Meatless Dinner Recipes

This selection of more than 30 meatless dinner recipes will satisfy both vegetarians and omnivores alike. From comforting, creamy risottos, stews, veggie curries, to main meal salads, hearty bakes and pies, I think you’ll find lots to tempt you.

Click on the heading or image to go to your chosen recipe.

SPICY SWEET POTATO & CHICKPEA STEW

A satisfying, comforting bowlful with an Indian-inspired mix of aromatics, whole and ground spices. Packed with vegetables and pulses, you can eat this on its own, with yogurt, or serve with rice or bread.

CREAMY MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Risotto is classic comfort food, but this one is extra special! With fresh and dried mushrooms it’s finished under the grill with golden, bubbling brie on top.

MOROCCAN SPICED STUFFED SQUASH

This is a sensational vegetarian or plant-based main course. Baked squash, filled with roasted spicy tomato sauce and chickpeas, finished with a drizzle of tahini sauce.

MEDITERRANEAN OAT BAKE

This quickly put together delicious bake combines Mediterranean flavours like feta, roasted peppers, courgette, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, and olives with nutritious oats, eggs, and nuts.

SMOKY NOT-BAKED BEANS

Spicy as well as smoky with paprika and chipotle chilli flakes, these beans might taste like they’ve been lovingly simmered for hours. But they’re actually made in around thirty minutes with a simple base of tinned cannellini beans, onion, garlic, and tomato puree. Enjoy on toast or a baked potato, with or without cheese, and maybe a side salad.

CUCUMBER SESAME NOODLE SALAD

This has to be one of my favourite hot weather meatless dinner recipes. Noodles tossed with shreds of refreshing cucumber plus spring onions, whole coriander leaves and a sesame dressing. For extra protein top with egg, peanuts, or fried tofu.

CHICKPEA & SPINACH PASTA

Using tinned chickpeas, frozen spinach (you could substitute fresh) and dried pasta, the garlic, lemon, parsley, and chilli flake sauce can be prepped and cooked in the time it takes the pasta to boil! Served with or without a scattering of cheese this economical dish makes a great main course, hot or cold.

POTATO, CHEESE & ONION PLATE PIE

Made with a classic combination of simple, everyday ingredients, budget-friendly, tasty pie makes a great dinner with veg or salad, chips or coleslaw and baked beans. Leftovers are brilliant cold in packed lunches too.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA SALAD

With nutritious chickpeas, crunchy and juicy veg like red pepper and tomatoes, plus herbs, feta, and a garlicky-lemon dressing, this healthy, delicious main course salad is perfect for a warm weather dinner.

VEGETABLE MASALA OMELETTE

Indian masala omelettes are often eaten for breakfast, but I think they make a tasty, quick and nutritious meal at any time. Packed with veggies and spices, you can eat my substantial version on its own or with bread. I love it with a squeeze of lemon, rolled up in a flatbread with a dab of chilli sauce or chutney.

CORN, CHEESE & SPINACH PANCAKES

Although I most often eat these fluffy pancakes for a tasty weekend brunch, they’re great for dinner too paired with a big salad. Try a stack topped with melting cheese and spiced chilli butter!

MUSHROOM, LENTIL & KALE STEW

Rich, thick, and tasty, this stew features tinned brown lentils and plenty of veg in a lightly creamy, garlic and thyme flavoured broth.

TURKISH EGGS WITH CHICKPEAS & FLATBREAD

Flatbread topped with minty, garlicky yogurt, a runny egg plus nutty chickpeas in a cloak of spicy butter makes a fantastic meatless dinner served with a big fresh salad.

SAVOURY OAT BAKE

A satisfying vegetarian main course, packed with vegetables, nutritious oats, nuts, seeds, plus cheese and eggs. Serve with salad or cooked veggies, plus a baked potato if you like, for a healthy and surprisingly delicious dinner. Leftovers are great in lunch boxes too.

CHEESY ROASTED TOMATO PASTA BAKE

A simple, homely, pasta bake taken to the next level with a roasted tomato sauce. Combine with cooked pasta, plenty of cheese and basil, then bake to bubbling perfection.

REFRIED BEAN QUESADILLAS

Crispy, cheesy and delicious whether you make them with canned refried beans or my quick and spicy homemade version. Simply spread over a tortilla wrap, add plenty of cheese plus vegetable salsa, then fold in half. Fry or griddle until browned and crunchy, the filling hot and melting.

ROASTED CARROT & CHICKPEA SALAD WITH MINT PESTO

A dairy-free mint pesto is star of the show in this lightly spicy salad you can eat warm or cold. Cheese lovers can top it with cubes of creamy, salty feta too.

