Vegetarian Dinner Ideas

Vegetables are good for health, and is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Vegetarian recipes need not be bland, boring, or unpalatable. It can be made tasty and delicious. While making a vegetarian salad, include the fruits you love and top it with your favorite dressing.

A few popular soup ideas include hot and sour Chinese soup, vegetable minestrone soup, or crackpot vegetarian split pea soup. While preparing the main course, try to include as many vegetables as you can.

The ingredients that make any recipe interesting are mushrooms, corn, baby corn, nuts, and tofu. A vegetarian burger can turn out quite well with a potato patty. Most vegetarians enjoy a good vegetarian bake or pasta, which includes vegetables like carrots, potatoes, peas and beans.

Ingredients

• 1 pound, lasagna noodles
• 4 red peppers (thinly sliced)
• 6-8 zucchini, cut lengthwise into slices
• 6 cups, marinara sauce (you could opt for store bought sauce)
• 24 ounces, low-fat cottage cheese
• 5-6 portobello mushrooms (thinly sliced)

• 32 ounces, shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup, chopped herbs (basil, oregano, or thyme)
• 4 tablespoons, olive oil
• ¾ cup, chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 cans, diced tomatoes
• ⅓ cup, chopped basil

Sauté the vegetables in olive oil or roast them in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

To prepare the marinara sauce, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Carefully, add the chopped onions, and fry until golden brown. Next, add the garlic and allow the flavor to set before mixing in the tomatoes. Allow it to simmer for 25 minutes. Lastly, stir in the basil and add salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Use a 16x12 inch pan and line the bottom with a layer of dry noodles. Add about ⅓ of the marinara sauce over the noodles, followed by ½ layer of the cottage cheese, and about ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle herbs over the cheese, and top it off with a layer of the vegetables. Repeat all the layers.

Finish with a layer of noodles, topped with tomato sauce, and finally a thick layer of mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a knife cuts easily through the lasagna. Take off the plastic and foil, continue to bake for another 10 minutes at 450 °F until the cheese crust turns brown.

For Polenta:

• 2 ears corn (shucked)
• 1 cup, yellow cornmeal
• 2 ounces, Parmesan/ ricotta cheese (crumbled)
• 2 cups, milk
• 2 tablespoons, unsalted butter

For Mushrooms:

• 1 cup, cleaned Portobello mushrooms
• ½ cup, chicken or vegetable broth
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons, shallots (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons, fresh thyme leaves (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon, unsalted butter

Preparation
Preheat the broiler and grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Broil the corn about 4 inches from heat, turning it occasionally, until it is lightly browned on all sides. This process should take about 10 minutes. Cool the corn and cut kernels from cobs.

Stir together the milk and cornmeal in a large saucepan and add the corn kernels and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring constantly to keep it from sticking and burning. One can keep adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the mixture becomes too thick. Mix in the cheese and add salt to taste. Pour the polenta into a broad flat dish and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes and drain them. Heat butter in a skillet. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the pan once the butter foam subsides. Fry the mushrooms and shallots for 5-6 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown. Add salt to taste. Mix in the broth and boil until the quantity is reduced to half. Remove the skillet from heat and add the thyme, pepper, and salt to taste. Keep the mushrooms warm.

Place the chilled polenta on a cutting board and slice it into 2-inch squares. Bake the pieces, until they turn golden. Top each polenta piece with mushrooms, and garnish with nuts, if you please.