21 Totally Delicious and Truly Satisfying Vegan Main Dish Recipes These plant-based recipes include plenty of fresh vegetables, hearty grains, and exciting spices. Close Credit: Con Poulos This modern collection of satisfying vegan main dishes puts our favorite superfoods, including sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and legumes, to work in salads, curries, tacos, and other tasty options. In a vegan diet where meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy are left out of the equation, there can sometimes be a feeling of panic that the meal is not "complete" enough. But when developed with care like our recipes featured here, you'll never have to worry about being hungry an hour later. That's because so much consideration has been given to the different forms of plant-based proteins, which are essential to a healthy vegan diet. So, whether you're already a seasoned vegan or you're dipping your toe in the pond of plant-based cuisine for the first time, the recipes ahead aim to inspire you to fill your cart with whole, nutritious foods like fresh vegetables, hearty grains, and exciting spices. 15 Vegan Desserts That Everyone Will Love 01 of 21 Vibrant-Green Broccoli Curry Credit: Frank Frances In this nutritious grain bowl, both the tofu and the broccoli will bring loads of calcium to your plant-based dinner table. View Recipe 02 of 21 Vegetable-Bean Soup Credit: Brie Goldman This hearty main soup makes for a satisfying dinner. The recipe can be made vegan by leaving out the sprinkling of Parmesan at the end. Substitute vegan cheese, if you have it, or just an added drizzle of olive oil. View Recipe 03 of 21 Soba Salad With Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Credit: Marcus Nilsson This delicious summery salad sits for an hour for the flavors to develop fully, infusing the grilled eggplant and tomatoes with soy sauce, sesame oil, and scallions. View Recipe 04 of 21 Rice-and-Bean Salad Bowl With Tahini Sauce Credit: Johnny Miller A natural candidate for when you need a make-ahead meal, this recipe calls for cooked brown rice, canned beans, and a handful of vegetables that will hold up just fine when chopped a day or so before. The real star of the show, however, is the easy tahini sauce that is drizzled over top. View Recipe 05 of 21 Cauliflower-Sweet Potato Curry Credit: Con Poulos When cooked, sweet potato will become creamy in texture but contains enough natural pectin hold its shape, which makes it perfect for a dish like this comforting coconut curry. View Recipe 06 of 21 Roasted Eggplant Sandwich With Soy-Lime Glaze Credit: Con Poulos In this vegan tribute to the Vietnamese pork sandwich that is a banh mi, slices of eggplant are roasted until deeply caramelized, then layered into a baguette with pickled carrots, radishes, cucumber, sliced chiles, and cilantro. View Recipe 07 of 21 Crumbled-Tofu-and-Shiitake Lettuce Cups Credit: Nico Schinco Crumbled tofu and shiitake mushrooms get a blast of flavor from hoisin sauce and sambal oelek (chili-garlic sauce), turning these cute lettuce cups into a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. View Recipe 08 of 21 Butternut Squash Soup With Coconut Milk and Ginger Credit: BRYAN GARDNER This recipe is a little different from others because it starts by roasting the butternut squash in the oven to caramelize and amplify its flavor. Canned coconut milk adds creaminess. View Recipe 09 of 21 Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes Credit: Chris Simpson Roast a batch of these beautiful spuds on Sunday and you won't need to do much more than open a can of beans to have a healthy meatless main for lunches all week long. For a vegan meal, leave out the crème fraîche in the recipe, or look for an alternative at the grocery store. View Recipe 10 of 21 Crispy Brussels Sprout Rosti Credit: Lennart Weibull With just four ingredients, it couldn't be simpler to whip up this savory vegetable-packed pancake. Perfect for showing off fresh Brussels sprouts, you can make even quicker work out of this recipe by using the shredder attachment on your food processor. View Recipe 11 of 21 Mushroom Tacos With Charred-Corn Salsa Credit: Chris Simpson It seems as if portobello mushrooms have been the vegetarian stand-in for beef patties for as long as we can remember, but that doesn't mean that burgers should get to have all the fun. Merge your theme nights and eat these delicious vegan tacos on meatless Monday. View Recipe 12 of 21 All-Purpose Baked Tofu Credit: Con Poulos Commit this five-ingredient recipe to memory, and the sky will be the limit for all the quick vegan meals you can make. This is a particularly great thing to make at the beginning of the week, so if a meal ever feels a little light on the protein, you can just toss a few cubes into your salad or sandwich. View Recipe 13 of 21 Breakfast Vegetable-Miso Soup With Chickpeas Credit: Bryan Gardner Breakfast soup may sound like a strange concept, but we eat other savory foods in the morning, so not why a veggie-and-protein-packed soup? You'll be converted as soon as you try it. View Recipe 14 of 21 Vegetarian Chow Mein Credit: Justin Walker There's so much going on in this vegan main that no one will miss the meat. Crispy noodles and easy-prep vegetables like broccoli florets, carrots, and baby corn are tossed in a punchy fermented black bean sauce to create a quick and easy stir-fry. View Recipe 15 of 21 Vegan Lentil Soup Credit: Justin Walker In this satisfying vegan soup, the naturally bitter bite of broccoli rabe is tempered by the creamy lentils, sweet carrot, and crushed tomatoes. View Recipe 16 of 21 Taco Salad With Sweet Potatoes Credit: Lennart Weibull A good main course salad must involve a lot of different textures and flavors to keep things interesting to the very last bite. This salad demonstrates just that with tender roasted sweet potatoes, creamy black beans, spicy pickled jalapeños, and crunchy crushed tortilla chips. View Recipe 17 of 21 Vegetarian Gumbo Credit: Sidney Bensimon This vegan version of gumbo combines okra, yellow squash, canned black-eyed peas, and more to create a simple, satisfying bowl that will fill you up and delight your taste buds. View Recipe 18 of 21 Soba-Noodle Bowls With Tofu Credit: Sidney Bensimon They take just 30 minutes and require minimal cooking, which is why we say that these ginger-spiced noodle bowls are just what you need to make for a vegan dinner on an extra-hot day. View Recipe 19 of 21 Vegan Sweet Potato Chili Credit: Bryan Gardner Toasted ancho chiles provide a smoky layer of flavor in this fabulous, protein-packed sweet potato chili. View Recipe 20 of 21 Roasted-Vegetable and Brown-Rice Bowls Credit: Lennart Weibull Broccoli, sweet potato, and eggplant roast quickly in the oven, and these bowls come together even faster with the addition of pre-cooked brown rice. A lemony tahini dressing pulls it all together. View Recipe 21 of 21 Vegan Meatballs Credit: Mike Krautter These faux meatballs require time to chill in the fridge, so make them the day before or on a weekend, when you're not in a rush. They are made with brown rice, lentils, and cremini mushrooms. 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