Roasting is probably not the first cooking method that comes to mind when you think about beans. But, just like you can roast chickpeas, you can totally roast black beans too! They become warm and crispy, and any herbs and spices you’ve added deepen and intensify as they roast, giving the beans a really rich flavour.

Here’s how to roast black beans perfectly!

Why roast black beans?

Black beans are undeniably my favourite type of bean. They’re small but mighty, offering more flavour than some other types of beans – and when they’re roasted, this is even more true!

Of course, they are delicious eaten any way, but roasting them definitely gives them an edge.

These are definitely not just your typical black beans.

How to make roasted black beans

Step 1: Drain the black beans

This method for roasted black beans begins with canned beans. If you try to roast dried beans, all you’ll end up with is a few cracked teeth – the beans need to be totally soft first.

Of course, if you prefer to use dried beans, you can cook them first using your usual method, and then continue by following these instructions.

Or, you can do things the lazy way, and just open a tin like I did. If you do this, you need to start by draining your tin of black beans.

Step 2: Rinse the black beans

I like to rinse my black beans next. I don’t always bother with this step if I’m just adding them to a casserole or whatever, but if I’m roasting them, it’s ideal if the beans are as ‘clean’ as possible.

Rinsing can also help to make all kinds of pulses easier on your stomach, if you ever find that they don’t always agree with you!

I just swoosh my beans with a bit of water in a bowl (or sometimes even straight in the can, if I want to save on washing up), then drain them again.

Step 3: Add flavour

Next comes the fun bit – adding flavour to your beans. Go crazy with whatever herbs and spices you like the sound of.

This time I used a Cajun-style mixture:

• salt and pepper
• smoked paprika
• garlic and onion powder
• dried herbs (thyme and oregano)
• chilli flakes

If you’re in a rush, keep it simple with just a couple of different spices, or use a pre-mixed blend. You could even just stir through a dollop of hot sauce instead.

Step 4: Roast until crispy

Finally, pop them in the oven until they’re nicely crisped up.

Some of the skins will pop as they roast, which provides even more opportunity for crispiness.

Keep an eye on the beans as they begin to crisp up – you don’t want to end up with rock-hard bean bullets!

What can roasted black beans be used for?

I love using my Cajun-style roasted black beans on salads, as they provide heaps of flavour to an otherwise potentially uninspiring pile of raw vegetables. Adding a few crushed tortilla chips is another fun way to add some texture and flavour to your salad – just three or four chips can go a very long way in making a bowlful of lettuce more appealing!

Roasted black beans are also great scattered into quesadillas, tacos, or any other Tex-Mex favourites. Depending on how you use them, your roasted beans may not retain their crunch, but the rich, smoky flavours of the spices will still shine through.

Or, you can even eat the roasted beans on their own as a snack. They make a really tasty alternative to nuts, or a really nice change for a lunchbox!

How to store roasted black beans

Roasted black beans are best eaten straight away, while they’re still warm and crispy. However, I know not everyone wants to eat an entire can’s worth of beans in one go, especially if you’re the only one home.

Like most leftovers, any unused roasted beans can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight tub. Food safety recommendations differ from country to country, but I usually keep leftovers for 3-4 days without any issues.

Your roasted black beans will lose a bit of their crunch if they’re not eaten fresh, but they’re still really tasty thanks to the roasted spices. You can eat them cold, or reheat them briefly in the oven or microwave if you’d prefer them to be warm.

Have I inspired you to give roasted black beans a try? What would you do with yours?

Print

How to Roast Black Beans

Black beans are my favourite bean, and they can be even better when they're roasted! Here's how to roast black beans, using a simple Cajun-style spice mix.

Course Snack

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 portions

Calories 164kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained (480g, or ~ 2 1/2 cups, when drained)
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Instructions

• Rinse the drained tins of black beans, then mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (you can use a different mix of herbs and spices if you prefer). Spread the beans in a single layer on a baking tray, then roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway, until they are fairly crispy (but not rock hard!). Best used immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.7g | Protein: 8.4g | Fat: 4.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 6.2g | Sugar: 1.1g | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

If you’re a big black bean fan, there’s plenty more inspiration in my bumper collection of vegetarian black bean recipes!

The post How to Roast Black Beans appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Lentils are a fantastic ingredient – they’re cheap, tasty, and super versatile. Here’s how to cook lentils, in 3 easy steps!

Ahhh, lentils. One of my favourite ingredients in the world – perfect little discs that can be used in a million different ways (and that’s no exaggeration!). They’re one of those things that I always keep in the kitchen cupboards, ready for an easy, healthy, budget-friendly dinner. If you’ve ever wondered how to cook lentils, read on to find out!

First, you need to decide which type of lentils you’re going to cook. I have a different blog post all about the different types of lentils, and what sorts of things they’re good for, so if you’re unsure, start there.

Once you’ve chosen your lentils, it’s time to get cooking!

Do lentils need to be soaked?

Nope! Unlike lots of other dried pulses (such as some dried beans), lentils don’t need to be soaked before cooking. This means they’re really quick and easy to use – you can decide you want to cook lentils when you’re already ready to start cooking, and they can be ready to eat not long after. Perfect for a quick and healthy meal.

Some people do choose to soak their lentils anyway, as it can make them cook a bit more quickly, and may also make the lentils easier to digest – but unless you find that lentils don’t always agree with your stomach, I personally wouldn’t bother.

Step 1: Pick over your lentils

One thing I do usually do before cooking lentils is to give them a quick picking over, to remove any non-lentil bits that have found their way into the bag. It doesn’t need to take long – just a quick scan through them after you’ve tipped them into the pan is fine.

I don’t usually bother doing this with red lentils, which I never seem to have an issue with – but with brown and green lentils, I do find it’s worth spending the extra minute or so to remove anything that shouldn’t be there.

I have occasionally found tiny lentil flowers, weird looking lentils, little seed pods, and even tiny stones in amongst the dried lentils in the packet. It’s inevitable when the lentils are being picked from lentil plants! I’ve circled a few non-lentils in the photo above.

