Food Comfort Foods 30 Meatless Main Dish Recipes for Weeknight Meals By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 22, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Chantell and Brett Quernemen Veggie, beans and grains make a nutritious meatless main dish in bowls, pizza, pasta, salads, frittata, quiches and more. 01 of 30 Butternut 'Ravioli' with Brown Butter and Sage Brie Goldman These almost-handmade ravioli are filled with maple-kissed butternut squash and topped with crispy sage leaves. Thanks to wonton wrappers, they're a surprisingly easy-to-make meat-free dinner. View Recipe 02 of 30 Cauliflower Chickpea Bowl with Cilantro Yogurt Carson Downing Load up on nutrients (and flavor) with this healthful, all-in-one weeknight dinner starring cauliflower and chickpeas. Top Vegetarian Recipes View Recipe 03 of 30 Tomatoey Parmesan Beans Chantell and Brett Quernemen This sleeper hit of a weeknight dinner comes from Food Network star Molly Yeh's cookbook Home is Where the Eggs Are—and is basically a vehicle for Parmesan and garlic toast. Molly Yeh Chats About Her New Cookbook, Restaurant and Why You Should Visit East Grand Forks View Recipe 04 of 30 Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpea Soup) Carson Downing This meat-free meal will nourish your body and satisfy your soul. Vegans can omit the sprinkle of cheese on top and use toasted panko breadcrumbs instead. View Recipe 05 of 30 Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes and Lentils Brie Passano This is a lazy Sunday—or tired Tuesday—recipe from chef Abra Berens' book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Don't be alarmed by cooking beans this long. Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth and skipping the Parmesan. Hearty Vegetable Recipes from Midwest Chef Abra Berens View Recipe 06 of 30 Smoked Mozzarella and Kale Lasagna Brie Goldman Kale lends a bit of a chew to this memorable meat-free lasagna. Smoked mozzarella and lemon zest add even more to the deliciousness between no-bake noodles. View Recipe 07 of 30 Verde Con Maize Pizza Carson Downing When life leaves you one lonely ear of sweet corn, make this pizza, topped with green salsa, corn and goat cheese. It's a favorite at Millsap Farm's Pizza Club parties in Springfield, Missouri. Homemade Pizza Recipes View Recipe 08 of 30 Fresh Tomato Tart Rachel Marek / Kelsey Moylan When it's summer, this can be your go-to meatless main (or an appetizer). Garden-ripe tomatoes team with fresh basil to make a cheesy tart. Summer-Fresh Tomato Recipes View Recipe 09 of 30 Baked Stuffed Zucchini Savory cremini and nutty porcini mushrooms, along with cheese, soft bread crumbs and herbs, fill zucchini to make a hearty dish for a meatless Monday. Easy Zucchini Recipes View Recipe 10 of 30 Curried Cauliflower Apple Melt Carson Downing Glam up your grilled cheese with curry mayonnaise, skillet-roasted cauliflower, and sweet apple—it's a delicious combo that's far more than the sum of its parts. Creative Cauliflower Recipes View Recipe 11 of 30 Roasted Mushrooms con Queso Tamales Kevin Miyazaki Tamales often feature meaty fillings, but this earthy recipe from chef Jorge Guzmán of Petite León in Minneapolis is vegetarian. The dark color comes from huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn and has been used in Mexican cooking for centuries. (You can buy it canned online or at some Mexican markets.) Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales View Recipe 12 of 30 Green Veggie Pasta Brie Passano Go green with three superfood veggies—collard greens, asparagus, and peas. It's delicious as a meat-free meal, but if you like, add some ham for extra flavor and protein. View Recipe 13 of 30 Tomato Galette Tender Parmesan-pepper pastry cradles heirloom tomatoes, shallots, goat cheese and fresh herbs in a fold-over tart that's ideal for weekend brunch. Serve it warm or at room temperature, though the leftovers taste great cold—if you have any! View Recipe 14 of 30 Risotto with Asparagus and Shiitakes Carson Downing Tender asparagus cozies up with brothy rice with mushrooms, chives, and Parmesan in this luxurious risotto. Pair it with a glass of white wine and a chunk of crusty bread. Asparagus Recipes You'll Love View Recipe 15 of 30 Roasted Pear Salad with Farro and Arugula Carson Downing This creamy, whole-grain salad earned raves in our test kitchen. It's hardy enough to be a meatless main, or enjoy it as a festive side dish or