8 inspired vegetarian dinners

By Lesego Madisa, 2 May 2022

Forget the meaty soups and stews – food editor Khanya shares 8 hearty and easy meat-free recipes that are worth making.

From stews and samp to zaalouk and ezme, when it comes to vegetarian mains, the options are endless. We’ve gathered 8 brilliant recipes that put a twist on classics, introduce you to a new dish and even win over the kids. We know you’ll find some new favourite meatless recipes here.

Hearty stew

Butternut and grains are cooked in a vegetable broth flavoured with paprika, cumin and coriander to make a stew that’s comforting and that stretches your rands. We like to call this one the ultimate counting-down-to-payday dinner.

Get the recipe for every-grain vegetable stew here.

Expand your repertoire

Zaalouk is a Moroccan warm salad made with roast tomatoes, olive oil, North African spices and brinjals. It’s super-creamy, which makes it perfect for tossing through pasta.

Zaalouk pasta with olives

Get the recipe for zaalouk pasta with olives here.

Welcome to the bakery

We can’t think of anything better than the house smelling like freshly baked bread on a winter’s day. These soft and fluffy green gems make the perfect dinner accompaniment.

Spinach dinner rolls

Get the recipe for spinach dinner rolls here.

Baby got brinjals

Ezme is a Turkish spicy dip that’s similar to salsa. In this recipe, the fried baby brinjals soak up the spicy ezme while the tzatziki offers a cooling component to the dish. This is great to serve vegetarian guests at your next get together.

BBQ baby brinjals with tzatziki and ezme

Get the recipe for the BBQ baby brinjals with tzatziki and ezme here.

Eat your greens

A South African winter isn’t complete without a creamy bowl of samp and beans. This recipe gives the classic a gorgeous green colour with spinach and parsley.

Green samp

Get the recipe for green samp here.

Not just for meat

Baking food in salt retains all the succulence and flavour – and this is no different for hearty vegetables.

Salt-baked butternut with four-spice butter

Get the recipe for salt-baked butternut here.

Keep it light

Crispy cauliflower is dressed in a creamy charred onion dressing and topped with blistered tomatoes to make your new favourite Sunday roast side.

Shaved cauliflower salad

Get the recipe for shaved cauliflower salad here.

Potato-load

Two steakhouse sides come together to make the ultimate side: cheese-stuffed baked potatoes on a bed of creamed spinach.

Baked mashed potato boats

Get the recipe for baked mashed potato boats here.

Grilled gems

Have you tried grilling cabbage? It comes out charred, tender and slightly caramelised. The furikake adds a hit of umami and deep flavour, and those little Brussels sprouts are the cutest next to the cabbages.

Get the recipe for grilled baby cabbage with furikake here.

Find more vegetarian recipes here.

Lesego Madisa

Article by Lesego Madisa

TASTE's commercial content producer loves thrifty recipes, fridge foraging and never says "no" to cake. When she's not flipping through the pages of food mags and cookbooks, she's happily baking and knitting in her tiny apartment.
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