20+ Vegetarian Heart-Healthy Dinner Recipes

If you’re looking to add some variety to your menu, you’ll want to check out these tasty vegetarian recipes! In order to meet our heart-healthy parameters, these recipes are made low in sodium and saturated fats. Plus, they’re packed with vegetables, legumes, healthy fats and plant-based proteins for something that’s both delicious and nourishing. Try satisfying options like our Grilled Eggplant Tomato Pasta or Chickpea Potato Curry for nourishing and veggie-packed dishes that will support your heart.

General Tso’s Cauliflower

Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

This plant-based version of General Tso’s chicken is the perfect weeknight meal, swapping chicken for cauliflower with a boost of vibrant green color and gut-healthy fiber coming from edamame. Serve it over brown rice or whole-wheat noodles to sop up any leftover sauce.

Bhel Puri-Inspired Salad

Ali Redmond

This flavorful salad was inspired by bhel puri, a type of chaat (savory snack) served across India, and features puffed quinoa and lentils for extra protein and fiber.

Slow-Cooker Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Pasta Bake

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell

This simple vegetarian pasta bake is rich in protein and comes together effortlessly in the slow cooker, for a convenient one-pot meal. The combination of sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato pesto and plenty of veggies delivers a mix of sweet and savory flavors with every bite. Feel free to replace the sun-dried tomato pesto with basil pesto, offering a fresh twist on the dish.

Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This vibrant and wholesome soup recipe helps support your well-being. It’s packed with a variety of colorful vegetables, like tomatoes, which contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help reduce inflammation.

Veggie Fajitas

Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek

These veggie fajitas are packed with sweet bell pepper and red onion. Creamy avocado and warm tortillas complete the meal. The veggies alone make a great meal-prep recipe to have on hand.

Ash-eh Reshteh (Persian Bean & Pasta Soup)

Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco

Ash-eh reshteh is a hearty bean and noodle soup that’s packed with fresh herbs. The vegetarian soup is often made for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, but it’s delicious any time.

One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

This one-pot pasta dish with white beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is lively and vibrant and leaves you with an easy cleanup. Toasting the orzo before adding the broth adds another layer of flavor. Another dark leafy green like chopped kale or Swiss chard can stand in for the spinach, but may take longer to wilt in the pan. If you use a sturdier green, add it to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Extra-Crispy Eggplant Parmesan

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This eggplant Parmesan is creamy in the center with a crispy panko crust on the outside.

Spaghetti with Creamy Lemon-Spinach Sauce

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Give your veggie servings a boost with this easy spaghetti with spinach sauce recipe. Loosely inspired by the flavors of classic pesto, this vibrant pasta packs in plenty of spinach and basil with a garnish of nutty walnuts and savory Parmesan cheese. Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and a green salad on the side.

Spiced Cauliflower Chraime

Micah Siva

Chraime is a spicy North African fish stew, popular with Sephardic Jews for Rosh Hashana, Passover and Shabbat. The word “chraime” has roots in an Arabic word meaning “hot.” This meatless version highlights cauliflower, stewed until tender, studded with plump and juicy golden raisins and drizzled with date syrup. Served over couscous, rice or quinoa, this sweet and spicy tomato-based stew is a great weeknight meal. Excerpted from Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine, by Micah Siva. Copyright 2024 by Micah Siva. Published by The Collective Book Studio. Reprinted with permission.

Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Anna Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

This zesty pasta salad draws inspiration from the flavors of elote—Mexican grilled corn on the cob that’s smothered in a creamy mayo-based sauce and sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese and lime. Corn kernels blister in the hot pan and a sprinkle of smoked paprika brings out the flavor.

Pasta Aglio e Olio (With Garlic and Oil)

Greg DuPree

A riff on the traditional Italian garlic and oil pasta dish, roasted walnut oil adds an unexpected gentle, nutty flavor. Cool the walnut oil slightly before adding the water to avoid splatters. We think bucatini pasta is the best choice for this dish; however, you also could use whole-wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta to amp up the dish’s nuttiness. For a protein boost, add sautéed shrimp alongside or atop this dish.

Lemon-Garlic Vegetable Soup

Jacob Fox

This light and lovely soup features fresh vegetables, herbs and a splash of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Serve with a dollop of homemade pesto.

Mushroom Stew

Will Dickey

This mushroom stew is hearty and flavor-packed, with both fresh and dried mushrooms adding to the rich taste. Quinoa adds protein and a boost of fiber. This flavorful fall soup will be enjoyed by vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale

Greg DuPree

Loading up your pasta with vegetables like the kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying.

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

Greg DuPree

A crisp, citrusy slaw contrasts nicely with the enchiladas’ creamy squash filling.

Root Vegetable & Greens Salad with Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Greg DuPree

Red pepper jelly is the key ingredient in this piquant yet sweet salad dressing. If you prefer more heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Red Lentil Soup with Saffron

Jacob Fox

This hearty red lentil soup uses spices common in Persian cuisine: turmeric, cumin and saffron. Enjoy it with a warm baguette or steamed rice.

Baked Frittata with Butternut Squash, Kale & Sage

This easy frittata recipe is full of fall flavors, thanks to creamy butternut squash, plenty of fresh sage, and earthy lacinato kale.

Vegan Mushroom Bolognese

This Bolognese sauce recipe is adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. We swap out the beef and pork for button mushrooms to keep this traditional comfort food vegan yet weighty with umami flavor. And while some recipes call for red wine, this recipe sticks with Hazan’s white wine selection.