30 Meatless Main Dish Recipes

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

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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.

 
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This is a lazy Sunday—or tired Tuesday—recipe from chef Abra Berens' book Ruffage: 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.

 
Related: Hearty Vegetable Recipes from Midwest Chef Abra Berens

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.

 
Related: Molly Yeh Chats About Her New Cookbook, Restaurant and Why You Should Visit East Grand Forks

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.

 
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Glam up your grilled cheese with curry mayonnaise, skillet-roasted cauliflower, and sweet apple—it's a delicious combo that's far more than the sum of its parts.
 
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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.)

 
Related: Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales

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.

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.

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!

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.

 
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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. 

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).

 
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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.

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

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 Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables.

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

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

 
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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 Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables.

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.

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

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.

 
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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.

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.

 
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Protein-rich edamame makes this salad a nutritious meal, especially when paired with whole-grain bread.

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

 
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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.

Bake squash under a layer of spiced tomatoes and cheese, and everyone will love eating their vegetables.

Light, no-cook lemon-garlic sauce dresses a tangle of linguine and vegetables. Mix red and yellow cherry tomatoes for the prettiest dish.

 
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Hard-boiled eggs are stirred into a creamy white sauce and served over flaky biscuits in this breakfast recipe.