3 tempting vegetarian recipes for National Vegetarian Week!

Whether you’re veggie every week or just want to celebrate National Vegetarian Week (14-20 May), here are a few tasty recipes from our friends at Gousto. Feast your eyes: a tasty 10-minute Indian dish, a ‘fakeaway’ halloumi burger, a Japanese donburi, a light, speedy asparagus salad, and this tasty dish with roasted portobellos, protein-packed mash and chimichurri.

If you're short on time and want to cook healthy and delicious vegetarian food without the hassle of going to buy or measure ingredients you can with Gousto! They deliver fresh ingredients in just the right amounts so you can make delicious and healthy meals to feed one or the whole family, quick and easy. 

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Here are 3 tasty vegetarian recipes from their menu.

Roasted Portobellos, Garlic Bean Mash & Chimichurri

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Part of Gousto’s Boost & Balance range – recipes with at least 2 of your 5 a day plus lean proteins and balanced carbs. Tuck into juicy roasted portobello mushrooms, garlic cannellini mash (extra protein!) and a simple lamb's lettuce salad sprinkled with pumpkin seeds. Drizzle on a zingy homemade chimichurri made with fresh coriander and a chilli kick! (Dairy-free, see Gousto’s FAQs for details).

Ingredients for 2 (double for 4)
300g portobello mushrooms
1 can of cannellini beans
50g lamb's lettuce
2 garlic cloves
300g potatoes
20g fresh coriander
30 ml red wine vinegar sachet
1 shallot
1 tomato
15g pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

Time: 30 mins

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ 400°F/ Gas 6, and boil a kettle. Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Cut the tomato in half, and peel and roughly chop the garlic.

Step 2

Add the portobello mushrooms and halved tomato to a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Put the tray in the oven for 20-25 min or until golden and tender
Step 3

Meanwhile, add the chopped potatoes and garlic to a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt over a high heat and cook for 10-15 min or until fork-tender. Once cooked, remove from the heat without draining.

Step 4

Meanwhile, finely chop the coriander, including the stalks. Peel and finely chop the shallot.

Step 5

Add the chopped coriander and shallot to a pestle & mortar with a generous pinch of salt and grind to a paste. Add the chilli flakes, red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp water and mix to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper – this is your chimichurri.

Step 6

Once the mushrooms and tomato are cooked, add the pumpkin seeds to the tray. Return the tray to the oven and cook for a further 2-4 min or until the pumpkin seeds are golden and toasted.

Step 7

Add the cannellini beans (no need to drain) to the cooked potatoes. Return the pan to a high heat and cook for 2-3 min or until the beans are warmed through, then drain the lot. Add a drizzle of olive oil and generous pinch of salt and pepper and mash together until smooth – this is your cannellini bean mash.

Step 8

Serve the roasted mushrooms and tomato with the cannellini bean mash and lamb's lettuce to the side. Sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds over the lamb's lettuce. Drizzle over the chimichurri. Enjoy!

 

Ten-Min Black Lentil Dal With Kachumba & Naan

A super-speedy veggie dish that hits the spot on a busy night! For this delicious dal, you'll pan-fry beluga lentils in rich curry spices then stir through creamy coconut yoghurt. Top it all off with a quick kachumba (a tomato, cucumber & herb salad) and serve with warm naan.

Ingredients for 2 (double for 4)

125g baby plum tomatoes

80g coconut yoghurt (v)

10g coriander & mint (mixed)

2 coriander mini naans

½ cucumber

1 tbsp curry powder

15g garlic paste

15g ginger paste

Note: You can use fresh garlic and ginger, but the chopping and cooking will take a bit longer.

1 tsp ground turmeric

250g Merchant Gourmet Black Beluga Lentils (V) (Pre-cooked with onion, bay leaf, and olive oil.)

1 tsp nigella / kalonji seeds

15ml white wine vinegar sachet

Time: 10 minutes

Step 1

Before you begin… Get all your ingredients and equipment ready, skim through these steps, and wash your fruit and veg. Note: equipment and pan sizes vary. Ensure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 mins).

