30 Meatless Main Dish Recipes for Weeknight Meals (2024)

Butternut 'Ravioli' with Brown Butter and Sage

These almost-handmade ravioli are filled with maple-kissed butternut squash and topped with crispy sage leaves. Thanks to wonton wrappers, they're a surprisingly easy-to-make meat-free dinner.

Cauliflower Chickpea Bowl with Cilantro Yogurt

Load up on nutrients (and flavor) with this healthful, all-in-one weeknight dinner starring cauliflower and chickpeas.

Tomatoey Parmesan Beans

This sleeper hit of a weeknight dinner comes from Food Network star Molly Yeh's cookbook Home is Where the Eggs Are—and is basically a vehicle for Parmesan and garlic toast.

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpea Soup)

This meat-free meal will nourish your body and satisfy your soul. Vegans can omit the sprinkle of cheese on top and use toasted panko breadcrumbs instead.

Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes and Lentils

This is a lazy Sunday—or tired Tuesday—recipe from chef Abra Berens' book Ruffa*ge: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Don't be alarmed by cooking beans this long. Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth and skipping the Parmesan.

Smoked Mozzarella and Kale Lasagna

Kale lends a bit of a chew to this memorable meat-free lasagna. Smoked mozzarella and lemon zest add even more to the deliciousness between no-bake noodles.

Verde Con Maize Pizza

When life leaves you one lonely ear of sweet corn, make this pizza, topped with green salsa, corn and goat cheese. It's a favorite at Millsap Farm's Pizza Club parties in Springfield, Missouri.

Fresh Tomato Tart

When it's summer, this can be your go-to meatless main (or an appetizer). Garden-ripe tomatoes team with fresh basil to make a cheesy tart.

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

Savory cremini and nutty porcini mushrooms, along with cheese, soft bread crumbs and herbs, fill zucchini to make a hearty dish for a meatless Monday.

Curried Cauliflower Apple Melt

Roasted Mushrooms con Queso Tamales

Tamales often feature meaty fillings, but this earthy recipe from chef Jorge Guzmán of Petite León in Minneapolis is vegetarian. The dark color comes from huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn and has been used in Mexican cooking for centuries. (You can buy it canned online or at some Mexican markets.)

Green Veggie Pasta

Go green with three superfood veggies—collard greens, asparagus, and peas. It's delicious as a meat-free meal, but if you like, add some ham for extra flavor and protein.

Tomato Galette

Tender Parmesan-pepper pastry cradles heirloom tomatoes, shallots, goat cheese and fresh herbs in a fold-over tart that's ideal for weekend brunch. Serve it warm or at room temperature, though the leftovers taste great cold—if you have any!

Risotto with Asparagus and Shiitakes

Tender asparagus cozies up with brothy rice with mushrooms, chives, and Parmesan in this luxurious risotto. Pair it with a glass of white wine and a chunk of crusty bread.

Roasted Pear Salad with Farro and Arugula

This creamy, whole-grain salad earned raves in our test kitchen. It's hardy enough to be a meatless main, or enjoy it as a festive side dish or cold-weather potluck star.

Zucchini and Feta Frittata

Although you can eat it warm, this fresh frittata can also be a make-ahead brunch dish. Serving it at room temperature means the salad on top won't wilt (and your cooking work is done before the guests arrive).

Grilled Portobellos

Doug Heiken, a winter griller in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, prefers his meals meatless, so he especially likes grilling vegetables. Big, meaty portobello mushrooms fit naturally on a grill rack. To serve, the grilled portobello mushrooms can be eaten like steaks, sliced and tossed with pasta, or served in a salad, rolled in tortillas with grilled red sweet peppers, or slipped between slices of grilled focaccia or in sandwich buns.

Winter Squash, Mushrooms and Arugula with Parmesan

This dish hovers between stir-fry and salad —both light and wholesomely satisfying. Chef Abra Berens cooks squash and mushrooms in a skillet, developing great caramelization in minutes. The recipe comes from her book Ruffa*ge: A Practical Guide to Vegetables.

Heirloom Tomato and Onion Quiche

Serve this savory egg pie with a mixed greens salad for brunch or a light dinner.

Mushroom-Arugula Pizza

Pizza night just got an upgrade. Use purchased fresh pizza dough for ease and top it with fresh mushrooms and peppery arugula.

Arugula-Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs

When you're not in the mood for lentil soup, put the quick-cooking pulse to good use in this nutritious, meat-free salad.

Peperonata with Potatoes and Egg

This classic Italian braised-pepper stew freezes beautifully. Abra Berens suggests heaping it over potatoes (or even pasta, polenta or couscous) and topping it with a poached or boiled egg. This recipe is from her book Ruffa*ge: A Practical Guide to Vegetables.

Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant

Eat this peak-summer dish as a side or a meatless main. Eggplant and bell peppers are grilled au naturel—all the fun comes in the finish, when the vegetables are showered in mint, basil and peanuts and drizzled liberally with a sauce called nuoc cham.

Roasted Broccoli with Wheat Berries, Blue Cheese and Cranberries

The birds fly south. The bears hibernate. Where does broccoli salad go for the winter? Right here, says Abra Berens in her book Ruffa*ge: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Enjoy it fresh from the oven and at your desk the next day.

Mexican Sweet Potato-Veggie Medley

Create a meatless main dish in minutes by sauteing sweet potatoes, then adding canned corn and black beans. Top with a chipotle-flavor sour cream, avocado slices and fresh cilantro.

Chard and Sweet Potato Frittata

Breakfast, brunch or dinner—this colorful meat-free frittata is a 30-minute meal that tastes nutritiously delicious any time.

Crisp Portobello Mushroom and Spring Carrot Salad

Goat cheese and chives top golden skillet-cooked mushrooms and cooked carrots in this recipe from Sarah Stegner of Chicago. Homemade honey-mustard vinaigrette adds a pleasing tang.

Sweet Corn Pizza

Cutting fresh corn from the cob is a must for these cheery summer pizzas. It adds flavor and texture that you can't get from canned or frozen corn. Beyond that, feel free to play: There's lots of room for improvisation in the varieties of pesto, cheese or veggies used.

Baby Spinach Salad with Cumin Couscous and Bulgur

Grain salads can sometimes be a bit heavy, but this one is surprisingly light-tasting, thanks to a tangy yogurt-mint dressing, crisp apple chunks and fresh spinach.

Mushroom-Lentil Meatless Shepherd's Pie

Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms are rich in umami —the savory flavor our brains associate with meat. We used both in our shepherd's pie, a low-fat, high-fiber, 'tater-topped casserole that delivers 100 percent of your daily comfort.