Enjoy a cozy meatless dinner with these flavorful dishes that align with the Mediterranean diet. These vegetarian recipes are packed with nutritious vegetables, whole grains and legumes, which are all healthy Mediterranean diet staples. Known as one of the healthiest diets in the world, the Mediterranean diet is easily customizable and can help reduce chronic inflammation, promote healthy weight maintenance and even support mental health. Try options like our Bibimbap-Inspired Veggie Bowls or our Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Butter Beans for a nourishing meal that will leave you feeling satisfied.
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Roasted Squash Hummus Bowls
Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley
This hummus bowl offers the perfect balance of earthy, nutty and vibrant flavors while delivering plenty of anti-inflammatory benefits. You’ll fill up with a healthy dose of legumes, dark leafy greens and roasted vegetables. Use classic hummus or experiment with different flavored varieties as the base for this delicious dish.
Bibimbap-Inspired Veggie Bowls
Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley
From dark green spinach to shredded red cabbage, these plant-based bibimbap bowls offer plenty of powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. This delicious combo delivers plenty of vegetables and a wonderful balance of textures and flavors. They’re topped with a perfectly cooked fried egg and a tangy mayonnaise-based drizzle that adds richness and a satisfying creamy element to the dish.
Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Butter Beans
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Craig Huff, Prop Stylist: Abby Armstrong
Velvety butter beans are simmered in broth with plenty of garlic and Parmesan cheese, creating a rich and flavorful stew-like dinner. Served with crusty bread for dipping, it’s the perfect cozy meal to whip up on a busy evening—hearty, warm and utterly delicious.
Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
This veggie-packed tortellini soup is easy to prepare, ideal for those busy nights when you want a delicious, homemade dinner without spending hours in the kitchen. Just pair it with some crusty bread and a side salad, and you’ve got a warm, comforting dinner the whole family will love!
Cauliflower Spanakopita Melt
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower
Chopped roasted cauliflower brings a healthy, veggie-packed twist to the flavors of the Greek spinach pie, spanakopita, in this grilled cheese sandwich. We cook these sandwiches in a skillet, but if you have a sandwich press, you can use that to crisp them up instead.
Spaghetti Squash Nests with Kale, White Beans & Mushrooms
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
Cutting spaghetti squash into horizontal rings or “nests” not only cuts down on cooking time, it also makes for a fun presentation. Here, we stuff the nests with roasted mushrooms, white beans and kale for a hearty plant-based dinner.
Roasted Vegetable Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This tasty soup uses a diverse and delicious array of vegetables, supporting gut health with prebiotic ingredients like sweet potato, leeks and chickpeas, plus you get a probiotic boost from white miso. While we love the veggies in this recipe, feel free to get creative by adding winter squash or another root vegetable.
Roasted Broccoli & Kimchi Rice Bowl
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Christina Brockman
This well-rounded rice bowl is packed with fiber and probiotic foods like kimchi and yogurt to support a healthy gut. Prebiotic foods like edamame and garlic add flavor and additional gut-healthy benefits. Gochugaru is a Korean chile powder with a smoky-sweet flavor and mild heat, but you can use a combination of crushed red pepper and paprika in its place.
Veggie Wraps
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek
These wraps are packed with veggies, including zucchini, bell pepper and spinach. The vegetables cook quickly in a skillet, so you can pull together this easy dish in no time. Hummus adds plant-based protein and keeps the wrap from getting dry.
French Onion Cabbage Soup
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay
This French onion cabbage soup is a creative twist on the classic, bringing a new level of comfort to this warming soup. This version swaps out some of the onion for caramelized cabbage. The savory broth, infused with sweet onions and topped with cheesy croutons, remains just as satisfying, but with a veggie-packed twist.
Skillet Spinach, Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This casserole is the ultimate comfort food, combining hearty, wholesome ingredients with rich, savory flavors all in one skillet. The earthiness of the wild rice pairs beautifully with the meaty mushrooms, while fresh spinach adds a burst of color and nutrients. It’s the perfect balance of texture and taste—a cozy, one-pan meal that’s easy to make, which makes it even more comforting on those busy days!
Broccoli Melts
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Crisp-tender broccoli meets a layer of melted cheese inside two crispy pieces of bread for a sandwich that’s rich and creamy. These 20-minute cheese melts are the ultimate comfort food—satisfying and packed with that cheesy goodness everyone loves.
Creamy Cabbage & Sun-Dried Tomato Casserole
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
Feta, spinach and dill flavor these tofu patties. Slice some lemon wedges and pick up some whole-wheat pita bread to serve with this Greek-inspired meal.
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
This rich and creamy butternut squash mac and cheese has hints of roasted squash whirled into a cheesy sauce flavored with fresh sage for a delicious plant-based meal any day of the week.
Braised Black Lentil & Quinoa Bowls
Ali Redmond
These healthy vegetarian bowls feature black lentils braised in spices like thyme and smoked paprika. Riced cauliflower and quinoa bulk up the dish to make it satisfying for any weeknight dinner. A creamy yogurt topping finishes the recipe.
Cabbage Grilled Cheese
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
This warming grilled cheese has it all from melty cheese, tender cabbage and crispy sweet-tart apple slices. A light layer of mayonnaise on the outside of the bread is a great way to toast a grilled cheese to golden brown without having to rely on butter. We love tender, sweet Savoy cabbage, but this recipe would work with red or green cabbage as well.
Slow-Cooker Kale & White Bean Stew
Ali Redmond
Warm up to a hearty bowl of soup made with winter vegetables and protein-rich white beans. Comforting spices like oregano and thyme build flavor, while Parmesan provides an irresistibly savory finish.
Spiced Couscous-Stuffed Peppers
Courtesy Photo
These spiced stuffed peppers are flavorful, filling little packages that will make any plant or meat eater happy. There’s something deeply satisfying about making a delicious pilaf-style filling of couscous and lentils to tuck inside juicy bell peppers. To take things up a notch, drizzle everything with a fresh cucumber yogurt sauce.
Braised Lentils & Kale with Fried Eggs
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Braised lentils are cooked with tender kale and bathed in a fire-roasted tomato broth with an egg on top to pack in the protein. Microwaveable lentils need just a short time in the pan to finish cooking. We like how the soft, runny yolk coats the dish.
Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole
Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee
This broccoli-quinoa casserole makes a hearty vegetarian main dish. As the quinoa absorbs water and cooks, it creates the perfect amount of steam for cooking the broccoli. The broccoli is crisp-tender and adds texture to contrast with the creamy, cheesy quinoa.
One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
Antonis Achilleos
This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body. If you avoid cheese made with rennet, look for vegetarian Parmesan cheese, which is made without it.
