Easy vegetarian recipes to kickstart the new year

Tempted to go meat free? There are plenty of reasons to remove meat from one’s diet, and if it’s done correctly we really believe it can be an absolute joy.

There are plenty of reasons to remove meat from one’s diet, both personally and for the environment, and if it’s done correctly we really believe it can be an absolute joy. Check out five of our absolute favourite vegetarian recipes below, and if you don’t already, start making some space in your weekly meal plans for veggie cooking.

Even those only vaguely capable of cooking from scratch will usually have a go-to tomato-based pasta sauce recipe. This recipe is the mother of them all, however; it’s cooked twice – once in the oven and once on the hob – for the best rich sauce that clings to the rigatoni.

This corker from 15-Minute Meals is still one of our all-time favourites, both in and out of the vegetarian category. A perfect combo of cauliflower, chickpeas and pineapple, this brilliantly fast vegetable curry gets that full-on, fragrant flavour in double-quick time.

We reckon that spinach and ricotta is hands-down one of the finest fillings out there, with its soft creaminess and hint of spice from the nutmeg – just make sure your brand of ricotta is vegetarian. This cannelloni is an impressive but simple pasta dish that kids will love to help you cook – the uncomplicated flavours will appeal to developing and developed tastes alike.

We keep coming back to this amazing dish when we talk about the vegetarian diet. It’s probably one of the most rustic and charming recipes we have, and its flavours are incredible – garlic, tangy tomato, earthy aubergine, salty caper and fragrant herbs come together to make a gorgeously sloppy dish. It’s an Italian masterpiece that can be served either as a warm side or cold antipasto, or better yet, hot and with a big hunk of bread.

Veggie chilli is an absolute staple for a vegetarian diet. It’s easy to do well, but with the right recipe, it can be mind-blowing. We have that recipe right here, from ex-Fifteen apprentice Kerryann Dunlop’s Food Tube book; full of good stuff and makes the perfect midweek vegetarian meal for the family.

And there's more inspiration where those came from:

Make sure to check out the rest of our awesome vegetarian recipes, and learn more about the wonderful world of veg at the Vegepedia.