If you're as lazy (or just as short on time) as I am, you'll love this collection of my favourite quick vegetarian dinners. They all take a maximum of 20 minutes to prepare - and some are even quicker!
All of these recipes are super simple to put together, they're big on flavour, and of course, they're totally vegetarian.
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❤️ Why You'll Love These Recipes
- They can all be prepared in a maximum of 20 minutes, so you can be relaxing with a meal in no time.
- As with everything else on the site, these recipes use straightforward, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Each meal contains plenty of vegetables, carbs and protein, so you'll be left feeling full and satisfied.
- The recipes provide a full meal - no need to worry about any extras or side dishes (unless you want to!).
⏰ 30 Quick Vegetarian Dinners
Without further ado, here are 30 of my favourite quick vegetarian dinner recipes!
Peanut and Sesame Noodles
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
These peanut and sesame noodles are the perfect quick lunch or dinner. They're packed with flavour, and can either be served on their own, or alongside some crispy tofu, veggie gyoza, spring rolls, or whatever other accompaniments you like.
Creamy Pasta Primavera
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
This creamy pasta recipe can be customised with whatever vegetables you have on hand, so it's a great fridge-clearer. The silky sauce is made with just 2 ingredients, so it couldn't be simpler to make!
Air Fryer Quesadillas
⏰ Total time: 10 minutes
Air fryers are fantastic for making food quickly, and they can crisp up a cheesy quesadilla in no time at all! In just 10 minutes, you'll be digging into a tasty quesadilla stuffed with cheese and veggies. Serve it with a dollop of guacamole or a simple salad for a really satisfying meal.
Creamy White Beans with Goat Cheese
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Beans are a great high-protein base for any meal, and I love how customisable this recipe is. I like to add whatever vegetables I have on hand, especially those that cook quickly, like peas, spinach, and tomatoes.
Tex-Mex Cheesesteak Sandwiches
⏰ Total time: 20 minutes
I adore Tex-Mex food, and these vegetarian cheesesteaks are the perfect example. Spicy sautéed vegetables, melted cheese, and fresh avocado for topping - all the good stuff. And they only take 20 minutes!
Creamy Chickpea Curry
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Curry in 15 minutes - what could be better! Canned chickpeas mean this tasty vegetarian curry comes together in no time, and a splash of cream transforms it into something really special. Use coconut milk instead if you'd prefer a vegan curry!
If you're enjoying these recipes, you can find even more quick vegetarian dinners in my FREE EBOOK - just sign up here, and it will be emailed to you:
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Whether you're vegan or not, this cream of mushroom soup is irresistible! If you have a blender on hand, it can be blitzed up in just 15 minutes, and the secret ingredient makes it insanely thick and creamy.
Halloumi Piccata
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
I absolutely adore halloumi, and this is one of my favourite halloumi recipes of all time! Thick slices of fried halloumi, served in a buttery sauce with garlicky mushrooms, salty capers and lemon juice... It really is something special. I like to serve it over buttery pasta noodles.
Veggie Chow Mein
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Chow mein is one of my go-to dishes to order when we order Chinese food, but it's so simple to make at home too. I like to use a bag of mixed stir fry vegetables to make it even easier and cheaper to cook.
Mushroom Stroganoff
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
This mushroom stroganoff is one of my most popular recipes, and for good reason! It's a seriously tasty vegetarian stew that can be whipped up in just 15 minutes, yet is still absolutely packed with flavour. It's great served with rice, pasta, or mashed potato.
Vegetable Stroganoff
⏰ Total time: 20 minutes
If you're not a huge mushroom fan, try this vegetable stroganoff instead! It takes very slightly longer to prepare, just because there are more different vegetables to chop, but still makes a really quick and tasty dinner.
Enchilada Noodles
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
I love combining my two favourite cuisines - Italian and Tex-Mex. These enchilada noodles are coated in a seriously easy homemade enchilada sauce, and lend themselves perfectly to all my favourite Tex-Mex toppings, like sour cream, guacamole and cilantro.
Mafale Pasta with Spinach and Goat Cheese
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
I love preparing a pasta sauce at the same time as the pasta is cooking - then, as soon as the pasta is ready, the two can be mixed together, and it's on the table in 15 minutes flat. This recipe uses creamy goat cheese and spinach to make a luxuriously silky sauce.
