As you know, I am not a vegetarian, but more and more, I find myself drawn to vegetarian meals. At the end of the night, I love nothing more than a big chopped salad, a mug of lentil soup, or a bowl of polenta topped with roasted ratatouille or sautéed greens. Below are twelve of my favorite easy vegetarian recipes to make year-round. PS: 9 Favorite Pastas Recipes
- Sweet potato quesadillas: A friend of my aunt Marcy sent me this recipe, and it has been a favorite ever since.
- Polenta with Sally Schneider’s roasted mushrooms: I love this method for roasting mushrooms; it yields a good amount of brothy sauce as well as crisp, flavorful mushrooms.
- Chickpea tagine with tomato jam: This dish is inspired by a tagine served at a local Moroccan restaurant, Tara Kitchen.
- Quinoa bake with roasted butternut squash and onions: This quinoa bake combines ALL the Thanksgiving herbs (sage, rosemary, and thyme) with roasted onions, butternut squash, and a mix of Gruyère and parmesan.
- Curried lentils with coconut milk: From Julia Turshen’s Small Victories, this one, seasoned with turmeric, cumin, coriander, and ginger, has been another favorite since I first made it.
- Crispy tofu and broccoli with sesame-peanut pesto: From Deb Perelman’s latest, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, this one calls for roasting tofu and broccoli, then topping with a sesame-peanut pesto, a sauce modeled after the ones dressing Deb’s favorite “deliciously inauthentic” take-out noodles.
- Oven-baked polenta (a miracle!) with poached eggs: If you’ve never baked polenta, it’s time!
- Chickpea taco bowls: Adapted from my favorite taco recipe, this one, for me, is just as (if not more) satisfying.
- Farro risotto with kale and feta: A favorite Ottolenghi recipe … simplified.
- Crispy tofu and kale with coconut: If you haven’t discovered the joys of baking tofu — no pressing, no marinating, no sticking — it’s time!
- Kimchi fried rice: With cooked rice on hand, this recipe is especially weeknight friendly, but because it comes together so quickly, it’s important to have all your ingredients prepped before cooking.
- Leblebi: Moroccan chickpea stew: Leblebi originates in Tunisia, and is typically served at breakfast with various garnishes: poached or hard-boiled eggs, a sprinkling of cumin or capers, a drizzle of olive oil or harissa, toasted bread, preserved lemon, tinned fish, or pickled vegetables. I like it for dinner with harissa and bread. Yum. No reviews
