Top 10 vegetarian storecupboard recipes
Discover our favourite budget-friendly meat-free meals using common storecupboard ingredients, including canned vegetables, dried pulses, grains and pasta
Make a delicious dinner or filling lunch using ingredients from your kitchen cupboards. These storecupboard recipes make the most of canned, tinned and jarred foods including vegetables, pulses and sauces, as well as dry ingredients such as rice and pasta. Buy a bag of frozen chopped onions and try a jar of pre-chopped garlic or garlic paste, which will often last longer than fresh garlic. Bon appétit!
1. Chole with cumin rice & raita
This chickpea curry served with raita is brilliant for a budget-friendly family meal. As well as being quick and easy, it's healthy, too. The spices, chickpeas and tomato purée can all be found in your cupboard.
Also watch how to make a comforting chickpea & cauliflower curry using storecupboard ingredients.
2. Moroccan-style chickpea soup
This healthy soup makes for a tasty, light lunch that's also super satisfying. We've used a jar of roasted red peppers, cans of tomatoes and chickpeas, and wholewheat couscous, along with plenty of spice. It's freezable too, so a great option to stock up the freezer for a quick meal.
Discover more vegetarian soup recipes.
3. Mixed bean & wild rice salad
This colourful, fresh salad combines pulses and grains for a truly hearty dish. If you don't have any fresh peppers on hand, jars of red peppers make a great swap.
Discover more rice salad recipes.
4. Storecupboard spaghetti puttanesca
Jars of capers and olives add plenty of punch to this classic tomato-based pasta dish. It's a healthy option that the whole family will love, and takes a mere 15 minutes to prepare. Finish with a generous grating of vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese and enjoy.
Discover more vegetarian pasta recipes.
5. Cheesy bean & chipotle quesadillas
If you have a packet of flour tortilla wraps in your kitchen cupboard (or freezer), mixed beans make a delicious filling. Add spicy chipotle sauce and a handful of grated red Leicester, or any cheese you have to hand.
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Discover more vegetarian Mexican recipes.
6. Caponata pasta
Ready in just 20 minutes, this easy pasta pot boasts an impressive three of your 5-a-day in each portion. Look for jars of Mediterranean vegetables to bulk up the sauce – we used roasted peppers and aubergines, but you can use any jars of veg that you have on hand, such as artichokes or mushrooms. The secret ingredient? Raisins – just a small scattering adds a touch of sweetness to the dish.
Discover more vegetarian Mediterranean recipes.
7. Microwave chilli
Ready, get set, microwave. This clever chilli recipe takes only 15 minutes and provides two portions of your 5-a-day. Ground cumin, chilli powder and paprika perk up canned tomatoes, and kidney beans add plenty of plant-based protein. Pair with rice for a satisfying, yet super speedy, supper.
Discover more vegetarian chilli recipes.
8. Pea & tarragon risotto
Use a good quality vegetable stock cube to add plenty of flavour to creamy risotto rice in this simple dish, bulked out with frozen peas. If you don't have fresh tarragon, substitute for dried – basil and parsley work wonderfully, too.
Discover more vegetarian risotto recipes.
9. Oven-baked porcini & thyme risotto
Put a pack of dried porcini mushrooms to good use in this herby risotto. The best bit? Skip the slavish stirring at the kitchen stove and pop the whole pan into the oven to bake – you'll end up with a comforting, creamy risotto with minimal effort.
10. Roasted red pepper & parsley pesto with penne
Try a different twist on pesto pasta with this quick and easy dinner option. Whizz up roasted red peppers from a jar, unsalted cashews, garlic and olive oil to make a tasty paste to stir through cooked pasta.
Discover more pesto pasta recipes.
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As many countries urge populations to stay at home, many of us are paying more attention to our diets and how the food we eat can support our health. To help sort out the fact from the fiction, BBC Future is updating some of their most popular nutrition stories from their archive.
