Katrina Meynink’s go-to vegetarian recipe

The following five meals are fast, meatless, and totally delicious. It bridges the changing seasons with ease, bringing comfort and freshness in equal measure. With a lot of cupboard staples and easy ingredients, you’ll find yourself revisiting them again and again.

Pumpkin pasta that will change your life

I had roasted squash and had caramelized meat hoarded in the back of the fridge, so I was able to pull this off in no time. , I’ve had cheese pasta and it was nothing short of a disappointment.

Rich without being overpowering, it still tastes of pumpkin, and the sage and parmesan complement the flavor of the sauce rather than negate it.

material

• 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil
• 1 finely diced brown onion
• 3 cloves of crushed garlic
• 6-10 sage leaves, finely sliced
• 2 cups roasted pumpkin (from about 1 kg raw pumpkin or 2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree)
• 400g canned tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 200ml fresh cream
• 500g tagliatelle, bucatini or spaghetti

serve

• 3 tablespoons butter
• sage leaves
• Parmesan

Method

1. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and a few tablespoons of the oil to the skillet along with the onions and garlic. Simmer over low to medium heat until the onions are soft, and the whole will be fragrant and tender. Add sliced ​​sage leaves and he heats for another minute before adding pumpkin, canned tomatoes and vegetable stock. Stir to combine and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes. Add fresh cream and mix. Using a hand blender, combine everything into a saucepan to form a smooth sauce.
2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Strain quickly and add to pumpkin sauce. Any remaining cooking water from the pasta will become part of the sauce, so it’s okay. Gently swirl the pumpkin mixture to coat.
3. Add butter to a small skillet and heat over medium heat. When it melts and starts to bubble, add the sage leaves and fry until crisp.
4. Place the pasta in a bowl. Top with the fried sage leaves and pour over the remaining butter. It turns out dark and nutty. this is what we want. Grate parmesan cheese over the pasta and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

serve 4-6

Harissa fried butter beans, yogurt and herbs

The key here is fear. Add the harissa slowly. There is a large variation in heat from brand to brand. Easy to add, but impossible to remove. But once it’s on the fire, this is one of the quickest, tastiest, and cheapest dishes to make right now. .

material

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 2 lemon peels
• 1-2 tablespoons harissa (or to taste)
• 1½ cup chopped soft herbs (mint, coriander, basil, parsley, etc.)
• 2 x 400g cans butter beans, rinse well
• 1-2 cups Greek yogurt

Method

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and when hot, add the diced onions and sauté until softened but not colored, about 1 to 2 minutes. increase.
2. Reduce heat, set aside a few tablespoons for serving, and add most of the herbs. Stir in onion and harissa mixture until herbs are soft and spread throughout. Add broad beans and simmer until warm (about 3 minutes).
3. Coat bottom of serving bowl with yogurt, top with bean mixture, and scoop everything out of skillet. Season with salt and pepper.

serve 4 As a snack

miso eggplant noodles

Fast, delicious and filling: A trifecta of needs that a fast dinner must meet. It’s quick to make, full of healthy ingredients, and delicious. Proof that it doesn’t take much to make a great meal.

material

• Bag soba 270g
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 3 tablespoons white miso
• 4 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Cooking sake 3 tablespoons
• Crispy chili oil, to serve
• sliced ​​green onions, to serve

Method

1. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and when hot, add the eggplants and cook, stirring regularly, until the eggplants are cooked through, about 4 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, boil water in a pot and cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.
3. Place the miso, mirin, honey and sake in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Pour over the eggplants and cook for 1 more minute until the eggplants are completely covered.
4. Strain the noodles and divide into bowls. Immediately place the eggplant on top and scoop up the remaining sauce (not much). Add a spoonful or two of crunchy chili oil and sprinkle with onions and serve.

serve 2-3 as a snack

Quick and Easy Fresh Cream and Lemon Pasta

I love the simplicity of this dish. It is a recipe that is indispensable for busy days because it can be cooked efficiently. The sauce takes as long to prepare as the pasta is cooked and redefines what is served on the table for something gloriously simple yet delicious. It’s for puckering goodness.

You can replace the crème fraîche with ricotta cheese. I love the silky results when using the former.

material

• 5 tbsp olive oil
• knob of butter
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 200ml fresh cream (or ricotta cheese)
• juice and zest of 2 lemons
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 400g pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, bucatini, etc.)
• Optional: a few toasted lemon slices, lemon thyme leaves, chilli flakes, crusty bread

Method

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Add olive oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted and seared, add the onions, garlic and capers. Reduce the heat and let it simmer just barely, until it becomes soft and fragrant. Now let it not get colored (about 5 minutes).
3. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the packet. When just al dente, add the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and half the juice to the onion mixture and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
4. Using a slotted spoon, drop the pasta directly from the pot of water into the sauce. No need to shake off excess cooking water. This will form the sauce. Using tongs, flip the pasta over to coat with the sauce. Season with the remaining lemon juice and serve on a plate.
5. Top with 1 or 2 burnt lemon slices and a sprinkle of lemon thyme if you like. Season again with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chili flakes if using, and serve hot. Some crusty bread is not out of place.

serve Four

Chickpea and Kale with Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

It’s worth finely dicing the onion and adding the sun-dried tomatoes, as you’ll mask the flavor with minimal time here. Both work together to create depth and intensity of flavor that is typically unattainable in a 20 minute window. .

Before you dispute that I only use a quarter of a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, why not use up the pumpkin pasta (recipe above) that will change my life?

material

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 finely diced brown onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped oregano leaves
• 75 g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 400g canned tomatoes chopped
• Plenty of pinch chilli flakes and additional servings
• 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, rinse well
• 1-2 handfuls of cavolo nero (small leaves work best; larger leaves tend to be too rough, so remove stems)
• grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, and when hot, add the onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic, oregano leaves, and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook until fragrant and tomatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add canned tomatoes and a large amount of chili flakes and simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Add chickpeas and cavolo nero. Cook until the chickpeas are warm and the leaves are tender. Taste, add chili flakes and heat through. Serve with parmesan cheese.

serve 4-6