13 Quick, Delicious Plant-Based Dinner Recipes

By Janet Taylor McCracken
January 28, 2011
Credit: Lennart Weibull
Looking to add a few plant-based dinners to your weeknight rotation? Try these quick, tasty recipes that are on the table in 45 minutes or less—you will not miss the meat!
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Credit: Lennart Weibull

We all know that eating more plant-based meals is better for you—and for the planet. But what exactly does that mean? Plant-based diets are all about sticking to eating vegetables, grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Some people keep strictly to those foods, choosing to maintain a vegan diet, while others allow for dairy, eggs, and other animal-based food to play a part in their diets.

The recipes here address both approaches to plant-based eating. Our gorgeous Asparagus and Potato Gratin is packed with vegetables, but does include cheese and a tiny bit of prosciutto. However, if you are looking to go totally plant-based, try the Taco Salad with Sweet Potatoes shown here, or our Soba with Sweet Potatoes in Miso-Lime Broth—also a perfect match for a chilly and rainy day. The Rice and Bean Salad Bowl with Tahini Sauce is another completely plant-based meal, and proves that rice and beans could never taste (or look) so good! You will also find that some of the dishes are flexible, like the Mushroom Tacos with Charred-Corn Salsa. The recipe calls for finishing with a dollop of sour cream, but you can go vegan and easily skip it.

It's surprisingly easy to maintain a plant-based diet. If you find going strictly vegan a bit too much of a challenge (rest assured, you are not alone!), just cutting back on animal based foods is a great way to go. It's especially easy when you can whip up one of these delicious plant-based recipes in less than 45 minutes!

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Asparagus and Potato Gratin

Credit: Con Poulos
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Don't you love it when a side can easily become dinner? That's the story of this potato gratin with asparagus and prosciutto. It's rich with goat cheese and Pecorino Romano, and you can be sure the whole family will be asking for seconds. To make it vegetarian, leave out of the prosciutto.

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Tomato-Eggplant Gnocchi

Credit: Ren Fuller
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Here's a one-skillet vegetarian dinner that's hearty but not-too-heavy, and it's simple to make since it stars store-bought gnocchi. They cook atop an eggplant and tomato sauce. Red pepper flakes add a touch of heat that's tempered by a daub of creamy ricotta at the table.

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Mushroom Tacos with Charred-Corn Salsa

Credit: Chris Simpson
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These hearty portobello tacos require just over 30 minutes to make and are absolutely delicious to eat. Take this smoky dinner vegan if you like—just skip the sour cream.

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Avocado, Salsa, and Cilantro Omelet

Credit: Chris Simpson
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Inspired by huevos rancheros, this omelet is stuffed with creamy avocado, salsa, and plenty of cilantro. We're skipping the cheese tonight for a healthy but flavor-filled meal.

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Swiss-Chard and Almond Pasta

Credit: Chris Simpson
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When you need a quick pasta dinner but fancy something just a little different, try this spin on spaghetti. It's made with rainbow chard, toasted almonds, and a hint of lemon zest.

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Mushroom Tortellini with Arugula

Credit: Chris Simpson
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Use fresh or frozen cheese tortellini for this vegetarian dinner that's ready in half an hour. It's paired with a mix of sautéed mushrooms and peppery arugula, and finished with cool crème fraîche.

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Soba with Sweet Potatoes in Miso-Lime Broth

Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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You'll want to eat this noodle soup again and again once the temperatures start dropping. Bok choy, shiitakes, miso, lime, garlic, and fresh ginger all act as immune-boosters, while sweet potatoes thicken the broth and give it body.

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Creamy Broccoli and Spinach Soup

Credit: Yuki Sugiura
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Vibrantly colored and velvety textured, this weeknight-friendly broccoli soup gets an extra boost of nutrients from baby spinach and silky sautéed leeks. A drizzle of tangy crème fraîche and a few crunchy pretzel nuggets serve as the finishing touches to this comforting, wholesome bowl.

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Pinto-Bean Burgers

Credit: Armando Rafael
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No bun, no problem! These California-style veggie burgers are plenty filling on their own. They're served with roasted red pepper-studded Greek yogurt, toasted almonds, sprouts, and sliced avocado. A squeeze of lemon brightens the whole dish.

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Rice-and-Bean Salad Bowl with Tahini Sauce

Credit: Johnny Miller
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It's the tahini-and-lemon sauce over a rice and bean salad with sliced red cabbage, avocado, roasted bell pepper, cucumber, and watercress that truly takes this vegan recipe to the next level. (Our recipe calls for making the brown rice in advance, but even if you start from scratch, you can get the whole dish on the table in under an hour.)

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Greek Mezze Salad

Credit: Armando Rafael
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This meatless dinner gathers everyone's favorite Mediterranean foods on one plate. We're talking lemony yogurt, cucumber salad, easy roasted chickpeas, and grape leaves. Make the components ahead and assemble just before dinner.

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Beet Noodles with Parsley Pesto and Parmesan

Credit: Armando Rafael
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Your most colorful dinner yet? Cutting beets into thin noodles means you can roast them in just 10 minutes. Pairing the crimson-hued "pasta" with bright-green parsley-walnut pesto makes for a striking presentation and a deliciously healthy meal.

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