Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes Vegetarian Recipes 20 Vegetarian Summer Dinner Ideas to Enjoy All Season Long No meat is required for these recipes that are as fulfilling as they are mouthwatering. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines and Lindsay Tigar Lindsay Tigar Lindsay is a freelance writer focusing on lifestyle, shopping, food, and more. She reports feature stories for a number of leading publications and websites, including Travel + Leisure, Vogue, USA Today, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, and more. Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 29, 2024 Close Photo: Kate Sears When summer arrives, we're all about dining al fresco, grilling galore, and making use of an abundance of fresh, seasonal produce. With a garden full of options to choose from, creating vegetarian summer recipes is not only easy but creates a dazzling palette on your tongue—no meat required. From burgers to pasta and salads with a twist, all of these summer dinner ideas can be prepped indoors, are family-friendly, and will wow carnivores and vegetarians alike. 30 Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes for a Cozy, Plant-Based Dinner 01 of 20 Vegetarian Chili With Avocado Cream Marcus Nilsson A vegetarian, hearty take on the classic chili. You can make it up to four days ahead, and simply reheat it before serving with a generous dollop of avocado cream on top. Perfect for meal-prepping and potlucks. View Recipe 02 of 20 Rice Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Feta Paola + Murray What’s not to love about this Greek-inspired salad? Long-grain brown rice is sautéed with chopped onions and garlic before being mixed with small heirloom tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, crumbled feta cheese, and a combination of fresh mint and parsley leaves. It's the perfect accompaniment to grilled vegetable burgers for a light and healthy summer meal. View Recipe 03 of 20 Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Armando Rafael A combination of textures and flavors—including raisins, tomatoes, and feta cheese—gather together to create this simple and filling summer meal. For a nuttier take, use bulgur instead of couscous. View Recipe 04 of 20 Pinto Bean Burgers Armando Rafael Many vegetarians struggle with getting enough protein in their diets. Luckily, this meat-free burger recipe bulks up the grams with toasted almonds, panko, roasted red peppers, and feta. If you’re not a fan of pinto beans, no worries—any can of beans will do—just make sure to drain the added water. View Recipe 05 of 20 Grilled-Eggplant Parmesan Sidney Bensimon Try our lighter, summery take on the classic eggplant parmesan. Skip the breading, leave the grill to do all the cooking, and top them off with flamed tomatoes, shallots, and gooey mozzarella. A meal that's anything but basic! View Recipe 06 of 20 Spaghetti With Tomato Sauté FreÌdeÌric Lagrange This is not your usual spaghetti and red sauce. It's made with three pints of fresh cherry tomatoes (choose a variety of colors for vibrancy), fresh ricotta cheese, and plenty of grated Parmesan cheese. View Recipe 07 of 20 Cheese-Stuffed Portobello Burger Con Poulos Bored of packaged veggie burgers? Upgrade your meatless Monday with these indulgent burgers made from large portobello mushrooms. They are grilled and the centers are filled with slices of provolone cheese before being layered on brioche buns with arugula and homemade garlic and vinegar mayonnaise. View Recipe 08 of 20 Ravioli With Roasted Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Capers Kate Sears Looking for a way to upgrade store-bought cheese ravioli? We've got you covered with this vegetarian summer dinner recipe that features plenty of seasonal produce, fresh basil, and, of course, Parmesan. View Recipe 09 of 20 Grilled Vegetable Pizzas Christopher Testani As much as we love ordering pizza from a local joint, sometimes it's fun to make it at home. And for a vegetarian summer dinner, we can't picture anything more apt than these grilled flatbread pizzas topped with a colorful assortment of vegetables such as shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, kale, and red onion. View Recipe 10 of 20 Vegetarian Enchiladas Suizas Con Poulos For an easy, breezy vegetarian dinner for summer, we can't think of anything more appealing than enchiladas. This one-skillet meal is packed with veggies, creamy cheese, soft corn tortillas dipped in green salsa and baked to perfection. View Recipe 11 of 20 Tomato-Eggplant Gnocchi Ren Fuller Get dinner on the table in 35 minutes with this quick vegetarian dinner that couldn't be more satisfying for summer, thanks to a zingy combination of sautéed eggplant and tomatoes, plus uber-creamy ricotta cheese. View Recipe 12 of 20 Green Bean, Shell Bean, and Sweet Onion Fattoush NGOC MINH NGO This easygoing presentation of haricot verts, shell beans, cucumber, and feta makes of this Fattoush—a Middle Eastern pita bread-and-vegetable salad—a speedy dinner for summer nights. View Recipe 13 of 20 Roasted-Vegetable and Brown-Rice Bowls Lennart Weibull For this balanced, heart-healthy, plant-based meal you'd only need ready-to-eat brown rice and quick-roasting vegetables like broccoli and eggplant. A wholesome summer dish in minutes! View Recipe 14 of 20 Coconut-Miso Mushroom Soup David Malosh Sometimes, cool, summer nights simply call for a comforting bowl of goodness. This is where the humblest of mushrooms—button or cremini, which are both inexpensive and easy to find—blend together with miso and coconut milk to create a silky, vegetarian concoction. View Recipe 15 of 20 Mushroom Tacos With Charred-Corn Salsa Chris Simpson Short on time for dinner tonight? We've got you covered with these 35-minute handheld bites for Taco Tuesday. Portobello mushrooms are sliced into planks and grilled along with corn on the cob. Once charred, the kernels are cut off the cob and tucked into corn tortillas with the mushrooms. Top with chipotle sour cream and the juice and zest of fresh lime. View Recipe 16 of 20 Tofu With Ginger-Cilantro Sauce Elizabeth Cecil Throw out any preconceived notions of tofu being bland or boring with this flavorful grilled preparation that's just right for summer. Sliced extra firm tofu is given the green treatment with a punchy sauce made from fresh cilantro, chopped jalapeño peppers, fresh grated ginger, scallions, and lime juice. View Recipe 17 of 20 Pressure-Cooker Corn Risotto Marcus Nilsson Make use of this speedy appliance for the ultimate summer vegetarian dinner—creamy risotto with sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese. View Recipe 18 of 20 Roasted Eggplant Sandwich with Soy-Lime Glaze Con Poulos Who doesn't love a good, hearty sandwich? This ode to the classic Vietnamese banh mi features slices of roasted eggplants gently brushed in a sweet and tangy sauce, and pickled veggies galore on top. A go-to recipe for comforting, filling summer dinners. View Recipe 19 of 20 Blistered Green-Bean and Corn Frittata Sidney Bensimon Craving breakfast for dinner? How about this family-friendly summery frittata that's jam-packed with healthy seasonal vegetables? View Recipe 20 of 20 Zucchini Quesadillas If you're in the mood for a quick Mexican-inspired dinner, try our vegetarian quesadilla filled with cheese and cooked vegetables, like zucchini. Serve alongside sliced avocados, lettuce, and salsa. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit