40 Vegetarian And Pescatarian Recipes For Anyone Cutting Back On Meat

Pair with grilled cheese for the ultimate comfort food meal.

Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup

This seafood pasta is so simple you only need a handful of basic ingredients. The creamy, spicy bang bang sauce calls for just mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt), sweet Thai chili sauce, lime juice, and Sriracha.

Recipe: Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta

Give this takeout classic a sophisticated, homemade twist with the help of lump crab meat. Add in any of your favorite diced veggies and plenty of garlic, and toss it all in fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce.

Recipe: Garlic Crab Fried Rice

Pro tip: prepare the mushroom mixture in advance and store it in the fridge for a few hours before shaping and baking the meatballs. It results in a firmer, more satisfying "meaty" texture.

Recipe: Mushroom Meatballs

These crispy-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside fish patties are made with baked, chopped salmon, shallot, Dijon mustard, almond flour, egg, and lots of herbs. Serve them in lettuce wraps, on a bed of rice, or on buns.

Recipe: Salmon Burgers With Avocado Garlic Sauce

Packed with white beans, canned green chiles, corn, onion, and bell pepper, this vegetarian soup is still seriously hearty. Plus, it freezes perfectly so you can make a big batch and store it away for lazy nights.

Recipe: White Bean Enchilada Soup

This 10-minute peanut sauce made with creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, and garlic is pretty much life changing. Don't have rice noodles on hand? Use spaghetti, udon, or even instant ramen noodles.

Recipe: 10-Minute Peanut Sauce Rice Noodles

Jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with a mixture of spinach and ricotta cheese, nestled in a bed of tomato sauce, and baked until bubbly and melty.

Recipe: Easy Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Fish is dredged in a mixture of flour and spices so it develops a nice brown crust when pan-seared. Serve it with this easy pan sauce made with lemon, butter, capers, parsley, and garlic.

Recipe: Pan Seared Cod With Caper Parsley and Lemon Sauce

Instead of calling for sliced beef like a traditional stroganoff, this vegetarian-friendly version uses baby bella mushrooms simmered in a umami-packed gravy.

Recipe: Mushroom Stroganoff

You can make these light and fresh spring rolls with pretty much whatever protein you have on hand. Use firm tofu, smoked salmon, shrimp, canned tuna, or keep things simple with sliced avocado.

Recipe: Salmon Spring Rolls

The absolute best thing about tacos is that you can fill them with anything. Grab whatever veggies you have in your kitchen (like diced sweet potato and cauliflower), toss them with spices, and roast them until crispy.

Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Tacos

Looking for a dinner that's super satisfying and works perfectly as leftovers? This one's for you. Orzo is simmered in vegetable broth, shallots, garlic, and sage, then it's combined with kale and roasted winter squash.

Recipe: Creamy Orzo With Roasted Butternut Squash

This creamy seafood chowder tastes amazing with just about whatever fish or shellfish you have on hand — from clams and shrimp to cod and crab meat.

Recipe: Rustic Seafood Soup

Pan-seared and never fried, this fish gets seriously crispy and blackened thanks to a spice rub of paprika, brown sugar, garlic and onion powder, cumin, and chili powder. Serve the fish in tortillas or over rice — burrito bowl style — with all your favorite taco toppings.

Recipe: Blackened Fish Tacos With Avocado Sauce

Put down the take-out menu and whip up this 20-minute lo mein from scratch, using whatever veggies you have on hand. If you need some more protein, add tofu, shrimp, or salmon.

Recipe: Vegetable Lo Mein

This Indian-inspired dish swaps cauliflower for chicken to create a vegetarian meal that's packed with flavor. You'll want to serve this with basmati rice or naan to soak up all the spicy, fragrant cream sauce.

Recipe: Butter Cauliflower

This eggplant Parmesan is baked from start to finish, so there's no deep frying required. The eggplant rounds are breaded, baked until crispy, then layered with cheese and marinara sauce and finished in the oven.

Recipe: Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Slightly sweet butter shrimp and rice noodles are tossed in a zesty, salty, slightly spicy pad Thai sauce. The result is, dare I say, even more satisfying than the take-out version.

Recipe: Garlic Butter Shrimp Pad Thai

This Korean rice dish is made with a handful of fresh and pickled vegetables and a runny fried egg. Get creative and use whatever is in your kitchen.

Recipe: Vegetable Bibimbap

This family friendly fish dinner is best served DIY style: arrange the cod with toasted pita bread, lots of chopped veggies, and spreads, then let everyone assemble their own creation.

Recipe: Gyro-Style Grilled Cod

You won't miss the ground beef when it comes to this savory lentil-packed tomato sauce. It comes together in one pan in about 20 minutes. Just toss it with your favorite cooked pasta and enjoy.

Recipe: 20-Minute Lentil Bolognese

You can swap the cauliflower rice for whatever grains you like best. Or just heat up tortillas on the very same sheet pan and enjoy this shrimp and veggies as fajitas.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajita Bowls

This buffalo sauce comes together with just a handful of ingredients you probably already have in your fridge. Lather the sauce onto the salmon, bake it in the oven, and top with crumbled blue cheese and chopped chives.

Recipe: Buffalo Baked Salmon

When it's cold outside, nothing hits the spot like tortellini soup. And best of all, this recipe comes together entirely in the slow cooker so you can set it, forget it, and wait for dinner time.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Tortellini Minestrone Soup

Making crab cakes from scratch couldn't be easier. Try serving these baked patties over salad or in little sliders with tartar sauce.

Recipe: Maryland-Style Crab Cakes

Hearty, creamy, and exceptionally easy, this wild rice and mushroom soup is everything you're looking for in a cozy winter dish.

Recipe: Instant Pot Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Despite the fact that they're baked in the oven, this breaded fish still manages to get delightfully crunchy on the outside. The interior, though, remains flaky and light. Try this recipe with any fleshy white fish like cod, hake, or halibut.

Recipe: One-Pan Baked Fish and Chips

The great thing about curry is that it's so versatile. Use shrimp or leave the seafood out completely and load your pot with a bunch of vegetables like sweet potato, cauliflower, or broccoli. You can also add canned chickpeas for some extra protein.

Recipe: Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

Stuff these bell peppers with your favorite grain (quinoa, rice, or even couscous), sautéed onions, lots of spices, diced tomatoes, and a healthy serving of shredded cheese.

Recipe: Vegetarian Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers

Creamy spinach dip meets indulgent mac 'n' cheese in this comfort food mash-up that the whole family will devour.

Recipe: Creamed Spinach Mac 'n' Cheese

Packed with plenty of veggies and a medley of kidney beans, black beans, and chickpeas, this filling chili will stick to your ribs and warm you right up. Top it with anything from tortilla chips and shredded cheese to diced jalapeños and sour cream.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Three-Bean Chili

This salmon pasta is easy enough to throw together on any old weeknight but elegant enough for a special occasion. Make things easier on yourself by picking up a jar of your favorite store bought pesto.

Recipe: Salmon Pesto Pasta

This shrimp scampi cooks in a single pot. In fact, you don't even have to boil water for the orzo. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Recipe: Garlic Orzo Shrimp Scampi

This one-skillet recipe comes together with pantry ingredients you might already have on hand. Grab some canned white beans, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, and marinated artichoke hearts and you're half way to dinner.

Recipe: 30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Skillet