You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy veggie meals. There is a wide variety of meals in this chapter, and some, like the Lentil Dahl (opposite), can be used as a side dish, others for a main meal. It is good for your health to have meat-free days, so choose from these delicious recipes to broaden your family repertoire.
The recipes in this section are family favourites ranging from Vegetable Mornay Bake (page 174) right through to nut roasts, casseroles and pasta dishes. Some can be prepared in advance; some can be frozen. So, remember the golden rule as you plan your cooking: double up the recipe and freeze one to always be one step ahead and create your very own ready meals.
This is so easy to make and costs very little.
Serves 4
1 tsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pepper, deseeded and chopped (optional)
100g red lentils
3–5cm piece of fresh ginger
3 heaped tsp mild or sweet curry powder
1–2 tsp turmeric
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp tomato purée
300–400ml hot water (start by using only the 300ml)
2 tbsp low-fat crème fraîche or 0-per cent fat Greek yoghurt (optional)
1 Place the olive oil or coconut oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften.
2 Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer gently on the hob, stirring occasionally to avoid the dahl sticking to the base. Don’t have the heat too high: it’s better to cook slowly on a lower heat.
4 As the lentils start to break down, the mixture will thicken to a rich golden dahl. Add more liquid if it looks too thick or dry.
5 If you like a creamier dahl, stir in a couple of tablespoons of crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt right at the end of the cooking time.
Healthy Tip
Lentils can help to lower cholesterol and balance blood sugars and are an excellent source of protein, fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
Forget the calorie-laden kormas – this is a great, healthy recipe for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. I like to make a selection of curries and serve them together so you can mix up the flavours.
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2–3cm piece of fresh ginger
1–2 tbsp korma curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp ground almonds
2–3 tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
1 pepper, deseeded and diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1 large carrot, diced
½ head of cauliflower
400g tin of chickpeas, drained
300–450ml vegetable stock or water
2–3 handfuls of baby leaf spinach
2 courgettes, thickly sliced
4–5 tbsp thick 0-per cent fat Greek yoghurt
1 In a food processor, blitz the oil, garlic, ginger, spices, almonds and tomatoes to form a paste.
2 Chop the vegetables so they are roughly all the same size.
3 If your slow cooker needs to be preheated, turn it on 15 minutes before using. Refer to your manufacturer’s instructions for more information on your specific model temperatures.
4 Place the vegetables (but not the spinach or courgettes) and chickpeas in the slow cooker. Pour on the curry paste and 300ml vegetable stock or water and combine well. Add more stock if you need to but remember the stock does not evaporate, so if you want a thicker sauce, don’t add too much. If, during cooking, you think you have added too much water, mix some cornflour with water to form a paste and stir this into the korma; alternatively, throw in a large handful of red lentils.
5 Cook on low for 6–8 hours. One hour before serving, mix in the spinach, courgettes and Greek yoghurt. Turn to high and continue to cook for the remaining hour.
6 Serve with rice and Indian chutneys.
Storage Tip
If you love curries, double up the recipes in this book whenever you make one and freeze smaller portions ready to make a lovely selection and invite friends for a curry night. They will be impressed by your hard work, but all you have to do on the night is reheat and enjoy the evening.
Risottos are very easy as long as you take things nice and slowly and not try to rush each stage.
Serves 4
2 tsp dried porcini mushrooms
Olive oil
Knob of butter
1 onion, finely chopped
400g mixed fresh mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, chestnut, wild, etc)
500–700ml vegetable stock (or the water from soaking the mushrooms)
300g risotto rice
200ml white wine
Handful of fresh tarragon, chopped
Zest of half a lemon
2–3 tbsp low-fat crème fraîche (optional)
Handful of fresh, chopped herbs like parsley and tarragon
Parmesan cheese, to serve
1 Soak the porcini mushrooms as directed on the packet. This normally takes 20 minutes. Retain the fluid to add to your stock.
2 Place a splash of olive oil and a knob of butter in the base of a saucepan. Add the chopped onion and fry until translucent. Add the fresh and dried mushrooms, and stir well.
3 Add the rice and stir in, ensuring that the rice is completely covered in the oil and butter mixture. Don’t let this stick – if necessary, keep the heat to a medium rather than full.
