Vegetarian
6931 recipes found
Chickpea and Winter Vegetable Stew
Roasted Cabbage Caesar Salad With Chickpeas
This is not your usual Caesar salad. It forgoes the lettuce for wedges of roasted cabbage and replaces the croutons with roasted chickpeas. The Caesar dressing is a cheater’s version, using store-bought mayonnaise instead of fresh egg yolks; roasted garlic adds creamy richness, while briny capers and lemon evoke traditional Caesar flavors. A hot oven and a heated sheet pan are your friends here — start heating as soon as you think about cooking this dish — ensuring that everything cooks quickly and evenly. The cabbage caramelizes on the outside while the interior retains crisp-tenderness, and the chickpeas become warm and creamy with just a bit of crunch. (If you want them crispier, roast for 10 to 15 minutes more.) To make this dish vegan, use plant-based mayonnaise and omit the Parmesan.
Vegetarian Gumbo
This meatless gumbo has a distinct Louisiana flavor, thanks to the roux, Creole seasoning and the “holy trinity” of Creole cooking (onion, celery, bell pepper). Gumbo is traditionally made with a variety of smoked meats and seafood, but this version gets an added bit of smokiness from an optional splash of liquid smoke. Here, the okra is roasted in the oven before being added to the pot, which eliminates the gooeyness. There is also no skimping on vegetables in this gumbo, and the red lentils thicken it while adding protein. Serving this gumbo over white rice helps make it a complete meal.
Red Lentil Loaf
Vegetarian lentil loaf has a long history of masquerading as meatloaf. With its brownish-grey color and a red ketchup glaze, it does its best to look and taste like meat (though it never does). This delicate red lentil loaf is not at all like that. It’s all about the lentil flavor — sweet and vegetal. The seasoning veers a little bit Turkish, with lemon, cumin, cilantro, dill and yogurt. It is delicious served at room temperature or warm.
Spicy Noodle Soup With Mushrooms and Herbs
Sautéed mushrooms lend extreme and surprising depth of flavor to this clean, spicy noodle soup, which also happens to be vegan. With the addition of soy sauce, the broth takes on an almost beefy flavor; the vinegar helps to perk it right back up for a nearly hot and sour flavor profile. For the best (and most interesting) results, try to seek out a mix of mushrooms for a variety of flavors and textures.
Lentils Diavolo
Lentils, like beans, soak up whatever flavors they’re cooked in. Here, it’s a chile oil made with both dried and fresh chiles, so it’s devilishly spiced — not just spicy. Simmer the lentils in the potent oil and some tomato paste until they’re glossy and tender, rich and spicy as you’d expect from a diavolo-style sauce. (Add more water if you’re after more of a quasi-chili.) Eat the lentils with a spray of lemon juice, parsley and-or bread crumbs on toast, grains, pasta, a sweet potato, bitter greens or all on their own. The lentils will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge; reheat over low heat or in the microwave loosened with a little water.
Lablabi (Tunisian Chickpea Soup)
There are myriad ways to cook lablabi, the classic, cumin and garlic scented chickpea soup from Tunisia. This version, adapted from Joe Yonan’s cookbook “Cool Beans” (Ten Speed Press, 2020), has crunchy, spice-sprinkled chickpeas garnishing the top, and a creamy, silky broth made from puréeing some of the chickpeas and stirring them back into the pot. It’s earthy and satisfying, with a chile kick from harissa and a bright tanginess from a squeeze of lemon at the end.
Couscous Salad With Turmeric, Chickpea and Tomato
Turmeric highlights the golden hue of couscous while adding a welcome bit of flavor. The grains are paired with tomatoes, which have been left to sit in red wine and vinegar, infusing them with flavor and making the dressing even more juicy for the couscous-chickpea mix. If you want the onion to be nice and crisp and to take its raw edge off, put the slices in a bowl of ice and water before you cook the couscous. Drain them right before tossing them in. You can add even more crunch by topping the salad with sliced celery or chiles, if you like your food spicy. Either thinly sliced fresh chiles, such as fresno or jalapeños, or preserved ones, like peppadews or hot cherry, work well.
Rice Noodles With Egg Drop Gravy
This recipe is reminiscent of wat tan hor, a Cantonese, Singaporean and Malaysian meat and fresh rice noodle dish that’s topped with a silky egg gravy. Wat tan means “smooth egg” in Cantonese, describing the velvety gravy that smothers the noodles. In this vegetarian riff, pantry-friendly dry rice noodles are used. The silky texture of the sauce is achieved by adding cornstarch slurry, a common technique in Chinese cooking, followed by beaten eggs, which cook the moment they hit the hot gravy and become long, irregular strands. For extra heartiness, add slices of pan-fried tofu or extra vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower.
