6 Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Vegetarian Dinners That Are Anything but Flavor-Free

This delightfully sweet and spicy mixture of honey and black pepper brighten up the earthy flavors of cauliflower and tempeh in this plant-powered dish.

High in blood pressure balancing potassium and Vitamin C, cauliflower is a great low-carb choice for bulking up vegetarian dinners. Tempeh is less processed than its soybean cousin, tofu; look for it next to the tofu in your grocery store’s produce section. While this is best served immediately, the leftovers make a fantastic lunch.

Classified as an “ancient grain,” teff is a poppy seed-sized whole grain that’s a great alternative to gluten-heavy wheat.

These hearty bowls are a nutritional knockout—spinach is a heavy hitter with Vitamin A and iron; carrots deliver immune-boosting Vitamin C. If you can’t find teff at your grocery store and don’t want to buy it online here, substitute quinoa instead. We love the gorgeous runny yolks of these soft-cooked eggs; cook them a few minutes longer if you like.

Made from roasted red peppers and chiles, harissa (a.k.a. "Moroccan ketchup") is a flavor bomb that transforms this dish. Its chunky texture helps it cling to the eggplant and tempeh, which roast up crispy, glazed, and delicious.

If you can’t find Japanese eggplant at your grocery store or local Asian market, regular eggplant will work just fine.

Not a tofu-eater yet? This recipe will win you over. Protein-packed tofu steaks get a quick dusting in curry powder and cornstarch and sear up perfectly crisp—no frying required. We used madras curry powder in this recipe, which is a little spicier than regular curry powder; for a homemade hack, stir together regular curry with 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper.

This pesto packs a flavorful punch—it’s perfect for adding bold flavor to low carb spaghetti squash. Instead of roasting squash halves, we opted to slice the squash in rings; this yields longer, twirlable strands that mimic your favorite traditional pasta. Because the greens and herbs in the pesto are blanched first, you can make it a couple of days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. This dairy- and gluten- free vegan recipe is perfectly delicious as-is, but if you want to take it to the next level, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese takes it over the top.

Here are 7 reasons you’ll love this hearty outside-the-box pasta dinner: 1. Canned chickpeas and chickpea pasta add loads of fiber and plant-based protein. 2. Chickpea pasta is gluten free. So, yay! 3. No meat + no dairy = a very vegan friendly dish. 4. The quick basil-garlic oil trick is one you’ll use over and over again. 5. Cooking the pasta in a mixture of water and tomato sauce means you only have one pot to clean. 6. Thanks to plant-based ingredients and healthy fats, the serving size is nice and hearty—1 1/2 cups per person! 7. The roasted chickpeas are fantastic on their own, either for snacking or topping a salad.