With many of us growing bored to tears of our other halves signature dishes – 50 days of Spaghetti Bolognese is enough for anyone – this week marks National Vegetarian Week (11th-17th May) and could act as the perfect antidote for anyone stuck in a cooking rut.
We’ve pulled together some of our most favourite recipes from Mushroom Mac ‘n Cheese to the ultimate Chilli Non Carne!
Check out the recipes below and release the flavours!
Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Dried Mixed Forest Mushrooms
Prep time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 30 hours
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
350g Pasta
30g Cooks&Co Dried Mixed Forest Mushrooms
2 tbsp Butter
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
1 tbsp English Mustard
3 tbsp Mustard Powder
3 tbsp Plain Flour
500ml Whole Milk
250g Cheddar Cheese, grated
50g Parmesan Cheese
2 slices of White Bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
Method
Rehydrate the mushrooms according to the on-pack instructions.
Pre-heat the oven to 180c fan.
Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than stated on the pack instructions.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a saucepan.
Add the garlic and mustard powder and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute then gradually whisk in the milk.
Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking constantly until thickened.
Take off the heat and stir in the cheddar and half of the parmesan cheese and the mushrooms.
Add the pasta to the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Place into a large oven proof dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan together and sprinkle over the pasta dish.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
Aubergine Parmigiano
Ingredients
3 aubergines
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
400g mozzarella, torn into pieces
600g Tarantella Organic Passata
Salt and pepper, to season
Bunch of fresh basil
80g Parmesan, grated
METHOD
Preheat the oven 180°C.
Cut the aubergines into 1.5cm thick slices, then sprinkle liberally with salt, lay them on one plate and weigh them down with each other.
Leave the aubergines for 30 minutes, then rinse the salt off and dry the slices.
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the aubergine in batches until golden. Drain on kitchen roll.
To assemble your Parmigiano; layer a slice of the aubergine, then mozzarella, salt & pepper, basil and Parmesan in an ovenproof dish. Continue layering until all the ingredients are used up.
Cover with foil and bake in the oven for one hour before serving.
All-the-Greens Risotto
This mouth-watering risotto is a great vegetarian option, high in vitamin C, high in folic acid and provides 2 of your five a day.
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 25 mins
Serves 2
Ingredients
1½ tbsp olive oil plus extra for drizzling
80g leek, diced
1 vegetable stock cube with 500ml boiling water (plus extra water if needed)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g risotto rice
1 courgette (250g), coarsely grated
150g cavolo nero, finely sliced
50g grated vegetarian hard cheese (optional)
50g unsalted butter (optional)
method
Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat.
Gently cook the leek for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, make the stock.
Add the garlic and risotto rice to the pan and heat through, stirring continuously for 1 minute.
Add half the stock, stir thoroughly. Set a timer for 15 minutes for cooking the rice (or for the recommended pack cooking time minus 2 minutes).
Cook the courgette separately in the remaining olive oil to remove any excess moisture, then add to the risotto pan when the timer says 10 minutes to go.
Stir the rice continuously to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan (turn down the heat if needed).
Anytime the rice gets too dry, add a little more stock, not too much at a time. If it bubbles too much turn down the heat a little.
Add the cavolo nero when the timer says 5 minutes to go.
When the 15 minutes are up, taste test the risotto. It should be al dente, not completely soft. If it’s ready, turn off the heat, stir in most of the cheese and the butter, stirring in gently until deliciously creamy.
Serve immediately, adding a sprinkling of cheese and a final drizzle of olive oil (trust me on this one, don’t skip it) onto each individual plate.
By Nutritionist Pixie Turner for Discover Great Veg
Meatless Chilli Non Carne
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Serve stuffed into peppers or with rice
2-3 tbsp olive oil
400g Meatless Farm mince
2 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
2-3 sticks celery, diced (optional)
1-2 tsp hot chilli powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp plain flour
150ml red wine or extra stock
300ml vegetable stock
400g can of chopped tomatoes
400g can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar (optional)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat with 2-3 tbsp of oil. Add the onions and when clear add The Meatless Farm Co mince. Cook together for 5 minutes, until the mince has browned all over. Next, add the garlic, 1 -2 teaspoons of chilli powder, cumin and coriander and fry for 1 -2 minutes more. Sprinkle over the flour and stir well.