How can I add flavour to boiled lentils?

A lot of the time, you’ll be using your cooked lentils within a recipe that already has plenty of other flavours going on – in a lentil stew, for example – so it shouldn’t matter if the lentils are just boiled simply in water.

But if you do want to get some extra flavour into your lentils, if you’re serving them on their own, you can boil them in vegetable stock instead of plain water – they’ll soak up all the flavour of the stock as they cook. This is what I do if I’m scattering the lentils over a salad, or using them as a simple side dish.

You can also add extra ingredients to the water to infuse into the lentils – a bay leaf or two, a couple of chunks of onion, some whole garlic cloves, etc. You can then remove these ingredients from the lentils once they’re cooked.

Or, you can start by sautéing some onion and garlic in the pan, then boiling the lentils straight on top.

How to use lentils

If I’ve inspired you to get cooking with lentils, check out my bumper collection of vegetarian lentil recipes! The collection really does show just how versatile lentils can be – it includes everything from lentil curries and stews, to burgers and bakes, and even lentil tortillas!

What’s your favourite way to use lentils?

The post How to Cook Lentils (3 easy steps!) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

In my opinion, these roast potatoes are perfect. They’re soft and fluffy in the middle, and super crispy on the outside – the perfect contrast. Whatever you serve them with, these roasties will be the best thing on your plate.

Just look at all those crispy bits…

Now, I definitely don’t make roast potatoes this way every time. I usually use the quickest method possible – literally just cut up some unpeeled potatoes, and stick them in the oven.

They’re still great when they’re cooked the lazy way (it’s very hard to make a roast potato anything short of delicious), but they don’t even come close to these perfect ones. If you have time, I would 100% recommend using the method below, to give utterly perfect roast potatoes.

How to make perfect roast potatoes

Making good roast potatoes is really easy. There are a couple of steps, but none of it is remotely difficult.

Step 1: Wash and peel potatoes
Step 2: Boil potatoes until fluffy
Step 3: Roast potatoes in plenty of oil

That’s it! Very straightforward really. Even if you’re not a particularly experienced cook, you should be able to make a roast potato taste good.

What are the best potatoes for roasting?

Whichever variety of potato you use, you’re probably going to end up with a delicious roast potato.

However, some varieties of potato do make slightly better roast potatoes than others.

Ideally, you want to use a type of fluffy potato. This will not only make the middles of your roasties super light and soft, but it will also help them to fluff up around the edges – and these are the bits that get nice and crispy as they roast!

The best potatoes to use for roasting include:

• Maris Piper potatoes
• King Edward potatoes
• Yukon Gold potatoes
• Rooster potatoes

This time I used Maris Pipers. You can find out more about different varieties of potatoes here, including some information about what types of potatoes are best for different recipes.

Should I peel my potatoes before roasting?

In short – yes.

As I said, I often don’t bother peeling my potatoes. Potato skins actually contain a lot of nutrients, and it’s quicker not to peel them, which is always a plus for a lazy cook.

But – this isn’t a recipe for the most nutritious roast potatoes, or the laziest roast potatoes. It’s a recipe for the tastiest roast potatoes.

So for these, you’re going to need to peel.

Peeling allows the potatoes to fluff up around the edges as they boil, and these are the bits that form the super crispy exterior of the roast potatoes (and we all know that’s the best bit). So peel away!

Should I boil my potatoes before roasting?

Again, when I’m in a rush / feeling lazy, I usually don’t bother boiling.

But boiling the potatoes before putting them in the oven softens them up, giving fluffy edges, and melt-in-your-mouth centres – so it’s a must if you’re aiming to make the best roast potatoes.

Just boil your potatoes until they’re nearly soft. You don’t want them to end up as soft as they’d be if you were making mashed potato, for example, but just enough that they begin to break down around the edges.

How to get crispy roast potatoes

Here comes the fun bit.

Once you’ve drained your boiled potatoes, hold a lid tightly over the pan, and give the whole thing a really good shake.

As the boiled potatoes bash into each other, they fluff up even more around the edges, and create lots of little loose bits that will crisp up beautifully as they roast.

It’s a pretty good arm workout too.

Obviously you don’t want to go overboard here – don’t end up making mash accidentally! Just a few good hard shakes will be enough to rough up the edges of your potatoes.

How much oil should I use on my roast potatoes?

I’ll say again: this is not a recipe for healthy roast potatoes.

In other words: the more oil, the better.

Okay, perhaps you don’t want to use an entire bottle, but don’t be too stingy – you need every single piece of potato to be well coated in oil to give those nice crispy edges.

(I’m getting hungry just thinking about those nice crispy edges…)

Lay the potatoes out on a baking tray, making sure not to overcrowd them. If they’re all squeezed together, they won’t crisp up properly.

How to season roast potatoes

At this point, you’ll need to add some seasoning to your potatoes.

Potatoes love salt – they soak it right up, and it really brings them to life. So add a really generous pinch of salt, and of course, some black pepper too.

I tend to leave it there, but you could also add some garlic powder, dried herbs, or ground spices (smoked paprika is my favourite!).

Then, put the tray in the oven for around 45 minutes or so, until the potatoes are crisped up to your liking.

You can always add an extra pinch of salt while the potatoes are still hot, if needed.

How to serve roast potatoes

As much as I’d love to eat a whole plateful of roast potatoes on their own and call it a day, they really work best as a side dish, as part of a roast dinner. They’re also an absolute must every Christmas!

Here are a few ideas for vegetarian meals that all work well alongside some roasties:

• spinach and ricotta lentil slice
• veggie en croute
• creamy lentil and aubergine stack
• cheesy bean roast
• carrot and white bean veggie cutlets
• mushroom stroganoff pie
• vegetable toad in the hole
• vegetarian haggis and mushroom wellington
• honey and mustard sticky sausages

What do you like to serve alongside your roast potatoes?

What to do with leftover roast potatoes

‘Leftover roast potatoes’ isn’t a phrase that’s ever uttered in my house. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a leftover roast potato…

But if you do end up cooking more than you can eat, there are plenty of things you can do with them.

