Indian Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes

Rajma is comfort food at its best. I like rajma best with simple jeera (cumin) rice. Of course, some roti would be great too. When I was in college, I ate rajma at least once a week. Cheap, nutritious, and comforting. What is not to like?

A delicious Indian dish, good on its own or served with rice or naan bread. Substitute tofu for paneer to make it vegan.

This is a really easy and tasty Indian dish that is sure to stir up your taste buds. Delicious baingan bharta is ready to eat with pita bread, Indian naan, or rice.

Given to me by a co-worker from Bangalore, this is a southern Indian recipe for palak paneer. It was easy to make and very delicious!

Traditional Indian dish made of spiced cauliflower and potatoes. This dish is steamed and then fried in oil making it intentionally dry and somewhat crispy. WARNING: This dish is extremely spicy, which is the way I like it. However, if you don't like your food that spicy, feel free to cut down on the serrano pepper and/or cayenne pepper. Also, I would recommend serving this with a side of raita or plain yogurt to cool the mouth down after eating.

Spicy potatoes, tomatoes and onions with an Indian kick! This is super spicy so be aware!

This is a quick solution to a curry when there is no meat or fish. Best eaten hot over white rice. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

This is a quick and delicious recipe that goes well with white rice by itself, or with white rice and lentils. Its filling and doesn't require too much salt or oil. A drier version can be eaten with flat bread, naan, or pita. Reduce chili powder for a kid-friendly meal. Fast-cooking vegetables such as beans, peas and corn can be added for extra crunch and color. You can use white onion instead of the more pungent red if you prefer. If you find the vegetables catching bottom without being fully cooked, add half a cup of water and replace lid. Once cooked, remove lid and cook on very low till the water evaporates.

This navratan korma recipe is an Indian vegetable curry with nuts, paneer cheese, and an adjustable list of vegetables. It is in a tomato-cream sauce as opposed to the usual yogurt-based sauce. Navratan means "nine gems," so choose nine of the vegetable, nuts, and paneer ingredients; you can leave out the elements you don't want to use, or add them all so it is "ten gems" if you wish.

This is hands down the easiest and most delicious curry I have ever made. It's my own personal twist on Aloo Gobi, a traditionally dry Indian dish consisting of potatoes and cauliflower. The coconut milk adds the extra sauciness; my favorite part of curry. Serve with basmati rice or, better, with breads such as roti, naan, or pita.

This is a very comforting dal for a cold day. Urad dal is stickier and heavier than other dals, so this is a thick-style dal. Serve with fresh phulkas with some chopped onion, tomato, and cucumber (kheera) salad on the side for crunch.

This is an authentic, vegetarian, simple, and colorful main dish served with fluffy basmati rice or chapatis. I'm from India and I completely adore Indian cooking; I hope you like this recipe. A word of caution: it could be a little too hot for some folks...feel free to reduce or even skip the hot ingredients! Enjoy!

This is a great creamy curry recipe. It is very mild, and unlike typical curries. A crowd pleaser!

Fantastic Indian vegetarian curry recipe that I got from my mom. This is great with Indian bread (parathas, naan) or with rice. This is my husband's favorite!

This is a basic paneer butter masala recipe that you get in most Indian restaurants. This dish goes well with either rice or naan.

Paneer tikka masala. It goes well with naan or basmati rice.

My mother-in-law is Indian and let me in on a secret: The vegetable balls from IKEA® make for a great and ridiculously easy vegetarian kofta curry. This is ready in just about 30 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight. Serve with basmati rice.

This is a great one-pot dish that's tasty and filling. Careful when measuring out the curry paste - depending on its spiciness, 1 teaspoon can be enough sometimes. If you are using a mild one, you might need more. If you want to save calories, use reduced-fat coconut milk.

Delicious blend of Indian spices with chickpeas and tomatoes. Serve with jasmine rice or couscous.

North Indian in origin, I was very grateful to have found this recipe. It is very similar to what was served to us by our Bengali neighbors years ago! Serve hot with a side of thickly sliced bread.

This is a basic dal (Indian lentil soup) recipe that my mom always makes. You can substitute different vegetables and greens and follow similar procedure. This is a hearty and healthy dish that leaves you satisfied without overfilling you. You can substitute spinach for other dark greens like mustard greens, kale, or swiss chard. The cook time will vary. Serve with steamed rice.

Palak paneer is an Indian curry with soft cubes of cheese simmered in a mildly spiced spinach gravy. All of the spinach benefits in an easy-to-make and absolutely delicious Indian curry. Serve with hot naan or roti.

Traditional spicy okra curry that everyone loves. It's best with Indian bread (naan or paratha) or rice. My mom says this is brain food!

This is my mom's recipe. It's easy to make and tasty to enjoy.