What to cook for dinner? Check out these Indian vegetarian dinner recipes and ideas and make your next meal effortless.
In this post, I will show you how to make a healthy dinner in less time and enjoy a home-cooked meal with your family!
Contents
What is the typical Indian dinner?
Indian dinner varies according to the State and region. Usually, North Indians will have any Indian flatbreads like chapati, bakri, and paratha, along with curry or dal. And typical South Indians will eat rice with curry, dal, or sambar.
Instead of rice, other grains like millet or quinoa will also make a healthy and wholesome side dish.
Tips to make easy dinner
- Plan the dinner before so you will only spend a little time deciding the menu.
- Use gadgets like an Instant pot, oven, and blender to make meals in less time.
- I usually meal prep the beans and legumes and store them in the refrigerator. And when you are out of time, these come in handy, and you can make dinner in less time. Please check my cooking 101 recipes to cook, store and use the beans, legumes, millet, and quinoa to make your dinner.
- Reuse the breakfast and lunch leftovers. It can be challenging to cook the exact amount of food at each meal. However, there will be leftovers, and I try to reuse them and prepare a new meal.
How to use leftovers for dinner
- If you have leftover oatmeal or steel-cut oats from breakfast, you can make this savory oatmeal.
- If you have cooked millet from lunch or breakfast, you can quickly make the millet yogurt rice, millet salad, or millet stir fry.
- If you have any leftover beans curries like chana masala or kidney beans curry, I make hummus using it and serve it with bread slices.
Vegetarian Dinner recipes
All of us at our home have the same dinner. So all these dinner recipes are suitable for toddlers, kids, and adults.
All these dinner recipes are
- Easy to make.
- Made from scratch.
- Delicious and healthy at the same time.
Curry recipes
These vegetarian curries and dals will be great side dishes for rice, chapati, naan bread, or other Indian flatbreads.
Saag Chana
Serve this easy, vegan, and gluten-free Indian-style curried spinach and chickpeas with either rice or any Indian flatbread, like naan bread, chapati, or paratha.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Chana Masala
If you love Indian food, this Chana Masala would be your favorite side dish. With only pantry ingredients, make this delicious gluten-free curry for your weeknight dinner.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Vegetable chickpea curry
Make this simple chickpea vegetable curry in a soupy coconut broth and serve it with rice or flatbread. This will be ideal for your busy weekday dinners or even relaxing weekends. This flavorful mixed vegetable curry recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and protein-rich.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Black beans curry
Make this delicious and creamy black beans curry in under 30 minutes, and enjoy your home-cooked lunch or dinner even if you are out of time. This curried black beans recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and protein-rich.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Kidney beans curry (Rajma curry)
Make this bean curry with veggies for your lunch or dinner, and your healthy, guilt-free meal will be ready in no time. This quick, affordable, and healthy bean curry is vegan and gluten-free.You can skip the veggies or use any seasonal veggies and make the nourishing curry.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Indian potato spinach curry
Make this easy potato spinach curry (Aloo palak) in under 30 minutes for your lunch or dinner today. This curried potatoes and spinach is a vegan and gluten-free recipe that is healthy and delicious.
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Black eyed peas curry
Are you looking for quick high protein vegetarian meals? Make this Indian black-eyed peas recipe today and enjoy this along with rice or any flatbread or as a taco filling or as a sandwich filling.
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Saag tofu
Do you want to sneak more greens into your meals? Make this easy, delicious saag tofu with simple ingredients in no time. This gluten-free and vegan saag paneer will surely please your taste buds.
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Bell pepper stir fry
Are you out of time? Then this quick veggie stir fry will be best for weeknight dinners. Make this easy bell pepper and spinach stir fry and serve with flatbread, quinoa, or rice.
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Baked paneer curry
This oven-baked paneer (Indian cottage cheese) with veggies is an easy and healthy appetizer that will please everyone. This gluten-free and protein-rich baked paneer is a very versatile recipe, and you can serve this in many ways.
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Indian dal
Make this easy Instant pot dal recipe with staple pantry ingredients and enjoy a relaxed meal at home in no time. This vegan and gluten-free Indian dal recipe is a keeper, as you can make any dal using this.