If you’d like to eat them in the same way again, they’re best reheated in the oven (microwaving can make them soggy!). Obviously they’ll end up even crispier second time round, so don’t turn the oven up too hot, and keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.

Alternatively, you can use your leftover roast potatoes in a new way entirely. Here are a few ideas:

• use them instead of chips, topped with homemade veggie chilli, to make vegetarian chilli cheese fries
• throw them into a vegetarian curry to make it extra nourishing
• add them to a vegetable stew
• scatter them (cold or warm) through a hearty salad, like this creamy green bean potato salad
• cover with sauce and grated cheese, and pop in the oven to make a super easy potato bake
• give them a new identity as Bombay potatoes
• chop them up into breakfast burritos
• blend them into a warming vegetarian soup, to thicken it up
• slice them up to create a crispy topping for a vegetarian hotpot

Thinking of all these brilliant ideas for ways to use leftover roast potatoes is actually inspiring me so much that I think next time I’ll try to resist eating the whole tray in one go. It’s just so hard when they’re such perfect roast potatoes!

More Potato Recipes

Print

How to make perfect roast potatoes

This recipe makes utterly perfect roast potatoes! These roast potatoes, with fluffy middles and super crispy edges, are definitely the star of every plate.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine British

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 294kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 kg (~ 2 lb 3 oz) potatoes (see blog post for best varieties)
• 4 tbsp unflavoured cooking oil (e.g. vegetable oil or sunflower oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Peel the potatoes, and cut them into chunks (depending on your preferred size).
• Place the potatoes in a large pan of water, and boil until they are just soft, but still holding their shape. Drain the potatoes, and return them to the pan.
• Holding the lid on tightly, firmly shake the pan several times to fluff up the potatoes. They should start to break down just slightly round the edges.
• Transfer the potatoes to a baking tray, and toss in a generous amount of oil. Spread them out into a single layer – use two trays if needed. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
• Roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 45 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway through cooking time, until crisped up to your liking. The exact cooking time will depend on how big you cut your potatoes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.6g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 13.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 597mg | Potassium: 1024mg | Fiber: 6.1g | Sugar: 2.9g | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

The post How to Make Perfect Roast Potatoes appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

I feel like couscous is an entirely underrated food. It’s super versatile, it’s good for you, and it’s so quick and easy to make! In literally less than 5 minutes, you can have a healthy side dish on the table. Here’s how to cook couscous perfectly every time, in just 5 minutes!

What is couscous?

Couscous is tiny pieces of durum wheat semolina. Essentially, it’s teeny tiny pasta (and that’s how I sell it to my kids…).

It’s actually a North African ingredient, which is commonly used in countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. Therefore, couscous is great served with North African-inspired meals, such as a vegetarian tagine or stew. I also love to make a simple couscous salad, like I did for the photos in this post!

It’s such a versatile ingredient, and if you’re looking for a super quick and healthy side dish, couscous is probably it.

How to cook couscous perfectly every time

A lot of people have trouble cooking couscous. The grains are so tiny that if you try to cook it like you would any other type of pasta, in a pan of water, you will very quickly end up with an overcooked, soggy mush.

Luckily, cooking couscous is even easier than cooking pasta. Here’s how to cook couscous!

1. Make up some vegetable stock

You can cook couscous using just hot water, but I prefer to use vegetable stock. Like a lot of plain carbs (pasta, rice, etc.), couscous has very little flavour on its own, so it’s important to get some flavour in where you can, and using stock to cook the couscous is an easy way to do that.

I used a veggie stock cube, mixed up with boiling water. You could also use liquid stock, a jelly stock pot, or whatever else you have.

You’ll need your stock to be very hot, so either use boiled water, or if you’re using a liquid stock, heat it up in the microwave first.

2. Add stock to the couscous

Put the couscous in a large bowl, and add the hot vegetable stock. Mix well.

You should always use a fork to mix your couscous, at all stages of preparation. Stirring with a spoon can clump the couscous together, giving a lumpy end result. Mixing with a fork keeps the grains separate, giving fluffy couscous that’s cooked perfectly evenly.

3. Cover with a plate

All you need to do now is to leave the couscous to absorb the hot liquid. Cover the bowl with a plate, so that all the heat is contained, and soaks into the dry grains.

Couscous is so tiny that it really doesn’t take long to cook at all – literally just 3 or 4 minutes.

4. Fluff up the couscous with a fork

When a few minutes have passed, give the couscous a quick taste, to check if it’s cooked to your liking. You can always add a splash more hot water, and leave it for another minute or two, if it’s still a little firm.

Then just fluff it up, using a fork again, to separate the grains.

That’s all there is to it – 5 minutes to cook couscous perfectly.

How to serve couscous

Unlike pasta, which tends to be the main focal point of a meal, couscous tends to serve as more of a side dish.

It can be served on its own, especially if you’ve already made it tasty by using vegetable stock instead of plain hot water.

I also love adding a few extra ingredients, to create a simple couscous salad.

Simple couscous salad

You don’t need to add much to make a couscous salad. I tend to take inspiration from a Greek salad (my favourite salad of all time), as just a few simple ingredients can combine to produce something really irresistible.

Here are a few ideas of ingredients you could include in you couscous salad. You definitely don’t need to use all of these – just choose four or five, and add them to the couscous once it’s cooked, along with a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper.

