Hellobee

With Lent beginning on Wednesday and the Dolphin family generally going vegetarian and/or pescatarian during this period, I was going through recipes and trying to find some new ones to try. Here are 40 vegetarian and pescatarian recipes, the vast majority of which are fairly quick and easy to make. If ensuring enough protein is important to you, check out these 20 high-protein vegetarian meals. Mrs. Marshmallow also recently posted about vegetarian meal planning.

Vegetarian

Spaghetti and bean balls – I recently picked up the Thug Kitchen cookbook and they have bean balls in the recipe for Italian wedding soup. I don’t know why, but it didn’t even occur to me to use the bean balls in the place of meatballs for spaghetti until I saw it on the Thug Kitchen website.

Frijoles de Olla – We eat a lot of beans because they’re high in protein, cheap and easy to cook. Here’s a great way to cook beans.

Lima bean gratin – Both kids love lima beans, so we try to find ways to cook it other than just steamed or boiled.

Sweet potato mac and cheese – I’m intrigued by this vegan recipe and have heard great things about it.

Roasted cauliflower soup -Mr. Dolphin loves creamy soups and this is one of his favorites. Roasting the cauliflower really elevates the dish from traditional cauliflower soup.

Vegan migas – I’ve not made this recipe, but it sounds delicious! It’s high in protein and seems like something the kids would enjoy.

Slow cooker eggplant parm – Another recipe that I haven’t tried yet, but I love that it can be made in the slow-cooker.

 

Zucchini “meatballs” – Looking for more veggies? Try these zucchini “meatballs.”

Parmesan cauliflower bites – I’ve made a couple variations of these and they were a huge hit in my household, even from my vegetarian-suspicious husband.

Roasted sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts – We love to use those on top of a grain bowl (brown rice and greens), with other fresh vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes, then topped with tsatziki or hummus plus a vinaigrette. It is so filling and delicious and I can take the leftovers to work the next day. Alternatively, it makes a great filling on top of pocketless pita bread.

Creamy tomato and white bean soup – Yes, I love me some soup. I’ve made many variations of this soup, often depending on my time constraints and what I have on hand in my fridge and pantry.

Buttery tomato pasta – I love this simple recipe and ate it a lot as a starving (and very busy) college student. It is actually not a meal that Mr. Dolphin or the kids particularly like, but it’s neutral enough that everyone can still eat it.

Colcannon cakes – A great way to add leafy vegetables to a meal. Lion loves anything that looks like a pancake.

Veggie tortellini soup – I don’t really use a recipe when I make tortellini soup. The beauty of this recipe is that you can basically throw fresh or frozen veggies into a pot with some broth, then add in some pre-made tortellini for a quick meal.

Spicy vegan black bean soup – During this time of year, I love soups, which is probably evident from the number of soups on this list. I usually tone down the spice and add some yogurt on top.

Slow-cooker lentil miso soup – I stumbled across this recipe recently and it is delicious! Super easy to make and Lion was able to put it together pretty much by himself since the vegetables used were easy for him to cut through using a wavy cutter. Obviously, I helped him with the measurements, but he did all the cutting and dumping and stirring in the morning, then we came home to a hot and delicious meal.

Mediterranean calzones – Both Lion and Mr. Dolphin love pizza, so of course they also love calzones. I really like the Mediterranean flair of this dish.

Creamy tomato and spinach pasta – I’ve been making a variation of this dish since I was in college, trying to make delicious meals that were fast, easy and cheap. It was one of Mr. Dolphin’s favorite meals when we were in law school and after having kids, one that I’ve returned to making because it’s easy and we always seem to have the ingredients on hand.

Spinach artichoke pasta – One of my favorite appetizers has always been spinach artichoke dip. Here it is as a main dish with pasta.

Fragrant chickpea stew – I love chickpea stew, though it seems that Lion is not a chickpea fan (unless it’s in hummus form). He loves all beans, but not chickpeas. I keep reintroducing them to him in my favorite dishes to see if he’ll come around. This is a good one and I also like to add tumeric.

Pescatarian 

Salmon with magical butter sauce – I have to admit, I was skeptical about this “magical butter sauce” but it is really good and our entire family loves it.

Bacalhoada – This Portuguese dish is one of my favorites. If I can’t find salt cod (sometimes our supermarket has it, sometimes it doesn’t), I just sub in some regular cod poached in salted water.

Sushi – I use this recipe for sushi rice and pick up sashimi from the Asian grocer. We usually get tuna, salmon, yellowtail, uni and tamago. The kids gobble up the salmon and egg. We usually just do this donburi style (putting the sashimi over rice) rather than rolling sushi, making it super fast and easy.

Ahi poke – I love poke, especially served with avocado and sweet potatoes on the side.

Maryland crab soup – I had never had Maryland crab soup until moving to DC, but once I had it, I was hooked! For an easy recipe, I pick up canned crab from the refrigerated section (actually in a plastic container, not a can) and throw in whatever vegetables we have on hand in the fridge and/or freezer (carrots, lima beans, potatoes and canned tomatoes). I also sub vegetable stock for the chicken/beef broth and add a bit of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Basically, it’s a forgiving recipe.

Cioppino – As a girl who grew up in San Francisco, cioppino is one of my favorite meals, served with a side of sourdough bread. I don’t really follow a recipe and make a much simpler version of this one, but it’s a good one to see what flavors are generally in a cioppino.

Shrimp scampi – Quick and easy thirty-minute, super yummy meal. Seriously!

Ceviche – I first had ceviche in Peru and have been hooked ever since. We serve it with sweet potatoes or other potatoes and it’s a favorite of mine and Mr. Dolphin. I tone down the peppers for the kids.

Fish sticks – Lion loves fish sticks and this is an easy and quick recipe. I much prefer making our own to the frozen variety.

Tom yum noodle soup – This one uses some more difficult to find ingredients, but I highly recommend using those ingredients rather than finding substitutes because the flavor will be much more authentic. That said, it only takes about fifteen minutes and it is so good. I love the hot and sour Thai flavors.

Fish tacos – We really like this recipe, especially when we’re tired of the standard vegetarian tacos.

Linguini and clams – I sub in canned or frozen clams to save time.

Oven roasted fish – Sometimes the best dishes are the simplest.

Pan simmered black cod – Another very simple but delicious way to cook fish.  This one has asian flavors.

Nicoise salad with grilled fish – We don’t have a grill, so I just use broiled fish or pan fried fish, but it’s a nice take on a simple nicoise salad and a meal in which we can put in our favorite vegetables.

Broiled barramundi with puttanesca sauce – I absolutely love puttanesca sauce, but had never thought about serving it with fish.

Baked halibut, spinach and tomatoes in foil packets – I used to make plenty of meat based meals in foil packets, so why not cook fish in the same way?

Panko-crusted salmon – I love panko-crusted anything and the kids’ favorite fish is salmon, so this on eis a win-win. Great served with a side of asparagus or broccoli.

Baked scallops – Classic seafood flavors using butter and lemon and one of my favorite seafood items. Great with a simple pasta on the side.

Crab grilled cheese sandwich – I love elevating grilled cheese sandwiches and this is an easy way to do it. Just like grilled cheese, it tastes great with tomato soup.