52 Meatless Dinner Ideas To Feed Your Whole Family

These plant-based meatballs are light and fluffy on the inside with a crunchy outside. Serve them on top of your favorite pasta tossed with your go-to sauce. These are also great for serving with other vegan snacks as an appetizer!

Recipe: Ricotta Zucchini "Meatballs"

This BBQ jackfruit pizza is the perfect BBQ chicken alternative that'll satisfy every hungry mouth in your household. If you're looking to spice it up even more, you can create an assortment of toppings and mini crusts so everyone in your family can customize their own vegan pizza!

Recipe: Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Pizza

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. This is also great for meal prepping! Just split the dish into equal-sized portions to have lunch or dinner ready for the week.

Recipe: 20-Minute Lentil Bolognese

This peanut noodle pasta salad is the perfect pasta dish to serve at any summer barbecue you plan on throwing this warm season with your family. Jam-packed full of micronutrients, this side dish is sure to fill you up on its on or a great addition to a salad.

Recipe: Peanut Noodle Pasta Salad

A riff on the Chinese takeout classic, this saucy orange tofu is actually deceptively easy to make. Thanks to your handy air fryer, it gets crunchy on the outside while remaining chewy on the inside. Add this as a protein to a noodle or salad dish, or enjoy on its own.

Recipe: Crispy Orange Air Fryer Tofu

You could always bake these homemade falafel in the oven, but for the ultimate crispy exterior, frying them in oil is the way to go. Add these to a garlic pita and enjoy with tzatziki sauce for a yummy Mediterranean meal.

Recipe: Crispy Falafel

In under two hours, this soup could be yours. Most of the time is dedicated to roasting the tomatoes, but if you can also roast them 24 hours in advance if you just want tot come home to a warm bowl of tomato soup. Pair with grilled cheese for the ultimate comfort food meal.

Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup

Even in the summer, there's nothing better than a hearty bowl of curry noodle soup to keep your family pleasantly delighted with this meatless dinner.

Recipe: Curry Noodle 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

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 to create the delicious flavor your family will love.

Recipe: Whole Braised Cauliflower with Salsa Verde Orzo

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

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

This hearty summer vegetable minestrone soup is filled to the brim with plenty of filling vegetables that even the kids in your family will love because they're just too tasty.

Recipe: Summer Vegetable Minestrone Soup

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 halfway to dinner.

Recipe: 30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Skillet

You won't even miss the meat when you cut into these rich and creamy tortillas, which are filled with a spiced mixture of rice, sweet potatoes, and black beans — then topped with red enchilada sauce.

Recipe: Veggie Enchiladas

Who needs chicken parm when you could have eggplant parm? Seriously, thiis dish is so delicious you'l be wondering why you haven't been making it this whole time. Plus, you'll be shocked that this crispy eggplant — breaded, then baked from start to finish — isn't fried in oil.

Recipe: Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Cauliflower is my all-time favorite substitute for recipes that are traditionally made with chicken. This Chinese-inspired dish is no exception. Cauliflower gets roasted in the oven until crispy, then tossed in a thick and spicy sauce on the stove top.

Recipe: Kung Pao Cauliflower

Lasagna is one of the ultimate comfort foods, and this recipe is guaranteed to bring even the biggest carnivores comfort. These little lasagna roll-ups are not only pretty cute, but also satisfying, decked in layers of cheese. In under an hour, they could be yours!

Recipe: Spinach-Artichoke Lasagna Roll-ups

If you've never made pot stickers from scratch, it's actually quite easy and a fun family dinner or date night idea. Start with store-bought dumpling wrappers and fill them with a mixture of veggies, ginger, chives, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Recipe: Homemade Vegetable Pot Stickers

Curry is one of my go-to vegetarian meals. It's good for you and filling, and you can customize it with any of your favorite vegetables.

Recipe: Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry

Add some tofu for extra protein if you're feeling hungry, but this sweet-meets-savory Thai noodle dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Recipe: Veggie Pad Thai with Peanuts and Basil

If you don't follow a vegan diet, you can make this vegetable-based tikka masala with half-and-half or full-fat yogurt for extra creaminess.

Recipe: Instant Pot Cauliflower Tikka Masala

Dredged in milk, panko, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder, these cauliflower florets boast a crunchy exterior and a nice kick. Just don't forget the blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Recipe: Baked Buffalo Cauliflower

A combination of sweet potatoes, quinoa, and red lentils makes these meatless patties taste and feel similar to classic hamburgers. Serve them on buns with your favorite toppings.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Turn your average weeknight into a pizza party. Instead of pizza dough, I love using store-bought naan and adding toppings for a quick and easy family-friendly meal.

Recipe: Garlic Roasted Tomato and Spinach Flatbread

This veggie-packed lasagna takes advantage of fall's best produce, like mushrooms, leeks, kale, and squash. It's easy enough to make on a weeknight but special enough to save for date night or your next dinner party.

Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

"Gremolata" is basically a fancy word for a simple mix of garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs. Sprinkled on top of this white bean soup with a drizzle of good olive oil, it takes your meal to the next level.

Recipe: Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale and Gremolata