Looking to find the best vegetarian Italian dishes that are quick and easy? You’ve come to the right place!
We’ve selected 40 of our best vibrant, fresh, and easy meatless Italian meals – most of which you can serve as weeknight dinners.
Find your favorite recipe by browsing through this list, and take your pick: pasta, pizza, soups, stews, risotto, appetizers, and many more.
Most of these recipes are ready in less than 30 mins, making them perfect for busy families with kids.
Whether you’re a beginner vegetarian, omnivore, or flexitarian, we’re sure you’ll find your new Italian favorite on this list.
Easy Vegetarian appetizers
These Italian vegetarian starters are simple to make, veggie-packed and guaranteed crowd-pleasers.
1
Eggplant Caponata
The first recipe on our list is naturally vegetarian and vegan (although some regions add sardines).
Caponata is veggie-packed with eggplant, olives, tomatoes, and capers. It's a Sicilian dish that you and your family will love.
2
Tomato Bruschetta
Tomato bruschettaiscrunchy,juicy,garlicky,and perfect as an Italian appetizer, and side dish.
The recipe is simple; you can make it in10 minuteswith a few basic ingredients.
3
Eggplant Pizza
Here's a scrumptious finger food made with tender eggplants and topped with atasty tomato sauceandmelty cheese.
This recipe is a sure hit with picky adults and kids alike and is a great starter and side dish.
4
Focaccia
The best way to make focaccia without getting your hands dirty is with a no-knead method.
Add tomatoes or rosemary on top and serve as a luxurious and crispy appetizer.
5
Italian Rice Balls
Italian rice ballsare an irresistible recipe made witha leftover or cooled-down risotto. They are coated in crunchy breadcrumbs and fried untilperfectly crisp and golden brown.
A perfect starter for guests and special occasions!
6
Crostini Recipe
Crostini are small slices ofcrunchy toasted breadyou can eat as anappetizeror easy side dish.
Everyone loves crostini because they are tasty and fun to eat. Top with vegetables, pesto, and cheese to accommodate all eaters.
7
Fried Eggplant
This fried eggplant recipeissuper crunchy outsideandperfectly tender on the inside.
We make it with and without eggs, and it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Best Italian Vegetarian Dinners
These vegetarian main meals are perfect for guests and family gatherings. All of our recipes include vegan and vegetarian instructions, so you can cook according to your diet preferences.
8
Tofu with Pizzaiola Sauce
Looking for a quick vegetarian dinner?
Try this 15-min dinner: tofu hugged in marinara sauce. A great main meal and meat substitute.
9
Tuscan Soup
Beans, cabbage, tomato flavor, and herbs come together in this rustic Italian soup.
Perfect with crostini or sourdough bread and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
10
Tofu Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Try these vegetarian meatballs with an aromatic marinara sauce and fresh herbs.
Served in a sub or on spaghetti, it's a rich and satiating vegetarian dinner!
11
Eggplant Risotto
You can make this vegetarian risotto dish injust over 30 minutesand serve it for a delicious and comfortingfamily dinner.
Our recipe has vegan and vegetarian alternatives, plus ideas for cooking leftover risotto.
12
Pan fried tofu with mushrooms
Instead of chicken with mushrooms, we use tofu for a 30-minute vegetarian meal idea.
It's a protein-rich dish with a restaurant-worthy look and flavor.
13
Tomato Basil Pasta
This pasta is naturally vegetarian, easy to make, and with the best and simplest ingredients from Italy.
Tomato, pasta, olive oil, and basil, it's a family-friendly dish that everyone will love.
14
Garlic and Oil Pasta (Spaghetti Aglio e Olio)
Here's how to make garlic and oil pasta inunder 15 minutes.
It's a tasty and simple dinner idea where you can easily add your favorite vegetarian toppings; try broccoli, cauliflower, or tofu.
15
Zucchini Fritters
Zucchini fritterspack a ton of flavorand are an excellent vegetarian meal for the whole family.
Our tip is to top them or dip them withtzatziki sauce,or marinara sauce for a light main dish.
16
Chickpea crepes - Savoury mushroom pancakes
These savory pancakes aregluten-free,and they're made with simple vegetarian ingredients, yet they aredeliciousandfulfilling.
Stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and spinach for a chewy and meat-free dinner.
17
Eggplant Parmigiana
Italian Eggplant Parmigianais one of the tastiest eggplant dishes ever.