• cucumber
• tomatoes
• black olives
• fresh parsley or mint
• chopped spring onions
• lemon juice
• fried halloumi cheese
• crumbled feta cheese
• chickpeas

Other couscous recipes

Here are a few other ideas for ways to serve couscous:

• alongside some homemade falafel or vegetarian koftas
• with roasted vegetable ratatouille
• alongside a vegetarian tagine (this one’s made in the slow cooker!)
• with veggies and roasted feta (this one uses quinoa, but it would be great with couscous too!)
• in a tasty couscous salad (ditto above)

Print

How to cook couscous perfectly

An easy guide for how to cook couscous perfectly every time. It only takes 5 minutes to make this versatile, healthy side dish!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Moroccan, North African

Prep Time 1 minute minute

Cook Time 4 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 248kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 500 ml (~ 2 cups) vegetable stock
• 300 g (~ 1 1/2 cups) dried couscous

Instructions

• Make up the vegetable stock with freshly boiled water (or, if using a liquid stock, heat well in the microwave).
• Combine the couscous and stock in a large bowl, and mix well with a fork. The couscous should be well-covered with stock, but if it seems like too much, you can always hold a bit of the liquid back, and add it later if needed.
• Cover the bowl with a plate, and leave for about 4 minutes. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, and give it a taste. If there's still some excess liquid in the bowl, cover it again for a couple more minutes. Or, if the liquid has all been absorbed but the couscous still tastes a little firm, add a splash more water or stock, and then cover for another minute or two.
• When the couscous is cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed, fluff it up again using a fork, and it's ready to serve. It can be eaten warm or cold.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.1g | Protein: 8.5g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 3.2g | Sugar: 0g | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Do you struggle to cook tofu well too? Here’s how to cook tofu perfectly!

The post How to Cook Couscous Perfectly (in 5 Minutes!) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Ahhhh… mashed potatoes. Is there any better comfort food on the planet?! Maybe cheesy pasta… but it’s a close one, and I think mashed potatoes might just come out on top – especially if they’re drenched in gravy! If you’re a bit of a novice cook, here’s how to make perfect mashed potatoes.

How to make mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are easy to make – I’m sure most of us have made them at least once in our lives. Just cook your potatoes, and mash them up. It’s pretty straightforward.

But if you want to take your mashed potatoes from good to great, there are plenty of other things that you might want to consider!

Just follow this easy guide and you’ll be making perfect mashed potatoes every time!

What type of potato should you use to make mashed potatoes?

You can use any type of potato to make mashed potatoes, but some varieties will give a better end result than others.

In the UK, bags of potatoes are often labelled with what they’re best for (roast potatoes, baked potatoes, etc.), so if in doubt, just check the packet and choose one that says they’re great for mashing.

Otherwise, fluffy and floury potatoes like Maris Piper and King Edward potatoes are great for perfect mashed potatoes. I used Maris Pipers.

Do you need to peel potatoes to make mashed potatoes?

The short answer: Yes! Peel your potatoes when making mash.

The longer answer: Honestly, if I’m just cooking for my family and I’m feeling lazy, I often don’t peel my potatoes for mash. I don’t mind lumpy mashed potatoes, and there are loads of nutrients in the skin. Plus, one less job to do in the kitchen is always a bonus.

But if you want to make perfect mashed potatoes – if you want smooth, creamy mash that makes you sigh when you take that first bite – then yes. Peel them! That way your mash will be beautifully smooth and creamy.

How big should you cut potatoes for mashing?

Once you’ve peeled your potatoes, cut them into even-sized pieces. The exact size isn’t super important, as long as you try to make sure they’re all around the same size, so they cook evenly.

You don’t want to leave the pieces of potato too huge, though – definitely don’t boil the potatoes whole! – otherwise the edges will be disintegrating while the middles are still hard. Aim for something like two-bite pieces.

How long should you cook potatoes for to make mashed potatoes?

Pop your chopped potatoes in a pan with plenty of water to boil. I like to crumble a vegetable stock cube into the water – it will, of course, be drained away later, but it’s an easy way to make those potatoes extra tasty as they absorb the liquid.

Floury potatoes like Maris Pipers can break down a bit if you boil them for too long, which can lead to wet and soggy mashed potatoes (i.e. not perfect!).

But equally, you don’t want undercooked potatoes either, as that will lead to lumps!

So, keep an eye on your potatoes as they’re cooking. As soon as they’re soft all the way to the middle (when you can poke them with a sharp knife and there’s no resistance), take them off the heat and drain away the liquid.

What to add to mashed potatoes

I usually add four things to my mashed potatoes:

• milk
• butter
• salt
• black pepper

The quantities of each will depend on your preference, so just keep adding until your mash looks and tastes how you like it. Personally I like a good glug of milk, to make the mashed potatoes fairly creamy, plus plenty of butter for flavour!

And don’t forget heaps of salt and pepper, since potatoes always seem to need a lot!

Just add it all to the hot potatoes, and give it a really thorough mashing. If you have a ricer, that’s ideal for making lump-free mash, but you can do the same with a regular masher – it just takes a little longer!

Extra add-ins for mashed potatoes

If you want posh mashed potatoes, with extra add-ins, try adding some of these (not all of them at the same time!):

• any type of grated cheese (mix it in until it melts)
• finely chopped fresh herbs
• finely chopped spring onions
• frozen vegetables (boil them with the potatoes to make very veggie mashed potato!)
• mashed roasted garlic
• a dollop of pesto, chipotle paste, hummus, etc.
• whatever spices you like (Indian-style spices, smoked paprika, nutmeg, etc.)
• other root vegetables (boil them up with the potatoes)
• sautéed onions or leeks
• sour cream, cream cheese or mayonnaise

Can you make vegan mashed potatoes?

Of course! I’ve never made vegan mashed potatoes myself, as I’ve never had a reason to, so I asked in my Facebook group Easy Vegetarian Dinners to find out the best vegan ingredients to use.

The general consensus was that oat milk is best for making vegan mashed potatoes, plus some kind of dairy-free spread or margarine. Other suggestions included soy milk, unsweetened almond milk, and olive oil.

You can see all the ideas on the thread here (you’ll need to join the group first!).

How to serve mashed potatoes

Okay, so you’ve made your perfect mashed potatoes. It’s smooth and creamy, with a beautiful buttery flavour. Now, what do you do with it? Here are a few ideas for how to serve it.

• with sausages and green veg, for British-style bangers and mash
• with toad-in-the-hole (another British dish – sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter!)
• alongside a rich vegetarian casserole, like my mushroom bourguignon or savoury mince
• with pie and gravy

Can you reheat mashed potatoes?

Yes! Mashed potatoes can be made in advance if needed, so there’s no harm in cooking an extra big batch, and using up any leftovers another day – either as more plain mash, or in a totally different way (see below!).