HOMITY PIES

Rustic, open-topped individual pies, full of flavour with potato, leek, spinach, cream cheese, Cheddar, and a hint of garlic. One of the very best vegetarian pies that everyone will love.

CAULIFLOWER, MUSHROOM & CARLIN PEA CURRY

Roasting the cauli and mushrooms adds extra flavour to this warmly spicy curry with a hint of creamy coconut milk. I’ve cut down the food miles by using UK grown carlin peas, but you could swap in your favourite beans.

SOUPE AU PISTOU

A bean and pasta soup from the south of France based on seasonal summer vegetables. But the highlight is the punchy basil and garlic pistou (think stripped-down version of pesto) each diner stirs into their own bowl. Finished with scattering of cheese, it makes a healthy but satisfying meatless dinner.

LENTIL & WALNUT LOAF

This vegetarian bake may be old school, but it’s easy, tasty, and nutritious. Serve the chewy, herb loaf hot with roast potatoes and veggies, or cold with salad. Leftovers make great sandwiches.

BLACK BEAN CHILLI WITH PEPPERS & CORN

Combining convenient tinned black beans, tomatoes and sweetcorn with fresh peppers, coriander and a host of store cupboard spices, this chilli is perfect for a healthy, midweek meal.  I love it topped with avocado, grated cheese, tomato salsa and soured cream.

PEA & MINT BAKED FALAFEL

A great change from regular falafel with half the usual chickpeas replaced with thawed frozen peas. With slightly sweeter notes, there’s also refreshing mint leaves to contrast with the earthy spicing.

ASPARAGUS RISOTTO WITH GRILLED GOAT’S CHEESE

Another rather special risotto, this time taking seasonal asparagus to the super-luxury level: topped with grilled goat’s cheese and butter-fried asparagus tips.

SAVOURY FLAPJACKS WITH APPLE, CHEESE & WALNUTS

Although you might think of flapjacks as a snack, in their savoury guise I think they’re equally good as a main course served with salad or veggies. You can flavour them in all sorts of ways and I particularly love these with the tang of apple, plenty of cheese, plus crunchy walnuts.

ROASTED AUBERGINE, HERBED TAHINI YOGURT & CRISPY CHICKPEAS

Every time I eat this healthy dinner, I’m always surprised at just how good the combination of ingredients is. Softly baked aubergine topped with a creamy but punchy dressing of tahini, yogurt, coriander and mint, finished with crispy baked chickpeas.

COURGETTI WITH AVOCADO, CASHEW & BASIL SAUCE

A super-quick, plant-based bowl of goodness! Much lighter than traditional pasta sauce, the dressing goes excellently with spaghetti-like courgette strands. Hence the term ‘courgetti’. Top with roasted cherry tomatoes for a perfect lighter dinner.

SPINACH DAL

Nutritious, cheap and tasty, eat this as a spicy soup or a thicker, curry-style dal with rice or bread. Based on yellow split peas, the final flourish of cumin seeds and chilli sizzled in butter or oil takes it to the next level.

SPICY BEAN BALLS

Inspired by Tex-Mex flavours, you can make these balls with your choice of tinned beans. Also in there are healthy oats and plenty of spices. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and serve in a flatbread with salad, cheese, and chilli sauce.

CREAM OF VEGETABLE SOUP WITH CROUTONS

Despite the name, like most traditional ‘cream of’ soups, this one doesn’t contain cream. Packed with vegetables, it’s subtly flavoured with garlic and herbs. If you want to increase the protein, you could add cannellini beans. But I love it with cubes of cheese melting in the bowl.

CHICKPEA & OAT BAKE

Inspired by the classic flavours of falafel, this incredibly easy bake has nutritious oats, protein-rich eggs, plus nuts, seeds, and tahini. Great hot or cold, eat as you might falafel with salad, tahini or hummus, and pickles. Or try it hot with cooked veg and potatoes as a vegetarian roast.

BEETROOT & KALE SALAD

With roasted vegetables, grains, nuts, and a lively orange-maple dressing, this warm salad is full of goodness but with great textures and flavours too. Eat on its own or top with golden-fried halloumi.

LENTIL, MUSHROOM & CHEESE BAKE

Proof that this dish is super-tasty and so much more than the sum of its parts is that I’ve been making versions of it for over 30 years! With everyday economical ingredients like split red lentils, this softly set bake is lovely with a jacket potato plus veggies or salad.

CHICKPEA, POTATO & COCONUT CURRY

Not your average chickpea and potato curry, just before serving chunks of crispy roasted potato are stirred into the subtly spiced coconut-yogurt sauce.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my round-up of some of my favourite meatless dinner recipes. If you’ve made any of them, I love to know what you thought so please leave a comment on the accompanying blog posts.

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