Step 2

Now, let's get started! Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ 395°F/ Gas 6. Boil half a kettle (you won't need much!). Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat. Meanwhile, add the mini coriander naans to a baking tray and put the tray in the oven for 5 min or until warmed through.

Step 3

Once hot, add the curry powder, ground turmeric, ginger paste and garlic paste and cook for 30 sec.

Step 4

Add the beluga lentils and cook for 30 sec further. Add 100ml boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for a further 3-4 min.

Step 5

Meanwhile, cut the cucumber into quarters lengthways, then chop finely. Chop the baby plum tomatoes in half. Strip the mint leaves from their stems. Chop the mint leaves and coriander together roughly.

Step 6

Add the chopped herbs, cucumber and tomato to a bowl with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add the white wine vinegar with a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar and give everything a good mix up – this is your herby kachumba.

Step 7

Remove the pan from the heat and stir the coconut yoghurt through the lentils – this is your black lentil dal.

Step 8

Set the black lentil dal, herby kachumba and warmed naans in the centre of the table, ready to share. Garnish with the nigella seeds and let everyone dig in. Enjoy!

Harissa Halloumi Sandwich and Carrot Slaw

Treat yourself to a ‘fakeaway’! This tasty sandwich is bursting with flavour: golden-fried halloumi drenched in punchy harissa mayo, served with a tangy carrot slaw and skin-on potato wedges.

Ingredients for 2 (double for 4)

2 ciabatta rolls

2 carrots

10g coriander

225g Cypriot halloumi (v)

20g harissa paste

30ml mayonnaise

1 tsp nigella / kalonji seeds

300g potatoes

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

Time: 45 mins

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7. Cut the potatoes (skins on) into wedges, add them to a baking tray and drizzle with vegetable oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and put the tray in the oven for 30 min or until they're crisp.

Step 2

Meanwhile, boil a kettle. Peel (optional) and grate the carrots into a large mixing bowl. Add the rice vinegar and a large drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, mix well and set aside – this is your carrot slaw.

Step 3

Slice the halloumi in half lengthways (where the natural crease forms). Add 500ml boiled water to a wide pot and return to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, carefully add the halloumi slices and boil for 5-8 min or until softened.

Step 4

Meanwhile, add the ciabatta to a baking tray. Put the tray in the oven for 5 min or until the ciabatta are hot. Meanwhile, chop the coriander finely, including the stalks. Combine the harissa paste and mayonnaise in a small bowl for serving – this is your harissa mayo.

Step 5

Once hot, remove the ciabatta from the oven and leave to cool before slicing in half. Add the chopped coriander and the nigella seeds to the carrot slaw and give everything a good mix.

Step 6

Once softened, drain and pat the halloumi slices dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. Using a rolling pin, flatten and roll out each piece into a similar size as the ciabatta – these are your halloumi steaks.

Step 7

Once the potato wedges are nearly cooked, heat a dry, non-stick pan over a high heat and once hot, add the halloumi steaks. Cook on each side for 1-2 min or until golden. Tip: if you don't have a non-stick pan, cook the halloumi in a little vegetable oil.

Step 8

Assemble your sandwich with the halloumi steaks, some harissa mayo and carrot slaw. Serve the remaining slaw, mayo and potato wedges alongside. Enjoy!

Where’s the beef?

With inventive recipes, fresh ingredients and clever spicing, you really won’t miss meat. Just ensure you’re getting a balanced diet with plenty of colourful fruit and veg – and enough protein. Vegetarian cooking has come on leaps and bounds, with lots more flavour, clever superfoods like freekeh (packed with fibre and protein) and inventive ingredients like seitan, a pulled gluten with a ‘meaty’ texture. If you need some inspiration, have a look at Gousto’s online cookbook. Eight of the 30 recipes on their weekly menu are vegetarian or completely plant-based, with veggie-friendly ingredients like Italian hard cheese (instead of Parmesan), which uses vegetarian rennet.

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