Its simplicity of ingredients,rich tomato flavor, andcreamy texturewill make you fall in love with this delicious meal.
18
Vegan Carbonara
Ourvegan carbonarais a simple recipe that can be made in15 minutes.
The taste of our carbonara sauce is similarto the taste of an authentic Italian carbonara but made vegetarian since there is no bacon.
19
Pasta alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)
Ourpasta alla Norma is aclassic Sicilian pasta dishmade with a rich and creamy tomato sauce, tender roasted eggplants, and fresh basil.
Top your pasta with grated parmesan cheese for a vegetarian dinner.
20
Rigatoni Arrabbiata
Rigatoni Arrabbiatais an Italian pasta dish with a spicy tomato sauce.
This is a simple yet tasty recipe that you can make in just about20 minuteswith simple pantry ingredients.
21
Tofu Pasta (Tofu Bolognese)
Tofu pastais a delicious vegan recipe with tasty crumbled tofu and a rich tomato sauce.
This is essentially atofu bolognesethat you can put together for a quick, easy, and nutritious meal inless than 30 minutes.
22
Potato Gnocchi Recipe
To make gnocchi, we follow the authentic recipe for Italian potato gnocchi.
They are easy to make at home, and you'll need justthree ingredients and a fork.
23
Rice Salad
Thisrice saladis adapted from the Italian rice salad and it's the perfect summer dish,easy to prepare in advance, and bring with you for a picnic outdoors.
24
Vegetarian "Fish"
This vegetarian tofu "fish"is soft, refreshing, juicy, lemony, andfull of Mediterranean flavors.
It's oven-baked with Italian seasoning and wrapped in parchment paper to concentrate itsaromaandkeepitjuicy.
25
Zucchini Boats
You are going to love ourzucchini boatsbecause they are filled with anearthy lentil tomatomixture that tastes so good you won't believe there's no meat in it.
26
Lentil bolognese
Our lentil bolognese is an Italian classic with an ultra-rich andheartysauce.
It's perfect with pasta, lasagna, or zucchini noodles. A satiating vegetarian Sunday dinner.
27
Zucchini Risotto
Zucchini risottois creamy, tasty, and easy to make in one pot withgrated zucchiniin just about 30 minutes.
Serve it with grated lemon zest and freshly ground pepper for a restaurant-worthy look.
28
Lentil Soup
This lentil soup is perfect as an everydaydinner.
Our Italian soup stores for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, and for up to 3 months in the freezer, making it excellent for meal-planning.
29
Stuffed Eggplant
Our stuffed eggplantis delicious and easy to prepare, made with tenderroasted eggplant boatsand three differentquick and easy stuffing.
30
Italian Bean Stew
ThisItalian bean stewis easy, fulfilling, and delicious, made withsimple ingredientsthat you might already have in your pantry.
31
Roasted butternut squash soup
This soupis dairy-freeand vegetarian, and a warming Italian dish for cold autumn and winter nights.
Expect a creamy, tasty, and comforting soup ready in just about30 minutes.
32
Asparagus Risotto
Asparagus risottois creamy to perfection, light, comforting, and nutritious.
If you love asparagus, you'll love it even more with this vegetarian risotto.
33
Tofu Cacciatore
We might use tofu instead of chicken, but this meal isrich, earthy, meaty,and packed with the cacciatore flavor we all love so much.
You've never had tofu like this!
34
Tofu and spinach cutlets
These cutlets are easy to make, with really basic, everyday ingredients, mixed together in a food processor, shaped into cutlets, and baked for just over 20 minutes.
35
Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini pasta, as inpasta with zucchini, is a creamy andeasy one-pot recipeyou can make as aquick dinner for the whole family.
36
Couscous with Vegetables
Couscous with vegetables is a delicious way of enjoying couscous.
This is an easy Italian recipe that you can make inless than 30 minutes, with seasonal veggies and herbs.
37
Mushroom Pasta
Instead of meat, we add sauteed mushrooms to this creamy and veggie-packed pasta.
Ready in just 25 minutes and perfect as an everyday vegetarian dinner.
38
Lemon Tofu
Inspired by an Italian recipe for lemon chicken, but we replaced the chicken fillet with tofu slices.
The result is a delicious meal that can beprepared in no time.
39
Panzanella
We finish this list with an Italian rustic salad with leftover bread, tomato, and crispy cucumber.
