Indian Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes

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 very yummy, authentic dal. For variation, add coconut milk towards the end of cooking. Freezes well.

I actually learned this in the kitchen of this lovely Indian woman! Serve hot in soup bowls, or over rice.

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?

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.

This is a traditional North Indian (Punjabi) Bhurtha made with eggplant and tomato, and seasoned with cumin, turmeric garlic and ginger. Serve with fresh roti or naan.

If you ever fancy a curry that contains more than just vegetables, then try this Quorn™ recipe - it's easy to make and tastes great! Best served with Pilau/Basmati rice.

This is a very popular recipe in India, liked by almost everyone. You may have to go to a nearby Asian Indian store to get the 'Pav Bhaji Masala' that is the special spice to bring the flavor (Masala means spice). Pav is actually the buns. Bhaji is the vegetables cooked with spice.

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!

This is an Indian vegetable korma 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.

Masala means a spicy mixture. Vegetable masala is a mixture of vegetables like potatoes, carrots, peas and beans cooked with onions & tomatoes adding spices like garam masala powder, ginger and garlic powder.

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.

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 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 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.

A lovely vegetable recipe full of flavor which can be eaten by itself. Delicious if eaten with plain yogurt. Create your own variation with different vegetables and spices.

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

Fast and simple daal using red lentils.

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 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 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.

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

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.

Cauliflower and tofu in a medium-hot masala sauce. Serve over basmati rice or with naan.