eabc5454 mentioned an item in passing that works well in vegetarian recipes.
MorningStar Farms makes an excellent ground beef crumble that has absolutely no ground beef in it. LOL, yes, I know it sounds funny, but it is an entirely vegetarian substitute for ground beef.
They make several other products that work well in any vegetarian cuisine.
Found in the freezer section at your local grocery store.
My son and daughter-in-law are both vegetarians, and I have learned to use the ground beef crumbles when cooking for them.