Need a meatless main in a hurry? Try The Healthy Cook’s best vegan and vegetarian recipes—easy, fresh, flavorful, and on the table in a snap.

All recipes featured in this article were developed by Kate Sherwood, The Healthy Cook. Have a comment, question, or idea? Email Kate at healthycook@cspinet.org.  

Plant-based eating is gaining momentum—and for good reason! Whether you prefer to go flexitarian, vegetarian, or vegan, a plant-rich diet is a healthy choice. There’s also an economic advantage: Vegetarian and vegan meals can be extremely affordable, especially when you opt for tofu, tempeh, beans, or lentils. For example, a pound of chicken, salmon, or even meat alternatives like Impossible or Beyond can cost roughly two to four times as much as a pound of tofu. And canned or dried beans and lentils are even more inexpensive, averaging between $1 and $2 per pound.

Whether you're a seasoned plant-based eater or just looking to incorporate more plant protein and veggies into your meals, there’s never been a better time to experiment with meatless dishes. We’ve rounded up a collection of The Healthy Cook’s tastiest veggie-rich recipes. All are vegetarian, many are vegan, and each is designed to provide plenty of fiber, vitamins, and minerals without sacrificing flavor. Bonus: Many are also rich enough in protein to serve as your meal’s main event. 

Let tempeh and tofu shine

Tempeh and tofu are the ultimate vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian proteins; both are inexpensive, nutritious, and offer a versatile canvas for weeknight dinners.  

Tempeh is a dense cake made of fermented cooked soybeans. Nutty and satisfying, it’s perfect chopped, crumbled, or sliced. If you're new to tempeh, try The Healthy Cook’s Sweet & Sour Tempeh Wraps or Peanut Lettuce Wraps—sauté, toss together a few ingredients, wrap, and enjoy. Easy and delicious!  

Tempeh roasts beautifully, too. If you're looking for a new favorite, give Roasted Tomatoes, Tempeh, & Broccoli with Miso Ginger Sauce a slot in the weekly meal plan. 

Tofu is also nutritious and versatile. The Healthy Cook’s Crispy Tofu is no exception: Add it to hearty salads with a miso or soy-sauce-based dressing, toss it in a vegetable stir-fry, lightly coat it with a sesame stir-fry sauce, or top it with a drizzle of peanut satay sauce. Yum! Plus, tofu is also excellent broiled, and is especially delicious with squash in this Miso-Glazed Tofu & Squash recipe. (And while the squash and tofu are broiling, stir-fry a heap of greens like bok choy, gai lan, or broccolini. Ta-da!) But if you don’t want to wait for that oven to preheat tonight, Crispy Tofu & Pan-Roasted Broccolini with Miso-Lemon Sauce or creamy Tofu Korma are equally delicious, filling options that won’t disappoint.  

For more simple and satisfying dishes, try Veggie Nice! Plant-Based Main Dishes from The Healthy Cook 

Worried about soy and breast cancer? No need. Eating soy protein showed “no hint of an increase” in breast cancer risk, according to the most recent study.  

Learn more: What may—and may not—lower your risk of breast cancer 

Widen your legume and grain options 

Beans, lentils, and grains make for hearty, flavorful meals packed with protein and bursting with flavor. Ready to eat more beans? The Healthy Cook’s Falafel with Tzatziki is an easy and filling recipe packed with fresh herbs, and it's a cinch to whip up with a can of no-salt-added or low-sodium chickpeas. Roasted Tomatoes & Fennel on Beans & Greens makes the best of fragrant fennel, tender cannellini beans, and caramelized flavor bombs of roasted red tomatoes. And these quick Mexican Pink Bean Tostadas make dinner a snap! (No pink beans? No worries. It works just as well with almost any cooked bean you have on hand.) 

If you’ve got an abundance of summer-ripe tomatoes, scoop out the centers, and spoon in this Greek Farro filling. Quick tip: Try a melon baller or grapefruit spoon for easy scooping!  

Make some extra cooked farro to whip up this simple and comforting Creamy Mushroom Farro in just 15 minutes. For a fun twist on traditional paella, try The Healthy Cook's Spring Veg Paella, which uses short-grain brown rice and gets its umami from mushrooms. Don't be fooled by Savory Mushroom Barley's name: This flexible recipe works equally well with any cooked whole grain you might have in the pantry, fridge, or freezer. Try it with brown rice, farro, or even quinoa for a 20-minute dinner any weeknight. 

