Category Archives: Meatless Main Dishes

Vegetarian, meatless main dishes, many of European extraction. See individual recipes in all sections for vegan or plant-based versions of original recipes.

Meatless Main Dishes

Basque Spinach

  • 1-1/3 cups grated Swiss cheese
  • 3 cups spinach braised in stock
  • 1 lb. potatoes
  • 1 T anchovy paste mixed with 4 tbsp. softened butter and 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 3 T dried bread crumbs
  • 2 T melted butter

Mix 1/2 cup cheese with spinach. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/8″ thick slices. Boil in salted water 5-6 minutes. Drain. Spread half of the potatoes in bottom of baking dish, cover with 1/2 of anchovy mix. Spread half of the spinach over the potatoes. Repeat layers. Spread 1/3 cup grated cheese mixed with bread crumbs over top and pour on melted butter. Bake 30 minutes at 375ºF until browned.

Basque Spinach
The anchovies make the difference.
Meatless Main Dishes

Zucchini and Eggs

Calabacitas con huevo

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups chopped zucchini or summer squash
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan, Gruyere or Manchego cheese

Heat butter, add zucchini, cover and cook 10 minutes. Drain. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a skillet. Beat eggs with water and combine with cheese. Pour over the zucchini, mix gently, and cook until eggs are set. This can also be done in the oven.

Meatless Main Dishes

Chiles Rellenos de Queso o Frijoles

Chiles Rellenos are Mexican stuffed peppers. They are made with mild Poblano peppers and can be stuffed with ground meat mixtures, cheese, potatoes, and a variety of of other ingredients. You can often find seafood-stuffed peppers in coastal regions. The stuffed peppers are usually dipped in egg, fried in hot oil until browned, then smothered in tomato sauce.

This version uses Manchego cheese (or mozzarella) and refried beans to fill the peppers.

Chiles Rellenos de Queso o Frijoles

 Ingredients for Cheese or Bean-stuffed Chile Peppers

  • 6 chiles Poblano (dark green, slightly hot fresh chiles)
  • 3 cups refried beans or 6 large sliced of Manchego  or mozzarella cheese
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • Flour
  • Oil for frying
  • 1/2 cup thick, seasoned tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Hold chiles on a fork over heat (this is usually a gas flame in Mexico) until skin blisters and darkens. Wrap in a damp cloth or a paper bag for half an hour. Peel.

Slit the chiles down one side and remove the seeds. Stuff each pepper with either beans or cheese or a combination of the two. Seal with a toothpick.

Beat egg yolks until thick; beat whites until stiff and shiny. Fold yolks into whites. Dust chiles with flour and dip into eggs.

Fry chiles in hot oil until brown. Place on a serving plate and cover with preheated tomato sauce and a dollop of cream.

NOTE: If all the above sounds too hard, cut open the chiles and layer them with the cheese and beans in a casserole. Mix the eggs and flour together with the cream and pour over the layers. Bake at 350º F. for about 30 minutes or until set. Pour tomato sauce over the top (use only enough to moisten without drowning the layered chiles), and top with 1/4 cup grated cheese, if desired. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow to stand 15 minutes or so before serving. Serve with additional warm tomato sauce.

Meatless Main Dishes

Lentils with Noodles (Rishta)

Lentils with Noodles, or Rishta,  is a Middle-eastern dish that can be served as a one-dish meal or as a side dish with meats, other vegetables, or salads. The aroma and favor of the crushed coriander seeds gives an exotic touch to what otherwise might be a very plain dish. It is very filling and satisfying.

lentils with noodles (rishta)

Rishta / Lentils with Noodles Ingredients

  • 1/2 – 3/4 lb. lentils
  • Salt
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • Olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
  • black pepper
  • 3/4 lb. noodles or tagliatelle
  • 2 T butter

Cook lentils in salted water to cover until soft and water is absorbed. Drain thoroughly.

Fry onions in 1 T oil until golden. Add garlic and coriander, and continue to fry gently for 2 minutes until coriander releases its fragrance. Add to the lentils and season with salt and pepper.

Cook noodles in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and add to lentils. Stir in butter and mix well.

Vegan version

Omit the butter. I enjoy the flavor of 1-2 T of nutritional yeast added to the final dish in place of the butter.


Meatless Main Dishes

Chilaquiles a la Angel

  • Oil
  • 12 corn tortillas, 1 day old or more (stale but not dry)
  • 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped finely
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup grated Manchego or Mozzarella cheese

Cut tortillas into strips or in triangles. Heat 1/2″ oil in wide frying pan. Brown and crisp tortillas in batches. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Sauté onion in a little oil till soft. Add tomatoes, bouillon cube, garlic, chiles and water. Cook until tomatoes are mushy and liquid is slightly reduced. Throw in coriander and adjust salt. Cook 5 minutes. Throw about two thirds of fried tortillas into sauce and toss to coat. Add 1/2 of the grated cheese and toss again.

Let simmer for 2 minutes to soften tortillas slightly and melt cheese. Add the remaining tortillas and toss quickly. Top with remaining cheese and allow to sit for a minute until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Meatless Main Dishes

Porotos Granados

A Chilean white (cranberry) bean stew with fresh corn kernels and savory basil. This is the version Maria Teresa prepared on cold days in Santiago de Chile.

The Mapuche people, among others, have cultivated beans since pre-hispanic times and most of its ingredients are native to the Americas. The stew receives its name from its main ingredient, ripe harvested Cranberry (cargamanto) beans, originated in Colombia, but also is common among the Aymara people. The word poroto, unique to Chile, southern Peru and Argentina, originally comes from the quechua word for bean purutu.

Wikipedia contributors. “Porotos granados.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

Ingredients for Porotos Granados

  • 2 lbs. cranberry or other white beans
  • 2 bouillon cubes
  • 4 or 5 large fresh basil leaves
  • 1 lb. yellow squash, cubed
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1 t finely chopped parsley
  • 1/4 t oregano
  • 2 cups kernel corn (best freshly cut off cobs)
  • Salt and pepper

Cook beans in 6 cups water with the bouillon cubes and basil. When about half cooked, add the squash and allow to cook over medium heat until tender.

Heat oil in a separate pan and add paprika to release its fragrance. Stir for 1 minute and add onion, parsley, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Add the onion mixture to the cooked beans. Add the corn and simmer for 15 minutes.

Servings: 6

If prepared with vegetable broth, which, traditionally, it often is, this recipe is vegetarian/vegan

 

Meatless Main Dishes

Lecso 2

Another Lecso  … also spelled Letscho.

  • 8 oz. tomatoes
  • 1 lb. green peppers
  • 1 large onion
  • 1-1/2 oz. bacon fat or drippings
  • salt and pepper

Slice the onion into thin rings and cook in the hot fat till they shrivel, but do not turn brown. Wash the green peppers, take out the seed cases and the inside veins. Slice them into rings and add them to the onion in the saucepan. Fry lightly and then add the quartered tomatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on and cook very slowly till the tomatoes get – mushy and the peppers are tender. Serve hot.

Although this has no meat in it, to make it truly vegetarian and vegan friendly, substitute vegetable oil for the bacon fat or drippings! Add a sprinkle of smoked paprika for extra flavor.