Make these simple, delicious and healthy dinners on repeat. Not only do these one-pot meals make cooking and clean-up easier, each of these recipes are vegetarian and follow the Mediterranean diet so you can have a flavorful meal that aligns with your health goals. The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest eating patterns thanks to its inclusion of ample fresh vegetables, whole grains and, in this case, plant-based proteins. Recipes like our Lemony Linguine with Spring Vegetables and Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry are nutritious, tasty and perfect for any night of the week.
Vegan Jambalaya
You won’t miss the meat in this healthy jambalaya recipe. Vegan smoked sausage takes its place while the classic “trinity” of vegetables—onion, red bell pepper and celery—get a kick from jalapeño peppers. And everything is cooked in one skillet, which means cleanup is a breeze!
Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach
Simmer eggs in a rich tomatoey cream sauce studded with chickpeas and silky spinach for a super-fast vegetarian dinner. Serve with a piece of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Be sure to use heavy cream; a lower-fat option might curdle when mixed with acidic tomatoes.
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.
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.
Black Bean Fajita Skillet
You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer’s produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping.
One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach
This hearty vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle extra heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for a bigger punch of flavor.
Lemony Linguine with Spring Vegetables
Instead of cooking pasta in a huge pot of water, here we use just 3 1/2 cups for this one-pot pasta recipe. When the pasta is al dente, most of the water has evaporated and the bit that’s left is thickened with the starch that cooks off the pasta. With just a few add-ins like lemon and Parmesan cheese you have a delicious silky sauce. Want to use up your veggie stash in the freezer? Swap in 8 ounces frozen spinach for fresh.
Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry
To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 mg of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.
One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
Antonis Achilleos
This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body. If you avoid cheese made with rennet, look for vegetarian Parmesan cheese, which is made without it.
Creamy Boursin Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms & Tomatoes
Jason Donnelly
Boursin cheese adds delicious creaminess to this one-pan, veggie-packed pasta. We use the garlic-and-herbs flavor here, but other Boursin flavors like shallot and chive or cracked black pepper would be just as tasty.
Slow-Cooker Spiced Lentil Soup with Vegetables
Spices often used in Moroccan cuisine like turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and black pepper give this soup complexity and deep flavor. Make it a day ahead, if you can, to give the spices time to mingle and develop. This easy slow-cooker recipe makes it a cinch to get the soup cooking while you do other things.
Vegan Quinoa Chili
Photographer / Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Christine Kelly, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin
This light but filling vegan quinoa chili is packed with fresh veggies, with quinoa and black beans adding protein and fiber. Complete this easy one-pot dinner with vegan cheese, dairy-free yogurt or your favorite chili toppings.
20-Minute Balsamic Mushroom & Spinach Pasta
Antonis Achilleos
This 20-minute veggie pasta dish is super savory, thanks to meaty mushrooms, while the natural sweetness from the balsamic vinegar, basil and pistachios brighten up this quick, healthy vegetarian dinner.
Vegan Lentil Soup
This vegan lentil soup recipe is packed with fresh ingredients and plenty of lentils that deliver a healthy dose of fiber in each bite. This vegan soup is the perfect cold-weather lunch or healthy dinner the whole family will love.
Slow-Cooker Quinoa Salad with Arugula & Feta
Chock-full of quinoa, chickpeas and vegetables, this salad is a meal in itself. The roasted red peppers, lemon, olives and feta add texture and flavor to this Mediterranean diet recipe.
Summer Skillet Vegetable & Egg Scramble
Don’t toss out those almost-past-their-prime vegetables and fresh herbs. Toss them into this skillet egg scramble for a quick vegetarian meal. Nearly any vegetable will work in this easy skillet recipe, so choose your favorites or use what you have on hand.
One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
This one-pot pasta with tangy tomato-basil sauce is a simple, fast and easy weeknight dinner. All of your ingredients go into one pot, and with a bit of stirring and about 25 minutes of cook time, you’ll have a healthy dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Vegan Lentil Soup
This vegan lentil soup recipe is packed with fresh ingredients and plenty of lentils that deliver a healthy dose of fiber in each bite. This vegan soup is the perfect cold-weather lunch or healthy dinner the whole family will love.
Hearty Minestrone
This version of the Italian classic soup Minestrone is packed with leeks, potatoes, beans, zucchini, spinach and orzo, making it perfect for a hearty lunch or supper on a cold winter’s night. To make a vegetarian version use vegetable rather than chicken broth. Top each bowl with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for a zesty burst of flavor.
Lemon Herbed Orzo Pasta
This quick and easy lemony and herb pasta dish makes a delicious side. Try adding chicken or shrimp for a more complete meal.
Chickpea & Potato Hash
The eggs cook right on top of this chickpea and potato hash–cook them a few extra minutes if you prefer hard-set eggs. Serve with warm pita bread and a cucumber salad with mint and yogurt.
Slow-Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup Freezer Pack
Prep the ingredients for this soup months in advance for a total hands-off meal that’s ready when you are. Vegetarian lentils and vegan coconut milk make this soup creamy and pack in plenty of plant-based protein and a hearty amount of fiber. To keep it vegan, opt for vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Greek Salad with Edamame
Edamame adds protein to the classic Greek salad: romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, feta and olives. Serve with toasted pita brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with dried oregano or za’atar.