Six delicious (and healthy!) vegetarian recipes you’ll love to make

21 January 2020, 07:00 | Updated: 21 January 2020, 07:01

Promoted by WW

These moreish and filling meals are ideal for busy families, people on a January health kick - and there's a few vegan-friendly ideas for people taking part in Veganuary.

When it comes to resetting and getting healthier, what works well for one person may not work as well for another - but a delicious meal is something everyone can enjoy!

Thanks to these delicious recipes from the team at WW – weightwatchers reimagined, starting and sticking to a health-kick challenge has never been easier, or tastier!

French onion risotto

Creamy, flavoursome risotto is hard to beat for a really satisfying, all-in-one meal. If you’ve never made it before, try this simple recipe with onions, garlic and parsley.

It's the perfect meal if you're looking for filling meals to help sustain you as you get fit and healthy.

Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 55 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

Calorie controlled cooking spray 4 spray(s)

Onion(s) 3 large, finely sliced

Garlic 1 clove(s), finely chopped

Arborio rice, dry 250 g

Vegetable stock cube(s)1½ cube(s), to make 1.2 litres hot stock

Vegetarian Parmesan Style Hard Cheese 2 tablespoons, grated

Parsley, fresh 1 tablespoons, chopped, plus extra to serve

Instructions

Mist a large pan with cooking spray and cook the onions over a medium heat for 5 minutes, then cover the pan with the lid and cook for another 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelised.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Remove half of the onions from the pan and set aside.

Add the rice to the pan with the remaining onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Dissolve 1 1⁄2 vegetable stock cubes in 1.2 litres hot water.

Add a ladle of the stock to the pan and stir occasionally until the rice has absorbed almost all of the stock.

Repeat until all the stock has been used or the rice is just tender – this will take about 20 minutes (see Cook’s tip).

Stir in most of the cheese, the chopped parsley and the reserved onions, then season to taste.

Scatter over the extra parsley, the remaining cheese and some freshly ground black pepper, then serve.

Tofu Pho

Pronounced ‘fuh’, this is a traditional Vietnamese dish. We’ve used marinated tofu instead of meat.

Who said eating healthily has to be hard?

Total Time: 1 hr 25 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 45 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

Plain Tofu 396 g

Hoisin Sauce 2 tablespoons

Soy Sauce 3 tablespoons

Rice Wine Vinegar 1 tablespoons

Calorie controlled cooking spray 4 spray(s)

Garlic 3 clove(s)

Root Ginger 2 inch slice(s)

Onion(s) 1 large

Vegetable stock cube(s) 3 cube(s)

Miso1 tablespoons

Rice Noodles, dry 100 g

Courgette 1 medium

Pak Choi 2 portion(s)

Sesame Seeds1 teaspoons

Instructions

Wrap the tofu in kitchen towel and place on a plate. Add another plate on top and weigh it down using a can or two. Leave to 'press' for at least 30 mins to get rid of any excess moisture. Once done, pour off the liquid and then cut into 12 slices.

Combine the hoisin, 1 tbsp soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl. Place the tofu slices in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade. Leave to marinate for 20 mins.

Spray a deep, large pot with calorie controlled spray and place over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and onion and sauté for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally, until well charred.

Add two ladles of the vegetable broth to deglaze the bottom of the pan – be careful, it will sizzle quite loudly. Add the rest of the stock along with the soy sauce. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer on low for 30 mins then strain and add the broth back in the pan with the miso.

As the broth simmers, cook your tofu. Spray a large grill pan with calorie controlled spray and place over a medium high heat. Add the tofu and cook on each side for 3 mins until griddle marks show. Meanwhile, soak the noodles in boiling water for 4 mins and then immediately drain and leave to soak in cold water. Bring the broth back to a simmer and add the pak choi, cooking for 3 mins until just wilted. Stir in the courgetti and noodles and cook for a further minute.

Add the vegetables and noodles to 4 serving bowls then cover with the broth. Top with the tofu and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Serve.

Greek-style orzo salad

Pack this easy-to-make pasta salad into an airtight container for a delicious lunch on-the-go.

WW's recipes offer fun and flexibility - and most importantly, fill you up!

Total Time: 17 min
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 12 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

White pasta, dry 280 g, orzo
Cherry Tomatoes 200 g, halved
Cucumber 1 portion(s), medium, diced
Olives, in Brine 50 g, black, pitted
Olive Oil 1 tablespoons
Lemon Juice, Fresh 1 tablespoons, and grated zest
Light Feta Cheese 75 g, crumbled

Instructions

Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling water for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Drain again, then transfer to a bowl and add the tomatoes, cucumber and olives.

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, then season well. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir well to combine.

Scatter over the feta and serve.

Aubergine pizza slices with mozzarella & basil

Everyone’s different but this recipe is bound to be a people pleaser and perfect for the whole family to enjoy.

