⏱ Quick vegetarian recipes, ready in 30 minutes
59 recipes
Thirty minutes, preparation and cooking included: that is the only criterion for this page. Nothing appears here if the total runs past the half hour, and plenty of dishes come in well under it. These are the recipes you cook on a weeknight, without planning, using what is left in the fridge.
The cuisines that shine in this register are the ones built on raw preparation, marinating or fierce heat. Mexico offers guacamole, ready in a quarter of an hour and asking for little more than a properly ripe avocado. Spain contributes gazpacho, where the blender replaces the pan and the chilling time does the work for you. Japan turned the express side dish into an art of its own, blanching vegetables for a minute and dressing them straight away, as in spinach goma-ae.
Add the salads of the Levant, Chinese wok stir-fries, Catalan tomato toasts and Turkish eggs, and you have enough of a repertoire never to repeat the same dinner twice in a month. One practical piece of advice: read the ingredient list before you start and set everything out on the counter. On a twenty-minute recipe, that single habit is what separates hitting the stated time from doubling it.
Ivory CoastClaclo
Fritters of very ripe mashed plantain, fried to a deep brown, sold on street corners across Abidjan.
GhanaKelewele
Cubes of very ripe plantain marinated in ginger and chilli, then fried until the edges turn dark and caramelised.
SyriaShanklish Salad
Syrian thyme-aged cheese crushed with tomato, onion and olive oil, scooped up with bread at mezze time.
PhilippinesCrispy Kangkong
Filipino water spinach leaves in a light batter, fried and served with a cane vinegar dipping sauce.
Sri LankaLunu Miris
A Sri Lankan paste of red onion and chilli pounded in a mortar, spooned onto milk rice and morning hoppers.
NepalBhatmas Sadheko
A Nepali salad of roasted soybeans dressed with lime, red onion and green chilli, eaten alongside afternoon tea.
GuatemalaChirmol
Fire-charred tomatoes chopped by knife with onion and mint, a sauce no Guatemalan table sits down without.
ChileChilean Tomato Salad
Ripe tomatoes and salt-soaked onion dressed with oil and coriander, the salad that opens every Chilean summer table.
PolandChłodnik
A bright pink cold soup of beetroot and kefir, sharpened with dill and lemon, served with a halved boiled egg.
AustraliaAvocado toast
Two rounds of toasted sourdough under smashed avocado sharpened with lemon, scattered with chilli and sesame.
ColombiaChangua
The Bogotá breakfast: milk let down with water and brought to the boil, eggs poached whole in it, spring onion and stale bread.
Dominican RepublicDominican okra salad
Okra boiled whole then dressed with lime, red onion and olive oil, the salad Dominican families put on the Sunday table.
ChinaSichuan hot and sour cabbage
Flat cabbage torn by hand and seared over high heat with dried chillies, Sichuan pepper and Zhenjiang black vinegar.
JapanSunomono
Salted and squeezed cucumber tossed with wakame seaweed, dressed in sweetened rice vinegar and toasted sesame.
JapanYudofu
Silken tofu warmed in kombu water and dipped in ponzu sauce, a winter dish from the temples of Kyoto.
EthiopiaButicha
Chickpea flour whisked into water off the heat, sharpened with lemon and jalapeño, finished with olive oil.
EthiopiaTimatim salata
Ethiopian salad of tomato and red onion with jalapeño, built around torn injera that soaks up the juices.
IndiaUpma
Coarse semolina dry-roasted then swelled in water, with a tempering of mustard seed and curry leaf.
MoroccoMoroccan Orange and Cinnamon Salad
Cold orange rounds dusted with cinnamon and scented with orange blossom water, the standing dessert of Moroccan tables.
DenmarkRødgrød med fløde
Summer red berries cooked down and set with potato starch, then served cold under a pour of single cream.
RéunionTomato rougail
A Réunion condiment of raw tomato, onion, ginger and chilli crushed in a mortar and set beside a plate of rice.
Ivory CoastAlloco
Very ripe plantain fried in red palm oil, served with a raw onion and chilli sauce pounded in a mortar.
CubaPlátanos maduros fritos
Blackened ripe plantains fried until their edges caramelise, the sweet and salty side dish of the Cuban table.
HaitiPikliz
Haitian condiment of shredded cabbage and carrot pickled in vinegar with scotch bonnet chilli and shallot.
SpainSalmorejo
A chilled Cordoban tomato cream thickened with stale bread and emulsified with olive oil until pale pink and velvety.
ItalyCacio e Pepe
Three ingredients and a glossy pecorino cream bound with starchy pasta water, peppered right to the edge.
GreeceHoriatiki
Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and Kalamata olives under a whole slab of feta and crushed oregano.
IranShirazi Salad
Cucumber, tomato and onion in tiny dice, brightened with lime juice and a generous pinch of dried mint.
TurkeyÇılbır
Poached eggs set on warm garlicky yoghurt, finished with nutty Aleppo pepper butter and a shower of dill.
TurkeyMenemen
Eggs barely set into a soft stew of green peppers and melting tomatoes, sharpened with Turkish chilli flakes.
IsraelIsraeli Salad
Cucumber and tomato cut into tiny dice, lifted with parsley, lemon juice and a generous pour of olive oil.
EgyptDukkah
An Egyptian blend of toasted hazelnuts, sesame and spices, coarsely crushed for dipping bread dunked in olive oil.
Costa RicaGallo pinto
Costa Rica's breakfast of choice: day-old rice tossed with black beans, onion, sweet pepper and tangy Lizano sauce.
IndonesiaVegetarian nasi goreng
Indonesian fried rice glazed with sweet kecap manis and sambal heat, with crisp tempeh and a runny fried egg.
ChinaChinese garlic aubergine
Meltingly soft aubergine seared in the wok and lacquered in a sweet, vinegared garlic sauce with chilli bean paste.
South KoreaPajeon
A large golden Korean pancake laid thick with whole spring onions, crisp at the edges, with a soy-vinegar dip.
JapanSpinach goma-ae
Blanched, well-squeezed spinach dressed in a toasted sesame paste, lightly sweetened and salted with soy sauce.
JapanZaru soba
Ice-cold buckwheat noodles dipped into a kombu and shiitake sauce, with nori, spring onion and a dab of wasabi.
IndiaPoha
A turmeric-yellow breakfast of flattened rice studded with crunchy peanuts, curry leaves and plenty of lemon.
Sri LankaPol sambol
A bright relish of freshly grated coconut worked with chilli, red onion and lime, ready in ten minutes flat.
DenmarkVegetarian Smørrebrød
A Danish open sandwich on dense rye, layered with beetroot, quick-pickled cucumber and radish, finished with feathery dill.
PortugalAçorda Alentejana
A garlic and coriander bread soup enriched with olive oil and finished with a soft poached egg on top.
Puerto RicoTostones
Green plantain slices fried twice, flattened and salted, served with a punchy garlic and lime dipping sauce.
MexicoGuacamole
Ripe avocados fork-mashed with lime, coriander, white onion and jalapeño. Fresh, creamy and ready in fifteen minutes.
FranceSocca
A large chickpea flour pancake from Nice, baked in a searing-hot oven until crisp and blistered at the edges and tender in the middle.
SpainPan con tomate
Thick slices of toasted rustic bread rubbed with garlic and ripe tomato, drizzled with olive oil and finished with flaky salt.
SpainGazpacho
Andalusian chilled soup of ripe tomatoes, pepper, cucumber and garlic, thickened with bread and olive oil and sharpened with sherry vinegar.
ItalyPanzanella
Tuscan salad of stale bread soaked in the juice of ripe tomatoes, with red onion, cucumber, basil and a sharp olive oil dressing.
TurkeyKısır
The Turkish bulgur salad, fine bulgur swollen in tomato and pepper paste, brightened with mint, parsley and pomegranate molasses.
LebanonChickpea fatteh
Layers of toasted pita, warm chickpeas and garlicky plant yoghurt with tahini, crowned with golden pine nuts. A festive Levantine breakfast.
LebanonFattoush
Crunchy salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and radish tossed with toasted pita shards, tangy sumac and pomegranate molasses.
LebanonLebanese tabbouleh
A mound of finely chopped parsley and mint scattered with tomato and a little bulgur, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
IndonesiaTempeh goreng
Slices of tempeh marinated with garlic and coriander seed then fried until crisp, the quintessential Javanese snack.
ThailandSom tam
Green papaya salad pounded in a mortar with cherry tomatoes, long beans, lime, chilli and toasted peanuts, sharp and fiery.
JapanMiso soup
A clear kombu broth with miso stirred in at the last moment, cubes of silken tofu and tender ribbons of wakame.
ThailandThai fried rice
The khao pad of street canteens, day-old rice wok-fried with egg, crunchy vegetables, soy sauce and Thai basil.
LebanonBeetroot hummus
Lebanese hummus in bright pink, chickpeas and cooked beetroot blended with tahini, lemon and cumin.
JapanRolled Japanese omelette with chard
Tamagoyaki, the lightly sweet soy-seasoned rolled omelette, here enriched with finely shredded chard. It goes into a bento box.
JapanAgedashi tofu
Tofu that is crisp outside and silky inside, sitting in a sweet-savoury dashi broth with grated daikon and spring onion.