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Red lentils curry
Make this easy and quick Instant pot masoor dal and enjoy a nourishing meal even on busy days. This vegan and gluten-free red lentil dal will be an ideal lunch or dinner.
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Lentil curry
This Instant pot lentil curry with the goodness of spinach and coconut milk will please everyone and makes your meal healthy and delicious. Make this vegan, gluten-free lentil spinach curry with simple pantry ingredients and enjoy it with the whole family.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
One pot meals
Usually, we will get less time to make dinners, and these one-pot meals will be handy in these cases. All these one-pot recipes are a complete meal; you need not make any other side dishes to serve them.
Khichdi (Kitchari)
This easy and comforting Kitchari is a delicious and healthy meal any day. Instead of rice, you can use other grains like millet, quinoa, and steel-cut oats and make a delightful dinner.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Chickpeas rice
One-pot rice with chickpeas, veggies, and basic spices is an ideal dinner on busy days. This vegan and the gluten-free dish is a complete meal that is flavorful and delicious.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Kidney beans pilaf
Simple rice and beans is a comfort food. This vegan and gluten-free dish, beans pilaf, is very versatile, and you can serve it as pilaf, taco, or burrito.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Lentils and rice pilaf
Another one-pot rice dish with brown lentils and seasonal veggies.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Millet Pongal
Though Pongal is usually served as breakfast, this will be a healthy dinner option. And Instead of millet, you can make this Pongal with rice, quinoa, oats.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Mint pilaf
This mint-flavored rice with mung sprouts, veggies, and Indian spices will please everyone. Instead of sprouts, you can use other beans like kidney beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, or chickpeas.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Tomato rice
Are you out of veggies? Then this tomato rice is the perfect meal to make. With staple pantry ingredients, a flavorful dinner will be ready in no time.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Quinoa pilaf
This quick and healthy Indian-style quinoa pilaf will be our weekday dinner. Within 30 minutes, you can make a healthy and tasty meal at home.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE
Vegetable pulao recipe
Recipe
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Indian vegetarian dinner recipes - Vegetable pulao
Looking for quick and easy weeknight dinners? Also, looking for healthy yet indulgent weekend dinners? Check these healthy Indian vegetarian ideas and recipes that are delicious and you can make them easily at home. Start with this super simple yet healthy Instant Pot vegetable pulao recipe!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cups basmati rice
- 2 cups cooked peas You can use any beans or chickpeas
- 1.5 cups water
- 1.5 cups vegetables (mixed veggies, chopped into cubes)
- ½ cup onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste optional and you can use either one also
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder or curry powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1.5 tablespoon oil
- 1.5 teaspoon Salt adjust according to your taste
Instructions
- Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes or less. Then, chop the veggies and keep them aside.
- Start Instant pot in saute mode. Once it is hot, add oil to it.
- Now add sliced onions, ginger, and garlic paste.
- Let onions fry until they are golden brown.
- Now add chopped veggies. I like to add veggies according to the season. You can use veggies like potatoes, carrots, beets, beans, kohlrabi, turnip, peas, cauliflower stalk, and broccoli stalks. If you use beets, the color of the pilaf will be pink.
- Cook the veggies for a couple of minutes.
- Add spice powders - red chili powder, garam masala powder, ground cumin, coriander, and salt. Mix everything well.
- Add cooked beans or peas now and give a good mix of everything.
- Now add water and taste the salt. Water should taste a little salty, as veggies and rice will absorb it.
- Wash the rice gently 2 or 3 times to remove the starch completely. Drain the water from the rice thoroughly and add it to the Instant Pot.
- Mix it well and close the Instant Pot with the lid.
- Cancel saute mode. Seal the vent and select the manual or pressure cooker option. Pressure cook it for 5 minutes on HIGH pressure.
- Once the Instant pot beeps, turn it off and quickly release the pressure after 5 minutes.
- Take the inner pot out and let it rest for 10 minutes. Mix it well after 10 minutes; the vegetable pilaf is ready to serve! Garnish the pilaf with fresh cilantro leaves, and enjoy it hot!
Notes
Nutrition values are my rough estimates. Please feel free to use your calculator if you rely on them for your diet.
Nutrition
Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 14gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gSodium: 919mgPotassium: 595mgFiber: 12gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3550IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 3mg
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Laurie Rasor
Have A Good day