For more ideas, check out The Healthy Cook’s Kitchen: Spring & Summer Vegetables

A stir-fry for any weeknight 

Who doesn’t love a one-pan meal? It makes cooking a joy and cleanup a breeze. And here’s the secret: Have all your ingredients ready to go before you heat the oil, and once you start cooking, everything comes together in a flash. Short on time to prep? Load up at the salad bar or use precut veggies.  

The Healthy Cook’s Yuba Pad Thai uses soy sauce instead of fish sauce to keep it vegetarian, and prunes instead of tamarind paste for sweetness. It’s a recipe that will satisfy any pad Thai craving with more protein per serving (20 grams) than most noodle dishes. 

Ginger Sesame Tofu & Snow Peas is a snap with pre-cut carrots and quick-cooking snow peas. Even speedier: a Yuba Snow Pea Stir Fry. You need just eight ingredients and 15 minutes to put a meal on the table. That's faster than takeout! 

Salad Bar Stir-Fry is the perfect recipe for using up any veggies you might have in the fridge, or buy a bagged mix or salad-bar selection of fresh, precut veg from the grocery store. Add tofu, tempeh, or yuba for more plant-based protein.  

Variety is the spice of life, and mildly spicy jalapeños make Golden Tofu Stir-Fry a weeknight favorite. Feel free to use the veggies you have on hand. Carrots, zucchini, or snow peas make great additions.  

Another option for heat-seekers: Make Tofu & Snow Peas in Black Bean Sauce with black bean chili sauce instead of black bean garlic sauce. Either choice takes advantage of the savoriness of the fermented black beans that are used in Chinese cooking. 

Crisp vegetables and mild, versatile tofu come together in Peanut Tofu Stir-Fry, a hearty weeknight wonder with a little added protein and crunch from peanuts. If you're out of celery or just aren't a fan, The Healthy Cook recommends subbing in your favorite crunchy vegetables. Try broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, or snap peas. 

Get more tasty, quick, and nutritious recipes in the Nutrition Action  store. 

Hearty salads and bowls 

Hearty salads and bowls make satisfying, flavorful meals. Try The Healthy Cook’s irresistible Crispy Tofu Salad, which features plenty of crunchy veggies and crispy tofu topped with a miso-ginger dressing. 

Poke is a classical Hawaiian dish of seafood seasoned with Asian flavors, but tofu stands in for seafood in The Healthy Cook's Tofu Poke Bowl for a plant-based twist on the classic. Fun! 

Warm quinoa and kale in The Healthy Cook’s Quinoa Bowl with Ginger Dressing balance crisp, cool veggies for a delicious contrast in taste and texture. 

Looking for creative flavors? The Healthy Cook’s Kale & Tempeh Salad offers a nutty, crunchy alternative to croutons, and the Edamame & Crispy Tofu Bowl pairs tofu, broccoli slaw, and edamame with a rich tahini sauce and smoked almonds. Why not try them all! 

Put a nutritious dinner on the table in no time with The Healthy Cook’s Kitchen: Main Dish Salads

Change it up: Substitutions and seasonal swaps 

Many of The Healthy Cook's recipes have suggestions for substitutions, quick tips, and optional ingredients. Stir-Fried Bok Choy & Garlic, for example, can be made with Napa cabbage, and for those hot days of summer, Black Bean & Quinoa Salad can be whipped up without an oven if you've got a few tomatoes, an avocado, and a couple of scallions on hand. And the ultra-flexible Bits & Bobs Chickpea Bowl works with whatever vegetables you have on hand (whether raw, steamed, sautéed, or roasted) and any warm or cold cooked whole grain. 

Eating with in-season produce can be another way to keep meals plant-forward and appetizing. CSPI's monthly What's in Season guides feature fruits and veggies at their peak right now, along with tips for choosing the best produce, and how to clean, prep, store, and cook it.

Use it all 

If, after all that cooking, you’ve found yourself with an abundance of vegetable scraps—peels, skins, cores or tops from carrots, mushrooms, onions, celery, or tomatoes, for example—you’ve also got the base for a quart or two of Vegetable Stock for future meals; it makes a perfect start for pan- sauces and soups, can give grains of all kinds more flavor when used instead of water, and is easy to freeze for quick and tasty weeknight meals.  

Find more No-Waste Kitchen Tips from The Healthy Cook in Nutrition Action.

All recipes featured in this article were developed by Kate Sherwood, The Healthy Cook. Have a comment, question, or idea? Email Kate at healthycook@cspinet.org.