To reheat mashed potatoes, you can either use the microwave (my preferred method), or place it back in a pan on the stove, stirring it constantly and only using a low heat.

Mashed potatoes can dry out a bit when they’re reheated, so it’s a good idea to add an extra dash of milk and/or some more butter when you reheat the mash, to make sure it tastes as good as new. This will also help to stop the mash from sticking if you use the stovetop method.

What to do with leftover mashed potatoes

It’s always tempting to go back for an extra dollop of mashed potato, especially when it’s this good, but if you do have any left over, it’s easy to reincarnate it into something totally different! Such as:

• add a spoonful of flour and transform the mash into homemade gnocchi!
• add some extra veg and make fried potato cakes (or stuffed potato cakes!)
• add some veggie stock and other vegetables to make potato soup
• spread it on top of a vegetarian casserole, and bake it to make a shepherd’s pie
• cook it in a waffle maker to make homemade potato waffles!
• make cheese and onion crisp bakes
• use it to make homity pie (cheesy leek and potato pie) or a cheese and onion plait

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about how to make perfect mashed potatoes. If you have any other favourite tips or tricks, let me know in the comments!

Print

Perfect mashed potatoes

If you're a beginner cook, a good mashed potato recipe is one of the first things you should learn! The ultimate comfort food. Here's how to make perfect mashed potatoes.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 288kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 vegetable stock cube (optional)
• 50 g (3 tbsp) butter
• 200 ml (~ 3/4 cup) milk
• Salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

• Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into evenly sized pieces. Place them in a large pan of water, and bring to the boil – I like to crumble in a vegetable stock cube for extra flavour.
• Cook for around 20 minutes, until the potatoes are just soft. The exact time will depend on how big you cut your potatoes, so just check them every few minutes, and when they’re soft enough that you can poke them with a sharp knife with no resistance, drain them.
• While the boiled potatoes are still hot, add the butter and milk, along with plenty of salt and pepper. Mash very thoroughly with a potato masher (or use a ricer, if you have one), until no lumps remain. You can now add more milk, butter, salt or pepper, as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.9g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11.5g | Saturated Fat: 7.1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 1051mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5.2g | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg

The post How to Make Perfect Mashed Potatoes appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

An easy method for how to cook halloumi perfectly every time! For beautifully soft, squidgy, salty halloumi cheese that can be used in many different ways.

If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll probably already know how to cook halloumi – I share halloumi recipes here alllll the time. But if not, read on to find out everything you need to know!

I think halloumi might just be my favourite cheese ever – it truly is the king of cheeses. It’s soft, it’s salty, it’s gooey, it’s crispy, it’s squidgy… all at the same time. If you like the flavour of crispy cheese (and who doesn’t?!), you’ll love fried halloumi.

Where to buy halloumi cheese

In the UK, halloumi is easy to find in pretty much all supermarkets. It’s often rolled in dried herbs (usually mint) before being sold – which explains the little black dots you can see on the halloumi in some of my photos!

I know it can be a bit trickier to find halloumi in the shops in other countries. Since I have a lot of American readers, I asked in my Facebook group, Easy Vegetarian Dinners, where people had managed to find halloumi in the US, and people suggested Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and a few smaller stores – check out the full post here for more details (you’ll need to join the group first to view the post!).

You can even find it on Amazon! Here’s one I found that looks very similar to the stuff I use.

If you’re in any other country where halloumi is less common, I’d recommend either trying your nearest superstore, where they have the widest range of cheeses, or alternatively, try a smaller specialist store. It might be worth calling around first to see if anyone stocks it near you!

How to cook halloumi

Here’s how to cook halloumi perfectly, every time!

Step 1: Slice the halloumi.

I personally like to use fairly thick slices of halloumi – I find that if they’re too thin, they dry up and become a bit hard. Thick slices (anything from about half a centimetre, up to about a centimetre thick) go nice and gooey in the middle.

Step 2: Add the halloumi to a non-stick frying pan.

If you’re using a non-stick pan, you don’t need to add any oil. Since the halloumi releases some liquid as it cooks anyway, it doesn’t tend to stick – but it’s worth using a good quality non-stick pan anyway, just in case.

Turn the heat up to medium, and let it do its thing.

Step 3: Cook the first side of the halloumi.

After a minute or two, the halloumi will begin to release some liquid. Don’t flip the cheese just yet – wait until the liquid has all been released, and any excess liquid has evaporated.

As you can see, a salty substance will be left in the pan, which will turn golden brown when all the liquid has gone. The colour of the residue in the pan pretty much corresponds to the colour of the underside of the halloumi, so once it’s golden, it’s time to flip!

Notice that the cheese browns more quickly in the centre of the pan (at least it does on my stove!), so you might need to move the cheese around a little to help the edge pieces cook evenly.

Step 4: Flip the halloumi.

When the underside of the halloumi is browned to your liking, flip each slice over, and repeat with the other side.

Beware: this side will brown a lot more quickly, as all the liquid has already been released – it should only take about a minute this time. Don’t overcook the halloumi, or it will end up becoming tough and rubbery.

Step 5: Enjoy!

You should now have beautifully cooked halloumi, golden brown and crispy on the edges, soft and squidgy in the middle. Delicious!

Halloumi is best eaten straight away – just try to resist eating it straight from the pan, as that will probably be frowned upon by the rest of your family!

Halloumi FAQs

Halloumi Recipes

If I’ve inspired you to give halloumi a try, I’ve posted a huge round-up of delicious vegetarian halloumi recipes – just click the image below to see them!

Print

How to Cook Halloumi Perfectly

An easy method for how to cook halloumi perfectly every time! For beautifully soft, squidgy, salty halloumi cheese that can be used in many different ways.

