Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes Vegetarian Recipes 20 Plant-Based Dinner Recipes That Are Quick and Delicious Here's how to make a healthy meatless meal fast. By Janet Taylor McCracken and Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 11, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Lennart Weibull If you're trying to eat better—for yourself and for the planet—you'll want to add more plant-based dinner recipes to your diet. We all know that eating more plant-based meals is important, but what, exactly are they? A plant-based diet involves eating vegetables, grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes, which results in many vegan meals. But they can also be vegetarian and include dairy, eggs, and other animal-based foods. It's surprisingly easy to maintain a plant-based diet. If a vegan lifestyle isn't for you (rest assured, you are not alone!), know that just cutting back on animal-based foods is a great place to start. Prioritize having one or two plant-based meals every week—and use these quick and easy dinner ideas to get started. All of these plant-based dinner recipes can be made in 45 minutes or less. 20 Plant-Based Breakfast Ideas That Will Jumpstart Your Mornings 01 of 20 Vibrant-Green Broccoli Curry Frank Frances Creamy but dairy-free, this comforting tofu-and-broccoli curry uses coconut milk and green curry paste as a shortcut to making a rich sauce. Serve it over brown rice for a hearty dinner. View Recipe 02 of 20 One-Pan Pasta Maxwell Cozzi A fan-favorite, this magical tomato pasta cooks in 20 minutes in one pan and tastes sublime. Even better, you can make it any time of the year, since it's based on always-available cherry tomatoes. View Recipe 03 of 20 Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Sidney Bensimon Eggplant has a hearty texture that makes it a popular option for plant-based dinners. This revolutionary recipe takes everything you love about eggplant parmesan and turns it into an individual grilled entrée that's ready in 35 minutes. View Recipe 04 of 20 Chilaquiles Egg Bake Armando Rafael This plant-based dinner relies on pantry ingredients, so it's a stellar option for those nights when you're short on time and inspiration, and the fridge looks bare. Be sure to stock up on tortilla chips and cans of diced tomatoes and chiles, like Ro-Tel, and always keep eggs on hand so you can make this 35-minute dinner. View Recipe 05 of 20 Double-Portobello Burgers With Roasted Tomatoes andrew parcell Anyone who doubts plant-based meals can be filling should try one of these hefty burgers. Two portobello mushroom caps are sandwiched with gooey melted provolone cheese as the patties. View Recipe 06 of 20 Pinto-Bean Burgers Armando Rafael No bun, no problem! These California-style veggie burgers are plenty filling on their own. They're served with roasted red pepper-studded Greek yogurt, toasted almonds, sprouts, and sliced avocado. A squeeze of lemon brightens the whole dish. View Recipe 07 of 20 Mushroom Tacos With Charred-Corn Salsa Chris Simpson These hearty portobello tacos require just over 30 minutes to make and are absolutely delicious to eat. Take this smoky dinner vegan if you like—just skip the sour cream. View Recipe 08 of 20 Cheater's Mac and Cheese Con Poulos Easy, cheesy, creamy, and quick, there's a lot to love about this comforting pasta dinner that takes just 20 minutes to make. It gets bonus points for adding healthy broccoli to the mix. View Recipe 09 of 20 Very Veggie Fried Rice With Eggs Nico Schinco You'll want to add this recipe to your regular dinner rotation. Not only is it delicious, but it's also versatile—we like to think of it as a use-what-you-find-in-the-crisper-drawer kind of quick meatless meal. Top each portion with a fried egg and enjoy. View Recipe 10 of 20 Asparagus-and-Potato Gratin Con Poulos Don't you love it when a side can easily become dinner? That's the story of this potato gratin with asparagus and prosciutto. It's rich with goat cheese and Pecorino Romano, and you can be sure the whole family will be asking for seconds. To make it vegetarian, leave out of the prosciutto. View Recipe 11 of 20 Taco Salad With Sweet-Potatoes Lennart Weibull Don't think salads have dinner appeal? Try this filling vegetarian option. It's packed with black beans, jalapeños, crunchy romaine, roasted sweet potatoes, and plenty of tortilla chips. It comes together in 35 minutes, and if you skip the goat cheese garnish, it's a vegan dinner. View Recipe 12 of 20 Tomato-Eggplant Gnocchi Ren Fuller Here's a one-skillet vegetarian dinner that's hearty but not-too-heavy. What's more, it's simple to make since it stars store-bought gnocchi. They cook atop an eggplant and tomato sauce. Red pepper flakes add a touch of heat that's tempered by a little bit of creamy ricotta. View Recipe 13 of 20 Avocado, Salsa, and Cilantro Omelet Chris Simpson Inspired by huevos rancheros, this omelet is stuffed with creamy avocado, salsa, and plenty of cilantro. We're skipping the cheese tonight for a healthy but flavor-filled meal. View Recipe 14 of 20 Creamy Broccoli and Spinach Soup Yuki Sugiura Vibrantly colored and velvety textured, this weeknight-friendly broccoli soup gets an extra boost of nutrients from baby spinach and silky sautéed leeks. A drizzle of tangy crème fraîche and a few crunchy pretzel nuggets serve as the finishing touches to this comforting, wholesome bowl. View Recipe 15 of 20 Swiss-Chard and Almond Pasta Chris Simpson When you need a quick pasta dinner but fancy something just a little different, try this spin on spaghetti. It's made with rainbow chard, toasted almonds, and a hint of lemon zest. View Recipe 16 of 20 Mezze Salad Armando Rafael This meatless dinner gathers everyone's favorite Mediterranean foods on one plate. We're talking lemony yogurt, cucumber salad, easy roasted chickpeas, and grape leaves. Make the components ahead and assemble just before dinner. View Recipe 17 of 20 Soba With Sweet Potatoes in Miso-Lime Broth Marcus Nilsson You'll want to eat this noodle soup again and again once the temperatures start dropping. Bok choy, shiitakes, miso, lime, garlic, and fresh ginger all act as immune-boosters, while sweet potatoes thicken the broth and give it body. View Recipe 18 of 20 Rice-and-Bean Salad Bowl With Tahini Sauce Johnny Miller It's the tahini-and-lemon sauce over a rice and bean salad with sliced red cabbage, avocado, roasted bell pepper, cucumber, and watercress that truly takes this vegan recipe to the next level. (Our recipe calls for making the brown rice in advance, but even if you start from scratch, you can get the whole dish on the table in under an hour.) View Recipe 19 of 20 Mushroom Tortellini With Arugula Chris Simpson Use fresh or frozen cheese tortellini for this vegetarian dinner that's ready in half an hour. It's paired with a mix of sautéed mushrooms and peppery arugula, and finished with cool crème fraîche. View Recipe 20 of 20 Beet Noodles With Parsley Pesto and Parmesan Armando Rafael Your most colorful dinner yet? Cutting beets into thin noodles means you can roast them in just 10 minutes. Pairing the crimson-hued "pasta" with bright-green parsley-walnut pesto makes for a striking presentation and a deliciously healthy meal. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit