In a rut with veggie meals, what’s your family’s favourite meat free meals?

[sendwineandastraw]

As above, we are a family of 5, two of which are vegetarian. DH and I tend to cook more meat at the weekend but predominantly stick to meat free for ease during the week.

I just feel we eat the the same things all the time on rotation, quorn Bolognese, chickpea and veg enchiladas, pizza, veg curry SO MUCH pasta!!!

what meat free meals have you found have gone down well and are a family favourite.

(p.s we all eat fish)

Oh she glows has some great ones!

her vegan chili is amazing.

also creamy curry but you’ve had enough curry.

mushroom bolognese

Also, and I always say this on here, barefoot contessa’s baked risotto. She uses peas but baby asparagus chucked in also works.

Following with interest!

We all love this Halloumi recipe from Hello Fresh:

www.hellofresh.co.uk/recipes/pan-fried-halloumi-619f474112a0b92e971e4201

I do sometimes also use a few Gousto recipes including the Bulgogi previous mentioned. Others are:

Lentil Coconut Dhal
Quiche with chips/ new potatoes and salad
Aubergine parmigiana
Enchiladas or fajitas using a veggie chicken alternative or quorn,
Omelette
Veggie sausages and mash

Oh and I almost forgot our current favourite: www.higgidy.co.uk/recipes/whole-roasted-coconut-cauliflower-with-crispy-potatoes-greens/

Ignore the "serves 6". It needs double the potatoes the recipe calls for if you want to feed a family. DH and I could easily eat the whole lot (and he didn't like cauliflower until this). Sometimes we buy the "wonky veg" cauliflower which are really just a bit small and cook two.

The Green Roasting Tin is very good.

I like roasting a mixture of vegetables, adding some halloumi - served up with brown rice.

Spinach and paneer curry is another favourite.

I think the trick is not to think 'meat free' substituting quorn for meat - but to really explore vegetarian dishes from other culinary traditions. Most peasant/street food is vegetarian.

"Wash a mug of lentils to remove the dust, place in pan with 2 mugs cold water, 1 tsp turmeric and tin chopped toms, bring to boil and simmer (approx 20 mins)
Once cooked (i.e: mushy slop!), heat a separate pan with some oil or ghee, when hot add 1tsp cumin seeds, and when sizzling, add to the Dahl mix (or vice versa, depending on pan logistics!)"

Is there a reason why the cumin seeds can't be heated in the original pan before adding the lentils, water and tomatoes?

Very helpful thread. I've just done the Zoe testing & my diet needs a huge overhaul.

Sweet potato thai red curry.

Sweet and sour tofu.

Cauliflower, chickpea and carrot tacos.

Broccoli and orichiette (can’t spell- the ear shaped pasta).

Pasta alla norma.

Greek salad and flatbreads.

Niscoise salad.

Jamie Oliver’s chicken and mango salad works well with fake chicken.

paella
goats cheese and beetroot salad
Nigellas water melon salad
and my all time fav...the humble but magnificent beans on toast!

We love this halloumi and giant couscous:

hotcooking.co.uk/recipes/the-quick-roasting-tin-halloumi-red-onion-salad-giant-couscous

An old Blue Peter recipe from 40 years ago is still my favourite.

Parboil diced potatoes, mix with sliced onions in an oven dish. Season. A couple of tablespoons of flour sprinkled over, then layer lots of sliced tomatoes . Couple more spoons of flour on top. Season well. Top with grated cheese then pour milk over to half way up the dish. Dab on several generous blobs of butter. Cook on 200ish temperature until cheese is golden and crispy.

Gwenhwyfar;

I don’t know the exact reason, but I think it’s because the oil mixed with the water might be a bit rank 🤷🏻‍♀️ If you watch Nisha Katona make it (there are short YouTube vids) the oil at the end is added like a garnish so I’m guessing it’s the traditional method

Bean chilli
roast beetroot and orange salad
cauliflower katsu
laksa hmmmm
vegie moussaka - mega fattening

Taming twins has a slow cooker peanut butter sweet potato and chickpea stew which is lovely

We're not vegetarian but whole family enjoys

Chickpea curry
Fried gnocchi with pesto (check your pesto or make your own re Parmesan)
Targa Dahl and roti
My kids would eat pasta bake every day if they could
Pastry pizza, add whatever you like

It's called tempering - heating the cumin with the oil brings out the flavours and acts as a sort of seasoning on the daal.

@jewishmum yes, it's similar to parmigiana, but I use courgettes as well for different colour and texture.

If you eat fish, change the quorn bolog to tuna bolog? Taste completely different despite the almost identical ingredients.(though I use different spices)

I also use a lot of cauliflower instead of meat. Roasted one has lovely texture. Battered and fried one is lovely too.

Also adding things like capers, olives, sundried tomato etc makes the regular meal taste quite different, as well as using lots of different herbs and spices.

We’re trying one veggie night a wee, your list is really great.

Thanks. (I'm just so lazy).

My DS is mainly vegetarian through choice so we have started expanding the vegetarian meals we cook recently. There is a really nice aubergine pilaf on the bbc website. He also likes vegetable fajitas, which can easily be adapted to add meat for some. Gnocchi with a cheese sauce is a favourite as well, baked in the oven to give a really crunchy top. Pizzas as well, making from scratch is about 1.5 hours in total so a weekend dish but you can buy the base as well.

Have you got a good recipe for paneer curry? Would love to know it, if so!

Vegetable stew is nice and you can use leftovers to fill pastry to make pasties.

Sorry, that was for @Imabitbusyatthemoment - quote fail!

"It's called tempering - heating the cumin with the oil brings out the flavours and acts as a sort of seasoning on the daal."

Yes, I understand about heating it, but didn't know why it couldn't be done first. I suppose you might put it in first if it was ground.

This is a great list - bookmarking for ideas!