Everyone attending your celebrations should be able to tuck into the offerings. These vegetarian recipes from Angela Casley will delight many — but especially plant lovers.
It’s always a nice surprise to be well-catered to as a vegetarian. These recipes don’t skimp on the cheese, to suit vege
Olive and tomato tarts
Makes 8
Double this for a crowd, or make one big one if that’s easier for you. Have all the prep done beforehand so you can assemble and cook with ease, before serving warm. Whole basil leaves are great for decoration.
½ cup marinated olives, chopped
½ cup parsley
100g feta, crumbled
1 egg
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
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Advertise with NZME.½ cup basil leaves
450g puff pastry
200g cherry tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the olives, parsley, feta, egg, salt and pepper. Add half the basil leaves.
- Roll the pastry to ½ cm thickness. Cut out eight 10cm x 8cm rectangles. Brush the edges with water. Cut strips from the remaining pastry and press on to the edges of each rectangle.
- Place a spoonful of olive mixture into the base of each pastry. Top with tomatoes.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
- Serve warm with extra basil leaves.
Cauliflower, asparagus and blue cheese salad with caramel walnuts
Serves 4
Add a little sweetness to this cauliflower and asparagus salad with tasty caramel walnuts. The crunchiness matches perfectly with the creamy blue cheese that’s crumbled through. These walnuts are also delicious eaten on their own or used to decorate a dessert.
Caramel walnuts
1 Tbsp butter
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Advertise with NZME.¼ cup caster sugar
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Dressing
¼ cup flavourless oil (such as grapeseed)
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp runny honey
Salad
½ cauliflower, cut into florets
¼ cup olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
100g blue cheese
- Preheat an oven to 200C.
- Firstly, caramelise the nuts. Place a piece of baking paper on a tray. In a heavy-based pan, melt the butter and sugar over a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the nuts and stir until the mixture becomes a caramel colour, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Tip straight on to the baking paper and spread quickly with a fork – they will harden within a few minutes. Set aside.
- For the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard and honey in a jar and shake well.
- Place the cauliflower and asparagus on a lined oven tray. Season with salt. Pour over the oil and toss. Place into the oven for 15 minutes until cooked and golden. Remove from the oven, mix in the lemon zest and juice, then cool.
- Place the cauliflower and asparagus on to a serving platter, crumble over the cheese, drizzle the dressing and sprinkle with nuts.
Vegetable lasagne
Makes 4
It is all about the preparation of this quick-to-assemble lasagne. Get the vegetables cooked and then make the four lasagne stacks, ready to go in the oven. Change it up with other seasonal vegetables if you like — just don’t skimp on the mozzarella.
1 aubergine
1 courgette
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ cups passata
200g fresh lasagne, cut into 10 x 10cm squares
1 tomato, cut into four slices
100g spinach, wilted
Salt and pepper
200g fresh mozzarella, sliced
½ cup basil leaves
- Preheat a barbecue grill or frying pan to medium heat.
- Slice the aubergine and courgettes in rounds or lengthways. Brush with oil. Cook them both on the barbecue until golden and soft. Remove.
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- To assemble, spoon 4 Tbsp of passata into an oven-proof baking dish. Lay down a piece of lasagne on top of each, then layer your ingredients: aubergine, passata, courgette, tomato and wilted spinach, then pasta, continuing until all are used up. Finish with the mozzarella and some basil leaves. Drizzle with a little extra oil. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for a further 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve hot with a few extra basil leaves to garnish.
More Great Vegetarian Recipes
From simple entrees to satisfying dinners.
25 Vegetarian Dinner Recipes That Are Filling And Flavour-Packed. Think seasonal salads, pull-apart flatbreads and a meaty (but meatless) mushroom burger.
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers With Couscous. Uncomplicated and utterly delicious, this underrated dish ticks all our boxes.
A Tasty Tomato And Smashed Eggplant Tart. This vibrant, show-stopping tart revels in roasted flavours.
Vegetarians Will Love This Sunflower Seed Pate. Add copiously to cucumber, scoop up with a carrot stick or spread this seed pate in a sandwich.
