Vegetables
1337 recipes found
Garlicky Mashed Potato Cake
If you like the creaminess of mashed potatoes but not the uniform texture, try this potato cake, which is like a cross between hash browns and a classic mash. Made with fluffy baked russet potatoes and flavored with garlic, browned butter and tangy sour cream, the cake is cooked on the stovetop, then transferred to the oven, where it takes on a crispy, golden brown crust. Make sure your nonstick skillet is oven-safe, or use a very well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.
Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs
Cremini mushrooms, chickpeas and bulgur wheat mimic the texture of ground meat in this vegetarian version of the classic Swedish meatball dish. Seasoned generously with allspice and nutmeg and blanketed in a velvety mushroom gravy, they are excellent served over egg noodles or mashed potatoes — or spooned onto a toasted hero (add sliced tangy pickles to balance out the richness). Leftover cooked meatballs can be frozen and reheated in a 425-degree oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes.
Smashed Pickle Salad
Many cucumber salads are dressed with some combination of salt, acidity (such as vinegar or lemon juice) and something tangy and creamy. (Sour cream is commonly used in Germany, Scandinavia and the Midwest; buttermilk in the South; and yogurt in the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia and South Asia.) This recipe skips the first step of salting by instead substituting pickles — cucumbers fermented in salt and vinegar — in place of raw cucumbers. They’re still crunchy, but also pack a fierce punch. Eat this salad alongside something rich, like grilled meats or schnitzel, or in a sandwich with deli meats, tinned fish or boiled eggs. While most pickles work, half-sour pickles are especially refreshing. (Avoid bread and butter pickles, which are too sweet.) Smashing the pickles opens them up to absorb dressing, and the act of doing so is just plain fun.
Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad
This simple salad makes a bright, tangy companion to grilled meat or fish. Marinating the red onions and garlic in the vinaigrette for 15 minutes not only diffuses their flavor but also softens their bite. This salad travels well and would be an excellent choice for a potluck or picnic. It’s also supremely versatile, and can be dressed up with any soft herb like basil, tarragon or mint, and chile, in almost any form.
Greek Salad
While diner-style Greek salads made with chopped romaine, crumbled feta and often grilled chicken have become ubiquitous in American restaurants, a traditional Greek salad, or horiatiki salata, is a simpler affair. An assembled salad of large-diced vegetables with Kalamata olives and sometimes capers, this salad has no greens at all, and the feta is served sliced on top of the salad rather than crumbled and tossed into it. A traditional Greek salad dressing usually consists of olive oil and red wine vinegar; this recipe adds garlic and oregano. To make the salad into a satisfying vegetarian main course, throw in a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
Grand Green Aioli
“Le grand aioli” is a classic Provençal meal of vegetables and steamed seafood, centered on a rich and lemony garlic-laden aioli for dipping. Here, the sauce is vibrant with fresh parsley. This summery dish features a colorful mix of crunchy vegetables and crisp lettuces alongside steamed nutty edamame, to keep it vegetarian. But poached shrimp, rotisserie chicken, canned tuna and hard-boiled eggs would all be welcome for dipping. Very little cooking is required — just some quick boiling — making this perfect for a stress-free weeknight dinner or a celebratory get-together. Leftover aioli is a terrific sandwich spread, as well as a versatile dressing for roasted potatoes or pasta salad.
Roasted Potato Salad With Jalapeño-Avocado Dressing
As one of the most adaptable dishes, potato salad has withstood countless reimaginings. In this version, roasted potatoes are paired with two types of beans: Cannellini beans offer a hearty creaminess, while green beans add a welcome crisp-tenderness. If you have garlic or onion powder in your spice rack, use it to add some umami to the roasted potatoes. The avocado dressing is zingy and full of lively flavors; make it as spicy as you can handle, and if you are looking for more tanginess, substitute the mayonnaise with sour cream or crème fraîche.
Buffalo Crudités With Blue Cheese Dip
Doused in something spicy, crisp crudités can become habit-forming. Inspired by the Buffalo cucumber salad at Parm in New York, this recipe coats the traditional sidekicks to Buffalo chicken — celery, carrots and other raw vegetables — in the garlic-spiked hot sauce that is traditionally doused on wings. The result is finger food at its finest: crunchy, flavor-packed and begging for beer (and blue cheese). Buffalo chicken wings might be written off as a bar fixture, but they’re a great example of contrasts: hot and cold, spicy and cooling, crisp and juicy. Like kimchi or chile-flecked melon, these crudités accentuate the play between spicy and fresh.
Classic Carrot Salad
Maybe your family has made carrot salad forever, or maybe you’ve seen it at potlucks, but if you’re not familiar with this Southern classic, your inner voice might be screaming, “Raisins don’t belong in salad!” But relax: This just might be the only time they do. The soft, sweet raisins complement the crunchy carrots, which are finished with a tangy dressing. Soak the raisins in hot water to give them a different, more plump texture. If you aren’t a fan of mayonnaise or yogurt, use 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, and add some chopped fresh parsley. Let the crunchy-sweet flavors roll over your tastebuds as you realize you’ve made a simple, and delicious, dish in less than 15 minutes.