Course Light lunch

Cuisine Cypriot, Greek, Turkish

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 241kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 block halloumi cheese (usually around 225g / ~ 8 oz)

Instructions

• Cut the block of halloumi into slices. Don't make them too thin – around half a centimetre thick is good. You can use a crinkle cutter to cut the halloumi if you'd like the fake 'grill lines'.
• Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, and add the slices of cheese in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Allow the cheese to cook for a few minutes without moving it – it will release some liquid, which will then cook off. When the excess liquid has evaporated, the underside of the cheese will turn golden brown fairly quickly. When it’s cooked to your liking, turn each piece over, and repeat with the other side. The second side will brown more quickly, as the liquid has already been released.
• Fried halloumi is best served immediately.

Notes

Halloumi is best eaten straight away, as it can become rubbery if left to cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.7g | Protein: 16.1g | Fat: 18.8g | Saturated Fat: 13.4g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 750mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Calcium: 670mg | Iron: 0mg

The post How to Cook Halloumi Perfectly appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

If you’ve only ever had boiled gnocchi, you must learn how to fry gnocchi. It ends up like an entirely different food! No more dense, stodgy dumplings – fried gnocchi is crispy on the outside, and light and fluffy in the middle. Plus it’s really easy to do!

What is gnocchi?

Just in case you’re wondering what I’m on about, I’ll quickly explain what gnocchi is!

Gnocchi are little dumplings made from mashed potato, with a bit of flour added to hold it together. As you might expect, gnocchi don’t have a huge amount of flavour on their own, so just like pasta, they’re perfect for serving in a tasty sauce.

Boiled vs fried gnocchi

I always used to find gnocchi a bit disappointing – I never order it at a restaurant because I find it’s usually been boiled, which I don’t particularly enjoy. But then I discovered that it’s so much better when it’s fried / sautéed!

Perhaps I’m just a gnocchi snob, but the difference between boiled gnocchi and sautéed gnocchi is pretty amazing. Boiled gnocchi can be a bit stodgy, a bit slimy, a bit heavy… fried gnocchi is perfectly crispy and fluffy and light and toasty and all sorts of other lovely adjectives.

What type of gnocchi can you fry?

This is the type of gnocchi I use – just your bog standard packet of potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate).

The photos show the brand I happened to have in the cupboard, but you can use any brand you like – it doesn’t need to be anything fancy (honestly I usually just buy the cheapest one I can find).

Usually this type of gnocchi comes either vacuum-packed, or just loose in a plastic packet like this one. I almost always keep a pack of gnocchi in the cupboard, as it’s usually got a pretty long date on it (this one had about 9 months from the time I bought it!), and it makes a nice change from pasta.

How to fry gnocchi

There’s not much that needs to be said really – just cook the gnocchi in a frying pan with a bit of oil and / or butter (I like to use a bit of both!).

That’s all there is to it. Easy peasy.

Just cook it in the pan, stirring occasionally, until the gnocchi ends up nice and golden brown all over. It will be beautifully crispy – the noise it makes when you stir it around the pan is pretty amazing.

Do you need to pre-boil the gnocchi?

Nope!

The cooking instructions on the packet actually say you should boil the gnocchi, but I always ignore this like the rebel I am, and just skip straight to sautéing the gnocchi in a frying pan.

It does take a little longer (15ish minutes to fry, compared to just a couple of minutes to boil), but believe me, the extra time is well worth it.

Can you fry homemade gnocchi?

If you don’t have any shop-bought gnocchi in your kitchen, it’s really easy to make your own!

Homemade gnocchi only needs a few staple ingredients, so you can probably make it with what you already have at home. If you make it from scratch, it’s not particularly quick to make, but I always make my gnocchi using frozen mashed potato, which cuts down the prep time dramatically (don’t ever say I’m not there for you with a top tip to help you be more lazy).

If you prefer a potato-free version, ricotta gnocchi is even easier to make, and can be on the table in no time!

Homemade gnocchi can absolutely be fried, just like you can with the shop-bought stuff. I’ve always boiled my homemade gnocchi first, then sautéed it afterwards – it’s a bit more delicate than shop-bought, and boiling helps to firm up the dumplings a bit. You could definitely try skipping this step though, if you’re short on time (let me know how you get on!).

Sauces for gnocchi

Even though it’s less stodgy when it’s fried, gnocchi is still a hearty, filling dish, so you don’t want to add any sauce that’s too thick or heavy.

Quite a thin sauce is perfect – just something to nicely coat the dumplings without being too much. A few of my favourites:

• cream cheese (just melt it over the gnocchi in the pan, with a dash of water to thin it out)
• pesto (especially homemade!)
• a light tomato sauce (or even just some chopped fresh tomatoes)
• a creamy tomato and mascarpone sauce
• garlic mushrooms cooked in butter

Don’t forget to add some veggies too, to lighten things up further (this time I used frozen veg because #quarantinelife) – gnocchi primavera is one of my favourites. And definitely don’t forget how to fry gnocchi – you’ll never want it boiled again!

Print

How to Fry Gnocchi

A simple guide to how to fry gnocchi, to make light and fluffy dumplings with crispy edges. They're so much better than boiled!

Course Main meals

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 419kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 500 g (~ 1 lb) potato gnocchi

Instructions

• Gently heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until the butter has melted. Add the gnocchi. Don’t overcrowd the pan – you want the gnocchi to be spread out in a single layer across the bottom of the pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until crisped up to your liking (around 10-15 minutes).
• Serve the sautéed gnocchi with a light sauce (see the blog post for some ideas).

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 68.8g | Protein: 7.7g | Fat: 12.9g | Saturated Fat: 4.5g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0mg

Don’t forget, homemade gnocchi is easy to make, especially this super quick ricotta gnocchi!

The post How To Fry Gnocchi (and why you should want to!) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Following on from my round-up of vegetarian store cupboard recipes, which will hopefully be helpful to anyone who’s unable to get out to the shops at the moment, I thought I’d offer some tips for vegetarian batch cooking. I’ve also collected together some of my favourite vegetarian big batch recipes.

These freezer-friendly recipes can all be batch cooked, then portioned out and stored in the freezer until you’re ready to reheat and serve.

You might need to make an initial trip to the supermarket to get everything you need for these recipes, but once that’s done, you can stock up your freezer with delicious vegetarian dinners that can be reheated as required for easy eating.

