Healthy Vegetable Main Dish Recipes

We've taken the key ingredients of the popular caprese salad--tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil--and piled them into portobello mushroom caps to make a delicious and satisfying vegetarian main dish.

This vegetarian faux fried rice uses riced cauliflower in place of white or brown rice to pack in extra veggies and cut down on carbs. Chile-garlic sauce pumps up the heat, and fresh ginger adds a bright, warm bite. If you don't like the heat of the chile-garlic sauce, leave it out and add a bit more tamari or soy sauce for a rich, fermented tang.

Protein-packed omelet muffins, or baked mini omelets, are a perfect breakfast for busy mornings. Make a batch ahead and freeze for the days when you don't have time for your typical bowl of oatmeal. You can also serve these fresh with fruit salad for a simple weekend brunch.

This recipe involves one of our favorite make-ahead hacks: let the chicken and steak marinate in reverse. In this recipe, you'll pour a punchy, citrusy dressing over the meat right after it leaves the grill, so it soaks up the bright vinaigrette as it cools. Better yet, reverse-marinating keeps the grilled meat from drying out, even when kept in the fridge overnight.

The bird is spatchcocked and grilled in this five-ingredient chicken recipe, cutting cooking time in half. A glug of Banyuls, a fortified red wine from the Occitanie region of France, adds special flavor to an otherwise-simple marinade. Try NV Domaine La Tour Vieille Banyuls Reserva ($27).

This Asian-inspired dinner salad has terrific crunch, thanks to sugar snap peas and napa cabbage. Give the dressing a kick of heat by adding a bit of sambal oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce that you can find in most large supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.

Zucchini noodles and shelf-stable stir-fry noodles combine for a hearty portion in this healthy stir-fry recipe. Chinese fermented black beans (they're actually soybeans) lend a salty and savory backbone to this quick veggie-filled entree. They're pungent, so a little goes a long way. Find them at Asian grocery stores, well-stocked supermarkets and online.

Not a fan of raw fish? No problem--this poke (pronounced poke-ay) recipe substitutes cooked peeled shrimp instead. This fast, veggie-loaded dish includes seasoned brown rice for a hearty boost of fiber.

This fast vegan version of poke (the traditional Hawaiian salad of diced raw fish tossed in a soy-sesame sauce) swaps in extra-firm tofu for fish while loading your bowl with vegetables and crunchy toppers like pea shoots and peanuts. Serve over brown rice instead of the zucchini noodles to add a hearty boost of fiber.

Poke (pronounced poke-ay), a Hawaiian word meaning "to chop" or "to cut," refers to a traditional Hawaiian salad of diced raw fish in a simple, soy-based sauce with punchy seasonings like toasted sesame and chopped scallion greens. Serve with seasoned brown rice for a healthy, satisfying meal packed with veggies, protein and fiber.

Poke is a fast, refreshing and delicious salad of diced raw fish tossed in a vibrant sauce--often a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds and sweet onions or scallions. Hailing from Hawaii, poke is usually served as an appetizer or bulked up with fresh sliced veggies, greens or seasoned rice for a speedy entree.

Corn and tomatoes make this risotto taste like summer itself, but you can stir in almost any vegetables that your family likes. Make this simple entree vegetarian by swapping in vegetable broth or "no-chicken" broth for the chicken broth.

Steamed lobster is a luxurious swap for tuna in this otherwise-classic, veggie-loaded Niçoise salad. In a pinch--or if you don't want to deal with a giant pot of boiling water on a steamy summer day--many supermarkets have freshly picked lobster meat at their seafood counter or in the freezer case. Serve with a warm baguette for lunch or dinner.

Shredded zucchini acts as the crust in this recipe for healthier, low-carb quiche Lorraine--quiche with Jarlsberg cheese, bacon and scallions--a brunch classic.

Shredded sweet potato creates a low-carb crust for this healthier quiche recipe. A classic broccoli and Cheddar filling makes this brunch classic an instant crowd-pleaser.

You've used spaghetti squash in place of pasta, but have you used it for a low-carb quiche crust? Shredded roasted spaghetti squash turns into a perfectly crispy quiche crust in this healthy Mediterranean-inspired brunch recipe.

Hash browns meet quiche in this healthy recipe. Shredded potatoes create a gluten-free crust for this bacon and spinach-studded quiche that's sure to be a crowd-pleasing breakfast or brunch.

Riced broccoli makes a crispy, low-carb crust for this healthy quiche recipe. Smoked sausage adds tons of flavor to the egg filling and kale gives you even more veggie servings in this crowd-pleasing brunch dish.

Cauliflower rice makes up the crust of this low-carb quiche recipe. Smoked Gouda imparts a delicious smoky flavor that complements the ham in the quiche filling. If you can't find smoked Gouda, substitute smoked Cheddar.

Typically, pressed sandwiches are a celebration of many meats. Here, we've opted for grilled eggplant slices, artichokes and arugula to make a satisfying vegetarian version. Giardiniera, a type of Italian relish typically made from bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower, olives, vinegar and spices, perks up the flavors of any sandwich. You can use convenient prepared giardiniera or homemade. Choose a hot or mild version, depending on your preference for heat.