15 Meatless Dinner Ideas (Easy Recipes for Meatless Monday)

These meatless dinner ideas are the fifteen suppers I lean on every Monday, and on plenty of Tuesdays and Thursdays too. They are all my own tested recipes, and not one of them tastes like something is missing: bubbling pasta bakes, two proper curries, big pots of soup and a few quick, light plates for busy nights.

In short, these 15 meatless dinner ideas are meat free suppers in four groups: pasta, cheesy bakes, one pot curries and soups, and light, quick plates. They take from 15 minutes for the Instant Pot mac and cheese to a hands off 6 hours 45 minutes for the slow cooker minestrone, five are vegan, and the baked mac and cheese has the most protein at 30 g a serving.

I have grouped them by the kind of night you are having. After the recipes there is a quick chart by cooking time, a month of Meatless Mondays, my tips for making a meat free dinner properly filling, and the sneaky ingredients worth checking on the label.

Why I Love Meatless Dinner Ideas

Honestly, it started as a money thing. A tin of chickpeas or a bag of lentils costs a fraction of a pack of chicken, and it lasts longer in the cupboard. Then my family stopped noticing, which is the real test.

• Cheaper shopping: beans, lentils, pasta and seasonal vegetables do the heavy lifting.
• Five are vegan: the lasagna, both curries and both soups contain no animal products, and I have marked them below.
• Plenty of protein: the baked mac and cheese has 30 g a serving and the baked ziti 26 g, straight from the recipe cards.
• Leftovers that freeze: eight of the fifteen freeze well, so one cook can cover two dinners.

Meatless Dinner Ideas With Pasta

First, pasta, because a pasta night is the easiest way to make a meat free dinner feel generous. Two of these are bakes and two come together in a single pan.

1. Vegan Lasagna

This lasagna (vegan) gets its meaty bite from tempeh or smoked tofu and mushrooms simmered in marinara with fennel seeds and chilli. The creamy layer is macadamias or cashews blended with lemon and nutritional yeast. Instant sheets mean no boiling. Better yet, you can make the sauce and the nut cheese ahead, so the weeknight job is just layering.

Get the Vegan Lasagna recipe →

2. Baked Ziti

This baked ziti is a five ingredient pasta bake, with no meat to brown and no sauce to simmer for hours. Ziti is folded through marinara and creamy ricotta, then baked under mozzarella and Parmesan until golden in spots. It is the dinner I make on a Sunday when I want Monday sorted too. Parmesan is traditionally made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese.

Get the Baked Ziti recipe →

I bake the ziti in a 9×13 glass baking dish, which is just the right size for six generous portions with a little left for lunch.

3. Creamy Pasta Primavera

Creamy pasta primavera is penne and spring vegetables in a cream sauce, made in one skillet in 35 minutes. The trick is cooking the vegetables first, hard and fast, then building the cream sauce around them in the same skillet. As a result, the broccoli stays bright and the peas stay green. Cherry tomatoes go in off the heat so they do not split the cream. Swap the Parmesan for a vegetarian hard cheese and grate it from a block.

Get the Creamy Pasta Primavera recipe →

4. Skillet Ravioli With Spinach

This skillet ravioli with spinach is my lazy night supper, baked in one ovenproof pan. Shop bought cheese ravioli simmers in a little water in an ovenproof skillet, then spoonfuls of mascarpone and garlicky wilted spinach go around it. A scattering of cheese and a few minutes in a hot oven turn the top golden. Check the ravioli label, because many cheese fillings use Parmesan made with animal rennet.

Get the Skillet Ravioli With Spinach recipe →

Cheesy Comfort Bakes

Next, the bowls my children ask for by name. Three ways with mac and cheese: one baked, one in the pressure cooker and one with cauliflower for a lighter plate.

5. Baked Mac and Cheese

Three cheeses go into a simple white sauce, then buttered breadcrumbs bake into a crisp golden lid over a soft, creamy middle. That contrast is the whole point. Take the pan off the heat before the cheese goes in and the sauce never splits. In fact, it is the most filling dinner on this list.

Get the Baked Mac and Cheese recipe →

6. Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

When I have fifteen minutes and no patience, this Instant Pot mac and cheese is dinner. The macaroni cooks at pressure in exactly the water it needs, so there is no draining and no roux. Then milk and grated cheddar are stirred straight into the pot. It looks watery at first, but keep stirring and it turns glossy. Grate the cheese from a block for the smoothest sauce.

Get the Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe →

7. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

This one swaps pasta for tender cauliflower florets in a proper cheddar white sauce with a little onion and nutmeg. It bakes until the top turns golden, and it is lovely on a night when I want something lighter. The card suggests cheddar or Gruyère; traditional Gruyère uses animal rennet, so I stick to a vegetarian cheddar.

Get the Cauliflower Mac and Cheese recipe →

Meatless Dinner Ideas From One Pot

After that, the one pot suppers. Two curries and two soups, all four vegan, and every one of them tastes even better the next day.

8. Coconut Chickpea Curry

This curry (vegan) is almost entirely from tins: two of chickpeas, one of tomatoes and one of coconut milk. Shiitake mushrooms, browned properly before the spices go in, give it the savoury depth that meat free curries often lack. A squeeze of lime and fresh coriander at the end lift it. Serve it with rice or flatbread.

Get the Coconut Chickpea Curry recipe →

9. Cauliflower Mushroom Masala

This masala (vegan) is my Friday night curry. Mustard and fennel seeds sizzle in the oil, then onion, ginger, garlic and warm spices cook down with tomato until the oil separates. Cauliflower and mushrooms simmer until tender, and grated coconut thickens the gravy. It is gently spiced with Kashmiri chilli, so it suits the whole family.