Vegetarian batch cooking – recipes & tips

If you don’t want to read this whole blog post, feel free to jump to the sections that you’re most interested in:

• what is batch cooking?
• batch cooking containers
• labelling your meals
• how to reheat frozen meals
• 21 vegetarian batch cooking recipes

What is batch cooking?

Batch cooking is when you deliberately cook more food than you need to, so that you can save the leftovers for another day. Certain types of meals lend themselves really well to batch cooking – basically anything that will be just as good when reheated as it was fresh.

Usually, once you’ve batch cooked a few portions of a meal, you’ll store the leftovers in the freezer so they’re ready to go next time you want a quick meal.

So if you’re the sort of person who loves eating home-cooked food, but doesn’t want to stand in the kitchen cooking from scratch every single day, batch cooking is for you!

Batch cooking containers

If you’re planning to get into batch cooking, you’ll need some containers to store your meals in when you put them in the freezer. You have a few options:

1. Glass containers

The most environmentally friendly option is to invest in some glass tubs. These can be stored in the freezer, and since they’re also oven-safe, they can be placed directly into the oven to reheat your meal (they’ll slowly defrost as the oven comes up to temperature). They’re also suitable for use in the microwave and dishwasher.

Glass tubs are a bit more of an investment than some of the cheaper alternatives, but if you’re planning to batch cook your meals regularly, it will be worth it.

These glass containers on Amazon (UK* / US*) have really good reviews:

2. Plastic containers

Plastic containers are generally slightly less hardwearing than glass, but still fairly durable. Most kinds are suitable for use in the freezer, microwave and dishwasher.

However, plastic containers are not oven safe, so you can’t grab a dish from the freezer and throw it straight into the oven, like you can with a glass dish. Frozen meals will need to either be reheated in the microwave, or transferred into an oven safe dish first.

Make sure you buy tubs that are BPA free, and that can be reused again and again, rather than single use plastic containers.

Amazon (UK* / US*) has some highly rated reusable plastic containers.

3. Foil containers

Foil containers are more of a single use product than glass and plastic containers are, as although they can be washed, they can be squashed and bent out of shape quite easily. However, if you’re planning to batch cook meals to give away to friends, for example, they may be a good option for you.

Just like with glass tubs, you can take a foil container from the freezer and put it straight into the oven to cook.

Foil containers are recyclable, but obviously containers that can be reused multiple times are still more environmentally friendly.

Check out these ones on Amazon (UK* / US*).

Labelling your meals

When you stock up your freezer with batch cooked meals, don’t forget to label them clearly! Especially if you have lids on your containers, it can be easy to forget what’s inside, and when frozen, a lot of meals look very similar.

You’ll probably want to label your freezer meals with:

• the type of food that’s inside
• the date the meal was cooked
• a rough idea of how many portions are in the container

Depending on the temperature of your freezer, your frozen meals should retain their quality for around 6 months, so just keep an eye on your labels, and rotate the freshest meals to the back of the freezer.

How to reheat frozen meals

The best method for reheating your batch cooked freezer meal will depend on the type of food it is. All sorts of things can be frozen, even fruit and veg! Here are some examples:

Wet meals: soup, stew, chilli, etc.

This type of soupy meal is best reheated either in the microwave or on the stovetop.

To use the microwave, make sure your frozen meal is in a microwave safe container, and place it in the microwave with the lid slightly askew. Cook on the defrost setting until mostly thawed, then stir, and cook on full power until piping hot.

Or, just dump the whole frozen meal into a saucepan on the hob, and cook slowly over a medium heat until fully thawed and piping hot. Stir regularly, and use the spoon to break up the frozen lumps.

Bakes: casseroles, pasta bakes, etc.

Bakes can be microwaved as above, but they’re often best reheated in the oven, as they can get nice and crispy again.

Assuming your container is oven proof, just place the frozen dish directly into a cold oven, and turn the oven on. As the oven gradually heats up, the meal will begin to thaw, then fully cook as the oven reaches temperature. As you might expect, cooking a frozen meal will take longer than if you were to bake the same meal from room temperature – allow an extra 20-30 minutes to bake a frozen meal.

To stop your bakes from becoming dry as they’re reheated, cover the dish with a lid or some foil as it’s cooking. You can remove the lid for the final 15 minutes of cooking if there’s a cheesy topping that needs to crisp up.

If you’re cooking a meal with the intention of freezing some portions, you might find it’s easiest to freeze the meal in its uncooked state, rather than cooking it twice in the oven. This will also help to stop your meal from drying out. You can also make meals you intend to freeze a little saucier than you would if you were eating them straight away.

Dry items: veggie burgers, falafel, fritters, etc.

If your frozen meal isn’t saucy, it’s probably best reheated in the oven – microwaves tend to take the crispiness out of food.

Just place the food on a baking tray, and cook from frozen. They will probably defrost quickly, so won’t need much additional cooking time compared to being cooked from fresh.

By the way, to make sure your items don’t all stick together in the freezer, freeze them separately on a baking tray, then transfer them to a dish or a freezer bag once they’ve frozen. That way, you’ll be able to grab one or two single items from the freezer at a time, rather than needing to take out the whole batch.

21 vegetarian batch cooking recipes

All of these vegetarian recipes lend themselves well to being frozen and reheated, using the guidelines above.

Some of these recipes only make a few portions, so if you’re really wanting to stock your freezer, feel free to double, or even triple, each recipe to make an extra big batch – that way, you’ll have enough to eat some of your cooking straight away for dinner, plus some leftovers to store for another day.