Baked Farro With Lentils, Tomato and Feta
This cold-weather comfort food is loaded with bright flavors and delightful textures. Farro and lentils cook in the same amount of time, so you can bake them together in a garlicky tomato sauce to yield silky, tender lentils and chewy, toothsome farro. For an extra nutty flavor, you can toast the farro first. To finish the dish, place large slices of feta on top and broil until the cheese slouches in the center and crisps at the edges, but you can also use mozzarella or Cheddar.
Dami-yeh Gojeh Nokhod Farangi (Tomato-Egg Rice)
This comforting Iranian dami (rice cooked with vegetables) bridges the transition between spring and summer with early tomatoes and perennial frozen green peas — but tastes great any time of year. Dami-style rice is stickier than other Iranian rice dishes. Delicately scented with turmeric and cinnamon, it is often served with eggs on the side. This version cooks the eggs whole in their shells on top of the rice to make for a one-pot meal.
Curry Udon
Japanese curry bricks deserve their place in our pantries as a staple — inexpensive, with a long shelf life, and full of fast flavor. For those without easy access to store-bought curry bricks, you can make your own or opt for this recipe, in which a quick roux is made using a commercial curry powder blend. A Japanese brand like S&B is ideal, though most products labeled “curry powder” will work. If you have curry bricks in your pantry, you can use them and skip to Step 4, but note the package instructions to determine how many bricks to use. This recipe makes a thick, silky broth that clings ardently to the chubby udon noodles. Potatoes, carrots and onions are common ingredients used in Japanese curry, and while the spinach is not traditional, it adds a nice green element; substitute with broccoli, baby bok choy or kale if you prefer.
Pasta With Chickpeas and a Negroni
This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredients list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen. A drink before dinner? Make a Negroni, then pasta with chickpeas and tomato sauce. First, the Negroni: one part gin, one part sweet vermouth, one part Campari, stirred with ice then strained over ice and garnished with orange peel. Sip! Then peel and chop an onion and sauté it in olive oil with a few cloves of smashed garlic and a spray of salt and pepper. Have another hit of Negroni. When the mixture has just started to brown, add a tablespoon of tomato paste and a 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes, along with a stick of cinnamon. Stir and simmer away for 10 minutes or so, longer if you can, then add enough cream or half-and-half so that the sauce turns softer in color, running to pink. Meanwhile, boil some salted water and prepare your favorite pasta (I like shells for this application) until it is just al dente. Drain, then toss in a 14-ounce can of drained chickpeas and stir the whole thing into the tomato sauce, topping with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes. Finish that Negroni. Eat. 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.
Marinated Chickpeas
These marinated chickpeas are great on their own, but even better for bulking up salads into a full meal. Because the chickpeas soak in vinaigrette, there’s typically no need to add any extra dressing when you combine them with other vegetables; they come with enough seasoning to flavor everything. Combine a cup of the dressed chickpeas with a cup of cooked whole grains (such as farro, barley, wheat berries or quinoa), a half cup of shredded carrots, a handful of minced fresh parsley, a pinch of cumin, plus some cayenne or harissa for heat. You could also stir together equal parts marinated chickpeas and diced fresh cucumber with some slivered red onions and chopped fresh dill, or massage some chopped kale with olive oil and a pinch of salt, then toss in a big scoop of marinated chickpeas and some crumbled feta or Cotija.
Coconut Rice
Coconut milk lends rice both fat and sweetness, making it a richer, more mellow side than plain rice. To make it, simply replace half of the cooking water with coconut milk. It becomes a meal if you serve it with a fried egg, finely sliced pickled chiles with a little of their pickling liquid and some crushed peanuts. And if you wanted to turn it into dessert, serving it with ripe fruit like cut mango on top, you could stick to the recipe below, but bump the sugar up to 2 tablespoons.
David Tanis’s Persian Jeweled Rice
This dish is called jeweled rice because it is golden and glistening, laced with butter and spices and piled with nuts and gem-colored fruits. In Iran, it is typically served at weddings or other celebrations. Great platters of it appear at banquets. It also goes beautifully with a weeknight roast chicken. You will probably need to do a little shopping to make this traditional dish. But it is well worth it, and most good supermarkets can supply what you require.
