Level up your next family dinner with one of these meatless mains that you can whip up in just 30 minutes of active time in the kitchen. Whether you're in the mood for a saucy lasagna or an al fresco picnic dinner, these recipes have something to appeal to everyone. Recipes like our Cheesy Marinara Beans and Quick Walnut Tacos are perfect for nights when you need a low-lift crowd pleaser.
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Cheesy Spinach-Zucchini Lasagna
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Thanks to jarred marinara sauce and oven-ready lasagna noodles, this labor-of-love kind of meal can be ready in about an hour.
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White Bean Soup with Pasta
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We use mirepoix—a combination of onion, celery and carrots—to flavor this soup. Keep a store-bought bag of the mixture in your freezer to ensure you always have some on hand without worrying about it going bad.
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Creamy Queso Chili
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This mashup of the classic cheesy dip chile con queso with the beans and vegetables of a chili is the best of both worlds.
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Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
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Think of this vegetarian enchilada casserole as a veggie-packed Mexican lasagna with corn tortillas standing in for the noodles! If your peppers are mild and you like heat, opt for spicy pico de gallo. This easy vegetarian dinner recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.
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Cheesy Marinara Beans
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This ooey-gooey dish has baked-pasta vibes but features protein-packed beans instead of noodles. Look for dried corona beans, a larger, creamy white bean, at natural-foods stores or online. Cannellini are a good substitute. Serve with a green salad and toasted baguette.
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Cauliflower Fajita Skillet
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Thinly sliced cauliflower florets mimic the signature shape of fajita meat in this dish. We cook it in a cast-iron skillet for that tableside sizzle you'd get at a restaurant.
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Quick Walnut Tacos
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At Trio Plant-Based in Minneapolis, the first Black-owned plant-based restaurant in Minnesota, chef-owner Louis Hunter uses walnuts as a protein-rich substitute for ground beef to make these tacos. The ground nuts mimic the texture of meat quite nicely.
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Sweet & Savory Hummus Plate
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Fresh veggies with dip, juicy fruit and even a sweet treat make up this easy-to-make picnic dinner that's great for packing up or enjoying at home. Plus, this combo excludes the most common allergens and food intolerances (it's free from dairy, eggs, soy, nuts and gluten) so just about everyone should be able to enjoy it without worrying.
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Skillet Mac & Cheese with Zucchini & Pimiento
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Sweet and mild pimiento peppers add a little zest to this skillet mac and cheese, while zucchini boosts the veggie count. Here we boil the pasta a little less than usual, until just shy of al dente, so it doesn't overcook in the oven.
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Easy Chipotle Chili
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Refried beans and tomatoes provide a thick base to this easy vegetarian chili. Frozen vegetables keep prep to a minimum. Enchilada sauce and chipotle peppers in adobo work as a "chili starter" with lots of flavor and spices built in. This recipe uses part of a can of refried beans—serve the rest alongside eggs for breakfast, use them in a taco for lunch or add them to a dip for chips anytime. This healthy chili also keeps well in the fridge or freezer.
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Spaghetti with Baked Brie, Mushrooms & Spinach
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Melted Brie cheese coats pasta and roasted veggies in this rich vegetarian pasta dish. White balsamic vinegar adds tang and a hint of sweetness in this easy weeknight dinner.
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Quinoa Chili with Sweet Potatoes
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This hearty vegetarian quinoa chili with sweet potatoes has mild spice from poblanos and green chiles. Chili powder, cumin and garlic provide classic chili flavor.
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Egg-in-a-Hole Fried Quinoa
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We used quinoa to bump up the fiber and protein in this stir-fry-inspired dish. Rather than making an omelet or stirring in the eggs as you would for fried rice, we cook them in divots right in the veggie-filled quinoa for a fun presentation. Opt for a flat skillet over a wok so you have plenty of room to nestle in the eggs.
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Veggie Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup
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Maya Feller, M.S., RD, CDN, of Brooklyn-based Maya Feller Nutrition, upgrades this popular budget-friendly combo. "Adding veggies to a classic sandwich—in this case, broccoli, zucchini and red bell pepper—boosts the nutrient-density of the meal," she says. This recipe was part of a feature story, "The Real Cost of Healthy Food."
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Pea Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata
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Here we pan-fry gnocchi to get them crispy, then coat them with a pesto-like sauce made with sweet peas, spinach, basil and cashews.
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Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate
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This healthy fruit, veggie and cheese plate is easy and affordable to pull together for a fun snack-style dinner at home or can be packed up and enjoyed as an outdoor picnic.
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One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach
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This hearty vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle extra heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for a bigger punch of flavor.
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Jackfruit Barbacoa Burrito Bowls
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Jackfruit, a tropical fruit with a dense, chewy texture, is a blank canvas that takes on flavors well. In these vegan burrito bowls, the jackfruit is simmered in a warm and spicy chile sauce that's so good you'll never know you're eating a plant-based protein instead of pork or beef.
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Falafel Burgers
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Pureed chickpeas, seasoned with the characteristic flavors of falafel, make excellent veggie burgers. We use a two-stage method for cooking the patties, first browning them in a skillet and then finishing them in the oven. Garnish the burgers with tzatziki or tahini sauce (see associated recipes), pickled red onions, lettuce and tomatoes.
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Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
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Classic eggplant Parm is filled with cheese, but this vegan eggplant Parmesan combines nondairy mozzarella cheese with nutritional yeast for a dairy-free cheesy substitute that gives you the comfort food factor without animal products. For the breading, use egg replacer, which you can find in natural-foods stores and the special-diet section of large supermarkets.
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Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce
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This vegetable lasagna with white sauce has a velvety sauce with lots of veggies and plenty of cheesy goodness. The layers of butternut squash give the dish a sweet and creamy flavor and texture. This vegetarian lasagna packs comfort in every bite.
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Tabbouleh, Hummus & Pita Plate
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This Mediterranean-inspired vegan picnic dinner features traditional fare like tabbouleh, hummus, olives and fresh fruit and vegetables. It's perfect to pack and take along or even to serve as an easy, healthy meal at home.
