18 Plant-Based Dinner Recipes That Are Quick and Delicious Here's how to make a healthy meatless meal fast. Close Credit: Lennart Weibull If you're trying to eat better—for yourself and for the planet—you'll want to add more plant-based dinner recipes to your diet. We all know that eating more plant-based meals is important, but what exactly are they? A plant-based diet involves eating vegetables, grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes, which results in many vegan meals. But they can also be vegetarian and include dairy, eggs, and other animal-based foods. It's surprisingly easy to maintain a plant-based diet. If a vegan lifestyle isn't for you (rest assured, you are not alone!), know that just cutting back on animal-based foods is a great place to start. Prioritize having one or two plant-based meals every week, and use these quick and easy dinner ideas to get started. All of these plant-based dinner recipes can be made in 45 minutes or less. 20 Plant-Based Breakfast Ideas That Will Jumpstart Your Mornings 01 of 18 Vibrant-Green Broccoli Curry Credit: Frank Frances Creamy but dairy-free, this comforting tofu-and-broccoli curry uses coconut milk and green curry paste as a shortcut to making a rich sauce. Serve it over brown rice for a hearty dinner.  View Recipe 02 of 18 One-Pan Pasta Credit: Maxwell Cozzi A fan-favorite, this magical tomato pasta cooks in 20 minutes in one pan and tastes sublime. Even better, you can make it any time of the year, since it's based on always-available cherry tomatoes. View Recipe 03 of 18 Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Credit: Sidney Bensimon Eggplant has a hearty texture that makes it a popular option for plant-based dinners. This revolutionary recipe takes everything you love about eggplant parmesan and turns it into an individual grilled entrée that's ready in 35 minutes. View Recipe 04 of 18 Zucchini Quesadillas Tortillas are stuffed with cooked zucchini, corn, cilantro, and cheese, and baked until golden and gooey. Serve with sour cream, salsa, avocado slices, and shredded lettuce for a complete meal. View Recipe 05 of 18 Pinto-Bean Burgers Credit: Armando Rafael No bun, no problem! These California-style veggie burgers are plenty filling on their own. They're served with roasted red pepper-studded Greek yogurt, toasted almonds, sprouts, and sliced avocado. A squeeze of lemon brightens the whole dish. View Recipe 06 of 18 Mushroom Tacos With Charred-Corn Salsa Credit: Chris Simpson These hearty portobello tacos require just over 30 minutes to make and are absolutely delicious to eat. Take this smoky dinner vegan if you like—just skip the sour cream. View Recipe 07 of 18 Cheater's Mac and Cheese Credit: Con Poulos Easy, cheesy, creamy, and quick, there's a lot to love about this comforting pasta dinner that takes just 20 minutes to make. It gets bonus points for adding healthy broccoli to the mix. View Recipe 08 of 18 Very Veggie Fried Rice With Eggs Credit: Nico Schinco You'll want to add this recipe to your regular dinner rotation. Not only is it delicious, but it's also versatile—we like to think of it as a use-what-you-find-in-the-crisper-drawer kind of quick meatless meal. Top each portion with a fried egg and enjoy. View Recipe 09 of 18 Asparagus-and-Potato Gratin Credit: Con Poulos Don't you love it when a side can easily become dinner? That's the story of this potato gratin with asparagus and prosciutto. It's rich with goat cheese and Pecorino Romano, and you can be sure the whole family will be asking for seconds. To make it vegetarian, leave out of the prosciutto. View Recipe 10 of 18 Taco Salad With Sweet-Potatoes Credit: Lennart Weibull Don't think salads have dinner appeal? Try this filling vegetarian option. It's packed with black beans, jalapeños, crunchy romaine, roasted sweet potatoes, and plenty of tortilla chips. It comes together in 35 minutes, and if you skip the goat cheese garnish, it's a vegan dinner. View Recipe 11 of 18 Tomato-Eggplant Gnocchi Credit: Ren Fuller Here's a one-skillet vegetarian dinner that's hearty but not-too-heavy. What's more, it's simple to make since it stars store-bought gnocchi. They cook atop an eggplant and tomato sauce. Red pepper flakes add a touch of heat that's tempered by a little bit of creamy ricotta. View Recipe 12 of 18 Creamy Broccoli and Spinach Soup Credit: Yuki Sugiura Vibrantly colored and velvety textured, this weeknight-friendly broccoli soup gets an extra boost of nutrients from baby spinach and silky sautéed leeks. A drizzle of tangy crème fraîche and a few crunchy pretzel nuggets serve as the finishing touches to this comforting, wholesome bowl. View Recipe 13 of 18 Swiss-Chard and Almond Pasta Credit: Chris Simpson When you need a quick pasta dinner but fancy something just a little different, try this spin on spaghetti. It's made with rainbow chard, toasted almonds, and a hint of lemon zest. View Recipe 14 of 18 Mezze Salad Credit: Armando Rafael This meatless dinner gathers everyone's favorite Mediterranean foods on one plate. We're talking lemony yogurt, cucumber salad, easy roasted chickpeas, and grape leaves. Make the components ahead and assemble just before dinner. View Recipe 15 of 18 Soba-Noodle Bowl With Tofu Credit: Sidney Bensimon Steamed tofu, gingery asparagus, and soba (buckwheat) noodles come together into this light, easy, and absolutely delicious vegan main that gets flavor from chili-lime dressing. View Recipe 16 of 18 Rice-and-Bean Salad Bowl With Tahini Sauce Credit: Johnny Miller It's the tahini-and-lemon sauce over a rice and bean salad with sliced red cabbage, avocado, roasted bell pepper, cucumber, and watercress that truly takes this vegan recipe to the next level. (Our recipe calls for making the brown rice in advance, but even if you start from scratch, you can get the whole dish on the table in under an hour.) View Recipe 17 of 18 Mushroom Tortellini With Arugula Credit: Chris Simpson Use fresh or frozen cheese tortellini for this vegetarian dinner that's ready in half an hour. It's paired with a mix of sautéed mushrooms and peppery arugula, and finished with cool crème fraîche. View Recipe 18 of 18 Weeknight Vegetarian Chili Credit: Con Poulos A hearty bean-based vegetarian chili, this delicious dish comes together in 40 minutes. Serve with tortillas, shredded cheese, avocado, and sour cream. 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