a generous pour-over of the 'meat' sauce.
- Sprinkle diced white onions, and drizzle mustard and ketchup in opposite directions over the entire plate.
- Add white bread to the side of the plate, to soak up any excess liquid as you eat.
Hi, I’m Candice & welcome to The Edgy Veg! Where I try to veganize popular food for vegans, plant-based diets, eco-conscious eaters & people who are trying to eat more plants over… y’know animals or by-products of animals.
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Ok, I was ready to hate this, but it was amazing!!! My kids had so much fun eating it.
I’d never even heard of this dish until you and… I kinda love it!!!!! My fav vegan cheese right now is earth island
I live across the border from Rochester and use to love these garbage plates when I would make day trips. After going vegan I wanted to try this recipe out & loved it! There’s many types of garbage plates depending where you go so based on the order of food you can always customize it the way you want too which is what I did. Highly recommend making this if you miss the nostalgic taste!
Omg best cheat meal ever! This is what 2am food cravings turn into. Love it
Candice, I am just finding you now and looking at your recipes. Started moving more in the Vegan direction due to health. I have great friends that have farms nearby and raise their animals with love and care so meat eating isn’t really an ethical dilemma for me (I know this is controversial). Anyway, eating less meat and dairy has made me feel better and helped my stomach and skin issues. I wanted to say here in Rochester, we have many takes on the Garbage Plate traditional or upscale. Bob is a local radio personality that most people around here can’t stand, so take his review with a grain of salt. Yes, there is the original which in my opinion is just ok. Dogtown here in Roc has one of my preferred versions and they do vegan and veggie ones.
A fun and interesting take on the garbage plate. I grew up a dairy and meat eater but went vegan in 2017. I’ve had my fair share of vegan mac salad and although this is different than what I’ve had before, it’s delicious. And I love it! Great recipe.
Great Vegan take on a unique recipe! ♡