4 Add the wine and stir thoroughly. The wine will evaporate but will flavour the rice.
5 Add the stock (ideally warm or hot stock), a ladleful at a time. Wait until the stock has been soaked up by the rice before adding more.
6 After 10–15 minutes the rice should be tender (not soft as it should still have a little bite to it). After adding the final stock, add tarragon and lemon zest. For a creamy risotto, stir in the crème fraîche.
7 Serve immediately, garnished with chopped herbs and Parmesan.
A batch of this in the freezer can be used as a base for a vegetable lasagne, a topping for a pizza or even be mixed with pasta.
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 aubergine, diced
2 courgettes, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1–2 garlic cloves, crushed
1–2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tomato purée
100ml red wine
Handful of chopped fresh herbs (I use oregano, thyme and parsley)
Black pepper
1 In a large sauté pan, fry the aubergine and courgettes in olive oil for 5 minutes until slightly charred. Remove and place on a plate until later. (I usually place a piece of kitchen towel over the plate to soak up any excess oil).
2 Add the onion, garlic and peppers and cook for 3–4 minutes, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée and the wine.
3 Return the aubergines and courgettes to the pan, then add the fresh herbs and seasoning. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook slowly for 10 minutes, until the mixture reduces slightly.
4 Serve or allow to cool, ready to freeze.
One of my favourite lunches, like a posh, home-made serving of baked beans. Packed with protein and fibre, it makes a great, slow-release energy meal, but cooks in just 20 minutes.
Serves 4
1 large red onion, chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded diced
1 stick of celery, diced
1–2 tbsp olive oil
1kg fresh tomatoes, chopped and skinned
200ml red wine or vegetable stock
2 tins of borlotti or cannellini beans, drained (or one of each)
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp sugar
Sprinkling of salt and pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
100g feta cheese, crumbled
1 Place the onion, garlic, pepper and celery in a heavy based pan with a little olive oil on a medium heat.
2 Cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften, then add all the other ingredients apart from the feta cheese; combine well. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat.
3 Serve with a sprinkling of fresh parsley, crumbled feta cheese and warm crusty bread.
I love these burgers. If you like them to taste very spicy, double up the chillies and add a splash of Tabasco sauce.
Serves 4–6
400g tin chickpeas, drained
250g firm tofu
1 onion, finely chopped
1–2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 chilli, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 tsp tomato purée
1–2 tsp garam masala
Splash of soy sauce
Seasoning to taste
1 tbsp home-prepared wholemeal breadcrumbs (page 12)
1 tbsp oats
1 Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and mash until soft. Add the tofu and continue to mash until the two are thoroughly mixed together.
2 Deseed and finely chop the chilli. Fry with the onion, garlic, and celery until softened. Add to the chickpea and tofu mixture.
3 Add the tomato purée, garam masala, soy sauce and seasoning. Stir well before adding the breadcrumbs and oats.
4 Mix thoroughly and form into firm but moist balls (on a floured surface if the mixture is sticky). Use the palm of your hand to flatten the balls into burger shapes.
5 You can place the burgers in the fridge until you are ready to use them, or freeze them in layers (separate each layer with baking parchment to prevent them sticking together).
6 When you are ready to cook the burgers, brush lightly with olive oil. Grill or fry for 5–8 minutes on each side until golden.
7 Serve in wholemeal baps, garnished with salad, and Homemade Potato Wedges (p61).
This is a versatile recipe that can be adapted to suit what is in your store cupboard. If you don’t have cannellini beans, use chickpeas or butterbeans. This also works well with left-over mashed potato – a sort of Thai potato cake!
Serves 4
1 tin of cannellini beans
Half a bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
Handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
2–3 tsp red Thai paste
Zest of one lime
Juice of half a lime
Flour for dusting
1–2 tbsp olive oil
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
1 Drain the beans into a colander and rinse in cold water. Shake dry.
2 Place the beans, spring onions, coriander, Thai paste and zest and juice of lime in a food processor. Whizz until combined.
3 Tip the mixture onto a floured board and shape into 4–6 patties with your hands.
4 Heat the olive oil in sauté pan and fry the bean cakes on both sides until golden. Serve with the sweet chilli sauce
Serve this with a roast as an alternative to meat or with a salad on a summer’s day. The combination of red onion, mushroom and goats’ cheese is divine!
