Food
30+ Healthy & Hearty Vegetarian Dishes To Bookmark Now
Published on February 19, 2021
If one of your 2021 resolutions is to go vegetarian or just incorporate more veggies into your recipe repertoire, we’ve got you covered. From hearty salads to flavor-packed noodles (and yes, even vegan jackfruit tacos), try these 33 healthy vegetarian dishes before the year is over.
Stuffed Eggplant In Curry & Coconut Dal
You can make the whole dish a day ahead, up until before it goes into the oven, then chill in the fridge and just bring to room temperature before warming up.
Get the recipe for Stuffed Eggplant In Curry & Coconut Dal.
Golden Tagliatelle & Greens
A gorgeously fragrant pasta with the flavors of a coconut curry and a secret base of sweet carrot juice.
Get the recipe for Golden Tagliatelle & Greens.
Autumn Farro Salad
This autumn salad holds the essence of fresh and local ingredients, laced with a bouquet of fragrant herbs and olive oil.
Get the recipe for Autumn Farro Salad.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Brown Butter Honey Sauce
This sweet potato gnocchi is easy to make and incredibly delicious! Inspired by Honey, the KitchenAid 2021 Color of the Year, this recipe is an invitation to experience the sweetness that is born from simple pleasures like cooking together at home.
Get the recipe for Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Brown Butter Honey Sauce.
Cinnamony Smoky Eggplant P’titim
Quick-cooking and absorbent, p’titim a.k.a. “Israeli couscous” soaks up any sauce you throw its way.
Get the recipe for Cinnamony Smoky Eggplant P’titim.
Roasted Tomato Soup
This light and fresh tomato soup is just a simple purée, but it’s packed with flavor and has a velvety texture. Pair it with a classic grilled cheese for a delectable meal.
Get the recipe for Roasted Tomato Soup.
Charred Cauliflower & Shishito Peppers
“Eating shishitos is like playing Russian Roulette: most are mild, but one in 10 is hot,” says food blogger and TV personality Abbey Sharp. “They pair really nicely with mild cauliflower and the sweet, spicy harissa honey dressing. Plus, the little bit of garlic panko on top adds a nice crunch.”
Get the recipe for Charred Cauliflower & Shishito Peppers.
Heirloom Tomato Galette
“This is my take on that first home-cooked meal with my future in-laws,” says chef Mary Berg. “My mother-in-law whipped up this mile-high tomato pie that was so perfectly sweet and buttery.”
Get the recipe for Heirloom Tomato Galette.
Savory Swiss Chard & Mushroom Bundles
There’s a chance you may have a vegetarian at your next dinner party: here’s a substantial, elegant side dish that everyone can enjoy.
Get the recipe for Savory Swiss Chard & Mushroom Bundles.
Eggplant, Chickpea & Tomato Bake
This is a vegetarian take on the hearty, humble, healthful and completely delicious sheet-pan dish, moussaka.
Get the recipe for Eggplant, Chickpea & Tomato Bake.
Herbed Mushroom & Camembert Skillet
“Rather than make you go to all of the trouble of setting up a fondue pot and carefully adding cheese to bubbling white wine, I offer you my cheater’s version,” says chef Mary Berg.
Get the recipe for Herbed Mushroom & Camembert Skillet.
Charred Carrots With Za’atar Oat Crumble & Feta
This recipe calls for cranking the oven up to 450°F and giving the carrots some serious color and then showering them with a crunchy spicy oat crumble. Some salty feta rounds out the dish. Best thing of all? It comes together around 30 minutes.
Get the recipe for Charred Carrots With Za’atar Oat Crumble & Feta.
Marak Katom With Crunchy Seeds & Harissa
Take all of the delicious orange vegetables of the season, combine them to your liking and blend to create a soup that’s good hot or cold, plain or accessorized with nuts and other goodies.
Get the recipe for Marak Katom With Crunchy Seeds & Harissa.
Pad Kee Mao
This dish has the nickname “drunken noodles” because it’s a favorite after-the-bar late-night snack in Thailand. The combination of sugar, soy and oyster sauce makes a perfect, crave-worthy sauce. This version is vegetarian, but it’s also delicious with sliced beef, chicken or shrimp.
Get the recipe for Pad Kee Mao.
Pulled Jackfruit Tacos
Looking for a new meat alternative? Try cooking with the latest hot ingredient: jackfruit. An age-old staple in South Asian cooking, it’s suddenly appearing on menus everywhere. Young, green jackfruit has a neutral taste on its own, but when cooked in something saucy, it soaks up flavors and has the look and texture of shredded meat. Foodies are using the healthy fruit in everything from sandwiches to tacos.
Get the recipe for Pulled Jackfruit Tacos.
Braised Fennel, Orange & Black Olive Tart
Vegetables like fennel are quick-braised, meaning still-cooked in liquid but for a shorter amount of time than meat and usually on the stovetop. This tart combines the brightness of oranges with the brininess of olives, plus a licorice hit from the fennel.
Get the recipe for Braised Fennel, Orange & Black Olive Tart.
