How to build a vegetarian weeknight plate
A simple way to make meatless dinners filling: beans or eggs, a starch, vegetables, and a sauce with some fat.
Put protein on the plate on purpose
A pile of roasted vegetables is not a dinner for most people unless you add beans, lentils, eggs, tofu, or cheese. The vegetarian recipes here use black beans, chickpeas, eggs, or ricotta so the meal holds you until later.
Add a starch you already know how to cook
Rice, pasta, tortillas, and sweet potato are the starches these recipes rely on. Cook the starch while the skillet sauce simmers. That overlap is what keeps a vegetarian dinner inside half an hour.
Use fat and acid so the plate is not flat
Olive oil, coconut milk, cheese, or avocado makes the meal satisfying. Lemon, lime, or vinegar keeps bean dishes from tasting heavy. Add the acid at the end so it stays bright.
Repeat components, not entire meals
A can of beans can become tacos one night and a sweet-potato bowl two nights later if the sauce changes. That is easier than inventing a new vegetarian cuisine every Wednesday.