Cooking on a weeknight (or after any long day, for that matter) can feel daunting. Luckily, these vegetarian recipes can be whipped up within the hour. Some of the recipes here even have helpful make-ahead tips. Read on and save a few for your next busy night.
Note: Some of these recipes include cheeses that are often made with animal rennet. If you prefer not to use that type of cheese, you can omit it or swap in a vegetarian-friendly substitute.
Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce
2010 F&W Best New Chef Missy Robbins swaps pasta for chickpeas and kale in this rich, one-pan dish that’s topped with fresh herbs and salty pecorino Romano, all in 45 minutes.
Vegan Mushroom and Fried Tofu Sisig
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Chef Kristine Subido replaces the traditional pork belly and chicken liver with fried tofu and king trumpet mushrooms. Raw red onion adds crunch while soy sauce, sherry vinegar, lime juice, and sugar balance salty, sweet, and sour flavors in the 35-minute vegan dish.
Tempeh Tacos with Cabbage Slaw
Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee
Liz Mervosh opts for tempeh rather than ground meat for these 25-minute vegan tacos. The fermented soy-based ingredient from Indonesia is a great source of protein.
Charred Vegetable Ragù
Kelsey Jane Youngman makes this tagliatelle pasta with a meatless ragù when she wants comfort food on a weeknight. Charring the mirepoix under the broiler adds smoky flavor, as do cremini mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and dry red wine. The pasta and sauce are on the table in an hour.
Creamy Vegan Pasta Primavera
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
Ann Taylor Pittman uses pine nuts and unsweetened macadamia milk to achieve the creamy texture for this pasta primavera. Replace the umami of Parmesan with nutritional yeast in this 45-minute meal.
Vegan Caesar Salad with Chicories and Walnuts
Mariela Alvarez flavors creamy vegan Caesar dressing with mellow chickpea miso, sweet-tart lemon juice, and maple syrup. Youngman tosses the dressing with jewel-toned chicories and toasts walnuts to add a salty-sweet crunch.
Mushroom-Chickpea Pozole
Marcela Valladolid’s quick, vegetable-packed version of pozole features baby portobello and shiitake mushrooms rather than meat and chickpeas in place of dried hominy.
Chilaquiles with Tomatillo Salsa and Fried Eggs
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Recipe developer Jasmine Smith lightly chars tomatillos, garlic, jalapeños, and onion for the green salsa in these vegetarian chilaquiles. If you want to speed things up, you can use store-bought tortilla chips instead of frying your own.
Restorative Ginger and Turmeric Noodle Soup
Hetty McKinnon says this soup is “like a hug” in winter. Garlic oil and ginger-turmeric curry paste add flavor — the paste can keep in the refrigerator for up to seven days and can be frozen, too, so it’s easy to prepare in advance.
Smoky Beans and Greens in Tomato Broth
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Smith adds a welcome smokiness to this soul-satisfying bowl of beans and greens with smoked paprika. Tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes deliver an aromatic broth in record time.
Tofu Skin Stir-Fry
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Earthy, chewy dried tofu skin (doufu pi in Mandarin, yuba in Japanese) mimics the texture of shredded meat. Antara Sinha breaks it into pieces, rehydrates until pliable, and then stir-fries it and with soy sauce and an umami-rich chile oil.
Vegetarian Kofta Pitas with Plant-Based Meat and Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
Ellen Mary Cronin / Food and prop styling by Radin+Croney Collective
John Somerall trades lamb for plant-based “beef,” evoking the flavors of classic kofta with pomegranate molasses, fresh mint, and hot paprika. The patties are served on pita with tart, sumac-dusted onions and a drizzle of tahini-laced yogurt sauce.
Tofu Pad Thai
Lara Lee’s meatless pad Thai relies on fresh oyster and shiitake mushrooms for hearty, savory, earthy flavor. Tamarind is key, along with chewy noodles, golden-fried tofu, crisp bean sprouts, lightly spicy long red chiles, and crunchy peanuts. To make it vegetarian, use a vegan fish sauce, such as Ocean’s Halo, and swap mushroom sauce for the oyster sauce.
Hina Auntie’s Chana Masala with Puri
Khushbu Shah’s auntie, Hina Mody, toasts and grinds whole spices for unparalleled depth of flavor to this spicy, 40-minute chickpea dish from western India. Skip the puri and serve with rice or another flatbread if you prefer.
Za’atar Baked Eggs
Gail Simmons’ za’atar baked eggs are ready in 30 minutes and served with yogurt that’s mixed with finely chopped cucumber, lemon juice, sumac, mint, parsley, and za’atar. Who says you can’t have eggs for dinner?
Double Drive-Thru Veggie Burgers
These veggie burgers from Chloe Coscarelli are paired with a “tangy-sweet vegan take on Thousand Island dressing,” made with tofu, ketchup, yellow mustard, agave, garlic, sweet pickle relish, chopped fresh dill, and kosher salt. It can be refrigerated for up to one week.
Shaking Tofu
Andrea Nguyen’s vegetarian version of Shaking Beef comes together in 35 minutes with pan-fried tofu; a watercress salad with thinly sliced onion and herbs; and a sesame sauce.
Pineapple Black Fried Rice
This 20-minute fried rice recipe from chef JJ Johnson is packed with edamame, mustard greens, pineapple, bean sprouts, and carrot.
Squash and Black-Eyed Pea Coconut Curry
Meera Sodha combines garam masala-roasted acorn squash with a “very lightly simmered coconut curry” that includes plum tomatoes and black-eyed peas for this 40-minute vegetable curry dish.
