5 must-try vegan recipes for one-pot dishes

Absolutely delicious vegan recipes that are nourishing, flavourful and whose ingredients can be chucked in all together for simplistic purposes. These recipes can show you just how tasty life can be with vegan ingredients. I’m not a vegan myself, but these recipes have got me seriously considering the options…

The most important factor is that it is all healthy, home-cooked goodness. A lot of the ingredients can be substituted, so it will be hard for a recipe to become boring. With a little imagination and some natural seasoning, you’ll be well on your way to Michelin-star chef standards. 

Vegan Recipes – Nº1

Artichoke-Chickpea Bliss in a Dish

Recipe serves 4-5

(As seen on Plant Powered Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ – 3 cups (about ¾ – 1 lb) red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut in small cubes (about 1” thick)
• 1 tsp olive oil (to wipe around baking dish, optional)
• 3 – 3 ½ cups chickpeas (about 2 cans, rinsed and drained)
• 3 cups frozen artichokes (can thaw beforehand, or use from frozen)
• 4 medium-large cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil (optional, can omit for oil-free)
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 – ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3-4 tbsp sultanas, raisins or cranberries
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried rosemary
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 – 1½  tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup basil leaves, julienned (optional, can also use ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Use 1 teaspoon of the olive oil to grease a large casserole dish (about 8 x 12 inches). If you omit the oil,   some of the ingredients may get a little sticky in the pan, but no biggie!

2. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork tender. When potatoes are ready, drain well and add to the prepared dish along with the other ingredients, except the vinegar and the fresh basil.

3. Toss the mixture well, cover the dish with foil, and bake for 40 minutes (stirring about halfway through the baking process), until the     potatoes are fully tender and the other vegetables have heated through and softened. Add the vinegar, toss again, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes uncovered.

4. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the fresh basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper as desired. Serve on its own, with bread, or over quinoa, brown rice, or pasta, topped with a quick avocado sauce or mash.

Notes:

Another delicious variation on this dish is to omit the potatoes and use one or two fennel bulbs instead. No parboiling step involved; simply toss the fennel with all the other ingredients as directed and bake for the same amount of time.  Also try subbing cannelloni beans for chickpeas. (as seen in the image). They are soft and tender and make a nice variation – just try not to break up too much with mixing.

Vegan Recipes – Nº2

Peanut & Sweet Potato Stew

Serves 4

(As seen on Vegangela)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, very finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
• ½ tsp crushed red chilli pepper
• 1 – 14.5 oz (400 g) can crushed or diced tomatoes
• ½ cup peanut butter (or almond or sunflower butter)
• 1 tsp dried coriander (optional)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
• 1 medium sweet potato (about 1 lb), peeled and diced
• 1 can kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cups frozen peas (or frozen/canned corn)
• 2 cups hearty leafy greens (spinach, arugula, kale, collard)
• Salt and pepper

Method: 

1. If you’re using a can of diced tomatoes, blend them along with their juice for a few seconds in the food processor or blender, just to break them up.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft (but not brown), about 10 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for about 5 minutes to soften. Add the tomatoes, stir and then add the peanut butter (and coriander, if using), stirring it in until smooth.

4. Stir in the broth, add sweet potatoes. Cover the pan and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes.

5. Add the black beans, peas/corn, greens and cook until the beans and peas/corn are heated through and the greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper, and add additional crushed chilli flakes, as per your preference.

Vegan Recipes –  Nº3

Easy Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto

Serves: 4 side dishes

(As seen on Oh She Glows) also available in the New York Times bestselling cookbook “Oh She Glows Cookbook” See here: Oh She Glows – The Book

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry pot barley
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1.5 cups canned pureed/diced tomatoes (15 oz can)
• 1 cup almond milk (or other milk)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (provides the cheesy/creamy taste)
• 1/2 tbsp Miso, mixed with 1/2 tbsp water
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt, to taste

Method:

1. Rinse pot barley in a strainer and place into a medium sized pot that has a lid. Add olive oil, basil and oregano and stir well until barley is coated with oil. Turn heat to medium until barley begins to sizzle.

2. Once the barley sizzles, add in the minced garlic and reduce heat to low-medium. Cook for 1 minute and then add in the tomatoes, milk, water, nutritional yeast, miso and salt. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil and then cover and reduce heat to low.

3. Cook, covered (with a bit of air escaping) for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, being careful not to burn the barley on the bottom of the pot.

4. The mixture should be creamy, but not soupy, and the barley will be very chewy and not mushy. Serve immediately.

Notes:

It can take 2 hours to cook, but after just 35 minutes, I deemed it ready to eat. If you don’t want it as chewy you could always cook it longer.

Vegan Recipes – Nº4

Eggplant Pasta

Serves: 3-4

(As seen on Minimalist Baker)

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces pasta
• 1/2 small eggplant, cubed
• 2 cups cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
• 1.5 cups vegan marinara sauce
• 2 cup water
• 2 tsp sea salt + more for eggplant
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Optional: Fresh parsley or basil for finishing

Method:

1. Rinse and dice eggplant into small, bite-sized cubes. Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle generously with salt to draw out some of the moisture. Wait 20-30 minutes, then rinse and pat thoroughly dry with a towel. Set aside. (If you’re short on time, skip the eggplant and double the mushrooms.)

2. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, the eggplant and 1 clove of minced garlic. Sprinkle with ½ tsp sea salt and stir.

3. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until a golden brown in colour, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more, or until all of the veggies have colour. Set aside and cover – you will top the pasta with it.

4. To the same saucepan, add the pasta, water, marinara sauce, and the remaining cloves of garlic. Start with 1.5 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper (you will likely add more later depending on the saltiness of your marinara /your personal taste).

5. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer until the pasta is cooked to al dente – will vary depending on kind of pasta – but typically an average of 10 minutes, stirring once or twice so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Once cooked, stir and taste to adjust seasonings. I added more salt and fresh herbs at this point.

6. Remove from heat and top with eggplant-mushroom mixture and more fresh parsley or basil. Serve immediately.

Notes:

For the pasta, I used 3/4 of a 16-ounce bag of orecchiette, but would recommend a spaghetti or penne as it’s not as likely to clump together.

Vegan Recipes – Nº5

Easy Lentil, Sweet Potato & Coconut Curry

Serves 4

(As seen on Detoxinista)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup dried red lentils (<–I used green lentils, which also worked!)
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large carrot, sliced lengthwise and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion until it’s turning a little golden. Add the lentils, potato, carrot, and seasonings, and stir to combine everything.
2. Add the water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, or until the lentils and sweet potato are tender. Stir in the 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve warm. (We served ours over cooked quinoa.)

Sources: Plant Powered Kitchen, Vegangela,  Oh She Glows, Minimalist Baker, Collective Evolution, Detoxinista