Gajjara Kosambari (Carrot Salad)
There are countless variations of this style of salad from Karnataka, but my favorite is a simple version made with crunchy raw carrots, dressed with a little tempered fat, coconut, citrus and chopped herbs. If fresh coconut isn’t available, keep a bag of frozen grated coconut in the freezer. It’s easy to find at most Indian grocery stores and, when you have it on hand, you can bring this salad together in less than five minutes.
Corn Salad With Tomatoes, Feta and Mint
Fresh raw corn shucked from the cob is ideal here. The juice from the tomatoes delivers just the right amount of acidity, so there’s no need for vinegar. Eat this as is, by the bowl, or toss it with cooked rice or beans for a more filling meal — you’ll want to add oil and vinegar accordingly. In midsummer, with peak-season produce, there is nothing better.
Italian Broccoli Salad
This adaptable make-ahead salad is a great instant lunch or side dish. It starts with raw broccoli florets and stems, thinly sliced into irregular shapes to create many textures. As the broccoli sits with salt and vinegar, it softens and becomes slaw. Its mellow flavor is contrasted by the loud ingredients typically found in an Italian sub or chopped salad, like shallots, pickled peppers, olives and provolone. Feel free to add more protein in the form of cured meats, chickpeas, lentils or mozzarella; vegetables like sweet tomatoes or iceberg lettuce; or basil.
Corn Salad With Tomatoes, Basil and Cilantro
High summer produce comes together in this simple mix, tangy with lime juice and full of fresh herbs. Even in the height of the season, corn gets a touch sweeter when heated, and the easiest way to do it is in the microwave. It takes just a few minutes to zap the corn cobs in their husks, which makes them easy to shuck. The silks will slip right off the sweeter and still-crisp corn. Picking basil and cilantro leaves by hand then tearing them right over the salad keeps their delicate fragrance intact. Serve this with anything off the grill or alongside tacos or sandwiches.
Porchetta-Spiced Roasted Potatoes
The flavors of Italian porchetta — garlic, fennel, rosemary, sage, thyme and black pepper — infuse the olive oil that coats these potatoes for an intensely fragrant, golden and crisp side dish. The herb seasoning is added halfway through roasting to prevent it from burning, as well as to maintain the herbs’ fresh and vibrant flavors. These potatoes can accompany any large roast, such as beef, pork, turkey and chicken, and also pair beautifully with fish like salmon and cod. With the addition of some mayonnaise and chopped fresh celery, leftovers can be turned into a zesty potato salad.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
This appetizer served in Japanese bars, American steakhouses and everywhere in between is finger food at its best. The charred, sweet peppers have a built-in handle, and they really don’t need more than flaky salt for seasoning. That said, you could garnish further with lemon or lime zest, gomasio, bonito flakes, grated cheese, smoked paprika, sumac and so on. You can also cook Padrón peppers using the same method. They have a slightly different shape, but are similarly thin-skinned and mild. One warning, though: Each batch of shishito and Padrón peppers have a handful of surprisingly hot peppers that look identical to the tame ones, so proceed with caution.
Grilled Mushroom Skewers in Red Chile Paste
Fire up the grill and let the aromas of vegetables and chile-marinated mushrooms charred over an open flame permeate the neighborhood. This simple recipe is fun to assemble, and a crowd pleaser, making it ideal for cookouts. Meaty king oyster mushrooms are smothered in a guajillo chile sauce that includes earthy achiote, which stains the mushrooms red. Liquid aminos or soy sauce add saltiness and umami, and maple syrup brings a touch of sweetness. If you don’t have the vegetables below on hand, you can easily swap them out for others that will cook in the same time frame. Serve this as a main dish with your favorite cooked grains or salad, or as a side dish to just about anything.
Pork Chops With Onion Gravy
This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredient list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen. Start with the pork chops, as many as you need, on the bone if possible. Dredge them in flour that you’ve mixed with chile powder, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and red-pepper flakes, or with Lawry’s seasoned salt or Old Bay seasoning or any spice you like, really. (Save what’s left of the flour; you’ll use it later.) Then sear the chops, in batches if you have to, in an oil-slicked Dutch oven or heavy cast-iron pan, over fairly high heat. You want a big, flavorful crust on the meat before you braise it with the onions, to enhance the taste of the sauce and provide a little texture. Set the seared chops on a platter. Throw away what oil is left in the pot, and wipe out the pot. Return it to the stove, and set over medium heat. Add some butter, and when it melts and foams, use it to sauté an enormous number of sliced onions, allowing them to wilt and soften and almost start to go brown. Sprinkle a scant handful of the leftover dredging flour over the onions, then keep stirring for a few minutes to dampen the rawness of the flour. Add about half an inch of chicken stock (or water) to the pot, along with a bay leaf, perhaps, then stir to thicken. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a little more liquid. Nestle the pork chops into the sauce, remove from heat, cover the pot and put it into a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. While the pork cooks, make the mashed potatoes, with hot milk, melted butter, plenty of salt and enough lemon zest to give them a real brightness. So: pork, gravy, potatoes. I like some hearty sautéed greens moistened with chicken stock. Maybe a drizzle of red-wine vinegar too? You’ll know what to do when you get there. This is not a recipe. It’s your dinner. Make it however you like. Sam Sifton features a no-recipe recipe every Wednesday in his What to Cook newsletter. Sign up to receive it. You can find more no-recipe recipes here.
