52 vegetarian italian recipes

Broiled polenta squares topped with a quick fresh tomato and garlic sauce with parsley. A simple Italian vegetarian appetizer or snack with crisp edges and a soft, creamy center.

Polenta Toscana with rosemary and toasted walnuts sauteed in olive oil, stirred into creamy polenta. Serve it soft or cool it and slice into crostini. A simple Tuscan vegetarian side or appetizer.

Pesto Toscano made with fresh kale, garlic, and olive oil instead of traditional basil. A robust Tuscan pesto with just 4 ingredients, no nuts, and no cheese required.

A minimalist Italian pizza bianca with thin, dimpled dough brushed with garlic-infused olive oil and fresh chopped tomatoes, baked until the crust is shatteringly crisp. Vegetarian and just 4 ingredients.

With just 5 ingredients this Italian-style eggplant parmesan is ready in about 30 minutes!

Pomodori secchi imbottiti: sun-dried tomato "sandwiches" drizzled with garlic and red pepper-infused olive oil. A simple Italian antipasto with intense flavor.

This tantalizing pesto sauce full of flavor is perfect for soups or with pasta to make a main dish.

Italian no-cook tomato cucumber summer salad with red onion, basil, parsley, and a touch of red pepper flakes. Italian-style topping for bruschetta or tossed cold with pasta.

Italian chocolate nut cookies (mostaccioli) are dense, spiced cocoa cookies with chopped almonds and raisins on whole wheat flour. A traditional Calabrian holiday cookie with deep chocolate-clove flavor.

Italian salad pizza on a prebaked crust with melted mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and a cool romaine-watercress-olive topping tossed in Italian dressing. Vegetarian dinner ready in about 20 minutes.

Ligurian caviar is an Italian olive paste spread blended with capers and red pepper flakes. A briny, spicy vegetarian crostini topping that keeps in the fridge for two weeks.

A Roman-style spicy bruschetta with fresh parsley, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil and red wine vinegar. No tomatoes here, just a punchy herb topping on grilled country bread. Vegetarian.

Condimento Pugliese: roasted red pepper spread with olive oil and red pepper flakes. A chunky Italian condiment for crostini, pasta, or bruschetta. Five ingredients, no cook.

Extra cheese lasagne layers homemade pasta sheets with ricotta-spinach filling and a triple-cheese mix of provolone, mozzarella, and parmesan. A weekend project Italian classic for six.

Vegan pesto pasta with spinach, parsley, basil, pine nuts, garlic, and miso paste instead of Parmesan. A dairy-free pesto that's savory, bright, and ready in 15 minutes.

A vegetable-packed white lasagna layered with a creamy pesto sauce, mashed white beans, mushrooms, peppers, eggplant, and spinach-ricotta. No tomato in sight, finished with a parmesan-breadcrumb crust.