Vegetarian Pasta Recipes That Truly Satisfy—You Won't Even Miss the Meat

Creamy, cheesy, and studded with good-for-you kale, this pasta bake recipe is a cozy dinner for vegetarians and flexitarians. We simplify the prep and call for premade gnocchi, and you could make it even easier by using washed, bagged, trimmed kale.

Turn classic lasagna on its head with our mile-high layers of noodles, vegetables, and cheesy goodness. Look for vegetarian Parmesan, or choose another hard, aged vegetarian cheese to substitute. A springform pan helps this impressive vegetarian recipe keep its form.

Related: Our Best Lasagna Recipes That Deliver Layers and Layers of Flavor

Rev up your food processor: A homemade walnut pesto instantly transforms plain spaghetti into a sensational vegetarian dinner recipe. Better yet, the pesto can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a week.

Buy It: Cuisinart Food Processor ($100, Bed Bath & Beyond)

If you love a vegetarian lasagna but want to shake it up a bit, this creamy pasta bake is for you. Mascarpone (a mild, soft, butter-like cheese), panko breadcrumbs, and butternut squash all come together to elevate this vegetarian pasta dinner.

Sweet corn, grape tomatoes, and arugula add bright flavor to this quick vegetarian pasta recipe. A creamy yet light sauce rounds out this easy pasta recipe. Look for a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan and skip the Pecorino Romano.

Meat lovers won’t miss the meat in this savory veggie-packed lasagna recipe—hello mushrooms, zucchini, and carrots! Plus, it’s deliciously cheesy thanks to cottage cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan (though be sure to seek out vegetarian-friendly cheeses).

Related: Gluten-Free Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Sometimes pasta is synonymous with simple. And boy does this vegetarian pasta dinner recipe deliver! It calls for only five ingredients and the delicious sauce is just lemon, basil, and olive oil.

Related: Delicious Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes

Meaty mushrooms in an easy-to-make creamy sauce top egg noodles for a hearty vegetarian twist on a classic Italian favorite. This vegetarian pasta recipe is healthy and quick—and comes together in under 20 minutes.

Related: Quick and Easy Vegetarian Dinners to Try Tonight

Creamy artichoke dip meets Italian lasagna in this meat-free white lasagna vegetarian recipe. Packed with flavor thanks to artichokes, three kinds of cheese, garlic, and fresh basil, this Italian vegetarian pasta recipe won’t disappoint. To keep it purely vegetarian, use vegetable broth or “no chicken” chicken broth.

This vegetarian pasta recipe not only capitalizes on the cauliflower trend, but also ups your veggie count thanks to a combination of potato and cauliflower in the gnocchi. To make sure this recipe is truly vegetarian, look for a vegetarian Parmesan cheese.

Forgo your regular mac and cheese for this over-the-top spin on the fan-favorite pasta dish. This creamy vegetarian pasta recipe stuffs cheesy mini shells inside jumbo shells and covers it in a creamy tomato-vodka sauce.

Related: These Top Mac and Cheese Recipes Are Gooey Perfection

We took this classic creamy Italian vegetarian pasta recipe and cranked it up a notch. Adding Brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes make this Alfredo pasta dish anything but basic. Bonus: You can pull the impressive dish together in just 15 minutes.

This delicious vegetarian lasagna full of fresh and flavorful veggies has a twist: Instead of noodles, try using polenta, an Italian cornmeal commonly used in northern Italy.

This creamy vegetarian pasta bake is a dinner recipe the whole family will love. Tender butternut squash joins deliciously with fresh rosemary, cream, and Parmesan cheese (a vegetarian one, of course)—and no-boil noodles keep prep time a little shorter.