Creamy Cowboy Caviar
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Despite its slightly weird name, cowboy caviar is actually just a simple bean salad, with all sorts of fresh, crunchy mix-ins. My version is made extra special by adding a creamy avocado dressing, and it's so easy to adapt the recipe to use your favourite ingredients. You just need to scoop it up with some pitta bread or tortilla chips, and you've got yourself a full meal.
Red Thai Curry Noodle Soup
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
A few simple short cuts mean this unbelievably tasty noodle soup can be made with just 4 ingredients! I like to use a bag of mixed stir fry vegetables, as it saves so much prep time, plus it's cheaper than buying each vegetable individually.
Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas
⏰ Total time: 10 minutes
Roasted chickpeas are one of my go-to quick meals, and they're so versatile. You can add whatever flavourings you like - this version has lemon and black pepper, which is such a classic combination. Here I served them simply with some salad and pitta bread, but roasted chickpea wraps are also incredible.
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Tagliatelle
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Garlic sautéed mushrooms have got to be one of the best creations ever - and even more so when they're combined with a creamy, cheesy sauce and long ribbons of fresh tagliatelle.
Sweet and Spicy Halloumi
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
The sticky sauce on this fried halloumi is sweet, spicy, salty... all the good stuff. It's seriously irresistible. Serve it with rice, pasta, wrapped up in a pitta bread - however you want to.
Five Guys Cheese Veggie Sandwich
⏰ Total time: 20 minutes
Five Guys is one of my favourite fast food places, and it's 100% down to their cheese veggie sandwich. It sounds so simple, but buttery vegetables and melty cheese sandwiched inside a soft burger bun is seriously heaven on a plate. And it's really quick and easy to recreate at home!
Vegetarian Egg Fu Yung
⏰ Total time: 20 minutes
Egg fu yung may not be the most beautiful dish on the planet, but man, it tastes amazing! It's a simple egg recipe with vegetables and soy sauce, but somehow it tastes so much better than the sum of its parts.
Cheesy Lentil Pasta
⏰ Total time: 20 minutes
At least half the time when I'm cooking pasta, I'll throw a handful of red lentils into the pan too. They cook in about the same time as the pasta, and they make the meal much more hearty and filling - not to mention, adding extra protein and iron too. This cheesy lentil pasta is one of my go-to quick dinners!
Black Bean and Walnut Tacos
⏰ Total time: 20 minutes
If you have a food processor, it takes no time at all to blitz up this simple black bean taco 'meat'. I like to serve it in soft tortillas, with plenty of fresh toppings!
Perfect Welsh Rarebit
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
I tend to serve Welsh rarebit at lunchtime, but there's no reason it couldn't make a tasty dinner too. It's a classic British recipe, made with crispy toast, topped with a cheesy sauce, and grilled to perfection. Just add a bit of salad or some veg on the side, and you've got a simple and quick meal.
Greek Quesadillas
⏰ Total time: 10 minutes
Quesadillas are such a good quick dinner option. Stuff them with whatever fillings you like (it's a great way to use up leftovers!), and cook them until they're nice and crispy. Dinner in 10 minutes!
These ones are inspired by my favourite Greek salad, filled with fresh vegetables, olives and feta cheese.
Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
One of my favourite pasta sauces is made with fresh tomatoes and a good dollop of creamy mascarpone sauce. It's simple ingredients, used to create something spectacular! I love it served over linguine or tagliatelle.
Avocado and Halloumi Wraps
⏰ Total time: 10 minutes
These avocado and halloumi wraps can be on the table in just 10 minutes, so they make a great quick lunch or dinner. We all know how incredible grilled halloumi is, and along with mashed avocado and sun-dried tomatoes, it's a seriously good combination.
Tuscan Beans with Artichokes and Spinach
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Here's another great fridge-clearer - creamy white beans with all sorts of tasty mix-ins. This version uses garlicky vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes and marinated artichokes - just cook it all together in a pan, and dinner is ready!
Black Bean Soup
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
This super simple soup is one of my favourite ways to use black beans. They don't need much to make them tasty - just a few simple spices and whatever toppings you choose.
