20 Simple Vegetarian Dinners
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 8, 2026
We’ll never have enough quick weeknight dinner recipes, so I’m sharing twenty of my favorites today. These recipes are warm and comforting, yet fresh and full of nutritious vegetables. They’re exactly what I’m craving right now.
Making a wholesome dinner after a long day can feel like a big task. To make it easier, consider cooking grains or roasting veggies a day in advance, or doubling the recipe for more leftovers (the soups and curry freeze well in single portions, too).
If you appreciate this collection, you might also want to bookmark my easy weeknight dinners category, which I update as I publish new recipes. My cookbook has many more meatless dinners, big salads, soups, and more. Cheers to a delicious dinner tonight!
Caprese Pasta Salad
This Caprese pasta salad recipe is easy, delicious and perfect for summertime! Just cook cherry tomatoes with olive oil to make the perfect pasta sauce. Recipe yields 4 modest servings.
Veggie Sushi Bowls
This recipe tastes like vegetarian sushi rolls, but in simplified bowl form! The spicy mayo sauce really takes it to another level. Feel free to play with the toppings to make this bowl taste like your favorite roll. There are a few steps involved, but each one is super simple. Recipe yields 4 sushi bowls, which keep well for leftovers (for best results, slice the avocado just before serving).
Tortilla Soup
Warm up with a bowl of vegetarian tortilla soup, made with black beans instead of chicken. This soup recipe is so fresh and satisfying! Recipe yields 4 servings.
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Creamy pumpkin mac and cheese will warm you up on cool fall evenings. This easy autumnal pasta recipe comes together in one pot and tastes incredible. Recipe yields 8 servings (quite a lot!) and leftovers are great.
Classic Minestrone Soup
Warm up with this vegetarian minestrone soup! This classic minestrone soup recipe is healthy, easy to make, and tastes incredible. It’s vegan, too, if you don’t top it with cheese. Recipe yields 6 bowls or 8 cups of soup.
Quick Chana Masala
Quick and easy chana masala recipe served over basmati rice. This spicy, hearty, chickpea-based Indian dish is vegan and gluten free. It makes great leftovers, too! Be sure to prep the ingredients in advance, as the recipe moves quickly. Recipe yields 4 bowls.
Extra Vegetable Fried Rice
Learn how to make vegetable fried rice—it’s a simple and satisfying dinner! This vegetarian recipe features extra vegetables and brown rice. Recipe yields 2 large or 3 moderate servings (I think you could double it if you have a large enough skillet, but you might not get as much caramelization on the edges of the veggies and rice).
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
These stuffed poblano peppers are hearty and delicious! This protein-rich recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy it. Recipe yields 6 stuffed peppers.
Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
This Thai-flavored salad recipe is made with carrots, cabbage, snow peas, and quinoa, tossed in delicious peanut sauce. This healthy salad is vegan, gluten free, and packs well for lunch. Recipe yields 4 salads.
Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara Sauce
This wholesome dinner features hearty lentils, marinara sauce and spaghetti. This vegetarian dinner is easy to make, affordable and delicious! Recipe yields 4 servings.
Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Whip up this 100% whole wheat pizza dough recipe in your food processor. It hardly needs kneading or rising time. You can make this pizza in less than the amount of time it would take for pizza delivery. Dinner is ready! Yields two medium (11″ diameter) pizzas.
Spicy Black Bean Soup
This healthy black bean soup recipe is easy to make with canned beans. Thanks to some basic aromatics and Cuban spices, it’s incredibly flavorful and delicious. This soup is naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. The recipe yields quite a bit of soup (6 to 8 servings)—it is easily halved, or you can freeze the leftovers.
Lemony Pasta with Collard Greens
This super quick pasta dish is tossed with thinly sliced and sautéed collard greens, lemon juice and pine nuts. It’s bold, bright and delicious. Recipe yields 2 generous servings or 4 medium servings (you can stretch the servings by using the full amount of spaghetti).
Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
This Thai red curry recipe is so easy to make at home! It’s much tastier than takeout and healthier, too. Feel free to change up the vegetables (you’ll need about 3 cups total) and skip the kale if you want a more traditional Thai curry. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy. Recipe yields 4 servings.
10-Minute Quesadillas
Quesadillas are the perfect quick meal. Enjoy this vegetarian quesadilla recipe in under 10 minutes! Recipe yields 1 quesadilla (3 slices), so multiply as necessary.
Pizza Beans
This easy weeknight meal features flavorful white beans simmered in homemade red sauce, topped with bubbling mozzarella! It’s a pantry-friendly recipe that’s even more satisfying than take-out. Recipe yields 4 hearty servings.
Vegetarian Peanut Soup
This West African-inspired peanut soup recipe is a creamy and comforting, spicy vegan soup. Made with a simple combination of peanut butter, tomato paste and collard greens, this soup comes together quickly and would be a great weeknight meal. If you love spicy flavors like me, don’t hesitate to use liberal amounts of ginger and garlic. Recipe yields 6 bowls.
Creamy Cherry Tomato & Summer Squash Pasta
Simple summer pasta recipe featuring roasted cherry tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash with rotini and a light goat cheese sauce. Recipe yields 4 servings.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai-style sweet and spicy pineapple fried rice with red bell pepper, cashews and cilantro. This is a healthy and quick, vegetarian weeknight dinner! This dish comes together very quickly, so be sure to have your ingredients (including chilled leftover rice) prepped in advance. Recipe yields 2 large, restaurant-sized portions or 4 more modest portions.
Best Lentil Soup
This simple vegan lentil soup recipe comes together quickly with mostly pantry ingredients. Be sure to have your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking! Recipe yields four large bowls of soup, or six more modest servings.
More resources you might appreciate: 23 healthy make-ahead breakfast recipes and 45 recipes that pack well for lunch.
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