45 Easy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes - The Plant Based School (2024)

Welcome to our collection of 45 delicious and easy vegetarian dinner recipes packed with protein and bursting with flavor.

Whether you’re a seasoned vegetarian or exploring plant-based options, having various easy dinner ideas will keep your meals nutritious and exciting.

Incorporating delicious and protein–rich dishes is essential for maintaining a balanced diet while enjoying these meatless meals.

From hearty legumes and tofu recipes to nutrient-dense grains and creative vegetable dishes, these meals satisfy your hunger and delight your taste buds.

Whether you’re cooking for yourself and your family or hosting guests, these recipes will inspire you to enjoy healthy vegetarian dinners every night of the week.

1. Mushroom Alfredo

We start this list with atasty and easy mushroom Alfredorecipe.

It’s an easy 15-minute vegetarian dinneridea with an irresistiblycreamy and smoothsauce andsautéed mushrooms.

2. Zucchini pasta

Learn how to make delicious pasta with zucchini with simple ingredients,such as grated zucchini, with almost no effort.

You will love this 20–minute vegetarian pasta, which can be made in one pot.

3. Pasta Pomodoro

Try this basil and tomato spaghetti if you like Italian flavors.

In 20 minutes flat and with simple ingredients, you can prepare a rich and authentic vegetarian pasta dish that will leave everyonebegging for more.

4. Broccoli pasta

For a quick vegetarian dinner idea, try thisgarlic and broccoli pasta, whichyou can makein 20 minuteswith simple ingredients.

This creamy pasta is a quick and delicious meal where tender broccoli turns into a rich, velvety sauce that will satisfy the whole family.

Here’s a vegan mushroom pastawith cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs.

You can make this delicious dinner idea with simple ingredients in about 20 minutes.

6. Mushroom Ragu

Mushroom Bologneseis a delicious vegetarian dinner recipe with grated button mushrooms in a rich tomato sauce.

Mixed with fettuccine pasta, you will enjoy a quick and nutritious meal inabout 30 minutes.

7. Easy pasta salad

Chickpea pasta saladis tasty, easy, and nutritious. It’s perfect for those who want something healthy and satiating butdon’t have much time to cook.

It’s packed withcrunchy veggies, adelicious mustard dressing, and plenty offiber and protein.

8. Red pepper pasta

This red pepper pasta is super simple and with a few pantry ingredients.

You canmake it with minimal effortfor aneveryday vegetarian dinner.It’s also creamy, nutritious, and delicious – and ready in just 20 minutes.

Thislentil bolognese is a meaty, rich, and vegetarian favorite among kids and adults.

It’s aflavorful, hearty, protein-rich sauce that pairs perfectly with spaghetti, fettuccine, gnocchi, or lasagna.

10. Pasta e fa*gioli

You can make this Italian favorite,pasta e fa*gioli(pasta and beans), in about 30 minutes.

It’s a wholesome meatless dinner with beans,ditalini pasta, and arich tomato sauce.

11. Cherry tomato pasta

Cherry tomato pastais quick, creamy, tasty, and simple, so you can make itany day of the weekwithminimal effort.

This vegetarian pasta is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and is ready in 25 minutes.

Vegetarian soup recipes

12. Tuscan bean soup

This Tuscan bean soup is perfect for meal prep and a freezer–friendly meal.

You can expect awholesomeandcomforting mealto feed your whole family, excellent for cold winter days and weeknight dinners.

13. Cauliflower soup

Roasted cauliflower soupis nutty, cheesy, delicious, and ready in about 30 minutes.

It’s an easy vegetarian recipe you can make with afew simple ingredientsand a blender.

Making this vegetarian butternut squash soup is straightforward.

Roast the butternut in the oven with garlic, onion, and herbs, then blend it. In about 30 minutes, you’ll have a homemade velvety,creamysoup.

15. Broccoli soup

With onlyseven ingredientsand in about30 minutes, you can make thebest broccoli soupyou’ve ever had from scratch.

Try it with homemade croutons or garlic bread for a starter or light dinner idea.

16. Tofu soup

This tofu soup is quick, vegetable–packed, Asian–inspired, and straightforward.

You canmake it in 20 minutes with simple ingredients and seasonal veggiesany time of the year.

17. Lentil soup

This lentil soup is perfect for everydaydinner and make-aheadmeals,as it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Serve this lentil recipe with crostini for a complete and wholesome vegetarian dinner.

This Italian chickpea soup is perfect for aneasy, genuine, quick dinner idea.

Homemade chickpea soup with potatoes is a wholesome dinner idea, ready in 30 minutes.

19. Minestrone

Minestrone with beans, topped with basil pesto, offers a hearty and nutritious vegetarian dinner option.

The soup’s mix of vegetables and beans provides ample fiber and protein, while the vibrant pesto adds Italian flavor.

20. Lentil curry soup

Lentil curry soup combines the earthy warmth of lentils with aromatic spices for a satisfying vegetarian meal.

Quick to prepare and packed with protein, this one–pot dish is nourishing, convenient, and easily customized with various vegetables and served over rice.

Vegetarian dinner salads

21. Chickpea salad

Thischickpea saladis a quick, tasty, nutritious vegetarian dinner and lunch recipe.

Make it in 15 minuteswith simple, fresh ingredients and acreamymustard dressing.

22. Quinoa salad

This quinoa saladcombinesvegetables, tender black beans,protein-rich quinoa, and bold,tangy cilantro lime dressinginto a colorful, bright, and nutritious recipe.

Quinoa salad is anexcellent main coursefor a quick lunch or healthy vegetarian dinner.