Homemade Baked Beans
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
Beans on toast is a classic British recipe, and it's a go-to quick dinner for any Brit. Using homemade baked beans is an easy way to take this easy meal up a notch. If you don't fancy toast, baked beans are also fantastic served with a fried egg and some mushrooms as part of a vegetarian full English breakfast!
Layered Tortilla Wraps
⏰ Total time: 15 minutes
These folded tortillas may not be trending on TikTok any more, but they remain a seriously quick and easy way to make a tasty meal using whatever ingredients you have on hand. Just top each quarter of a large wrap with a different filling, fold it up, and grill until crispy.
👌 9 Top Tips for Making a Quick Dinner
I'm the queen of lazy cooking, and over the years, I've learned all sorts of little tricks to help me cut corners. The goal is to end up with a meal that's delicious and full of nutrition, but that doesn't take ages to make!
- Plan your meals. I've been doing this a lot more lately, and I can't believe the difference it makes at mealtimes. No more dithering in the kitchen - each day I know exactly what I'm going to be cooking, and I know exactly what ingredients I'll use. It speeds me up considerably (and also ensures we eat more exciting, more varied meals too!). Here's a free meal planner printable for you to try out - just write down your planned meals while you're creating your week's shopping list.
- Frozen vegetables are your friend! They contain just as much goodness as fresh veg (according to the British Heart Foundation), but they don't require any washing, peeling, or chopping - which cuts down on your prep time considerably!
- Bags of mixed vegetables are also a great way to cut down on prep time. Shop-bought stir fry mixes (with bean sprouts, carrots, onions, mange tout, etc.) mean you can use multiple different types of vegetables without having to prepare each veg individually. I've also seen packets of casserole vegetable mixes, containing veg like leeks, carrots and potatoes, which make a really good stew with little effort.
- Batch cooking can be a great way to pretty much halve the time you spend cooking. Just cook a double batch of each meal, and keep the leftovers for the next day (or freeze them for later). Cook once, eat twice!
- Even if you're not into full-on batch cooking, preparing certain things in bulk will save you a lot of time. For example, if you're making jacket potatoes for dinner one night, cook a few extra so you have some ready to use in a potato bake the next day! Or if you're cooking a homemade pasta sauce, make a double batch, and stir the leftover sauce through a tomato risotto the next day.
- There's no shame in short cuts. I like to cook the majority of things from scratch, but if it will save you a lot of time to use a shop-bought sauce, for example, go for it. I also use canned beans a lot more than I use dried beans, as they are so much quicker!
- Air fryers can cook food in significantly less time than a large oven can. These days I only tend to use my oven if something won't fit in the air fryer!
- All-in-one meals tend to be quicker and easier to make than meals that require several side dishes. Check out my list of one pot meals for some inspiration!
- Clean as you go. Rubbish goes straight in the bin, used dishes go straight in the dishwasher, splashes and spills get wiped up immediately... It will almost eradicate the need to clean up after dinner, and it helps you to stay in control of whatever you're cooking. I don't always manage this one, but it definitely makes a noticeable difference!
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Lynette says
Hey Becky, loving your fast easy vegetarian recipes, coming into our summer now, is it possible to have a batch of vegetarian salads for two? Looking forward to them
Rachel Wolany says
Hi Becca, I just wanted to let you know I am one of your biggest fans. There has not been a recipe on your site that I have tried and not had a second and third time. I come back to your site when I don't know what to put on my shopping list and other times I have a craving for your teriyaki tofu or rocket and avocado pasta and last night I hit your halloumi and piccata - another wow moment. And when I don't know something like how to cook halloumi you have instructions. Just like to thank you for all the effort you have put in. For me you are a wealth of knowledge in the kitchen and just wanted to know how appreciated your site is. Thanks again and bon appetite.
Becca Heyes says
Well, reading that was a lovely way to start my day! Thank you so much! 🥰 That's so so lovely to read and I'm so glad you've enjoyed my recipes!
Nicole says
Great collection of vegetarian recipes and they are healthy too. Can't wait to try them at home.
Ros says
Bookmarked!
A.S. Ramakrishnan. says
Grand array of veg/ vegan recipes! You have given enough work till this year end around.Hold!next lot till Christmas