Easy vegetarian recipes with simple and easy to find ingredients?

Question

I need some new recipes! I would like some simple but filling vegetarian recipes. But alot of the recipes I see call for ingredients that are difficult to obtain unless I travel to special stores. Can anyone suggest some hearty recipes with ingredients I can find at most regular grocery stores?
Thanx!

So many great answers, I am sorry that I can only choose one! Thanks to everybody!

Answer 1

Bulghur wheat is easily found in most large grocery stores, or gourmet-type stores.

STUFFED SQUASH WITH BULGUR AND FETA

This vegetarian dish can be prepared up to a day ahead; fill the squash halves with the cooked bulgur mixture, then refrigerate, covered, until ready to bake.

4 large summer squash (about 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 cup bulgur wheat
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
lemon wedges, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve each squash lengthwise; slice off a sliver of skin from each half so they sit flat. Scoop out flesh with a small spoon or melon-baller, leaving a 1/4-inch border; chop finely, and reserve. Place squash halves on a rimmed baking sheet, skin sides down; set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add reserved chopped squash, onion, almonds, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is dry, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Add bulgur and 2 cups water; simmer over medium heat until liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes (bulgur should still be slightly crunchy). Remove from heat; stir in feta.

4. Mound bulgur mixture in reserved squash halves. Bake until squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Note: Once the flesh has been removed from the squash halves, it is chopped and added to the filling so nothing is wasted.

--EverydayFOOD
_____________________________

EGGPLANT PARMESAN W/ TOMATO SAUCE

2 pounds (about 2 medium-sized) eggplant
Salt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh bread crumbs, seasoned with 1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup pecorino
2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
1 pound ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Wash and towel dry the eggplant. Slice the eggplant horizontally about 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices in a large colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside to rest about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggplant and dry on towels.

In a saute pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil until just smoking. Press the drained eggplant pieces into the seasoned bread crumb mixture and saute until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all of the pieces. On a cookie sheet lay out the 4 largest pieces of eggplant. Place 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over each piece and place a thin slice of mozzarella on top of each. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and top each with the next smallest piece of eggplant, then sauce then mozzarella. Repeat the layering process until all the ingredients have been used, finishing again with the Parmigiano. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the top of each little stack is golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Basic Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes
Salt

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve.
This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

--Mario Batali, FoodTV
_______________________

Olive Garden Spaghetti Carbonara
(Omit bacon to make vegetarian)

1/4 C. flour
1/4 C. butter
1 qt. milk
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
24 slices extra thick bacon, fried until crisp, then cut into ¼” slices
1/4 C. olive oil
3 C. mushrooms, sliced
6 Tbsp. scallions, finely minced
1 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
2 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Melt butter in 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add milk, salt and pepper and stir vigorously with wire whip until mixture barely comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, whipping frequently while sauce thickens. Keep warm.

Add bacon into sauce. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and minced onions and sauté until golden. Add to sauce. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well and add to the sauce along with the parsley. Blend well and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
__________________________

Penne with 5 Cheeses

Kosher salt
2 C. heavy cream
1 C. crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree
1/2 c freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 oz.)
1/2 c. shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 oz.)
1/4 c. crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 oz.)
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 pound imported penne rigate pasta
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine. Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 c. capacity) Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

--Ina Garten, FoodTV

Answer 2

I just got this terrific cookbook "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant" It has the best collection of diverse Vegetarian and vegan food I have found anywhere. The recipes are simple clear and have a great history. There are enough great recipes in here that I can serve an entire veg meal and no one seems to mind because it is all so terrific!

