As winter approaches, the desire for warm, comforting meals increases. For vegetarians, finding hearty and satisfying options can be a delightful culinary adventure. This article explores a variety of delicious and nutritious vegetarian recipes perfect for the winter season, using readily available ingredients and simple cooking techniques.
Warming Soups and Stews
Soups and stews are quintessential winter meals, offering warmth and nourishment.
White Bean Stew with Goat Cheese
This easy weeknight meal combines delicious winter flavors slow-cooked in tomato sauce and infused with a touch of cumin. The goat cheese on top adds a deeper flavor, making it a unique and satisfying meatless option. There’s no stock in this wintry vegetarian stew recipe-it relies on the starchy bean cooking liquid for its flavor. Navy Bean and Escarole Stew with Feta and Olives are also ideal.
Spiced Coconut Carrot Soup
Puréed soups are easy because they don’t require lots of knife work. Amping up the seasoning and topping with crunchy shaved vegetables and bright herbs makes it clear that this one's not baby food.
Coconut-Apple-Ginger Dal
This velvety lentil soup is the antidote to holiday excess; skip the yogurt to make it vegan.
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Hearty Casseroles and Bakes
Casseroles and baked dishes are perfect for feeding a crowd or enjoying leftovers throughout the week.
Vegetarian Lasagne
This easy vegetable lasagne uses just a few ingredients. You can use ready-made tomato sauce and white sauce, or batch cook the sauces and freeze them.
Spicy Root & Lentil Casserole
The potatoes in this recipe take on the spicy flavors beautifully.
Veggie Sausage Casserole
Make this casserole with veggie sausages and butterbeans for a flavorful family meal that delivers four of your 5-a-day. Serve with warm crusty bread.
Butternut Squash Casserole
A warming seasonal dish with a fusion of flavors, perfect for winter evenings.
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Vegetable Pasta Bake
Get the maximum flavor out of all the veg in our pasta bake by pan-frying it first. You can also freeze this for up to three months to enjoy on busier days.
Butternut Squash Baked Pasta
A satisfying, creamy, crave-worthy baked pasta that would still be delicious without (most of) the cheese.
Flavorful Curries and Stir-Fries
Curries and stir-fries offer a vibrant mix of flavors and textures, perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Sweet Potato & Peanut Curry
Cook this tasty, budget-friendly vegan curry for an easy family dinner. With spinach and sweet potato, it boasts two of your five-a-day and it’s under 400 calories.
Coconut & Squash Dhansak
This quick and easy vegetarian curry is perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner - with butternut squash, coconut milk, lentils, and spinach.
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Easy Vegetable Curry
This simple vegetable curry is budget-friendly and great for feeding a crowd, served with naan and rice. You can freeze batches for future midweek meals.
Butternut Squash Curry
Up your veg count and get three of your five-a-day with this fragrant, low-fat vegetarian curry.
Simple Mushroom Curry
Serve these garlicky mushrooms in a rich tomato masala spiced with ground ginger, fennel seeds, and cumin for an autumnal supper. Enjoy with rice or naan.
Tofu Stir-Fry
Get children to help you chop the vegetables and make the sauce for this colorful, simple tofu stir-fry. It's perfect when you need a quick and easy family meal.
Sticky Tempeh Stir-Fry
Rustle up this vegan stir-fry which uses tempeh, a great source of protein made from soybeans. Quick and easy, it takes just 30 minutes to make.
Creative and Unique Dishes
These recipes offer a twist on traditional vegetarian meals, incorporating unique ingredients and flavors.
Vegetarian Bolognese
Make the most of vegetarian mince for this easy veggie bolognese that's low in fat and calories. Cook a large batch ahead and freeze for easy family dinners.
Veggie Burritos
Try our vegetarian burritos filled with mushrooms, beans, and corn, complemented by creamy avocado and subtle spice. Enjoy with a tomato salsa on the side.
Creamy Broccoli Gnocchi
Whip up this tasty vegetarian gnocchi in just 15 minutes. Broccoli, peas, and pine nuts combine with crème fraîche and mustard for a tasty midweek meal.