Instant Pot Tomato-Braised Chickpeas With Tahini
Perfumed with cinnamon, cumin and turmeric, and drizzled with a creamy, garlicky tahini sauce, these tomato-braised chickpeas make for a complex, satisfying meatless meal, especially when served with warm flatbread for dipping into the sauce. If you are starting with soaked and drained chickpeas, reduce the water to about 1 1/2 cups — just enough to cover them — then cook on high pressure for 13 minutes instead of 35.
Yellow Rice
Yellow rice is a beloved dish among many cultural traditions. A staple side in Latin American kitchens, arroz amarillo appears in various iterations across the region. The appeal of yellow rice extends to Central and South Asia, and South Africa, and its brilliant hue achieved with saffron, turmeric or achiote. This version uses widely available and economical ground turmeric, and is a canvas upon which you can incorporate other ingredients and spices. Consider adding a bell pepper to the onion and garlic, or stir in a cup of frozen peas at the very end. The amount of cooking liquid you use depends on the type and quality of your rice, and be mindful to cut down on salt if you use a salted broth. Typically served as a side dish, the dish can also be served on its own.
Dirty Rice With Mushrooms
This vegetarian version of Southern dirty rice replaces the traditional ground beef and chicken livers with hearty mushrooms, creamy black-eyed peas and flavorful spices for a satisfying one-pot meal. The recipe starts with the classic Cajun holy trinity — onion, green bell pepper and celery in equal parts — to create a flavorful foundation. Mushroom broth adds even more depth and reinforces the earthy cremini mushrooms, while a drizzle of hot sauce adds tang and kick. Serve with simple leafy greens or chopped salad.
Chile-Oil Noodles With Cilantro
In this 20-minute recipe, a mixture of savory condiments coats bowlfuls of wide noodles chilled slightly by a quick rinse in cool water. While you cook the udon, take the time to prepare the sauce, abundant with contrasting flavors, and the fresh herbs. The sauce can be made in advance, but make sure it’s at room temperature before tossing it with the noodles and the cilantro at the last minute. Substitutions are welcome: Swap in chile crisp in place of the chile oil with crunchy garlic, or scallions in place of garlic chives. Sichuan chile oil brings a citrusy flavor that is hard to replicate, so don’t skip it. It can vary in spice level: For a milder sauce, use only the liquid oil, or add Sichuan peppercorns from the bottom of the oil for extra tingle. Fried shallots are here for texture, but omit them if you use chile crisp.
One-Pot Vegetable Biryani
Vegetable biryani may be the underdog of biryanis since it's often overshadowed by meatier varieties. But like other formidable yet unsung dishes, this one’s adaptability helps it hold its own. Recipes vary across South Asia: Hyderabadi versions are known for their fieriness, while milder, nuttier variations dominate northern regions. This one falls somewhere in the middle. Use any vegetables you have, such as nutty cauliflower, sweet peas and crunchy carrots. Nuts and fresh or dried fruits add a confetti of flavors and textures. This recipe skips the layering typically called for in favor of conveniently stirring everything together. Luckily, using fewer dishes doesn’t compromise flavor.
Cilantro Rice
Borrowing from the fresh flavors of arroz verde and reminiscent of Chipotle’s cilantro-lime rice, this simple dish is a low-effort, high-reward accompaniment to all good things, such as pork chops and crispy tofu. Though diced fresh onion could season the rice, onion powder is a savory bedrock with its concentration of umami, especially once bloomed in oil. This aromatic dish plays to the strengths of the cilantro plant: The stems cook with the rice, lending their peppery brightness, and the tender leaves confetti the dish for a final viridescent flourish.
Mara’s Tofu With Mixed Grains
With only a few steps and five main ingredients, this simple dish barely requires a recipe, but the results are simultaneously nourishing and deeply satisfying. Steeped in aminos (soy sauce's unfermented cousin), the semisoft tofu melts away with each bite, leaving behind a steamy, satisfying contrail of salt and umami. The coconut oil lends a trace of its sweet, tropical aroma as it yields a crisp, lacy crust. Mixed with quinoa, the rice becomes nutty and complex, a chewy counterpoint to the tender tofu. Plus, it's healthful enough to justify a little self-righteousness.
Green Rice (Arroz Verde)
There are many ways to make arroz verde, but most have something in common: a brightness and depth from the addition of plenty of fresh green ingredients, such as chiles and herbs. This recipe toasts the rice in oil first, then seasons it with a purée of onion, poblano, jalapeños and herbs. For a more complex dish, replace the cooking water with chicken stock or vegetable stock, and serve it with a side of soupy black beans.