21 of Our Favorite Vegetarian Recipes for Fall

A chili bursting with flavor, and some unexpected ingredients, this three bean vegetarian chili is truly unique. All of the typical beans and peppers are paired with Allspice and cocoa powder for a wildly flavorful chili that won't leave you missing the meat. I love cooking in new and surprising ways, and enjoying my guests’ faces as they discover flavor combinations they had never previously considered! This one is a hit.

Fresh mushrooms and Swiss chard combine with browned butter and white wine sauce in this cozy recipe for mushroom Swiss chard pasta that would make a great couples’ dinner for a home date on chilly autumn nights. For those who have never tried Swiss chard, you can bring the crunchiness down several notches to your comfort level if you’re not a huge fan. I personally prefer mine much softer than most recipes call for.

I love this recipe because it literally comes together in just 15 minutes, but I also love this fresh and flavorful take on your typical pasta delicious. Ditching heavy sauces for fresh tomatoes and chunks of fresh mozzarella, all paired with tons of fresh basil, is a total stroke of genius. Take your favorite caprese salad and reimagine it as caprese pasta and that's exactly what you have here.

Make great use of your super convenient air fryer and give our air fryer falafel recipe a go! This otherwise traditional Indian recipe that can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways, and it's generally a crowd pleaser with most vegetarians. It's flavorful, full of protein and can be made in advance to use for easy lunches or it makes a hearty dinner. I like it best wrapped in warm pita bread slathered with creamy tzatziki, but it's also amazing topping salad.

Spinach is rich in iron, making it an awesome addition to vegetarian dishes. It also has the added benefit of adding loads of flavor and texture to just about any dish. This baked rigatoni is cheesy and super simple, using budget-friendly ingredients for a filling dish that doesn’t take hours to make. It's all the things you want in a baked pasta dish and none of the meat you don't want.

Our meatless chickpea ragu recipe is vegan bolognese done right! This hearty and healthy version of ragu pasta sauce will hit the spot. To give this sauce the same substantial, stick-to-your-ribs quality that a traditional meat-based ragu sauce would have, toss a can of chickpeas into a food processor quickly pulse a few times. With less than 30 minutes prep time, you can make this last minute or on evenings when you’re struggling to find something convenient and healthy.

Shepherd’s Pie is such a classic comfort food and it's easy to understand why. How can you not love the cozy mashed potato goodness?! For vegetarians craving the hearty, meat-free alternative, this vegetarian shepherd's pie recipe is what you’re craving. The recipe calls for parsnips, carrots and mushrooms, but use the freedom to add whatever you like most!

My kids and I recently tried a cauliflower recipe as a chicken replacement and wow, were we impressed! I had been avoiding such recipes, thinking that they would be immediately snubbed, but when I was brave enough to try, we all joined in and agreed that they were amazing. This recipe for Kung Pao cauliflower will surprise you, no doubt, with its bold flavor and incredible texture. It's not chicken, but it's absolutely tasty!

If you love beans and bean sauces as much as I do, this enfrijoladas recipe is perfect for you. I love warm, creamy refried beans so much that I can (and do) eat them plain. This recipe calls for a creamy bean sauce that is poured over corn tortillas that can be stuffed with peppers, avocados, more beans, or anything else you’d like. Modify this for the non-vegetarian in your life and throw in some shredded chicken or thinly sliced steak.

It wasn’t until an Indian restaurant finally opened in my town that I realized what I’d been missing and just how much you can do with Indian recipes to customize them! You may need to invest in some new spices to give this paneer tikka masala recipe a try, but I promise you won’t regret it. Plus, you're likely to find tons of new ways to use them once you're hooked on this Indian specialty.