Butternut Squash & Cherry Tomato Crumble
Serve crumble for dinner by omitting the sugar and replacing the fruit with a savory squash filling. It’s a warming dish that’s ideal for autumnal suppers.
Harissa Broccoli & Flatbreads
Make this winning one-pan vegetarian meal with just five ingredients, plus some salt and oil.
Chickpea Pancakes With Kale and Fennel
Savory chickpea flour pancakes, also known as socca, require just four ingredients (including water).
Spicy Cauliflower Sabzi With Cashews
This would make an excellent and filling vegetarian main course (add a dollop of yogurt and some cooked rice, if you like). If you're spice-averse, just leave the chiles out!
Green Shakshuka
Watch closely toward the end of the cooking time and remove from oven when the eggs have plenty of wobble left in them.
Loaded Sweet Potatoes
Roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time then rewarm them by flattening and crisping them in a skillet until lightly charred.
Ginger Scallion Ramen Noodles
The noodles are just a vessel for this savory, gingery, simple weeknight sauce. Double the batch, and you’ll always have a way to brighten up simple grilled or pan-roasted chops, roasted veggies, or grain bowls. (In the mood for something more brothy? Try our tomato-laced vegetarian ramen.)
Simple Khichari
This restorative stew, from Divya’s Kitchen, features a rotating cast of hard and soft vegetables.
Marinated Mixed Beans
Coating the herbs in oil and soaking the shallot in vinegar prevents oxidation, so you can keep these beans for days.
Bejeweled Rice
You can fold all the toppings into the rice and it’ll still be delicious-but you won’t get as much of a wow factor.
Black Barley with Mushroom Broth
Buy good grains and always soak them. They'll cook more quickly and evenly when hydrated, and the soaking liquid can be used in finished dishes.
Herbed Chickpeas
Crispy, salty, creamy, and full of protein (really!), these chickpeas should be a staple in your kitchen.
Kuku Sabzi
Kuku sabzi (Persian frittata) tend to have less eggs than the typical fritter or omelet. They can be slightly sweet with dates and dried rose, or savory, like the one below.
Pot o’ Beans
Our no-soak bean recipe is foolproof and ripe for improvisation. Throw in whatever moves you and simmer away.
Slow-Cooked Collard Greens in Olive Oil
This collard greens recipe yields meltingly tender garlic-infused greens. They need to cook for at least an hour, but you can leave them mostly unattended.
Steamed Vegetables With Miso-Ginger Dressing
Steamed vegetables can be lovely, but they don’t exactly pack a ton of punch in the flavor department.
White Cheddar & Poblano Polenta
A versatile and easy meal that can be topped with anything you’d put into tacos or on nachos!
Vegan Chili Mac
The ultimate comfort food: a vegan hybrid between macaroni and cheese and chili.
Roasted Veggies with Citrus Gremolata and Polenta
Mix and match whichever veggies, beans, and sauce options you have on hand to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less!
Buddha Bowl with Poblano Tahini Sauce
These Mexican-inspired chorizo-spiced veggie tacos are a simple meat-free dinner option!
Baked Poblano Poppers with White Cheddar & Pinto Beans
A fun vegetarian main twist on traditional jalapeño poppers.
Vegetarian Polenta Pizza Stuffed Peppers
The perfect weeknight plant-based meal.
Healthy Vegetarian Lentil-Walnut Meatballs
The perfect meat-free meal.
Vegetarian Quinoa Taco Meat Tostadas
A quick and simple meat-free weeknight main entree.
Creamy Vegetarian White Chili
Cozy and filling (with vegan option).
Buffalo Cauliflower Bowl with Greek Yogurt Ranch and Spicy Quick Slaw
An easy and quick veg-packed meal perfect for lunch or dinner!
Creamy Quinoa and White Bean Risotto with Crispy Brassica Florets
These Fried Eggs with Green Tahini and Pita are packed with spices and herbs and make a perfect simple dinner or weekend breakfast for two.
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