Meatless Dinner Recipes
This selection of meatless dinner recipes will satisfy both vegetarians and omnivores alike. From comforting, creamy risottos and stews, veggie curries, main meal salads, to spicy delights and hearty bakes, you’ll find lots to enjoy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.