Serves 4
4–6 large portobello mushrooms
30g butter, melted
Olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 gloves of garlic, crushed
1 dessertspoon of balsamic vinegar
1 dessertspoon of brown sugar
100g goats’ cheese, crumbled
Black pepper
1 Brush the mushrooms with a little melted butter and place under a hot grill for 8–10 minutes.
2 While the mushrooms are grilling, place a little olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened.
3 Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook for another 5 minutes to caramelise the onions.
4 Remove the mushrooms from the grill. Add a little of the onion mix to each mushroom and finish with a crumbling of goats’ cheese. Season with black pepper.
5 Place the mushrooms back under the grill and cook for another few minutes until the goats’ cheese is golden.
Extra Recipes
Instead of goats’ cheese, try crumbling Stilton or another blue cheese over the mushrooms.
Another great meat-free alternative! Serve as a vegetarian option alongside meaty sausages, or cook them on the barbecue.
Serves 4
For the sausages
125g wholemeal breadcrumbs (page 12)
30g oats
150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
30–40ml milk
1 leek, finely chopped
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp thyme
Seasoning to taste
For the coating
1 egg, beaten
30g semolina
30g fine oatmeal
20g plain flour
30g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Seasoning to taste
1 Place the breadcrumbs, oats, cheese, egg, milk, leek, mustard and thyme in a bowl and mix well. Season to taste. If too wet, add more breadcrumbs; if too dry, add a little milk. The dough should be firm enough to form thick sausages.
2 Take two shallow bowls. Add the beaten egg to one bowl and in a second bowl, mix the semolina, oatmeal, flour and Parmesan. Season to taste.
3 Dip each sausage into the egg mixture followed by the flour mixture, before placing on a floured sheet of baking parchment.
4 Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes. You can freeze the sausages at this stage.
5 When you are ready to cook the sausages, you can do this under the grill, turning regularly until golden, fry in some olive or coconut oil, or bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until golden.
Storage Tip
Place the sausages on a baking tray covered in baking parchment. Put the tray straight into the freezer if possible so they freeze without sticking together. Once frozen, you can then place them in a freezer bag for storage.
I was a vegetarian for many years and this was one of my favourite dishes. I used to serve it with new or roasted potatoes and green vegetables but you can also use this as a side dish for a roast dinner.
Serves 4–6
2 carrots
2 leeks
1 small head of broccoli
1 small cauliflower
25g butter
1 tbsp plain flour or cornflour
500–750ml milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated (75g for the sauce, 25g for the topping)
½ tsp mustard
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp oats
2–3 tbsp home-prepared wholemeal breadcrumbs (page 12)
25g Parmesan cheese
1 Chop the carrots into batons, slice the leeks and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into manageable florets.
2 Place the vegetables in a steamer and cook until the cauliflower is tender but not soft.
3 Meanwhile, make the sauce. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the flour or cornflour and stir well with a wooden spoon. Add the milk a little at a time, continuing to stir to avoid lumps.
4 Switch to using a balloon whisk. Continue to stir over a medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken. The balloon whisk will also help to eradicate any lumps that may have formed. Add more milk as necessary to achieve the desired thickness. The sauce should be the consistency of custard.
5 If you are using nutritional yeast flakes, add these before the grated cheese as they will reduce the amount of cheese you will need – taste as you go. Add the cheese and mustard and stir well, then season with black pepper.
6 When the vegetables are tender, transfer them to an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce ensuring all the vegetables are covered.
7 Mix the oats, breadcrumbs and Parmesan together thoroughly and scatter the mixture over the cheese sauce.
8 You can now leave the dish to cool and freeze, leave it in the fridge until you are ready to cook or bake it immediately in a preheated oven at 180ºC (gas mark 4).
9 Cook for 15–20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
If you have not tried butternut squash before, give it a go. It is really delicious and this is a very simple dish to prepare.
