14 Fall Vegetarian Dinner Recipes for Cozy Evenings at Home

As comforting as your favorite fuzzy sweater.

Published October 30, 2024

Serving of Mushroom Pot Pie on a muted pink plate,with full pot pie in a skillet on the side. 2 glasses of sparkling water, and a rust colored napkin — Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

I would describe myself as an occasional vegetarian who can go meatless for an extended period, say, after a stretch of carnivorous indulgence—like 11 days in South Korea sampling every pork- and beef-centric specialty (not to mention chicken) I could sink my teeth into. Now that I'm back from my trip, I'm reaching for vegetables for a good while, and fall is the perfect season for deeply flavorful, hunger-crushing vegetarian mains. I'm talking about pasta, risotto, and casseroles loaded with hearty squashes like butternut and kabocha, mushrooms, potatoes, sturdy kale, and Brussels sprouts.

We've rounded up recipes that make the most of this seasonal produce, like our super fast and easy-to-make creamy pressure cooker mushroom risotto. Ready to fire up the oven? You'll fall for our no-boil baked ziti or luscious vegetarian pot pie topped with a flaky crust. Most of these fall vegetarian dinner recipes are simple enough to make on weeknights, and so satisfying that they just might turn me into more than an occasional vegetarian.

Pressure-Cooker Mushroom Risotto
Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz
This creamy, deeply satisfying risotto gets its intense mushroom flavor from a combination of well-browned fresh mushrooms, dried porcini, and stock infused with mushroom trimmings. A touch of soy sauce and miso paste amplifies the mushrooms' rich savory characteristics. And the best part? It's ready in mere minutes—no stirring required.
Pressure-Cooker Mushroom Risotto
Easy Vegetarian Pot Pie
Serious Eats / Victor Protasio
Prepping the filling and baking the assembled pot pie in the same cast iron skillet—also using store-bought puff pastry and frozen pearl onions—means you can put together this excellent umami-rich main in about 20 minutes with minimal cleanup. It's a recipe that's as well-suited for a weeknight as it is a weekend.
Easy Vegetarian Pot Pie
The Best Vegetarian Bean Chili
Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
Brisk fall weather calls for rib-sticking fare, and this vegan chili delivers on that count, along with the deep, spicy flavor and textural contrast you'd expect from a traditional version made with meat. We achieved this by using a variety of whole-dried chiles, simmering them for some time to concentrate the chili's flavor, while preserving the texture of the beans and vegetables with acidic ingredients.
The Best Vegetarian Bean Chili
Channa Masala
Serious Eats / Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic
This dish of plump chickpeas bathed in a spicy and tangy tomato sauce is a staple of Indian and Pakistani cuisine. In our version, we doctor up store-bought garam masala with additional spices for maximum results so that a half-hour simmer is all you need to infuse canned chickpeas with all the sauce's flavor.
Chana Masala
Hearty Vegan Polenta and Kale Soup With Miso and Toasted Sesame Oil
Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
We put a decidedly Japanese twist on an easy Italian favorite with miso paste, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and scallions to add depth of flavor to a very simple hearty soup. Using homemade vegetable stock makes it all the more tasty,
Hearty Vegan Polenta and Kale Soup With Miso and Toasted Sesame Oil
No-Boil Baked Ziti Recipe
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Cooler autumn weather is a signal to fire up the oven and bake some pasta. Kenji's genius pasta-soaking method guarantees perfectly al dente-baked pasta without the need to use an extra pot or wait for it to boil.
No-Boil Baked Ziti Recipe
Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Here, using less water to cook the pasta concentrates the starch which helps the brown butter sauce quickly emulsify into a creamy coating. Honestly, the hardest thing about this fast flavorful dish is dicing up the butternut squash into uniform cubes.
Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter
Orecchiette With Broccoli and Toasted Hazelnuts
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
In this recipe, the classic pairing of orecchiette and broccoli is given a luxurious upgrade with a creamy turmeric sauce and crunchy toasted hazelnuts which impart earthy notes that keep with the season.
Orecchiette With Broccoli and Toasted Hazelnuts
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto With Frizzled Sage and Brown Butter
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Here, the pressure cooker already drastically reduces cooking time, so taking an extra step to roast the squash with apple and aromatics for deeper flavor isn't that much more effort given the results. Miso in the puréed squash mixture balances its sweetness with savory complexity, while brown butter, frizzled sage, and grated Parmesan add the finishing touch.
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto With Frizzled Sage
Mozzarella in Carrozza (Italian Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches)
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
There's nothing better than dipping a melty grilled cheese sandwich into a hot bowl of soup to warm you right up...unless we're talking about a breaded and fried mozzarella sandwich. Paired with a rich and creamy tomato or butternut squash soup? Mic drop!
Mozzarella in Carrozza (Italian Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches)
The Best Squash Lasagna
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
We layer kabocha squash (in a creamy purée and sautéed with apple) with pasta and plenty of cheese to create the ultimate fall-inspired casserole. No-boil pasta sheets soaked in water cut down on the work while delivering superior results.
The Best Squash Lasagna
Hobak Beombeok (Korean Squash, Sweet Potato, and Bean Porridge)
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Loaded with winter squash, beans, sweet potatoes, and chestnuts, a comforting bowl of this all-vegetable Korean porridge can serve as a simple meal accompanied by a side dish of kimchi for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Hobak Beombeok (Korean Squash, Sweet Potato, and Bean Porridge)
Crispy Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and Potato Hash
Serious Eats / Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic
Hash is one of those dishes made better when topped with a couple of soft-cooked eggs, like this crispy combination of kale, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes—perfect for a light supper or hearty brunch. Par-cooking the potatoes gelatinizes the starches and helps crisp up the exterior as they brown in the skillet.
Crispy Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and Potato Hash
Ribollita (Hearty Tuscan Bean, Bread, and Vegetable Stew)
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
You can use any seasonal vegetables for this Tuscan vegetable soup, though it's particularly well-suited for root vegetables, hearty greens, and winter squash. Contrary to its name, ribollita does not have to be boiled twice—once is plenty. You can, however, turn the soup into a porridge by adjusting the amount of liquid, or even fry it into a pancake.
Ribollita (Hearty Tuscan Bean, Bread, and Vegetable Stew)

14 Fall Vegetarian Dinner Recipes for Cozy Evenings at Home

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