Meat-Free Monday: Our contributors’ favourite recipes

Do you want to cut down on your meat consumption? Yet, bored of pesto pasta and Quorn mince? Below are some of our HerCampus Durham Contributors favourite meatless recipes which are sure to get your taste buds watering and to inspire some imaginative vegetarian cooking in your student kitchen. 

1) Hannah’s scrumptious stuffed red peppers 

Ingredients

• 1 whole pepper 
• 1/2 courgette
• 1/2 aubergine
• 1 portion of rice
• Handful of grated cheese

Method 

• Cut and dry off the courgette and aubergine with some olive oil and dried herbs.
• Meanwhile cook the rice
• Mix it all together and put inside the hollowed out pepper
• Grate some cheese on top
• Put it in the oven for 25 mins at 180 degrees fan oven 

2) Emily’s warming butternut squash soup, (perfect for a rainy day in Durham) 

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 onions
• 1 apple
• A sprinkle of rosemary
• Rapeseed oil for roasting
• Vegetarian stock pot

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Chop all the ingredients.
• Place in a roasting tin with rosemary and oil, toss it around so all the veg is covered and roast for 30 mins.
• Add the stock and blend, garnish with rosemary.

3) Olivia’s  no-meat broccolini balls.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of broccoli, roughly chopped.
• 100g of rocket
• Bunch of oregano
• 1/4 cup of olive oil, plus some to drizzle.
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 200g feta
• Finely grated 1 zest of lemon
• 2 eggs
• 2 courgettes shredded lengthways
• 1tbs lemon juice. 

Method 

• Place broccoli, rocket and half the oregano in a food processor and buzz till finely chopped.
• Stir through oat bran.
• Heat 1 tbs oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook till soft. Add broccolini mixture and cook, stirring for 1 minute or until combined.
• Set aside to cool. Once cool, mix with the feta, lemon zest and eggs in a bowl. Season well.
• Form the mixture into balls, then cook golden in a frying pan.
• Toss the courgette salad with lemon juice and oil. Serve with the balls and flat bread.

4) Jen’s Med veg ( perfect side dish or to add to pasta) 

Ingredients

• A selection of Mediterranean vegetables, peppers, courgette, aubergine, broccolli, red onions, tomatoes 
• Olive oil
• Herbs like parsley, basil, oregano

Method 

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees
• Chop all veg into similar sized chunks.
• Stir until every chunk is well coated in oil and herbs
• Transfer to baking tray and bake in oven for about 10-15 mins.
• Serve whilst hot

5) Naomi’s ‘tiger’ shepherd’s pie 

Ingredients

• 300 g of quorn mince
• 1 onion 
• 2/3 carrots (depending on how much one likes carrots) 
• Any other veg in your cupboard ( peas, leeks, mushrooms) 
• 400 ml of veg stock
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 400g chopped tomatoes 
• 1 clove of garlic
•  1 tbsp oil
• 4 sweet potatoes
• 4 normal potatoes
• Knob of butter
• Splash of milk 
• Salt and pepper 

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees/Gas mark 5
• Peel the potatoes, chop them into halves, boil the sweet potatoes and the normal potatoes separately for 15-20 mins. 
• Meanwhile, dice the onions, chop carrots and other veg. 
• Heat oil in a large own and then add the onions for around 7 minutes or until they seem soft.
• Add carrots and garlic and other veg for 5 minutes or until the carrots seen soft.
• Add mince, stir for around 3 mins. Add the chopped tomatoes, puree and veg stock. Mix in well and leave to simmer for 5 mins until sauce thickened.
• Season well .
• Potatoes should be done at this point , so drain and mash with butter and milk till soft and creamy.
• Get a large oven proof dish, spoon in filling , then spoon in the potato alternating between normal and sweet to create a chess board effect.
• Bake for 20 mins and enjoy. 

• earth week
• Meatless
• meatless monday
• veganism
• vegetarian