Meatless Dinner Ideas?

Baked potatoes with veggie chili.

Grilled eggplant or eggplant parmesan

Grilled cheese with tomato soup

Pasta salad

Giant tossed salad with a variety of veggies and maybe some fruit (strawberries pair well with spinach)

A few of my favorites are:
1) Portabella mushroom sandwiches - marinate mushrooms in thyme and balsamic, grill until soft, top with provolone or mozarella and roasted bell peppers (add to grill before mushrooms as they take longer). Serve with pesto mayo/aoli and homemade sweet potato fries or grilled cesar salad.
2) I make homemade wheat pizza dough and add a ton of veggies. Pesto, white or red sauce. (I also do a chicken, feta, spinach pizza that my kids love if I have a little leftover chicken).
3) Here is a favorite I make in the summer with whole wheat pasta, garden fresh tomatoes and white corn:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pasta-with-fresh-tomatoes-an...
You can serve it hot or cold.
4) These are yummy and you can play around with sauces:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tofu-pine-nut-lettuce-wra...

I don't know about light on carbs part but one of our favorite summer meatless dishes is:

Veggie Pizza

You get a Bobolli (sp? pre-made pizza crust) and put a thin layer of cream cheese down for the 'sauce' and then top with all your favorite veggies...we use:
Shredded Cheese
Shredded Carrots
Shredded Cucumber
Black Olives
Thin sliced tomato
Thin sliced Avocado
and salt & pepper

No cooking required and it is Yummy!

This recipe for lentil tacos is pretty good. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tasty-lentil-tacos/detail.as... The first time I made them, I was told by my meat loving hubby that he didn't think he would like them. He wound up eating four of them. My kids love them too.

Try Martha Stewart's website.
Lots of good recipes there.
www.marthastewart.com

Also, Asian cuisine has a lot of veggie based dishes and it is very good.

Perhaps, try veggie dishes, but from different cultures. Making it a fun "world" cuisine foray, into veggie dishes.

Also try, meat substitutes. Even Costco has these and places like Whole Foods.
And/or make fish dishes. Or dishes that highlight beans. This is also a common meat "substitute" in dishes.

"Meatless" dishes, can ALSO include homemade soups.
Of which, each culture has many types of delicious soups... many which are veggie types. Asian cuisine included.
There are many options.

Also, egg dishes. Casseroles, frittatas, omelettes, etc.

My friend, bought a meat substitute vegetarian based "meat" from Costco, and her family didn't even know, it was not meat. She made spaghetti with it.

There are many types of "carbs."
And complex carbs or simple carbs.
Here is a link to explain it:
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/carbs.html

Beans beans beans. Chili, soup, burritos, beans go a long way!
Quiche, omlettes or fritattas (sp?) with cheese and roasted veges.
Pizza with peppers, onions, garlic and cheese.
Have a baked potato night, butter, sour cream, green onions, etc (maybe a little crumbled bacon too since you're not a total vegetarian.)
Pasta, raviolis and lasagna are all still yummy without meat but high in carbs so I guess that doesn't help (?)
Veggie burgers are not so great on their own, but if you toast the bun, grill the burger with a little pepperjack cheese on top and then add all the fixings: mustard, red onion, etc. they are REALLY good!

Quesadillas stuffed with cheese and grilled veggies
Meatless spaghetti, fill the sauce with mushrooms which take on a meaty texture
Veggie lasagna (you can use zucchini sliced lengthwise instead of noodles)
Salad and deviled eggs (a kid favorite around here)
Portabella mushroom burgers
Bean soup (I use all kinds of beans in mine, canned tomatoes and onions)
Meatless chili
Pasta Primavera

spinach enchiladas are one of my families favorites. Homemade bean chile or soup with lots of veggies. Veggie wraps...make them extra yummy with roasted veggies, or roasted peppers, feta, etc. You can make your own hummus to put in there too - very easy. Polenta with a topping of sauteed garlicky veggies/greens. You could try some of the fake meats. My husband just bought a soy ground beef taco filling...it comes spiced for tacos and we both thought it was very yummy. We put so much other stuff on our tacos it was pretty hard to tell it was not real meat.

Veggie and cheese lasagna..

Cheese or veggie pizza

Cheese enchiladas

Veggies grilled like fajitas.. serve in tortillas

Veggie friend rice

Stuffed baked potatoes

Eggplant parmigiana

Chili beans can be served with corn bread

Giant, build your own salads.

Pancake dinner
.

quesadillas & soup
red beans & rice
fish & grilled veggies
fish or shrimp tacos
pasta w/red sauce (you can add shrimp if you like)
salad w/everything under the sun added: corn, kidney beans, crushed
chips etc
roasted or grilled veggies, bread
bean/veggie tostadas
veggie chili beans
grilled cheese & tomato soup
huge salads w/everything under the sun added in (ex. corn, beans etc)
tacos but you substitute the shell w/lettuce cups & the meat w/whatever
you want (grilled corn, red onions or grilled onions, diced tomatoes,
spices, tofu etc........it's endless) :)
crostinis topped w/diced tomatoes, chopped red onions & salsa

Try portabella mushrooms on the grill. They have a meatiness to them that your meat lovers will flip for! Some delicious carb veg options are gnocchi, risotto, veg lasagna.

Meatless (i.e. all beans) chili - Mexican dishes made with beans

Veggie burgers

All veggie toppings on pizza

Anything you can make with eggs, if eggs are still okay - huevos rancheros, veggie omelets.

Also, look into Thai and Indian cuisine - many can be made vegetarian, with tofu or chick peas/lentils for protein.

My meat loving hubby loves when I make this for dinner -

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/spinach-lasagna-rolls....

not all of these are light on carbs, but here are some ideas
pasta with sauce (tomatoe based) or you can make a cream based sauce
salad - I make a mexican type, with lettuce, tomato, cheese, black olives, corn, black beans and use a spicy ranch dressing
omelette
tacos/burritos - use beans in place of meat
homemade pizza - it's great on the grill
pasta salad with lots of veggies added
veggie stir fry with rice
eggplant

Hi J.! I blogged about this a while ago.
http://heyyougetreal.com/momblog/how-can-i-feed-a-family-...

My family is vegetarian so all the ideas are meatless.
Hope you find something you like.

If you want I can send you my family menu as well. Just PM me.

B.
Family Success Coach

black bean tacos, tostadas(refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado), falafel

Tonight we are having bow tie pasta with mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, and spinach(topped with a few shrimp for those who "have" to have meat)

Beans
Tofu
Nuts
Eggs/cheese (unless you are avoiding animal protein altogether).
I'm not sure why fish/seafood isn't considered a meat but you can use it if you want to.
Light on carbs means easy on the pasta, but if you use some, make it whole wheat.
Ratatouille sounds like a perfect dish for you!