Slowly add the wine, followed by the stock, stirring constantly. Tip the tomatoes and kidney beans into the pan and stir in the tomato purée, caster sugar (optional), oregano and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a simmer and cover loosely with a lid. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Adjust the seasoning to taste then serve.
Watercress and spinach Veggie Burgers
Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
2 onions, finely diced
125g watercress
125g spinach
5 slices white bread
100g cheddar, grated
40g vegetarian parmesan, grated
2 large eggs
3 tbsp plain flour
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
To Serve
6 brioche buns
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
180g hummus
180g sour cream
Olive oil
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and add in the onions with a pinch of salt. Fry gently until cooked through then leave to cool.
Place the white bread in a food processor and blend until turned into breadcrumbs. Tip into a large bowl. Also blend the watercress until finely chopped then add into the same bowl. Repeat with the spinach.
Add in the cooled onion and cheese before mixing together. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add to the other ingredients a little at a time until the mixture comes together. You may not need all of the egg. Add in a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Shape the mixture into 6 burgers then dust all over both sides with flour, tapping off any excess. The burgers can now be kept either chilled for up to 3 days before frying or frozen for up to one month.
Place the sliced peppers into a roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil before seasoning with salt and pepper. Place into the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are soft.
Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry each burger for 2-3 minutes on each side before placing on a baking tray and finishing in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. Slice the brioche buns in half then spread one half of each bun with hummus and one half with sour cream. Place the burger on the bottom half, then top with the roasted peppers and place on the lid.
Chantenay carrot and almond pilaf
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
300g basmati rice
3tbsp butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
Salt
100g flaked almonds, toasted
250g Chantenay carrots, halved and rinsed
450ml chicken or vegetable stock
To serve
220g plain yoghurt
1 small clove of garlic crushed
1 small handful of mint, finely chopped
1 small handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 pinch chill flakes
Lemon wedges
METHOD
Wash the Basmati rice thoroughly and drain well
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and cook for ten minutes or so. Add the spices, cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt and cook for another minute.
Add the rice, almonds and Chanteany and give a good stir over the heat for a minute, then add the stock and check the seasoning.
Put the lid on the pan and cook the rice high for 3 mins, then turn the head down to low and continue to cook for 15 mins more, until the rice is evaporated and the rice is tender.
Take off the heat and rest for 5 mins.
While the rice is cooking, season the yoghurt with salt, garlic and herbs.
When the rice is ready to serve, stir through herbs, fluffing the rice as you go.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Shakshuka
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 jar of Opies Cocktail Onions, rinsed and drained
2 green peppers, de-seeded and sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves sliced
1 tsp, sweet paprika
½ tsp cumin
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp chilli flakes
4 medium eggs
10g chopped fresh coriander
Grilled ciabatta to serve
Method
Take a medium-large frying pan, add the olive oil, cocktail onions and peppers, cook until the peppers start to soften. Now add the sweet paprika, cumin, chilli flakes, garlic and continue cooking for a couple more minutes.
Add in the cherry tomatoes and give everything a good stir. Pour in the tinned tomatoes, sugar and season with a little salt and milled pepper.
Using a large spoon, make four wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each. Turn the heat down so that it’s barely simmering. Loosely cover the pan with a lid or a little tin foil. Simmer for about 6 minutes until the eggs are cooked but keeping a runny yolk.
Before serving, scatter with chopped coriander and serve with the griddled ciabatta toasts.
Quorn Cottage Pie
Ingredients
350g Quorn Mince
1 tbsp olive oil (Quorn just needs to be added to the sauce, so the recipe requires about 50% less oil than you would usually use)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
100g frozen peas or mixed veg
400ml vegetable stock
1 dessert spoon vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp salt reduced soy sauce
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste in 1 tbsp cold water
700g potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
225g parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C, Gas Mark 4
Boil the potatoes and parsnip until tender. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and the carrot and fry gently until softened.
Add the Quorn Mince, frozen veg, vegetable stock, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, soy sauce and seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add the cornflour made into a paste with the tablespoon of cold water and continue to simmer gently, stirring all the time, until thickened. Place in an ovenproof dish.
Mash the potatoes and parsnip with the milk until smooth, season to taste with the salt and pepper. Place the topping over the Quorn mince filling and fluff up with a fork.
Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is crisp.
Serve with a selection of fresh vegetables.
