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15 Light and Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

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15 Light and Healthy Vegetarian Recipes – perfect for Meatless Mondays!

Here’s a list of 15 Meatless Main dishes everyone will love whether you’re a vegetarian, have a vegetarian in your life or you’re just trying to incorporate more plant based meals into your diet (Meatless Mondays!).

Easiest Pasta and Broccoli Recipe is one the quickest pasta dishes I make for my family, I make it at least twice a month when I need a quick meal and they all devour it. With just a few ingredients and only one pot, this recipe will put dinner on the table in 15 minutes.
A bowl of short tube shaped pasta mixed with broccoli florets.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna is a wonderful way to prepare spaghetti squash; a winter squash that resembles strands of spaghetti when cooked.
A casserole dish with layered spaghetti squash, marinara sauce, and melted cheese.

Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas – meatless enchiladas filled with zucchini and cheese, topped with my homemade enchilada sauce they’re so delicious whether you’re vegetarian or not.
A casserole dish with rolled, filled tortillas covered in enchilada sauce, melted cheese, and sliced scallions.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad – a protein packed salad with Mediterranean flavors – quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon and a little feta cheese combined makes a healthy salad with fresh clean ingredients.
A bowl of quinoa salad with diced cucumber, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, and feta cheese.

Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese – cheesy macaroni and broccoli are topped with bread crumbs and baked to perfection. Kid friendly, vegetarian and comfort food at it’s finest.  This has been popular on the blog since 2011 when it was first posted.
A casserole dish of pasta and broccoli with a crunchy bread crumb topping.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup by far the best recipe you’ll ever try for Minestrone soup – a classic, hearty Italian soup with tomatoes, white beans, vegetables and pasta. You can use Swiss chard or baby kale instead of spinach if you wish and you can omit the pasta if you don’t want the carbs – honestly you won’t miss it with everything else in this soup.
A bowl of minestrone soup with tomato-based broth, vegetables, short tubular pasta, and shredded parmesan cheese.

Skinny Mushroom Stroganoff  – a quick and easy meal, perfect for Meatless Mondays!  I love the combination of Shiitake, Baby Portabella and Cremini mushrooms along with the noodles in a light creamy sauce. Using a variety of mushrooms gives a nice texture and flavor.  The Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste help give you some of that beef flavor you find in a traditional beef stroganoff recipe.
A skillet of pasta ribbons and sliced mushrooms in a creamy sauce sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise – One bite of this spicy black bean burger with spicy chipotle mayo and creamy avocado and you won’t miss the meat!
A plate with a black bean burger patty with creamy spread and sliced avocado on an open bun.

Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leak Parmesan Sauce – Something magical happens to pasta when you combine it with a creamy butternut squash puree.  This recipe is super easy to make with only a few ingredients, and is very filling.  Your family will love it!
A bowl of spaghetti with creamy butternut squash sauce topped with shaved Parmesan cheese and fresh sage.

Three Cheese Tortellini and Mushroom Soup – is the perfect one pot meal. Vegetarians can swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth (also perfect for Meatless Mondays).  This soup is warm and satisfying, with tortellini in every bite!
A bowl of soup with clear broth, tortellini, sliced mushrooms, and shaved Parmesan cheese on top.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas – Butternut squash, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro and spices are simmered in a skillet with green chilies and jalapeno, then wrapped in tortillas and baked in the oven with enchilada sauce and cheese – these vegetarian enchiladas are delicious and perfect for meatless Mondays, or any day of the week!
A casserole dish of butternut squash and black bean enchiladas, topped with enchilada sauce, melted cheese and sliced scallions.

Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup – This creamy, rich tasting tomato soup is made in the slow cooker, with tomatoes, herbs, milk and Pecorino Romano cheese.  Add the cheese rind for an added flavor boost.
A bowl of creamy tomato soup with basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese – Cheesy baked spaghetti squash and baby spinach is a comforting, cheesy dish, without the guilt.  If you are looking for a dish that is gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian and comforting, give this a try. You’ll love it!
A bowl of cheesy baked spaghetti squash with pieces of chopped spinach.

Spaghetti Squash Primavera – Spaghetti squash and fresh vegetables simmered with a quick marinara sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella make this recipe delicious. To speed things up you can make the spaghetti squash in the microwave, which takes only about 8 minutes to cook, but if you have more time you can make it in the oven, the directions for both ways are listed with the recipe.
A casserole dish of spaghetti squash and garden vegetables with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese on top.

Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls – These EASY lasagna rolls are stuffed with zucchini, ricotta and Parmesan, then topped with marinara and mozzarella cheese – delicious, kid friendly and perfect if you want to feed a crowd. You can make them a day ahead and refrigerate, or if you like to cook for the month, these are also freezer-friendly. Double it up, or bring an extra to a friend in need, they’ll thank you!
A casserole dish of rolled lasagna noodles filled with shredded zucchini and cheese, topped with marinara sauce and melted cheese.

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13 comments on “15 Light and Healthy Vegetarian Recipes”

  1. I don’t understand how these are supposed to be vegetarian when most of them contain Parmesan….?

  2. I love the Mushroom Stroganoff and Butternut Leek Pasta recipes so much!! I'll definitely have to try these others.

  3. I've made several of the dishes over time and they are all so flavorful. My fave is the zucchini enchilada!

  4. These all look soooo good. I was sad when I came to the end. I will be trying the baked spaghetti squash and cheese this week!!!!

  5. I highly recommend the lasagna rolls and the mushroom tortellini soup. My co-worker and I call it 'crack' soup as everyone loves it and can't get enough (and add the rind!). I haven't tried anything else yet but want to try the tomato soup and the spaghetti squash and cheese! YUM!!!

  6. Since we only eat meat once a week, this list of vegetarian dishes will come in so handy. They all look so delicious, especially the enchiladas. Thank you so much for sharing.

  7. Avatar photo
    Ruchi @ RecipeTreasure

    I have made some lasagna rolls but never made three cheese zucchini stuffed lasagna rolls. I will try this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing this inspiring collection of vegetarian recipes! 🙂

  8. Avatar photo
    Jacquelineand....

    We're going with more meatless, and meat-as-condiment meals; this post is perfectly timed!

  9. Thanks for the ideas for spaghetti squash! Ever since I had it at a healthy restaurant I've been obsessing about having it again.

  10. This just comes at the perfect time – we'd just decided that we really need to have at least one vegetarian meal a week – now you've given me lots of ideas for that.