Using slices of aubergine as the base of these mini pizzas makes them very low in SmartPoints. You can save time by making the sauce in advance – it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Total Time: 30 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

Aubergine 3 medium

Calorie controlled cooking spray 4 spray(s)

Onion(s)1 small, finely chopped

Garlic1 clove(s), crushed

Oregano, fresh 1 teaspoons, chopped

Tinned Tomatoes 1 can(s), large

Light Mozzarella 1 ball(s), roughly torn

Basil, fresh 6 leaf/leaves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas mark 6. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet. Slice each aubergine into 8 rounds, about 1.5cm thick. Arrange the aubergine rounds on the wire rack and mist with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden, turning over and misting with cooking spray again halfway through the cooking time.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Mist a pan with cooking spray and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the oregano and chopped tomatoes, season, then simmer for 10 minutes until slightly reduced.

Preheat the grill. When the aubergines are cooked, remove them from the oven and spread each one with the tomato sauce. Scatter over the mozzarella and top with the basil, reserving some of the leaves to garnish. Place under the grill for 2-3 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and golden. Garnish with the reserved basil leaves, then serve.

Roasted vegetable tacos with slaw

#TacoTuesday? Sign us up! These are real crowd pleasers.

This meal is perfect to keep you feeling fuller for longer and the rainbow of fresh, bright colours on your plate helps beat the January blues.

Total Time 1 hr
Prep 20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Cauliflower, Raw 1 whole, small, leaves removed and discarded, cut into small florets

Red pepper(s) 1 medium, deseeded and sliced

Butternut Squash 350 g, cut into 1cm cubes

Calorie controlled cooking spray 4 spray(s)

Chilli flakes 1 teaspoons, level

Oregano, Dried 1 teaspoons, level

Ground Cumin 1 tablespoons, level

Paprika 1 tablespoons, level, smoked

Biona Organic Black Beans in Water 1 can(s), drained, drained and rinsed

Lime Juice, Fresh 4 tablespoons

0% fat natural Greek yogurt 75 g

Vinegar, All Types 2 teaspoons, cider

Cabbage 125 g, red, finely shredded

Carrots, raw 1 small, cut into matchsticks

Spring Onions 3 medium, trimmed and sliced

Coriander, fresh 2 tablespoons, chopped

Tesco Corn Tortilla Wraps 8 individual

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas mark 6. Put the cauliflower, pepper and squash in a large shallow roasting tin. Mist with cooking spray and toss through the chilli, oregano, cumin and smoked paprika. Season well.

Roast for 35 minutes, turning halfway, until the vegetables are tender and lightly charred. Add the black beans to the tin, toss together, and roast for another 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then stir through half the lime juice

To make the slaw, combine the yogurt and remaining lime juice with the vinegar. Put the cabbage, carrot and onions in a large bowl and pour over the yogurt mixture. Toss together, and stir through half the coriander.

Warm the corn tortillas to pack instructions. Top each tortilla with the roasted vegetables and slaw and serve garnished with the remaining coriander.

Lentil Bolognese with sweet potato 'spaghetti'

If you’re looking to reduce your carb intake, invest in a spiraliser – they’re not expensive! A quick and easy way to create vegetable spaghetti, it works on everything from sweet potatoes to courgettes.

This meal is perfect to keep you feeling fuller for longer - and avoid that painful pasta bloating that so many suffer from.

Total Time 1 hr 15 min
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4
Difficulty Moderate

Ingredients

Olive Oil 1 tablespoons

Calorie controlled cooking spray 4 spray(s)

Garlic 2 clove(s), chopped

Red onion(s) 1 small, finely chopped

Celery, Raw1 stick(s), finely chopped

Carrots, raw 1 medium, finely chopped

Coriander seeds 1 teaspoons, crushed

Ground Cinnamon ½ teaspoons, level

Green or Brown Lentils, cooked 200 g

Tinned Tomatoes 1 can(s), large

Vegetable stock cube(s) 1 cube(s), made with 1000ml hot water

Parsley, fresh 1 sprig(s), fresh, roughly chopped

Sweet potato(es), raw 450 g, peeled and spiralised

Instructions

Add cooking spray to a large pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot and spices, and cook for 5 minutes until just softened.

Add the lentils, chopped tomatoes and stock and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook on a gentle heat for 40 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the lentils are tender, but retain their shape. If they need extra cooking time, top up with water and continue cooking. Season well and stir in the parsley.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and fry the sweet potato spirals until cooked and tender. You may need to do this in batches.

Divide the sweet potato between plates and top with the lentil Bolognese. Serve seasoned with freshly ground black pepper.

Everyone is different, so the new myWW is a flexible plan than helps to make eating better easier for you, so you can feel more confident this year.