Grilled Mushrooms With Chive Butter
Throwing whole mushroom caps onto the grill is a standard and effortless approach, but, because of their concave shape, they often steam rather than sear on one side, which does nothing to concentrate their meaty flavor. Instead, try slicing mushrooms into thick, hearty wedges and threading them onto skewers, flat sides facing out, and you’ll be able to sear them successfully. This recipe calls for seasoning the mushrooms with a paprika rub, grilling, then topping with a lemony herbed butter that offsets their smoky char. Serve them as a side, or as a vegetarian main with virtually anything: green salads, couscous salads, grilled vegetables or, for heartier appetites, potatoes of all stripes like latkes, French fries or baked potatoes.
Thai-Inspired Coconut Curry Soup With Vegetables
There are dozens of types of curries in Thailand, but most can be categorized as red, green or yellow; this is a streamlined vegetarian version of a red curry, named after the color of chile found in the curry paste. This one is spicy, sweet, creamy and adaptable. When the red curry paste is cooked in oil, the blend of chiles and aromatics like galangal and lemongrass come alive and become the curry’s backbone. Because store-bought pastes vary in intensity, this recipe also uses fresh garlic and ginger to ensure a zingy final result. Use any vegetables you like, but it’s nice to have one hearty vegetable (like sweet potato) and one crisp one (like snow peas) for a mix of textures. If you find your curry too spicy, stir in a bit of brown sugar. If it’s feeling a bit flat, squeeze in a little lime juice or add a dash of soy or fish sauce.
Charred Broccoli Rabe With Ajo Blanco Sauce
Inspired by Spanish ajo blanco soup — at its essence a creamy, dairy-free blend of almonds, bread, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and water or stock that is also known as white gazpacho — this recipe from Nina Compton, the chef of Compère Lapin in New Orleans, glorifies garlic. Rather than creating a chilled soup, she replaces the traditional almonds with cashews and boosts the flavor profile of ajo blanco with a hefty pile of blanched garlic cloves, for a surprisingly sweet, nutty sauce that softens the smoky, bitter notes of the charred broccoli rabe. This vegetarian side pairs with just about any protein, but it’s got enough complexity to work as a main alongside some toasted bread and perhaps some beans. Its garlic flavor will linger, but you won’t mind. —Alexa Weibel
Rotkraut
This recipe for rotkraut, a tart dish of pickled red cabbage simmered with warm spices in a dry red wine, came to The Times from Debbie Himmler of Cincinnati. The dish, a nod to her grandparents’ German heritage, makes regular appearances on her family’s Thanksgiving table, but can be served year round. It’s best prepared a day or two ahead, and also freezes well — a real boon if you’re planning a big meal. Just reheat it in a covered saucepan on the stove the day you plan to serve it.
Egg Curry
Eggs have long been an important source of nutrition across the country, and form the base of many classic regional dishes. In Andhra Pradesh, this spicy, tomato-rich egg curry would have firmer, more crumbly yolks (boiled for about 11 or 12 minutes), but I like to cook them a little softer (8 minutes, max).
Sweet-and-Spicy Grilled Vegetables With Burrata
A colorful platter of soft, grilled vegetables in a sweet-and-spicy sauce can be the centerpiece of a light summery meal; just add some creamy cheese for richness and crusty bread to round things out. This recipe is extremely adaptable. You mix and match the vegetables, increasing the amounts of your favorites (or the ones you can get your hands on), and skipping anything you don’t have. And if your grill is large enough, you can make several different kinds of vegetables at the same time. Just don’t crowd them so they cook evenly.
Indian-ish Baked Potatoes
Of all the places my mom, who lives in Dallas, has traveled for work, her favorite will always be London — the cobblestone streets, the limitless sights, the walkability and, most important, the pubs. She spent a lot of time in pubs on early '90s London business trips, and the only vegetarian dish was very often a baked potato. This is where she discovered the ingenuity of filling a soft, steamy potato with all kinds of tasty toppings that absorb nicely into the starchy flesh. In this recipe, she subs out the big potato for smaller, thin-skinned ones (for a prettier presentation), and the bacon bits, chives and packaged cheese for spicier, brighter toppings: chiles, chaat masala, onions and ginger. This dish takes almost no time to put together once the potatoes are baked, but looks very impressive as an appetizer or a small side. Tip: Cut the ginger, onion and chiles while the potatoes bake, so everything is ready for assembly.