ASL Fitness: Quick Vegetarian Recipes Any Veggie Hater Will Love

Quick Vegetarian Recipes

Hey there! I wanted to quickly share some easy and quick vegetarian recipes. Any veggie hater will love these -- including me. They are incredibly simple AND tasty. So if you're looking for some healthy vegetarian meals you can make without too much effort and in 30 minutes or less, you've come to the right place!

If you like what you see, please take a few moments and share your feedback and some other quick vegetarian recipes that YOU love!

Here are a few Quick Vegetarian Recipes you can't live without:

Toasted Pita & Bean Salad

Prepared with pieces of pita bread, lettuce, tomato, mint, and cucumbers, additional protein comes from beans included in this delicious fattoush salad. I normally don't even like tomatoes, and this is great!

4 servings, about 2 cups each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 6-inch whole-wheat pita breads, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons ground toasted cumin seeds (see Tip)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups cooked pinto beans, well drained and slightly warmed (see Tip)
1 cup diced plum tomatoes or 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spread pita pieces out on a large baking sheet. Bake until crisp and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on the pan.
Mash garlic and salt with the back of a chef’s knife to form a paste. Transfer to a bowl, add lemon juice and ground cumin and whisk to blend. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking continually. Season with pepper. This dressing can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days if you need to make this portion in advance. You can also toast cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until very fragrant -- about 2 to 5 minutes. Let it cool, and grind into a powder in a spice mill or blender.
Place beans, tomatoes and cucumber in a serving bowl. Add the toasted pita, lettuce, feta, parsley, mint and the dressing; toss to mix. Season with more pepper. Serve and enjoy the first of the quick vegetarian recipes!

Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta

This pasta dish is awesome! In addition to the great vegetables sweet potato and red pepper, it's loaded with fresh herbs -- any you have available can replace the tarragon -- and rich goat cheese, or feta cheese if you'd like. I like to serve this dish with a garden salad as an appetizer.

4 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups shredded, peeled sweet potato (about 1 medium)
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup diced plum tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (or basil, orregano, etc.)
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar, or lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (or feta cheese)

PREPARATION

Boil a large pot of water, and cook pasta until just tender (about 4 to 5 minutes or according to package directions).
While the pasta is cooking, place 1 tablespoon oil and garlic in a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant (2 to 5 minutes). Add sweet potato, bell pepper, tomatoes and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper is tender and crisp (5 to 7 minutes). Remove from the heat; cover and keep warm.
Drain the pasta when ready, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the vegetable combination, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, parsley, tarragon (or your spices), vinegar (or lemon juice), salt and cheese. Toss to mix. Add the reserved pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time, to achieve the desired consistency. Serve and enjoy!

As an Italian, I love pasta, so I was psyched to find the above and the next dish to add to my quick vegetarian recipes!

This dish "takes the cake" of Quick Vegetarian Recipes!

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe & Chickpeas

This yummy pasta dishes combines bold flavors of broccoli rabe and rosemary, coupled with chickpeas. Make sure that when you are purchasing broccoli rabe, you check the stem bottoms to see if they are mostly green and moist, but not soft or mushy. If it is beyond its glory days, or if you'd rather have a milder taste, substitute with broccolini or regular broccoli. I like to sprinkle yummy, freshly grated Parmesan cheese on this dish for added flavor.

2 servings, 2 cups each
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces whole-wheat orecchiette, or chiocciole (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
3/4 cup vegetarian chicken-flavored broth, (see Note)
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced (or 1/8 tsp dried) fresh rosemary
1 8-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

Boil a large saucepan of water, and cook pasta for 6 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and continue cooking while stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli rabe are tender, about 3 minutes more. Drain, and rinse and dry the pot.
Whisk the broth and flour in a small bowl. Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high heat, and add garlic and rosemary and cook. Stir until fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute). Whisk in the broth mixture, and bring to a simmer, now whisking constantly, until it thickens. Add chickpeas, vinegar, salt, pepper and the pasta mixture. Cook and stir continuously, until heated through and coated with the sauce (about 2 minutes).

There you have it! I hope you try these 3 quick vegetarian recipes, and if you like them, feel free to share them! Thanks for reading and have a great day!