23. Lentil salad

Thislentil saladisa quick and healthyvegetarian dinner that you can have for lunchor bring topotlucksandpicnics.

This is one of our favorite ways of eating lentils; we are sure you’ll love it, too.

24. Black bean salad

Thisblack bean saladwithroasted sweet potatoes, creamy avocado, and a cilantro lime dressing is perfect for eating salad for dinner.

You can enjoy a colorful dinner with plenty of veggies, Mexican–inspired flavors, and a side of quinoa or couscous.

25. Pearl couscous salad

Here, we show youhow to cook Israeli couscousand transform it into atasty and colorful Mediterranean dinner.

You’ll love pearl couscousbecause it cooks quickly—about 7 minutes in boiling water or vegetable broth—and has aslightly chewy and satisfying texture.

Moroccan carrot saladis a delicious and aromatic recipe withtender boiled carrotsand lentils, ready in 30 minutes.

Serve with white rice or a side of hummus, Naan bread or pita bread for a complete and wholesome dinner.

27. Creamy cauliflower salad

Roasted cauliflower saladis a creamy and delicious dish you can make withlittle effort and simple ingredients.

Add chickpeas, serve with bread, and drizzle with tahini sauce for a wholesome salad dinner.

28. Italian rice salad

Thisrice saladis adapted from the Italian rice salad. It’s the perfect summer dish,easy to prepare in advance,and great for picnics outdoors.

It’s a vegetarian salad with plenty of wholesome vegetarian protein.

29. Couscous salad

Meat-free but super fulfilling, this couscous salad is a delicious way of enjoying couscous.

You can make this Mediterranean recipe inless than 30 minutes with seasonal veggies and herbs.

30. Farro salad with chickpeas

This farro salad is a wholesome grain bowl with fresh veggies and chickpeas.

It is agreat make-ahead recipethat you can have as a quick and nutritiouslunchor as a lightvegetarian dinner.

31. Lentil Wellington

Mushroom Wellington is a vegetarian family favorite;it is easy to makeand hassimple ingredients.

It’s a guaranteedcrowd-pleaser, especially if served with ourcreamy mushroom gravy.

32. Stuffed bell peppers

Mediterranean flavors inspire our stuffed pepper recipe. It’sstraightforward to makewithsimple pantry staples like rice, lentils, and herbs.

These vegetarian peppers areexcellent as a main dish,side dish, andmeal prep.

33. Tofu stir fry

This Chinese-inspired stir fry dish can be made inless than 30 minutesand provides plenty of plant-based protein, nuts, and fresh veggies.

We use the Chao stir fry methodfor our tofu recipe and add aquick and tasty sauceto coat the tofu and the veggies, making themdelicious.

34. Lentil patties

Lentil patties are a quick, easy, and tasty vegetarian main dish that can be made inless than 30 minutes.

This dish, with its cookedlentils, spices, fresh herbs, and garlic, is Mediterranean-inspired. You’ll love its flavor.

35. Mujadara

Mujadara is a comfortingand delicious way to begin if you are new to vegetarian dinners and ingredients.It’s a beautiful lentil and rice dishfrom the Middle East.

Mujadara features boiled lentils and rice flavored withwarm spices, caramelized onions, and fresh herbs.

36. Eggplant Parmigiana

Italian Eggplant Parmigianais one of the tastiest eggplant dishes ever.Few people will dispute that once they try this vegetarian dish.

Its rich tomato flavor andendlessly tender eggplant perfectly match this favorite dinner idea.

37. Black bean burger

Black bean burgeris a tastyvegetarian recipepacked with abold and rich flavoreven meat eaters will love.

They are rich inwholesome proteinandhealthy fiber, and they’ll make you feel great.

38. Chickpea curry

Making this creamy and Indian–spicedchickpea currywith spinach is easy.

Here, we’ll show you how to combine this meal inless than 30 minutesand make thebest everyday curryrecipe.

39. Tomato risotto

Tomato risottois the perfect recipe for adelicious and fulfilling family dinner. Luckily, it is also naturally vegetarian, and the flavors will remind you of a good marinara sauce.

Kids will love this recipe, and picky eaters will devour it straight from the pan.

The following vegetarian meal idea is a rainbow-colored grain bowl,introducing our Buddha bowl.

Brown rice, avocado, red cabbage, grilled tofu, and mango are some fresh ingredients we pair with a creamy peanut sauce.

41. Lentil curry

Lentil currywith red lentils is aneasy, tasty, and nourishing vegetarian mealthat takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

Our recipe issimple yet satisfying, flavorful, and perfect for meal prepping.

42. Sweet potato gnocchi

This simple and tastygnocchi recipetakesabout 30 minutes toprepare.

It’s a family–friendly pasta that kids and adults can help shape in the kitchen.

43. Zucchini boats

These zucchini boats are nutritious, flavor-rich, and packed withwholesome plant-based protein.

Serve them with rice, bread, or potatoes for a satiating vegetarian dinner idea.

44. Vegetarian meatballs

With these marinara sauce-coveredtofu meatballs,you can have meatballs without the meat.

This recipe isquick and easyto make with straightforward ingredients. It’scozy, delicious,and satisfying.

45. Stuffed zucchini

Stuffed zucchini can be cooked in theoven or an air fryerand served as amain course or a side dish for a lovely vegetarian dinner.

Theircomforting Italian-inspired flavorsmake them a crowd-pleaser.

What to serve with a vegetarian dinner

Once you’ve decided on your vegetarian main dish, you can quickly increase your veggie intake with one of these vegetable sides:

• Easy salad recipes
• Vegetable recipes
• Sauce ideas for any main dish
• Appetizers for a crowd