23 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight
Lemony Lentil & Chard Soup
This satisfying lemony bowlful was inspired by the lentil soup served at the now-closed Lebanese restaurant La Shish in West Bloomfield, Michigan. It keeps well but will thicken, so you may want to thin it with a bit of water or broth when reheating. Serve with warm whole-wheat pita. View Recipe
Cauliflower Tikka Masala with Chickpeas
In this vegetarian riff on a popular Indian dish, we swap in cauliflower and chickpeas for the chicken in tikka masala. The cauliflower's nooks and crannies are particularly good at soaking up all the intense flavors of the sauce. Serve over rice for an easy healthy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes. View Recipe
One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
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. View Recipe
Cheesy Marinara Beans
This ooey-gooey dish has baked-pasta vibes but features protein-packed beans instead of noodles. Look for dried corona beans, a larger, creamy white bean, at natural-foods stores or online. Cannellini are a good substitute. Serve with a green salad and toasted baguette. View Recipe
Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Wild Rice Hash
Cooking this hash in cast iron ensures you'll get crusty bits, but any nonstick skillet will work fine. Serve with your favorite hot sauce. View Recipe
White Bean Soup with Pasta
We use mirepoix—a combination of onion, celery and carrots—to flavor this soup. Keep a store-bought bag of the mixture in your freezer to ensure you always have some on hand without worrying about it going bad. View Recipe
Cannellini Bean & Herbed Ricotta Toast
Herbed ricotta toast gets topped with cannellini beans and roasted red peppers for a colorful, tasty open-face sandwich. View Recipe
3-Ingredient Teriyaki Edamame Sauté
Whip up this high-fiber, plant-based stir-fry for a quick and convenient dinner. Look for bottled teriyaki sauce labeled less sodium or reduced sodium to cut back on the salt without sacrificing flavor. View Recipe
Pantry Peanut Noodles
Choose your own adventure with these noodles! They're delicious with peanut butter and tahini alike. Plus, you can use whatever frozen vegetables you have on hand and finish the dish off with any herbs still thriving in your garden or hanging out in your crisper. View Recipe
Black Bean & Slaw Bagel
This easy open-face sandwich recipe uses a jalape?o-Cheddar bagel, but a plain bagel would work just as well. Top each bagel half with black beans and fresh slaw for a satisfying bite. View Recipe
Egg-in-a-Hole Fried Quinoa
We used quinoa to bump up the fiber and protein in this stir-fry-inspired dish. Rather than making an omelet or stirring in the eggs as you would for fried rice, we cook them in divots right in the veggie-filled quinoa for a fun presentation. Opt for a flat skillet over a wok so you have plenty of room to nestle in the eggs. View Recipe
3-Ingredient Cheese Tortellini with Tomatoes & Basil
This Italian-inspired dish is made with just three ingredients—roasted tomatoes, tortellini and fresh basil—to create a delicious, easy dinner. Roasting the cherry tomatoes coaxes out their natural sweetness. It's worth the time—trust us! View Recipe
3-Ingredient White Bean & Pesto Risotto
Amp up the protein and flavor of a box of risotto by adding some roasted white beans and prepared pesto. You'll be amazed how delicious it is when you combine these three easy ingredients! View Recipe
Chickpea & Kale Toast
This healthy toast recipe combines chickpeas, kale and feta for a savory bite. View Recipe
3-Ingredient Refried Bean & Pico de Gallo Tostadas
Making your own tostadas is easy. Use store-bought corn tortillas, brush them with olive oil and bake to crunchy perfection! Here we topped the tostada with refried beans and fresh pico de gallo for an easy 3-ingredient meal. View Recipe
Cauliflower Gnocchi with Asparagus & Pesto
While the cauliflower gnocchi crisp up in a sauté pan, steam fresh asparagus in the microwave to keep it bright green and crisp-tender. Substitute frozen asparagus (or green beans or peas) in a pinch. Toss them together with prepared basil pesto for a satisfying supper. View Recipe
3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad
Bagged salad and slaw blends are great shortcut ingredients for adding variety without needing to wash and chop lots of different vegetables. Toss a kale-and-broccoli slaw mix with canned white beans and yogurt-based green goddess dressing for a crunchy main-dish salad in minutes. View Recipe
Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Soup with Chickpea Croutons
Bulk up boxed butternut squash soup with frozen cauliflower florets, then top off your bowl with crispy chickpea snacks for major crunch (look for them near the dried fruit and nuts at your grocery store). This impressively easy dinner comes together with just those three ingredients, not including salt, pepper and oil. Because prepared soups are typically higher in sodium, look for light or reduced-sodium versions of your favorites. View Recipe
3-Ingredient Goat Cheese Pasta with Broccoli
Swap out regular pasta for pasta made with chickpeas and you'll more than triple the fiber and double the protein in this simple, satisfying dish. Be sure to save some of the pasta water to make a sauce. Feel free to use frozen broccoli in a pinch (you can blanch the broccoli in the same water you use to cook the pasta). View Recipe
Lentil Curry with Cauliflower Rice
Combine precooked lentils (often located in the produce section of your grocery store) with an Indian-style simmer sauce for a super-fast and flavorful curry. Serving it over riced cauliflower bumps up the vegetable count and keeps carb servings in check. This 3-ingredient dinner (not counting salt, pepper and oil) is really as easy as it gets. To be mindful of the salt, look for simmer sauces with less than or close to 350 mg sodium per ?-cup serving. View Recipe
One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach
This hearty vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle extra heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for a bigger punch of flavor. View Recipe
Kale & Roasted Sweet Potato Hash
This one-pan hash makes an easy fall dinner or a simple dish for a healthy brunch. You can even poach the eggs ahead of time--slip them into steaming-hot water to rewarm them just before serving. View Recipe
Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach
Simmer eggs in a rich tomatoey cream sauce studded with chickpeas and silky spinach for a super-fast vegetarian dinner. Serve with a piece of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Be sure to use heavy cream; a lower-fat option might curdle when mixed with acidic tomatoes. View Recipe
These low-cost meals will help you stretch your paycheck and enjoy something healthy for dinner. From lemony soup to cozy pasta, there's a little something for everyone in this mix of meatless recipes. Ingredients like lentils (a personal favorite here at EatingWell), pasta, eggs and sweet potatoes make these meals filling and affordable. Recipes like our Lemony Lentil Chard Soup and Cauliflower Tikka Masala with Chickpeas are delicious ways to end your day.