Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet, but they can also be the star of the show when it comes to creating delicious and satisfying meals. Whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan, or just looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet, there are many exceptional cookbooks that are focused on vegetables. These cookbooks offer a variety of creative and inspiring recipes that showcase the versatility and flavor of vegetables. From hearty soups and stews to flavorful salads and stir-fries, these books are sure to elevate your vegetable game and leave you feeling satisfied and nourished. Let’s explore some of the best vegetable-focused cookbooks on the market and provide you with inspiration for your next plant-based meal.

Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi

A vegetarian cookbook from the author of Jerusalem A Cookbook and other Ottolenghi cookbooks: A must-have collection of 120 vegetarian recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi featuring exciting flavors and fresh combinations that will become mainstays for readers and eaters looking for a brilliant take on vegetables.

Mastering the art of French cooking the Yotam Ottolenghi way: One of the most exciting talents in the cooking world, Yotam Ottolenghi’s food inspiration comes from his Cordon Bleu training, Mediterranean background, and his unapologetic love of ingredients. “My approach can be the opposite to traditional French cooking, where everything is a little bit uniform and you work hard to process a sauce into the most fine and homogenous thing. I go the other way and use spices, herbs and other ingredients to create a sense of surprise.” Not a vegetarian himself, his approach to vegetable dishes is wholly original and innovative, based on freshness and seasonality, and drawn from the diverse food cultures represented in London.

The Plenty cookbook: Plenty is the cookbook that launched Yotam Ottolenghi from a fabulous chef, London restaurant owner, and British newspaper columnist to an international food celebrity. In Plenty , Yotam puts a spotlight on vegetarian restaurant-caliber recipes that every home cook can make. A vibrant photo accompanies every recipe in this visually stunning Ottolenghi cookbook. Essential for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike!

Milk Street Vegetables: 250 Bold, Simple Recipes for Every Season by Christopher Kimball

Chili-spiked carrots. Skillet-charred Brussels sprouts. Mashed potatoes brightened with harissa and pistachios. These are just three ways to put vegetables in the center of your plate. Here in the U.S., meat is cheap and has been in the center of the plate for centuries. The rest of the world, however, knows how to approach vegetables, grains and beans not only with respect but with a fresh, lively approach, one that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

To get a vegetable education, we traveled to Athens to learn how winter vegetable stews could taste light and bright, not hearty and heavy. In Cairo, we tasted eggplant and potatoes that punched up flavor with bold pops of texture from whole spices. And in Puglia, Italy, we had a revelatory bite of zucchini enriched by ricotta cheese and lemon.

This is a world of high-heat roasts, unctuous braises, drizzles of honey, and stir-fries aromatic with ginger and garlic. And with 250 recipes, the possibilities are nearly endless:  

• A simple head of cauliflower can become Cauliflower Shawarma, Sichuan Dry-Fried Cauliflower, or Curried Cauliflower Rice with Peas and Cashews
• Humble cabbage travels the world to become Butter-Roasted Cabbage with Citrus, Hazelnuts and Mustard; Hot and Sour Stir-Fried Cabbage; and Thai-Style Coleslaw with Mint and Cilantro
• Mushrooms are transformed into Stir-Fried Mushrooms with Asparagus and Lemon Grass or Miso Soup with Mixed Vegetables and Tofu
• and greens get the Milk Street treatment in dishes like Pozole with Collard Greens; Hot Oil-Flashed Chard with Ginger, Scallions and Chili; and  Persian-Style Swiss Chard and Herb Omelet

Vegetables Illustrated: An Inspiring Guide with 700+ Kitchen-Tested Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen

We’re all looking for interesting, achievable ways to enjoy vegetables more often. This must-have addition to your cookbook shelf has more than 700 kitchen-tested recipes that hit that mark. Sure, you’ll learn nearly 40 ways to cook potatoes and 30 ways with broccoli, America’s favorite veggies. But you’ll also learn how to make a salad with roasted radishes and their peppery leaves; how to char avocados in a skillet to use in Crispy Skillet Turkey Burgers; and how to turn sunchokes into a chowder and kale into a Super Slaw for Salmon Tacos. Every chapter, from Artichokes to Zucchini, includes shopping, storage, seasonality, and prep pointers and techniques, including hundreds of step-by-step photographs and illustrations, gorgeous watercolor illustrations, and full-color recipe photography.

The inspirational, modern recipes showcase vegetables’ versatility in everything from sides to mains: You’ll discover how to make the perfect grilled corn–and also how to transform it into a deliciously creamy pasta sauce with ricotta and basil. Onions are grilled, caramelized, glazed, and pickled–and also cooked into the Middle Eastern pilaf Mujaddara. Cauliflower is grilled as steaks, fried Buffalo-style, and pot-roasted whole with a robust tomato sauce. Sweet potatoes are mashed and baked more than a dozen ways, plus turned into a salad, a soup, tacos, and a gratin. All along the way we share loads of invaluable kitchen tips and insights from our test cooks, making it easy–and irresistibly tempting–to eat more veggies every day.

I Hate Vegetables Cookbook: Fresh and Easy Vegetable Recipes That Will Change Your Mind by Katie Moseman

Think you’re a veggie hater who could never enjoy vegetables?  Do salads make you wilt? Do sprouts make you shudder? Then this is the cookbook for you!  With the help of the I Hate Vegetables Cookbook, you’ll learn to love vegetables one great recipe at a time. Say goodbye to overcooked and underseasoned vegetables. Learn to enhance them with flavor-boosting cooking methods and complementary ingredients.

Recipes Include:

• Comfort Food Classics like Garlic Cheddar Biscuit-Topped Vegetable Pot Pie,
• Amazing Appetizers like Buffalo Style Oven Roasted Cauliflower,
• Rich & Creamy Soups like Hatch Chile Chowder and Smoky Sweet Potato Soup,
• Flavor-Popping Salads like Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Prosciutto, Parmigiano, and Sherry Vinaigrette,
• Scrumptious Sides like Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans and Blue Cheese,
• And so many more! Every recipe can be made gluten-free and vegetarian!

Vegetable-focused cookbooks are a valuable resource for anyone who wants to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet or just add a few more unique side dishes to their repertoire. These cookbooks are not only a great way to explore new flavors and cooking techniques but also provide numerous health benefits associated with a plant-based diet. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a novice cook, investing in a vegetable-focused cookbook can be a great way to broaden your culinary horizons and create delicious, healthy meals that will leave you feeling nourished and satisfied.

***All book descriptions courtesy of Amazon