It’s good to go meat free as often as you can. Not only will it help the planet but it will also help the family shopping bill. Here are 10 Tempting Vegetarian Pasta Recipes Perfect for Family Dinner:

Sign up for our free Newsletter stuffed full of ideas, competitions and offers. PS Did we mention it’s free?

#1. Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo

This one pot pasta recipe for Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo from Recipe Tin Eats uses frozen spinach, mushrooms and a handful of pantry staples.

It is good for getting dinner on the table in just over 20 minutes.

If your kids are fussy about mushrooms just chop them extra finely.

Image courtesy of Recipe Tin Eats

You might also enjoy reading 9 Simple Pasta Recipes for the Kids to Prepare in No Time

#2. Tomato and Basil Pasta

This is one of the simplest recipes to rustle up and it uses store cupboard ingredients. If you need a quick and easy pasta sauce, this Tomato & Basil Sauce takes less than 30 minutes to cook and it’s guaranteed to go down well with kids.

You can make the sauce ahead of time and it freezes well also. Then just change the variety of pasta you cook to go with it each time; penne is a favourite in our house!

#3. Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Peas

This Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Peas recipe from The Food Charlatan is so easy and is ready in 30 minutes.

The cheesy sauce is made by blending ricotta with peas and lemon.

Top it with Parmesan and garden fresh peas, and you have a hearty vegetarian dinner the family will love.

Image courtesy of The Food Charlatan

You might also enjoy reading 11 of the Best Vegetarian Recipes for a Meatless Monday

#4. Ravioli Pasta and Tomato Salad with Basil

This Ravioli Pasta and Tomato Salad with Basil recipe is even better if you can make it ahead of time, giving the flavours plenty of time to blend together. Feel free to vary the ingredients according to your tastes.

If you don’t think your kids will like them, leave out the artichokes, olives and capers altogether – this will still be tasty with just tomatoes and basil.

#5. Courgette Pasta Recipe with Lemon and Capers

I found this recipe for Courgette Pasta with Lemon and Capers some years ago in a free booklet with a women’s magazine. Since then I cook it at least twice a month as not only is it super easy but it’s meat-free and quick to make – ideal for a weeknight family dinner.

#6. Pasta with Chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci)

This Pasta with Chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci) recipe is a real budget friendly family dinner recipe, and is adapted from Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver. To make this recipe even more economical, use dried chickpeas instead of tinned. Soak them overnight, then cook for 2 hours, or until they’re tender but not too soft.

#7. Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe for Easy Peasy Macaroni Cheesey (as we call it in our house) is adapted from Lisa Faulkner’s recipe in her cookbook “From My Mother to my Daughter“.

It includes leek and Worcester sauce for extra flavour and breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping.

#8. Mushroom Pasta

Want to prepare a quick pasta dish for the kids and stuck for inspiration when you look in the fridge? I love this dish from Hellmanns as it uses the most basic ingredients that we tend to have lying around in the fridge or cupboard.

Image courtesy of Hellmanns

#9. One Pot Lemon Pasta

This vegan recipe for One Pot Lemon Pasta from VNutrition is so easy to make and is ready in about 15 minutes.

Leeks, peas, spinach, and chickpeas are added to round out this healthy meal.

Image courtesy of VNutrition

You might also enjoy watching How to Cook a Complete One Pot Pasta Dish in Only 9 Minutes

#10. Pasta with Pesto

This has to be one of the simplest vegetarian pasta recipes to throw together for family dinner and it is a bit of a cheat but my kids love it! You’ll need some pesto – either homemade pesto or shop bought.

Cook your pasta and save 1/2 a cup of the pasta water before draining your pasta to add back to your pasta + pesto all mixed in. Grate some parmesan or pecorino over the top and boom, dinner is ready in under 15 mins!

Over to you now. Have you tried any of these vegetarian pasta recipes? What did the family think? Or any other vegetarian pasta recipes you can recommend? Tell us in the comments below.