Panzanella is a delicious appetizer and side dish idea, and it's ideal for the spring and summer season when tomatoes are ripe and juicy.
40
Pasta e fa*gioli
Pasta e fa*giolimakes thecoziest family dinner ever.
You can make it with simple and affordable plant-based ingredients, yetit tastes fantastic, and it's incrediblywarming and satiating.
Is Italian food mostly vegetarian?
Traditional Italian food is, due to peasant tradition, influenced by vegetarian traditions such as “cucina povera“: kitchen of the poor.
Cucina povera refers to cooking with simple ingredients since poorer families would not have expensive or many ingredients available to them. Examples include:
- Legume-based cooking, such as lentil soup, Tuscan bean soup, and bean stews.
- Bread-based meals and appetizers, such as Panzanella (bread salad), bruschetta, and crostini.
- Rice instead of meat, such as rice filling with stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Naturally vegetarian pasta, such as aglio e olio, pasta pomodoro, pasta Puttanesca, and penne arrabbiata.
Simple Italian food is amazingly flavorful. In fact, you can easily cook hundreds of tasty Italian recipes without meat and still feel satiated.
How to store Italian Vegetarian Meals
- How to store: you can store leftovers in an airtight container in thefridge for up to 3 days.
- How to reheat: reheat your meal (if it’s meant to be served hot) in the microwave or on a pan with a teaspoon of oil. On the second day, these meals will be stickier and less creamy.
- How to freeze:you can also freeze some of the meals for up to 3 months. To freeze, let it cool down first, then transfer them to a freezer-friendly container, leaving some space to allow it to expand.
- Thaw in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. Before serving, garnish with fresh herbs and optionally a drizzle of olive oil.
More Italian meals
If you’re also a fan of Italian food, we hear you! After we moved to Italy a couple of years ago, we learned to make a lot of our favorite meals with a vegetarian spin. Here are some of our favorite Italian recipes:
- 25 Chickpea recipe ideas with salads, mains, and dip recipes.
- Easy tofu recipes that can replace chicken and meat.
- Add creaminess to salads and protein with these top sauce recipes.
- Satisfy sweet cravings by making these indulgent plant-based desserts.
- 30 Easy Italian Recipes
- 25 Easy Sauces
- 40 Easy Pasta Recipes
- 35 Chickpea Recipes (easy meals)
For many more 30-minute meal ideas, check out our 30-minute meal category page.
40 Italian Vegetarian Dishes
By: Nico Pallotta
5 from 4 votes
Looking to find the Italian Vegetarian Recipes for dinner and lunch? We've got you covered with these 40 Italian Meals including pizza, pasta, risotto, protein-rich meals and big salads.
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Servings: 4 people
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American Italian
Pin Print
Ingredients
- Check each individual vegetarian recipe for ingredients required.
- Cook your favorite vegetarian recipe
Instructions
How to store: Keep these vegetarian meals stored in the refrigerator, ideally in an airtight container, for upto 3 days.
How to reheat: Warm it up on the stovetop or in the microwave. Before serving garnish with fresh herbs.
How to freeze: You can also freeze the meals for up to 3 months. To freeze, let it cool down first, then transfer them to a freezer-friendly container, leaving some space to allow it to expand. Thaw in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. Before serving, garnish with fresh herbs, and optionally a drizzle of olive oil.
Video
Pasta alla Norma (eggplant pasta)
Notes
Meal-prep/freezing: You can freeze the meals for up to 3 months. To freeze, let it cool down first, then transfer them to a freezer-friendly container, leaving some space to allow it to expand. Thaw in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. Before serving, garnish with fresh herbs.
Nutrition
Serving: 200g, Calories: 300kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 12g
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below or mention @theplantbasedschool on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.
If you like these Italian vegetarian recipes, you might also like:
- 25 Vegan Salads
- 30 Easy Tofu Recipes
- 65 Plant-Based Italian Recipes
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”qEOMMj9S” upload-date=”2023-05-12T08:01:22.000Z” name=”Pasta alla Norma” description=”Pasta alla Norma is a classic Sicilian pasta dish with rich and creamy tomato sauce, tender roasted eggplants, and fresh basil.
You’ll love this recipe because it’s tasty, healthy, easy to make in about 30 minutes, and with simple ingredients.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
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Hi! We are Nico & Louise
Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.
Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.
Easy right?
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1 Comment
Thank you! I can’t wait to try them!Reply