Soy- & Hot Honey-Glazed Faux Chicken Sandwich
Chickenless chicken is this year’s version of the meatless burger. Even grocery giants like Loblaws are getting in the game with their own iterations of plant-based “chicken.” Our recipe uses faux chicken breasts glazed with a soy and hot honey sauce, all topped with a crisp slaw.
Get the recipe for Soy- & Hot Honey-Glazed Faux Chicken Sandwich.
Quick Charred Cabbage Salad
“This is so easy,” says chef and restauranteur Fred Morin. “Just char chunks of cabbage, and when they’re piping hot, you throw them in the dressing. I love that it tastes exactly like egg rolls.”
Get the recipe for Quick Charred Cabbage Salad.
Toasted Farro With Corn & Squash
Satisfy yourself with a toothsome grain and sautéed vegetable salad served on creamy labneh.
Get the recipe for Toasted Farro With Corn & Squash.
Smoky Stir-Fried Vegetable Chow Mein
Yes, you can make chow mein on the barbecue! Alternatively, you can make it on the stovetop, too. Serve it beside cauliflower wings for an Asian feast.
Get the recipe for Smoky Stir-Fried Vegetable Chow Mein.
Shakshuka
If you like your eggs with hot sauce or salsa, you’ll love shakshuka. The eggs are half baked, half poached in a spicy tomato sauce and topped with fresh herbs and briny cheese. If you don’t have a 12-inch skillet, use a smaller pan and reduce the number of eggs to four.
Get the recipe for Shakshuka.
Swiss Chard & Roasted Vegetable Galette
A galette is a free-form French pie and is a great way to serve a crowd. Roasting the root vegetables adds a wonderful savory kick to this dinner pie.
Get the recipe for Swiss Chard & Roasted Vegetable Galette.
Tomato Goat Cheese Tart With Basil Salad
This rustic pie studded with cherry tomatoes is served with loose basil salad, a not to pesto.
Get the recipe for Tomato Goat Cheese Tart With Basil Salad.
French Bistro Salad
This mustardy potato and bean salad is topped with egg, making it hearty enough for a stand-alone meal.
Get the recipe for French Bistro Salad.
Asparagus Grabiche Taco
Grabiche is similar to mayonnaise, but made with hard-boiled eggs instead of raw and big-flavored ingredients like capers, gherkins and tarragon, drizzled over grilled asparagus. Add lots of fresh herbs. Dill is a great option if you prefer it to tarragon.
Get the recipe for Asparagus Grabiche Taco.
Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi
“This is something our grandmother used to make on special occasions like Christmas or Easter,” says Angela Marotta, co-founder of award-winning winery, Two Sisters Vineyards. “You can make these light and fluffy gnudi as big or as small as you like, but we like them a bit larger so everyone gets one.”
Get the recipe for Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi.
Pasta Rags With Pan-Roasted Mushrooms & Miso Butter
Once your pasta is rolled out, simply cut into random shapes and sizes. Once cooked, it folds into itself, beautifully capturing sauce in the crevices.
Get our recipe for Pasta Rags With Pan-Roasted Mushrooms & Miso Butter.
Roasted Eggplant With Zhoug
“I went to Israel for the first time last year and was blown away by the food,” says Instagram-famous baker Philip Haddad. “This dish was inspired by that trip. You can serve [the eggplant] hot or at room temperature, so it can be made in advance.”
Get the recipe for Roasted Eggplant With Zhoug.
Zucchini “Spaghetti” With Charred Tomato Salsa
Health-conscious chefs and home cooks are using spiralized vegetables instead of noodles. This delectable dish is adapted from chef David Lee’s recipe at Planta restaurant.
Get the recipe for Zucchini “Spaghetti” With Charred Tomato Salsa.
Panzanella-ish
Fans of the classic Italian bread and tomato salad will love this fresh update with sweet watermelon and a rich vinaigrette.
Get the recipe for Panzanella-ish.
Grilled Zucchini With Fennel Fronds & Toasted Hazelnuts
“This is a really good recipe to serve family-style at a barbecue because it can sit out and only gets better the longer it marinates,” says Brooklyn artist-turned-blogger Julia Sherman. “Using a charcoal grill will give it a nice smoky taste.”
Get this recipe for Grilled Zucchini With Fennel Fronds & Toasted Hazelnuts.
Best Of Both Worlds Kale Caesar
Rich, garlicky and good for you? When you can take something as unctuous as a Caesar salad and make it healthy, you have a true winner. This is the ultimate guilt-free-ish Caesar salad. Avocado is substituted for the egg, Tuscan kale replaces romaine, while superfoods come in the form of pepitas, sunflower seeds and whole-grain bread. Shaved Parmesan adds the essential umami, and some crispy capers layer in the crunch.
Get the recipe for Best Of Both Worlds Kale Caesar.
Harissa Carrots With Crispy Chickpeas
Carrots are the surprise star of sous vide cooking. Their vacuum seal keeps all their sugars and flavors locked in, and the texture is the definition of tender-crisp.
Get the recipe for Harissa Carrots With Crispy Chickpeas.