Cooking meat-free meals a few times in the week can be good for your budget, the planet, and your health. But if you’re new to it, vegetarian cooking can seem like an extra effort when life is busy. So we’re celebrating all things veg, with our quick and easy vegetarian recipes that are ready in 30 minutes or less.
So, whether you are a die-hard veggie, full-on flexi, or a hardcore carnivore wanting to reduce your meat intake, our tasty veggie recipes will ensure you have a delicious dinner on the table in no time.
Check out our full collection of incredible vegetarian recipes
Throw-it-all-in veggie noodle bowl
Noodles don’t get much simpler than this. As the title suggests, after a tiny bit of veg prep, you just chuck everything in one pan and let everyone get to know one another. Meanwhile, you marinate a piece of silky tofu in a little sesame and soy to serve alongside. Easy, peasy!
Sunshine egg salad
For fast, fresh veggie cooking, eggs are where it’s at. In this glorious veggie salad recipe Jamie leans on a couple of store-cupboard standbys to create a delicious backdrop for the star of the show – gently poached eggs. Bring some sunshine to your dinnertime.
Quick green pasta
This veg-packed pasta recipe is a brilliant way to get more of the good stuff into a family favourite. It’s more of a principle, so you can flex the recipe to whatever veg is knocking about in your fridge or freezer. You could easily turn this into a gratin, too, if that floats your boat.
MORE: 6 perfect pasta bakes
Black tahini noodles
You need just 5 ingredients and 13 minutes to rustle up this simple but stunning noodle recipe. Sweet teriyaki and punchy lime do the heavy lifting here and a scattering of sesame seeds brings a satisfying crunch to this super-fast dish. Just don’t skip toasting the sesame seeds: it really brings out their nutty personality.
Bombay omelette
The punchy flavours of turmeric, garam masala and cumin are a match made in heaven in this colourful omelette. Topped with spinach leaves and a handful of fresh coriander, this is a protein-packed veggie recipe that’ll really set you up for the day.
Hungover noodles
Whether it’s a headache or simply a lack of headspace, this speedy veggie noodle recipe is just what you need when you’re running out of steam. Another recipe that can adapt to what you’ve got, it’s all about the bold dressing, the crispy, runny egg and a dash of chilli sauce that’ll perk you up in no time.
MORE: Easy swap recipes
Nonna Teresa’s pasta
Beautifully simple, this spicy pasta recipe is on the table in just 15 minutes. A handful of crunchy breadcrumbs not only adds a lovely texture, but also packs in loads of flavour. Jamie adds chilli and horseradish here, but you could switch these out for lemon zest if you prefer less heat.
Special scrambled eggs
Soft, perfectly cooked scrambled eggs are a no-brainer when you want something comforting but you’re short on time. Jamie takes things up a notch, with a quick, sticky, spiced tomato chutney and stuffs it all into super–soft buns. Eat this while still standing in front of the frying pan, and have no regrets.
MORE: Brilliant breakfast ideas
Winter squash penne
Fennel seeds, dried chilli and wintry sage are a glorious trio that really make this squash and chickpea pasta recipe sing. Using a food processor to chop all the veg really cuts down on the amount of prep, but you could easily spend a little more time and do this by hand, too.
Hungry for more? You’ll find loads of healthy vegetarian recipes for brunch, lunch and dinner here.