Serves 4–6
1–2 butternut squash
Olive oil
Sprinkling of paprika
Seasoning to taste
1 red onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1–2 tsp curry powder
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
400g tin of mixed beans, drained
Small handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
Grated cheese, (optional; omit if vegan)
1 Preheat the oven to 190˚C (gas mark 5).
2 While the oven is preheating, halve the butternut squash and remove the seeds. Using a sharp knife, score the flesh of the butternut squash in a criss-cross pattern.
3 Place the squash on a greased baking tray, cut side up. Brush with olive oil and a sprinkling of paprika.
4 Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
5 While the squash is cooking, in a sauté pan, fry the onion, garlic and chilli until they start to soften. Add the curry powder and red pepper and cook for another couple of minutes before adding all the remaining ingredients, apart from the cheese (if using).
6 Cook for another 5 minutes, making sure the ingredients are well combined, then leave to one side until needed.
7 When the butternut squash is soft, remove it from the oven. Scoop out a little of the flesh to form a small well in the centre of each half of the butternut squash. Add this flesh to the bean mixture.
8 Spoon the bean mixture onto the butternut squash. If you like cheesy chilli flavours, you can scatter grated cheese over the top before placing back in the oven for 10–15 minutes until golden.
9 Serve with a green salad.
This is a very filling one-pot dish, packed with goodness, and it’s also a good way of using up any odd vegetables you have in the fridge.
Serves 4–6
1 sweet potato, diced
1 white potato, diced
1 carrot, diced
Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
1 stick of celery, diced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
200ml vegetable stock
1 tin of mixed beans
1–2 handfuls of baby leaf spinach
Small handful of mixed fresh herbs
Seasoning to taste
175g plain flour
75g butter (if vegan, use vegan spread)
50g mature Cheddar (if vegan, omit the cheese or substitute with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast flakes or vegan cheese)
1 Prepare the vegetables. Place the potatoes and carrots in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes to help soften.
2 Meanwhile, heat a splash of olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the onion and garlic until it starts to soften. Add the pepper, celery, chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, beans, spinach and herbs and cook for 10 minutes.
3 Preheat the oven to 180˚C (gas mark 4).
4 Add the potatoes and carrots to the tomato mixture and season to taste. Pour this into a deep ovenproof dish.
5 Place the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter to form a texture similar to breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheese (if using) and season.
6 Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the vegetable base. You can leave this to cool and freeze, leave in the fridge until ready to cook or place immediately into your preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
7 Serve on its own or with a salad for a perfect meal.
I love this dish and it is perfect for using up any cooked potatoes from the night before. You can turn the basic recipe into several different variations, depending on what you fancy!
Serves 4
1–2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp turmeric
2–3 tsp curry paste
4–5 potatoes, cooked and diced
300g spinach leaves
1 Place the oil, onion and garlic in a pan and cook until the onion and garlic have softened. Add the turmeric and curry paste; cook for another minute.
2 Add the cooked potato. If the mixture looks too dry, add a little water. Stir to ensure that the potato is well coated in spices.
3 Place the spinach in a colander and rinse with hot water for a few seconds to wilt the leaves, then add to the potato mixture and stir well. You can also use frozen spinach for this – simply add the chunks and cook until they are soft.
4 Mix well to make sure everything has a thorough coating of spices. Serve while hot, or cool to freeze.
Make Spicy Spinach and Potato Pasties by wrapping balls of the mixture in light wholemeal pastry and cooking for 25–30 mins at 180°C (gas mark 4). Make Spicy Spinach and Potato Samosas, by wrapping any leftovers in filo pastry and cooking for 20 mins at 180°C (gas mark 4). Either option would be a delicious addition to a packed lunch or picnic, or would make a tasty snack. Or add a tin of chickpeas to the recipe to make a delicious Spicy Chickpea, Spinach and Potato Curry to eat as a side dish with other curries or as a complete meal.
This is a fantastic recipe for a roast or Christmas dinner and it’s popular with meat eaters and vegetarians alike. It really speeds up the preparation process if you have a food processor.
Serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
200g cashew nuts, chopped
250g mushrooms, finely chopped)
2 tsp yeast extract
50g breadcrumbs (page 12)
1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC (gas mark 4).
2 Fry the onion in the oil until it is translucent.
3 Add the nuts and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
4 Add the yeast extract, followed by the breadcrumbs. Mix well and tip into a loaf tin, greased and lined with baking parchment.
