Our Favourite Mains and Sides for a Vegetarian Fakeaway Night-in
If you’re following a vegetarian diet full-time, or just looking to eat less meat, there’s no need to compromise on takeaway night. From juicy kebab-style skewers to fragrant, taste bud-tingling curries, it’s easier than you might think to recreate your favourite vegetarian fakeaway recipes.
When you prepare veggie-friendly fakeaways from scratch, you’re not just cutting down on costs and calories – you’ll also guarantee that there are no hidden nasties on your plate.
Using a mix of slimming-friendly swaps, herbs, spices and store cupboard staples, we’ve recreated a variety of global dishes, including Chinese, Indian, Greek, Italian and Mexican inspired menus. Which one will you try tonight?
A veggie-friendly Chinese-style fakeaway night
When you’re in the mood to order a vegetarian Chinese, look no further than our Sweet and Sour Halloumi recipe. With firm, satisfying chunks of halloumi in a veggie-loaded, homemade sauce, it’s the perfect main dish to serve at the centre of a family-sized spread.
We’ve stirred in oh-so-juicy pineapple pieces to give every mouthful its signature sweetness. Turn to page 194 of your Family Meal Planner and you’ll have this one ready in less than 40 minutes, preparation included.
If you’ve not got a copy of our latest planner yet, there’s still time to add it to your Pinch of Nom collection.
When you’re in a hurry for your fakeaway fix, our Bang Bang Noodles are the definition of ‘fast’ food. From wok to plate in 15 minutes, they’re also a fraction of the calories of a takeaway alternative, at less than 500 per bowl.
Packed with plenty of vegetables, our Broccoli and Mushroom Stir-Fry is flavourful and filling. It also freezes really well, so you can batch cook extra portions to tuck into at a moment’s notice.
If you’re feeling extra hungry, try our Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce next to your main dish. Typically a deep-fried side, we’ve kept things lighter by wrapping our filling in a layer of filo pastry.
This recipe is from our fifth cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Enjoy. Turn to pages 196-199 to bake this multi-method recipe in the oven or air fryer.
A veggie-friendly Indian-style fakeaway night
When a hearty, warming Indian-inspired dinner is on the cards, you can’t go wrong with our Vegetarian Tikka Masala. Bursting with store cupboard staples like chickpeas and tinned tomatoes, our flavour-rich, homemade sauce is better for you and your budget.
Instead of double cream, we’ve used a coconut dairy-free milk alternative to make our sauce luxuriously silky.
You’ll find ghee (a clarified butter) in restaurant versions of Saag Aloo, but we’ve oven-baked our potatoes until golden to give them their moreish crispiness.
It’s well worth making room on your table for this spinach-loaded side dish, especially at 201 calories per serving.
Classic sides like Samosas or Onion Bhajis are also great for bulking out your Indian-style feast. We can never resist ordering extra portions of our Sweet Potato Pakoras recipe.
Made with a surprisingly short list of simple ingredients, the key is in slicing your veggies ultra fine, so that they release all of their natural deliciousness in the oven.
Sometimes you can’t decide between burger night and curry night, and that’s where our glorious Tandoori Spiced Chickpea Burgers come in.
To bind and seal the flavours into our vegan homemade patties, we’ve switched egg for quinoa! Pile them high with mango chutney, cooling mint sauce and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.
A veggie-friendly Greek-style fakeaway night
How about a night-in with holiday-style flavours? Our Minty Halloumi and Vegetable Kebabs would look the part in the middle of a Mediterranean-inspired table.
A refreshingly vibrant veggie treat, there’s nothing to stop you sizzling them on the barbecue for a more charred taste.
Psst! When you’re cooking halloumi for vegetarian diets, make sure that the brand you’ve chosen is rennet free.
A dip-ready bowl of Tzatziki never fails to take things up a notch. Tuck in with sliced wholemeal pitta bread, vegetable batons or scoop a dollop onto your main plate (it’s so fresh and mild, it’ll pair with just about anything).
The perfect accompaniment for grilled mains, Briam is a filling tomatoey recipe that’s typically lathered in olive oil. To make things lighter, we’ve layered our potato slices and veg together with a spritz or two of low-calorie cooking spray.
Keep an eye out while it’s baking – you’ll know it’s ready when your spuds turn golden.
A proper holiday treat, round off your night with a slice of our Greek-Style Baklava recipe. Instead of full-fat syrup and honey, we’ve combined low-sugar syrup with blitzed pistachio nuts for our filling.
Don’t forget to save some crushed pistachios to sprinkle on top!
A veggie-friendly Italian-style fakeaway night
Instead of ordering a pizza online, rustle up our Cheesy Chilli Pizza recipe. Cheesy and gooey with a mildly-fiery sweet chilli drizzle, it’s hard to believe it’s only 147 calories per serving.
It takes around 45 minutes to prove the naan bread dough to utter perfection, but trust us…the crispy base you’re left with is so worth it!
More Team Pasta than Team Pizza? Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs has you covered. To cut out any hidden nasties, we’ve made our ‘meat’ mixture from scratch.
Simmer everything together until your vegan meatballs are firm on the outside with a springy centre. Just imagine mopping up that tomatoey sauce with a crunchy slice of garlic bread…
You could even use leftovers to make a meatball-filled sub on another day.
Nothing makes a fakeaway night-in feel extra special quite like Tear and Share Garlic Dough Balls. Our garlic ‘butter’ filling is actually made with reduced-fat spread, so we’ve kept every serving melt-in-the-middle gooey and slimming friendly.
If you don’t have time to prepare them on the day, you can always prepare and refrigerate them in advance, or freeze them for longer.
A veggie-friendly Mexican-style fakeaway night
Finally, if it’s a fiesta of fantastic flavours you’re after, making a Mexican-style feast is the best way to go! A versatile one-pot wonder, Vegan Chilli is one of those dishes you can come back to time and time again.
Our recipe is quite fiery, but there’s nothing to stop you tweaking the flavours with sweet smoked paprika and mild chilli powder (to cool things down) or hot smoked paprika and hot chilli powder (to ramp up the spice).
For even more colour and flavour, why not add Mexican-Style Corn on the Cob to the side?
Topped with lime-infused yoghurt, crumble feta cheese and a touch of chilli powder, they’re even harder to say no to at 124 calories per portion.
To give our Mexican-Style Tostadas their unforgettable crunch, we’ve toasted low-calorie tortilla wraps and topped them with punchy refried beans and salsa.
You’ll love getting your fork into the runny poached egg we’ve nestled on top of our fiesta-inspired filling.
Brighten up your spread even more with our show-stealing Cheesy Avocado Salsa Wedges. Topped with reduced-fat cheese and a lightly-spiced, fresh avocado salsa, these loaded wedges are a real crowd-pleaser, even if you’re not a massive fan of spicy food.
You’ll know they’re ready when your wedges are crisp, the cheese is golden and bubbling and everyone around the table is licking their lips!
Have you decided which veggie-friendly menu to have?
Please let us know which of our vegetarian menus you choose for this weekend’s fakeaway feast! We’d love to see your photos and posts over in our Facebook group – there’s a community made up of almost 1 million members who are waiting to support you on your slimming journey.
Our Gallery never fails to give us inspiration when we’re not sure what to make next. The only thing you’ll need to do is sign up to a free website account to upload and share your photos (it’s easy-peasy, we’ve got a step-by-step guide you can follow here!).
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