quick vegetarian food for all the family

[slightlyconfused85]

We try to eat vegetarian main meals 2 times a week but I would like to increase this. We have a toddler who is quite a good eater but not mad about spicy food. I'd really love some veggie ideas that don't take ages to cook that are loved by all your family. Things I do already: vegetable wraps/fajitas, lentil bolognese/lasagne, pasta with various veg and sauces.

TIA

Hi, the meals you already make sound great! We eat similar things, but I also try and do a really hearty soup once a week, something like minestrone, borsch or sweetcorn chowder. With some fresh bread or part-baked baguette done in the oven it makes a really filling meal and also cheap/healthy. Other favourites are frittata, you can bung anything in but I often use mange tout, carrot, etc, you can do onions or potatoes and make it more like a Spanish Omelette. Also things like Greek Salad, again vary the ingredients according to what is easy to get at the time, can always have a hot pudding if you don't like giving your family a cold meal in the winter. Anything under a potato topping is also a winner, just a mix of veg, butter beans, white sauce (I often use Colmans packets as life is too short!), put mashed potato on top and put in oven.

Hope this helps!

Toad in the hole with veggie sausages or roast squash. Quick, cheap and easy! Bean chilli and vegetable and bean stews popular here too. Vegetarian noodle stir frys (add flavour with soy sauce, garlic, tamarind, rice wine, ginger etc). Cauliflower cheese and potatoes goes down well too, especially with babies.

Soups. Can be bulked up with lentils or barley, or both.
Veggie burgers. Linda McCartney ones are good, high in protein too.
Pizza. I like this recipe. Or even easier, m and s do a packet of two pizza bases which are surprising good.
Veggie sausages. Sometimes I make a big batch with bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, grated vegetables, herbs. Can add textured vegetable protein but it's actually high in protein already so not needed.
Jacket potatoes with mild bean chilli and sour cream.

Not fast, but nut roast with roast potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli cheese etc. I found a really good recipe on the bbcgoodfood site. Freezes well, and also makes good veggie burgers.

Today I made Baked Vegetable Pakoras and they were lovely. You can tone the spice level up or down to suit.

1 cup gram flour (about 150g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
handful fresh coriander or flat parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)

1 small potato peeled and grated
1 small carrot peeled and grated
80g frozen peas
100g chopped cauliflower or broccoli

Preheat the oven to 220C

• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and seasoning with enough water to make a thick batter
• Stir in the vegetables
• Using a dessert spoon place blobs of battered vegetables on a well oiled non stick baking tray
• Bake for 8 minutes then flip over and bake for 10 more minutes
• Serve with dips, salads etc.
• Makes about 20

I love risotto, but my dc don't really the fools so I cook it rarely. Spinach risotto or butternut squash are very good. It's an excellent excuse to drink wine whilst cooking :)

Griddled aubergine and courgettes, layered with a garlicky tomato sauce and mozzarella, with Parmesan and mozzarella on the top, baked until nicely browned.

Yum, Cog. I will be trying the baked pakoras recipe; old school friend's mum used to make the most lovely pakoras, but I don't like deep frying things at home so had ruled them out.

Omelettes

Thanks so much for all these lovely ideas. I had completely forgotten about Risotto but DD loves rice so I can't see why she wouldn't get on board with this.

All these ideas sound lovely I will be attempting as many as poss. DD is a potato hater which is a bit annoying but lots of potato free ideas here!

My kids love a sweet potato and lentil curry (although we still call it 'casserole' from the days when they turned their noses up at anything with a hint of spice). It's a Lesley Waters recipe from a BBC mag, can't find it on their website but here goes:

Put 5 serving spoons of red lentils into a large saucepan along with a teaspoon of medium curry powder. Add a carton of coconut cream. Cook on a medium heat, adding around 500 ml of boiling water, and stir well. Add a sweet potato, chopped into chunks, and Quorn pieces. Stir well and simmer, adding more boiling water if the lentils absorb it all before they're ready, and to stop the mix from sticking to the bottom of the pan. It should take around 25 mins or so for the lentils to 'dissolve' into a creamy sauce and the sweet potato to be cooked through. When it's nearly ready, chuck in a handful of frozen peas if your kids will eat them(!), and serve once they've heated through.

We eat this with noodles or rice, and sometimes chapatis and prawn crackers, plus broccoli. Any leftovers can be frozen for another time. You can make it more or less spicy by varying the amount of curry powder, and if you leave out the Quorn and peas and add more water it makes a nice soup too!

This is easy and goes really well with couscous www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/r/roasted_autumn_vegetables_with_halloumi_cheese.html

Another winner is veggie shepherds pie: fry onion, leeks, garlic,mushrooms..add cooked puy lentils plus some of the cooking liquid, add some passata so you've got the right consistency. Make your mash (always nice with a bit of swede or parsnip). Pop in oven et voila!

Our staples:
Garlicky leeky macaroni cheese
Grilled bean enchiladas
Moussaka (we sub in Quorn mince and use the Guardian's 'perfect' moussaka recipe)
Beetroot & dill burgers - recipe from delicious magazine probably online
Veggie black bean chilli and rice
Any curry (Thai, Indian, Malaysian etc) with lots of veg and torn up Quorn pieces/tofu/tempeh

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Veg Every Day book is good for veggie meal ideas, simple and trusty recipes.

Tesco frozen cauli and broccoli - cook briefly in boiling water, drain and top with cheese sauce (I use fresh tesco from a tub) sprinkle with grated cheese

Serve with peas, baked sweet potato?

If you like chickpeas Spanish gypsy pot

Fry chopped garlic and chopped onion in a little oil. When done add one or two chopped tomatoes (can be tinned) cook breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle in some smoked paprika and if you like a little cumin.
Add cut up green beans (the flat variety) butternut squash peeled and cut into pieces, cooked chickpeas, salt, pepper. Add water or vegetable stock and a bay leaf if you use them or a pinch of oregano.
Cook until vegetables are done. Half way through you can add peeled pieces of pear. If you don't put in pear you can add a chopped potato when you add green beans and butternut.
In a minimal amount of oil cook some chopped garlic and a small piece of bread and a few almonds. When cooked process with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid and add to the pot (this last step can be skipped altogether. It's to thicken a little)

Vegetable paella. You can use odds and ends lurking in fridge and freezer

Put some oil in a large frying pan.Fry a couple of chopped garlic cloves and some finely chopped onion. After a few minutes add chopped pepper (red, green, yellow whatever you have)
Cook for a couple of minutes and add a couple of chopped tomatoes (can be tinned) cook a couple more minutes breaking them up. Add green beans cut into pieces if fresh if using frozen beans add later.
Add short grain rice and stir for a minute, add turmeric and mix. Add hot stock or water, double the amount of rice. (For one cup rice two and a bit water) Salt and pepper
You can use a stock cube.
Now go adding all the veg you'll be using. First whatever fresh vege your using and then go adding frozen veges. Cook uncovered over medium heat.
If you need to add more stock or water make sure it's hot and add just a little at a time. Stir as little as possible so rice doesn't become gluggy.
When rice is done cover with a tea towel and let stand a few minutes.
Serve with lemon wedges.

Can be made with brown rice. Some cooked beans or chick peas may be added towards the end if you happen to have some left over.