Answer 3

My favourite hearty veggie recipes are soups and stews, try a butternut squash chilli. Saute a couple of onions and some garlic with some ground spices like cumin, chilli, coriander seeds and cinnamon, then you add chunks of peeled squash, some tinned tomatoes and a tin of pulses (chickpeas work well here), add some water and cook until the veg is tender. Serve with a blob of yoghurt.
Most hearty meat dishes can be adapted with some interesting veg (root veg for bulk) pulses like lentils or beans, and some wintery herbs like thyme.
Also try making savoury scones or dumplings from veg suet and bake a veg stew like a cobbler

Answer 4

If you want to eat truly healthy, lose body fat consistently, normalize your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, prevent cancer, and even boost your brain health and energy levels, you may have heard all over the news that the Paleo Diet has been found to be one of the best methods of achieving all of these benefits compared to any other popular "fad" diets out there. Go here https://bitly.im/aMDWn

The truth is that the Paleo Diet will never be considered a fad because it's just simply the way that humans evolved to eat over approximately 2 million years. And eating in a similar fashion to our ancestors has been proven time and time again to offer amazing health benefits, including prevention of most diseases of civilization such as cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, and other chronic conditions that are mostly caused by poor diet and lifestyle. One of the biggest misunderstandings about the Paleo Diet is that it's a meat-eating diet, or a super low-carb diet. This is not true

Answer 5

. Tofu Parmigiana

Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup seasoned bread
crumbs
5 tablespoons grated
Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano,
divided
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

1 (12 ounce) package firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 ounces shredded mozzarella
cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt, and black pepper.
2. Slice tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices, and place in bowl of cold water. One at a time, press tofu slices into crumb mixture, turning to coat all sides.
3. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu slices until crisp on one side. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, turn, and brown on the other side.
4. Combine tomato sauce, basil, garlic, and remaining oregano. Place a thin layer of sauce in an 8 inch square baking pan. Arrange tofu slices in the pan. Spoon remaining sauce over tofu. Top with shredded mozzarella and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

Answer 6

How about a:

Holiday Salad

2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 shallots, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 oranges, peeled and segmented
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces goat cheese, cut crosswise into 6 slices
6 thin slices prosciutto
1 large head radicchio, rinsed, patted dry and torn into bite sized pieces
1 bunch arugula or watercress, rinsed, patted dry and cut int bite sized pieces
6 large leaves Bibb lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
1 head Belgian endive, stem removed and cut crosswise into thin shreds
Pomegranate seeds, as garnish

In a small bowl, combine the pomegranate juice and orange zest, vinegar, shallots, salt, pepper and mustard and whisks thoroughly to combine. Add the oil in a steady stream and whisk until emulsified. Fold the segmented oranges and sliced onions into 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss to combine and set aside.
Wrap each slice of goat cheese in a slice of prosciutto. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the wrapped cheeses and sear on both sides. Remove from the heat.

In a large salad bowl, combine the greens. Add the marinated orange sections and onion slices, and toss gently with enough extra dressing to coat evenly. Divide among salad plates and top each with a seared goat cheese package and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Spoon a little extra dressing over each salad and serve immediately.

Answer 7

You can make burritos - from various canned beans(lima, black), fried with onions, chili powder and tomatoe paste ~ stuffed into a tortilla with grated cheese, sour cream and salsa

Make your own spagetti sauce: Garlic, onions, 2 cans of stirred tomatoes, 1 large can of tomatoe sauce (hunts) and two cans of tomatoe paste - add a cup of water if thick. Add some oregano, salt and ...a little cinnamon for a greek flair. simmer 20 minutes...then add a whole bunch of washed baby spinach into it for another 10 minutes. (add iron)Puree. Fabulous sauce that can be freezed.

Answer 8

Vegetarian Pizza

To Make the doe (space) put prego sauce on top
3 cups of water (space) put cheeseon it ( if you want.).
2 cups of flour(space)put on the vegetable of your choice and
mix until moist (space) boun nappati

Answer 9

Beans, beans, beans. My favorite is wraps!! You can make the yummiest and filling and healthy meals. Avocado, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, onions, etc. And spice up your beans. Also I like mine with homemade rice and beans!

When I'm in the asian mood I make yummy noodles (yakisoba or Udon) with Tofu, bamboo shoots, baby corns, onions, broccolli, mushrooms. Yikes, I'm hungry!!!!

Answer 10

Checkout the Yahoo group called The shortcut vegetarian

Answer 11

This website has loads of recipes mostly just using vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice etc. It all seems very easily available : http://www.recipesforvegans.co.uk