15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (2024)

You'll savor these recipes that rely on pantry ingredients for a healthy and budget-friendly meal. We use staples like pasta, canned beans and eggs for a mix of dishes, from fresh grain bowls to comforting chili. Plus, you can whip up vegetarian recipes like our White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi and Chickpea & Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce in 30 minutes or less for a simple, satisfying dinner.

01of 15

Chickpea & Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (1)

Quinoa and chickpeas pack this vegetarian grain bowl with plenty of plant-based protein. Whip up a batch of these flavorful grain bowls and pack them in lidded containers to stash in the fridge for easy, healthy dinners all week long.

02of 15

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (2)

Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic five-ingredient dinner for one!

03of 15

White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (3)

Sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this recipe—providing texture and umami. Combined with the spinach, they make this dish a great source of vitamins C and K.

04of 15

Easy Vegetarian Chili

View Recipe

3-Ingredient Teriyaki Edamame Sauté

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (5)

Whip up this high-fiber, plant-based stir-fry for a quick and convenient dinner. Look for bottled teriyaki sauce labeled less sodium or reduced sodium to cut back on the salt without sacrificing flavor.

06of 15

3-Ingredient Chickpeas with Kale & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (6)

Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes pull double duty in this recipe. Use the oil from the jar to cook the kale, then stir in the sun-dried tomatoes to add flavor and texture to the dish.

07of 15

Spaghetti & Spinach with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (7)

To achieve flavor quickly in this pasta recipe, we use the oil from sun-dried tomatoes to create the base of the cream sauce. Meanwhile, the residual heat of the pasta wilts the spinach in record time for a fast weeknight dinner.

08of 15

White Bean Soup with Pasta

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (8)

We use mirepoix—a combination of onion, celery and carrots—to flavor this soup. Keep a store-bought bag of the mixture in your freezer to ensure you always have some on hand without worrying about it going bad.

09of 15

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (9)

In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.

10of 15

Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (10)

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.

11of 15

Grain Bowl with Chickpeas & Cauliflower

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (11)

This beautiful grain bowl is packed with healthy ingredients like quinoa, chickpeas, kale and cauliflower—all drizzled with a lemony tahini sauce. The fast one-bowl meal makes a satisfying weeknight dinner or packable work lunch. If you don't have za'atar, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin and coriander.

12of 15

Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (12)

This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.

13of 15

Vegetarian Black Bean & Quinoa Burrito Bowls

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (13)

Skip the tortillas and layer your taco fillings onto protein-rich quinoa in this healthy vegetarian bowl dinner recipe. Top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a splash of your favorite hot sauce.

14of 15

Bean & Veggie Taco Bowl

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (14)

Simple brown rice and black beans serve as the backdrop for sautéed veggies and taco toppings!

15of 15

Vegan Grain Bowl

View Recipe

15 Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Dinners That Are Ready in 30 Minutes (15)

This easy grain bowl has so much to love—sweet potatoes, protein-packed chickpeas, creamy avocado and homemade tahini dressing. Make the full recipe on the weekend and pack it into individual serving containers for ready-to-go lunches and dinners all week.