5 Press down the mixture to push it into the corners of the tin and to make sure it is firm. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
I freeze my nut roast in the loaf tin before baking, then tip it out and put it in a freezer bag for storage. It’s ready to pop back in the tin whenever I want to cook it, but my loaf tin isn’t stuck in the freezer, so I can still use it for other recipes.
Cooking Tip
I prefer chestnut mushrooms in this dish, but choose whatever works for you.
Extra Recipes
Wrap the mixture in puff pastry to make a Mushroom en Croute, which looks very impressive, particularly for Christmas lunch or as an alternative to meat when putting together a roast. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and place on a baking tray. Spoon the mixture in the middle along the length of the pastry and, using a sharp knife, cut 3–4-cm strips either side of the mixture. Fold these over the mixture to form a pleated effect, then brush with beaten egg or milk and bake at 200ºC (gas mark 6) for 40 minutes, until golden.
This is a wholesome dish with a kick. Serve with quinoa as this is much better nutritionally than the traditional couscous.
Serves 4–6
1 red onion, diced
2–3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 peppers, deseeded and diced
2 carrots, diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 white potato, peeled and diced
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
400g tin of chickpeas, drained
40g dried apricots, halved
1–2 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
2 tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp dried mint
½ tsp ground coriander
200ml hot water
Freshly chopped coriander and flaked almonds (for garnish)
1 If your slow cooker needs to be preheated, turn it on 15 minutes before using. Refer to your manufacturer’s instructions for more information on your specific model temperatures.
2 Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Make sure the stock is hot when adding as this will keep the temperature high.
3 Turn the slow cooker to low and cook gently for 8–10 hours.
4 Serve with quinoa and a garnish of freshly chopped coriander and flaked almonds.
Quinoa is a complete protein that will keep you feeling full for longer than other carbohydrates, helping you with weight loss. It has also been shown to protect against some cancers, particularly in pre-menopausal women. It contains more iron than other grains and is a very good source of fibre and potassium, as well as being a rich source of vitamin E.
This is a great dish to use up any odd bits of vegetables you have lurking in the bottom of your fridge. If you don’t have yellow split peas, use red lentils. Both add bulk and additional nutrients while keeping costs low.
Serves 4
1–2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, crushed
3cm piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2–3 tbsp medium curry paste
1 chilli, deseeded and chopped (optional)
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped and skinned (if preferred)
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 large white potato, cubed
150g yellow split peas
500ml water
2 handfuls of baby leaf spinach
Handful of fresh coriander, roughly shredded
1 Heat the oil in a large casserole or deep sauté pan, then fry the onion, garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes to soften before adding the curry paste and chilli. This can give off quite a fierce aroma so don’t lean right over the pan! If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of water.
2 Add the pepper, tomatoes and potatoes. Stir together and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
3 Add the split peas and water. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently on a medium heat for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4 Stir in the spinach and coriander and cook for a further 5 minutes before serving. If freezing, cool first.
This dish has some fantastic flavours, so even if you aren’t vegetarian, give it a try as I am sure it will impress.
Serves 4–6
1 onion, finely chopped
250g pot ricotta
100g mature Cheddar, grated
150g fresh spinach leaves (baby spinach is best)
Grated nutmeg
Black pepper to taste
6–8 sheets of lasagne
350g jar of tomato pasta sauce
A little Parmesan or other hard cheese, for topping
1 Place the onion, ricotta and Cheddar in a bowl and mix together well. Put the spinach in a colander and rinse with hot tap a few seconds to wilt the leaves,. Add to the cheese and onion and combine well.
2 Once mixed, add some grated nutmeg and season with black pepper.
3 Place a thin layer of the ricotta mixture in the base of a lasagne dish, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets. Top with a layer of pasta sauce.
4 Continue with a layer of ricotta, then lasagne, and finally the remaining pasta sauce. Add approximately 30ml water to the empty jar, rinse the jar and pour the water over the top of the lasagne.
5 Grate the Parmesan over the lasagne. Season with black pepper.
6 You can freeze the dish at this point, or bake it immediately in a preheated oven at 190˚C (gas mark 5) for 40–45 minutes.
7 Serve with Homemade Potato Wedges (page 61) and salad.