As a vegetarian student, I thought I could shed some light on quick and easy vegetarian dinner recipes. We shall start with an absolute staple for my first year at Durham…
Quorn Stir-Fry à la Tesco
As a child I hated Quorn but as an adult I absolutely love it and use it at least once a week. Being vegetarian, it is important to make sure you consume enough protein or you may start to feel lethargic! As Mo Farah says, it’s a delicious and nutritious protein source.
Preparation time: 20 mins
1 tbsp vegetable oil
75g Quorn chicken pieces
½ packet of Blue Dragon stir fry sauce… we’re all students here, so packet sauce is allowed
50g egg noodles or 75g white rice
½ small onion, diced (Tesco sell frozen diced onion, I can honestly say it has changed my life for the better)
25g sugar snap peas, cut in half lengthways
25g baby corn
1 spring onion, sliced
- Boil the rice/noodles… or should I say nudels? (check Kim Kardashian’s Instagram if you don’t get the ref)
- Oil the pan and fry the onions until soft
- Throw in the Quorn, sugar snap peas, baby corn, and spring onion, and fry until the Quorn is fully cooked
- Pour the sauce into the pan and simmer according to the packet instructions
Lemon Spag Bol
Traditional spaghetti Bolognese is great, but let’s try expanding our horizons, shall we? My flatmate ran out of tomato products one evening and came up with this easy and satisfying dish. I highly recommend.
Preparation time: 15 mins
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tsp dried oregano, or mixed herbs
20g mushrooms, sliced
75g Quorn mince (I’m not being sponsored by Quorn, promise)
100g durum wheat spaghetti
- Fry the onions, garlic, mushrooms and Quorn mince in the pan
- Boil the spaghetti at the same time
- Squeeze the lemon juice over your pasta and serve
Vegan Guac & Lettuce Wraps
Cut out the carbs with this really easy, filling and VEGAN recipe. The guacamole in this recipe is very basic but you could spice it up with some diced red onion and one minced clove of garlic.
Preparation time: 5 mins
½ head iceberg lettuce
1 medium-large avocado
1 lime, juiced
1 ripe tomato, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
- Mash the avocado up in a bowl along with the tomato and lime juice
- Layer up a few lettuce leaves, spread half the mixture on top and sandwich with some more leaves. Repeat this to make a second lettuce wrap
Mac and Cheese in a Mug
Save yourself some dollar by making an extra batch and putting it into an airtight container to take to the Billy B. This also means you’ll avoid the crazily long lunch time queues for Yum café.
Preparation time: 10 mins
28g macaroni pasta
¾ cup cold water
4 tbsp milk
¼ tsp flour
4 tbsp cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper
- Add the macaroni and water to a large microwavable mug or a large bowl. You need a large mug as the water will boil up
- Microwave for 3½ minutes, or until the pasta is fully cooked (timing based on a 1200W microwave)
- Pour off the remaining cooking water
- Stir in the milk, flour and shredded cheese and microwave for a final 60 seconds
- Season with salt and pepper
Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
Whatever mood you’re in, pasta will always be there for you. This recipe is a bit more complex but pretty easy once you get the hang of it.
55g penne pasta
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
100g chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon died basil
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Cracked black pepper to taste
½ tbsp tomato puree
15g cream cheese
2 tbsp water
Sprinkle of grated parmesan
60g spinach
- Boil the pasta for 10 mins
- While the pasta is cooking, fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft
- Add the chopped tomatoes, water, and tomato puree, then simmer
- Mix in the cream cheese and parmesan until melted and creamy
- Add the spinach and gently stir into the sauce until wilted (3-5 minutes)
- Add the pasta to coat it in sauce, then add salt and pepper to taste