30 Super-Fast Vegetarian Dinner Recipes & Ideas that Take 20 Minutes or Less (2024)

September. It’s the time of year when that subtle “back-to-school” morning chill enters the air, and those wonderful relaxed summer days begin to disappear in the rear view mirror. But you know what? That’s okay. These first days of fall feel fresh to me. And, hey, there are apples and pumpkins, too!

But it’s a little weird how, without fail, everything speeds up this time of year. I don’t have a little one in school yet, but I feel it – and I always have. It’s the time of year to get back into the swing of things. Time becomes more of a commodity, evenings feel shorter, and when it comes to dinnertime, super-easy is where it’s at.

So if this time of year feels the same to you, here are a few simple recipes from around the Web that will help you get dinner on the table lickety split. A few are meat optional, but most are vegetarian – and pretty perfectly satisfying as-is.

Breakfast for dinner (in a dash)

Here are a handful of favorites – but the brilliance of breakfast for dinner is that most any classic breakfast combo will come together super-quickly for a fun (and filling) dinner.

• Fluffy Banana Pancakes
• Avocado & Egg Breakfast Pizzas – The Kitchn

Quick quesadillas

Quesadillas are a huge favorite around these parts. They’re super easy, they lend themselves to endless variations, and I can make them in the panini press if I’m really short on time. Here are a few more:

• Sweet Potato Kale Quesadillas– Quarter Life Cuisine
• Farmer’s Market Quesadillas– The Corner Kitchen
• Summer Squash & Mushroom Quesadillas– Chocolate Moosey
• Four Cheese Pizza Quesadillas

Super salads

Chop, chop!

• Middle Eastern Shirazi Salad – Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Asian Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing – Heather Christo
• Black Bean & Mango Quinoa Salad– The Corner Kitchen
• Cucumber Chickpea Salad with Lemony Tahini Dressing – Oh My Veggies

Perfunctory pasta

I adore pasta for its ability to anchor a satisfying meal in 10 minutes flat.

• Spaghetti with Frisee and Fried Egg– Martha Stewart
• One Pan Pasta– Martha Stewart
• Vegetable Lo Mein– Whole Foods
• Veggie Lo Mein– Three Many Cooks
• Basil Spaghetti with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes – Noble Pig
• 5-Minute, No-Cook Pasta Sauce – Noble Pig
• Brown Butter Parmesan Spaghetti

Nachos on nitrous (yes, they get their own category)

And then there are nachos – glorious, glorious nachos. I’m not ashamed. Okay, maybe a little ashamed.

• Combination Pizza Nachos
• Straw Hats (Frito Pie)
• Grilled Zucchini Nachos – Two Peas and Their Pod

Snappy sandwiches

• Toronto Sandwich – Ricki Heller
• Garlic Avocado Toasts with Heirloom Tomato & Basil – Dishing up the Dirt
• Bratwursts/Field Roast
• Just: Burgers

And also …

Every single one of these recipes = bomb. Note: This is the first time I’ve used “bomb’ in this way. It is also the last. But these recipes look divine, don’t they?

• Kale Rice Bowl with Poached Eggs– 101 Cookbooks
• Easy Chickpea Curry with Coconut Rice– How Sweet It Is
• Miso Soup with Rice and Poached Egg – The Kitchn
• French Bread Pizza with Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Oh My Veggies

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