Get the Cauliflower Mushroom Masala recipe →

10. Vegetarian Lentil Soup

This soup (vegan) is the hardest working recipe I own. Brown or green lentils simmer with carrot, celery, tomatoes, cumin and paprika in vegetable broth until they collapse slightly and thicken the pot. Then a splash of vinegar at the end wakes everything up. Honestly, do not skip it; it is the difference between dull and delicious.

Get the Vegetarian Lentil Soup recipe →

11. Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

This minestrone (vegan) is the dinner that cooks itself while I am at work. Softened onion, carrot and celery go into the slow cooker with cannellini beans, tomatoes, courgette and vegetable stock. Then the pasta and spinach or kale go in for the last half hour. If you are cooking for leftovers, boil the pasta separately so it does not drink the broth.

Get the Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup recipe →

The curries and the lentil soup all behave best in an enamelled cast iron Dutch oven, because the heavy base keeps a gentle simmer without anything catching.

Light and Quick Meatless Dinner Ideas

Finally, the lighter plates for warm evenings or nights when nobody is very hungry. Most are ready in under 45 minutes.

12. Zucchini Fritters

Grated courgette is drained and squeezed hard, then mixed with egg, chives, parsley, mint, lemon zest and a little flour. Spoonfuls fry in olive oil until crisp and golden at the edges. Squeezing out the water is the step that matters, because wet courgette makes soggy fritters. I serve them with seasoned sour cream and a big salad.

Get the Zucchini Fritters recipe →

13. Greek Pasta Salad

On a hot night, this Greek pasta salad is dinner with a hunk of bread. Short pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives and feta are tossed in a sharp red wine vinaigrette. It gets better as it sits, so it is perfect for packing tomorrow’s lunch too. Cool the pasta completely before the feta goes in.

Get the Greek Pasta Salad recipe →

14. Cottage Cheese Flatbread

This cottage cheese flatbread needs three ingredients, no yeast and no waiting. Cottage cheese, self raising flour and a pinch of salt make a soft dough that cooks in a dry pan in minutes, puffing up with charred spots. For a quick supper I fill them with hummus, salad and crumbled cheese, or serve them alongside the curries and soups above.

Get the Cottage Cheese Flatbread recipe →

15. Pizza Muffins

Pizza muffins are pizza night, but tidier. Ready made pizza dough is pressed into a muffin tin, then filled with a spoonful of thick sauce, plenty of mozzarella and sliced black olives. They bake until the edges are crisp and the cheese bubbles. My niece calls them pizza cupcakes. Serve a few each with a crunchy salad for an easy family dinner.

Get the Pizza Muffins recipe →

All 15 Meatless Dinners at a Glance

Here are all fifteen dinners side by side, so you can pick one by the time you have tonight and how many you are feeding. Times and servings come from the recipe cards.

Meatless Dinners by Cooking Time

Because the real question at 6pm is usually how long have I got, here are all fifteen meatless dinner ideas sorted by time. All the times come from the recipe cards.

A Month of Meatless Mondays

Going meat free one night a week is the gentlest way to start. Ohio State University Extension calls it a chance to vary your protein routine with meatless meals, and that is exactly how it worked in my house. Here is a month of Mondays built from these meatless dinner ideas, with a second night from the leftovers.

If you would like the whole week planned, my vegetarian meal plan lays out breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack for all seven days.

How to Make a Meatless Dinner Filling

The worry I hear most is that a meat free dinner will leave people hungry. However, a little thought about protein turns meatless dinner ideas into proper, filling meals. University of Illinois Extension points out that beans, tofu, nuts, seeds and peanut butter are all useful plant proteins, and variety is the key.

• Lean on beans and lentils. The lentil soup has 14 g of protein a bowl and 15 g of fibre, which is why it keeps you full.
• Use dairy if you eat it. Ricotta, cheddar and cottage cheese lift the ziti to 26 g and the baked mac to 30 g a serving.
• Add a side with staying power. A cottage cheese flatbread (9 g each) next to a curry or soup makes a much heartier plate.
• Do not forget the greens. Spinach, broccoli, peas and courgette bring colour and fibre, so the plate looks as good as it fills.

All protein figures come from my recipe cards and, like all my nutrition information, are estimates.

Ingredients to Check on the Label

Meatless does not always mean vegetarian, because a few everyday ingredients are made with animal products. If the difference is new to you, my guide to vegan vs vegetarian explains it simply.

• Parmesan and Gruyère: both are traditionally made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese in the ziti, primavera and ravioli.
• Other cheeses: look for a vegetarian or microbial rennet label on mozzarella, cheddar and feta.
• Stock: the curry, soups and minestrone all use vegetable stock, so avoid chicken stock cubes.
• Pasta: fresh pasta and many lasagna sheets contain egg, which matters if you are cooking for vegans.

Tips for Better Meatless Dinners

• Brown things properly. Mushrooms and onions cooked until deep golden give a savoury depth that stops a dish tasting flat.
• Finish with acid. Lime on the curry and vinegar in the lentil soup lift the whole pot.
• Cook once, eat twice. Make the bakes, curries and soups in full batches and freeze half.
• Keep a meat free cupboard. Tinned chickpeas, cannellini beans, lentils, coconut milk, tomatoes and pasta mean dinner is always possible.
• Rotate the list. Instead of the same three suppers, pick one new meatless dinner idea from each group every month.

Frequently Asked Questions