Vegetarian Dinner Ideas Will Surely Benefit Your Health And Digestion

Vegetables are good for health, and is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Vegetarian recipes need not be bland, boring or unpalatable.

Ideally, while cooking a vegetarian dinner, pick recipes that include vegetables or other ingredients you like. If you enjoy the contents, you are likely to enjoy the outcome. Some tried and tested tasty vegetarian starters are, vegetarian spring roles, vegetarian tacos, vegetarian bruschetta and vegetarian chili cheese dip with tortilla chips. My personal favorite are cheese stuffed mushrooms. 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 the vegetables you like. The ingredients that make any recipe interesting are mushrooms, corn or 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. Here are a few great vegetarian recipes, which would help in planning dinner ideas that will tickle your taste buds.

Vegetarian Lasagna (Serves 9)

Ingredients

• 1 pound box lasagna noodles
• 4 red peppers, thinly sliced
• 6 to 8 zucchini, cut lengthwise into slices
• 6 cups marinara sauce (you could opt for store bought sauce)
• 24 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
• 5 to 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 cloves garlic
• 2 cans (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• ⅓ cup chopped basil

Preparation

Fully cook the vegetables, by sautéing them in olive oil or roasting them in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

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

Use a 16 x 12 inch pan and line the bottom with a layer of dry noodles. Add about ⅓ of the marinara sauce over the noodles and then ½ layer of the cottage cheese, and over it about ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle herbs over the cheese, and top it off with a layer of vegetables. Repeat all the layers. Finish with a layer of noodles, topped with tomato sauce and finally a thick layer of mozzarella cheese.

To prepare the pan for baking, first cover it with plastic wrap, over which goes a tightly wrapped layer of aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a knife cuts easily through the lasagna. Take off the plastic and foil, and continue to bake for another 10 minutes at 450°F or until the cheese crust turns brown.

Carefully remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or other fresh herbs.