cold-weather potluck star. View Recipe 16 of 30 Zucchini and Feta Frittata Carson Downing Although you can eat it warm, this fresh frittata can also be a make-ahead brunch dish. Serving it at room temperature means the salad on top won't wilt (and your cooking work is done before the guests arrive). Easy Frittata Recipes View Recipe 17 of 30 Grilled Portobellos Doug Heiken, a winter griller in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, prefers his meals meatless, so he especially likes grilling vegetables. Big, meaty portobello mushrooms fit naturally on a grill rack. To serve, the grilled portobello mushrooms can be eaten like steaks, sliced and tossed with pasta, or served in a salad, rolled in tortillas with grilled red sweet peppers, or slipped between slices of grilled focaccia or in sandwich buns. View Recipe 18 of 30 Winter Squash, Mushrooms and Arugula with Parmesan Brie Passano This dish hovers between stir-fry and salad —both light and wholesomely satisfying. Chef Abra Berens cooks squash and mushrooms in a skillet, developing great caramelization in minutes. The recipe comes from her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. View Recipe 19 of 30 Heirloom Tomato and Onion Quiche Rachel Marek / Kelsey Moylan Serve this savory egg pie with a mixed greens salad for brunch or a light dinner. Quiche Recipes You'll Love View Recipe 20 of 30 Mushroom-Arugula Pizza Carson Downing Pizza night just got an upgrade. Use purchased fresh pizza dough for ease and top it with fresh mushrooms and peppery arugula. View Recipe 21 of 30 Arugula-Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs Carson Downing When you're not in the mood for lentil soup, put the quick-cooking pulse to good use in this nutritious, meat-free salad. Sensational Salad Recipes View Recipe 22 of 30 Peperonata with Potatoes and Egg Brie Passano This classic Italian braised-pepper stew freezes beautifully. Abra Berens suggests heaping it over potatoes (or even pasta, polenta or couscous) and topping it with a poached or boiled egg. This recipe is from her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. View Recipe 23 of 30 Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant Carson Downing Eat this peak-summer dish as a side or a meatless main. Eggplant and bell peppers are grilled au naturel—all the fun comes in the finish, when the vegetables are showered in mint, basil and peanuts and drizzled liberally with a sauce called nuoc cham. View Recipe 24 of 30 Roasted Broccoli with Wheat Berries, Blue Cheese and Cranberries Brie Passano The birds fly south. The bears hibernate. Where does broccoli salad go for the winter? Right here, says Abra Berens in her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Enjoy it fresh from the oven and at your desk the next day. View Recipe 25 of 30 Mexican Sweet Potato-Veggie Medley Create a meatless main dish in minutes by sauteing sweet potatoes, then adding canned corn and black beans. Top with a chipotle-flavor sour cream, avocado slices and fresh cilantro. Sizzling Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes View Recipe 26 of 30 Chard and Sweet Potato Frittata Breakfast, brunch or dinner—this colorful meat-free frittata is a 30-minute meal that tastes nutritiously delicious any time. View Recipe 27 of 30 Crisp Portobello Mushroom and Spring Carrot Salad Goat cheese and chives top golden skillet-cooked mushrooms and cooked carrots in this recipe from Sarah Stegner of Chicago. Homemade honey-mustard vinaigrette adds a pleasing tang. View Recipe 28 of 30 Sweet Corn Pizza Cutting fresh corn from the cob is a must for these cheery summer pizzas. It adds flavor and texture that you can't get from canned or frozen corn. Beyond that, feel free to play: There's lots of room for improvisation in the varieties of pesto, cheese or veggies used. View Recipe 29 of 30 Baby Spinach Salad with Cumin Couscous and Bulgur Grain salads can sometimes be a bit heavy, but this one is surprisingly light-tasting, thanks to a tangy yogurt-mint dressing, crisp apple chunks and fresh spinach. Hearty, Healthy Salad Recipes View Recipe 30 of 30 Mushroom-Lentil Meatless Shepherd's Pie Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms are rich in umami —the savory flavor our brains associate with meat. We used both in our shepherd's pie, a low-fat, high-fiber, 'tater-topped casserole that delivers 100 percent of your daily comfort. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit