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Easy dinner recipes: Roasted tomato bisque and more vegetarian ideas

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Roasted tomato bisque. Spiced butternut squash stew. Quick orange lentil soup. Each of these dishes come together in an hour or less and are hearty enough to make a one-dish meal. Best of all? Your guests might never guess they’re vegetarian.

Roasted tomato bisque: Lumberyard Restaurant in Laguna Beach was happy to share its recipe, which we’ve adapted below. We loved the combination of flavors in this soup, the deep tomato flavor complemented by the roasted peppers and garlic, rich with cream and brightened with lemon juice and a good dose of fresh basil.

Roasted butternut squash stew: Although a good stew demands patience, not all of them demand a lot of time. This spiced butternut squash stew is a perfect weeknight meal, the cubed squash simmered with browned onions, raisins and roasted peppers. It comes together in about an hour, the broth thickened with stale whole-grain bread and cream, the spice rounded out with the sweet notes of maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. A perfect fall dish.

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RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

consider flank steaks with fresh chimichurri sauce. The sauce -- a little garlic, red wine vinegar, oil, fresh herbs and a touch of lemon juice -- comes together in almost no time, and those steaks will grill up in minutes. - See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/06/dinner-tonight-grilled-flank-steaks-chimichurri-sauce.html#sthash.hTvQknwx.dpuf
Quick orange lentil soup: Sweet, but with hints of coriander and cumin, this soup from Israeli cookbook author Phyllis Glazer is distinctly Middle Eastern in its approach. It’s a perfectly simple fall meal.
You can find all of the recipes below.

And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

MORE RECIPES: 99 ADDITIONAL easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

LUMBERYARD RESTAURANT’S ROASTED TOMATO BISQUE

Total time: About 1 hour

Servings: 16 (1-cup) servings

Note: Adapted from Lumberyard Restaurant.

3 pounds plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, coarsely chopped

2 1/2 pounds red peppers

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups tomato juice

1/3 cup tomato paste

4 ounces (about 6 cups) fresh basil leaves

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

3 cups cream

Sugar

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle over 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 20 minutes to soften. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2. While the tomatoes are roasting, steam the cauliflower in a steamer set over a pot of boiling water. Steam the cauliflower until tender, then remove from heat and set aside.

3. Roast the peppers: Place the peppers on a rack set over a gas stove-top burner heated over high heat. Roast until the skin on all sides is charred, turning frequently. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set aside until the peppers are cool enough to handle. Peel the charred skin from the peppers, then stem and seed the peppers. Mince the peppers. You should have about 2 cups (1 pound) minced roasted pepper.

4. Combine the roasted tomatoes (with any juices), cauliflower, minced peppers, garlic, lemon juice, tomato juice, tomato paste, basil leaves and vegetable broth in a pot or large bowl. Purée the mixture using an immersion blender, or in batches using a blender, before pushing through a strainer into a heavy-bottom soup pot.

5. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Stir in the cream and continue to heat until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in sugar to sweeten as desired.

Each serving: 236 calories; 4 grams protein; 15 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 19 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 62 mg. cholesterol; 8 grams sugar; 677 mg. sodium.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH STEW

Total time: About 1 hour, plus cooling time for the chiles

Servings: 6 to 8

2 poblano chiles

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

2 tablespoons oil

2 onions, diced

5 pounds butternut squash (2 medium or 1 large), peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch cubes

1/3 cup dry white wine

6 cups vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon New Mexico chile powder

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1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup maple syrup, divided

1/2 cup raisins, coarsely chopped

6 to 8 pieces stale bread, preferably dark whole-grain, coarsely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Fine sea salt

Tabasco sauce, optional

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

1. Roast the poblano chiles over high heat on a rack over a stove-top burner. When the skin is charred all over, place the peppers in a paper bag. Leave them for about 10 minutes, then remove and peel the skin — do not rinse. Discard the stem and seeds, and chop the peppers into a one-fourth-inch dice. Set aside.

2. In a Dutch oven or small stock pot, combine the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion just begins to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cubed squash and cook, stirring frequently, until the squash begins to soften, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the wine and scrape all the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until almost all of the wine is absorbed. Stir in the broth, the diced chiles, the paprika, chile powder, cinnamon and nutmeg, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and one-half teaspoon pepper. Stir in 3 tablespoons maple syrup and the raisins. Adjust the heat so the stew reaches a low but steady simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very soft and tender, an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Uncover the soup, and ladle 2 to 3 cups broth, with some squash, into a blender. Add the chopped bread and blend until the bread is puréed and the mixture is thickened. Pour back into the Dutch oven, stirring to thicken the stew.

4. Slowly stir in the cream, and gently heat the stew. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Add the remaining tablespoon maple syrup to sweeten, if needed (depending on the sweetness of the squash) and a few dashes of Tabasco if desired. Remove from heat.

5. Pour the stew into bowls, and garnishing each serving with a little of the sliced green onion. Serve immediately.

Each of 8 servings: 465 calories; 8 grams protein; 63 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams fiber; 22 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 56 mg cholesterol; 22 grams sugar; 738 mg sodium.

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QUICK ORANGE LENTIL SOUP

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10

2 cups red lentils

1 sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled

1 large carrot

1 onion

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 quarts water

1 1/2 teaspoons coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Coconut milk or half-and-half, to garnish

Chopped chives or cilantro (optional), to garnish

1. Wash the lentils: Place the lentils in a pot or bowl and cover with water. Stir or swish the water with your hand (the water will turn murky), drain and repeat the process until the water is clear. Drain and place in a large pot.

2. Chop the sweet potato, carrot and onion into coarse pieces and add them to the pot, along with the garlic. Add the 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, partially cover and cook until the vegetables and lentils are softened, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Stir in the coriander, turmeric and cumin, then stir in the salt. Cook an additional 5 minutes to marry the flavors. Remove from heat and puree the soup (either using a hand blender or in batches using a standard blender).

4. Divide the soup into serving bowls. Garnish each serving with a drizzle of coconut milk or half-and-half to create a design on the surface of the soup. Garnish with chopped chives or cilantro if desired. Serve immediately.

Each of 10 servings: 163 calories; 11 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams fiber; 1 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 3 grams sugar; 365 mg sodium.

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