Vegetarian moussaka – freeze before baking
Mushroom bourguignon [vegan]
Mushroom and black bean smothered burritos – freeze before the final bake

Vegan cream of mushroom soup [vegan]
Slow cooker coconut chickpea curry [vegan]
Ultimate macaroni cheese

Vegetarian savoury mince [vegan]
Easy roasted vegetable ratatouille with chickpeas
Creamy bean and spinach pasta bake

Cheesy tofu meatballs – freeze with or without sauce
Very veggie lentil bake
Creamy roasted carrot dal [vegan]

Crispy baked tofu ‘chicken’ nuggets [vegan] – freeze before baking
Slow cooker lentil and quinoa tacos [vegan] – freeze the taco filling and then assemble with fresh toppings
Cheesy lentil burgers

Slow cooker tomato sauce – freeze in portions
Bean and vegetable crumble with cheesy pesto topping
Easy mushroom and black bean chilli [vegan]

Enchilada stuffed pasta shells
Mushroom stroganoff pie
15 minute creamy chickpea curry

Hopefully I’ve inspired you to try some vegetarian batch cooking! Are you planning to stock up your freezer this spring? What will you be making?

* This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Vegetarian Batch Cooking (recipes & tips) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Happy Pancake Day! I make these traditional British pancakes on Pancake Day every year, and every single time, I remember how incredible they are, and vow to make them more often… and then, obviously, I never do. So if you’re reading this any time after March, please do give me a poke and remind me to make them again!

What is Pancake Day?

Just in case you have no clue what I’m talking about, Pancake Day is what we Brits like to call Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras / the day before the beginning of Lent.

It seems to be called something different in just about every country, and is celebrated in different ways – in New Orleans in 2016, we celebrated Mardi Gras by drinking beer in the street in the middle of the afternoon, with heaps of plastic beads around our necks. This year, in Hertfordshire (definitely a less exciting location), we will be making pancakes with our toddler and eating about seventeen pancakes each, topped with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkled with an obscene amount of sugar. Both fun, but in very different ways.

Pancake Day is always a Tuesday, but it falls on a different day each year – it depends on the date of Easter, which changes based on the cycles of the moon. In 2020, Pancake Day is today – Tuesday 25th February. Next year, Pancake Day will be on Tuesday 16th February 2021.

Why do Brits eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?

For the majority of Brits, Shrove Tuesday is synonymous with pancakes. It’s one of the few days of the year when pretty much everyone in the UK eats the same meal for dinner (or just for dessert, after a perfectly balanced dinner, if you’re a bit more respectable).

The main reason pancakes started being consumed on Shrove Tuesday was because they were a good way to use up the butter and eggs that would be given up for Lent the next day. These days, of course, not everyone gives these things up for Lent (I’m considering giving up chocolate as a personal challenge, but I’m not sure if that’s one step too far), but we still grab onto any excuse to make pancakes for dinner.

Traditional British pancakes

Traditional British pancakes are nothing like the thick, fluffy pancakes that a lot of you will be familiar with (which are more like what we call Scotch pancakes). They’re a lot more similar to a French crêpe – they’re large and thin, and typically served rolled or folded around some kind of filling.

We don’t generally eat them for breakfast – more for dessert or dinner.

What are the ingredients in British pancakes?

The batter is really easy to make, with just three main ingredients:

• eggs
• flour
• milk

I don’t usually add sugar to my pancake batter – not only does this mean that you can serve them with sweet or savoury toppings depending on your mood, it also means that you can justify sprinkling a lot more sugar on top (or am I just kidding myself?).

Just whisk together the eggs and flour, then gradually add the milk to make a thin batter.

How do you stop pancakes from sticking to the pan?

If you use a good non-stick frying pan, you should be fine – I’ve never had a problem with pancakes sticking to the pan. I have a couple of different Circulon frying pans that I use (Amazon UK* / US*), and I love love love them. They’re really non-stick – you’ve probably seen them cropping up in my blog photos on a regular basis.

But, if you’re concerned, there is an easy way to make your pancake batter non-stick!

You can either add a dash of oil right into the batter, or (much better, in my opinion) some melted butter. Just make sure you whisk the batter as you add the melted butter to prevent lumps forming.

How to cook traditional British pancakes

Then, it’s time to cook! Gently preheat the pan first (you can spray it with a little extra oil if you’re really concerned about sticking – I never find I need to, once I’ve added the butter to the pancake mix), then just ladle in a spoonful of the batter.

There’s a technique that we Brits have perfected over the years, which works perfectly to distribute the batter around the pan – the swirl. Just lift the pan and swirl it around (gently!) in a circular motion until the batter evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Then cook until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.

For some reason, the two sides of your pancake will always come out looking totally different. The first side you cook will always end up looking like this:

and the second side always looks like this:

Don’t be alarmed! That’s meant to happen. They end up nice and crispy around the edges, and soft in the middle. Perfect.

Keep going until you’ve cooked the whole batch of batter. Each pancake only takes a couple of minutes to cook each side, but if you’re going to make the full batch of 8-ish pancakes, you can expect to be stood at the hob for a good half hour or so. Luckily, they’re easy to nibble on as you cook – or stack them on a plate in an oven set to the lowest temperature to help keep them warm.

Topping ideas for traditional British pancakes

We Brits don’t discriminate – we love our pancakes with all kinds of toppings.

Our #1 favourite is a generous squeeze of lemon juice (either freshly squeezed or from a bottle), then an obscene amount of sugar to cut through the sharpness. This is how I eat my pancakes 90% of the time.

But there are plenty of other options too!

Sweet pancake topping ideas:

• lemon juice and sugar
• any kind of fruit jam
• chocolate spread
• stewed fruit
• caramel sauce
• honey or maple syrup
• fresh berries
• ice cream
• Greek yogurt

Savoury pancake topping ideas:

• creamy garlic mushrooms
• garlicky spinach and a fried egg
• salsa and guacamole
• cheese and sliced tomatoes
• goat’s cheese and spinach
• spicy beans or chilli
• cream cheese and chilli jam

You can either roll your pancake around your filling like a burrito, fold it into quarters, or just eat it flat like a pizza!

Whichever option you go for, you really can’t go wrong with traditional British pancakes on Pancake Day.

Print

Traditional British pancakes

Here’s how to make perfect British-style pancakes every time! This is just how we Brits make our pancakes every year for Pancake Day.

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8 pancakes

Calories 199kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 300 g (~ 2 cups) plain flour
• 3 eggs
• 400 ml (~ 1 2/3 cups) milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• Spray oil, if needed
• To serve: your choice of sweet or savoury toppings (see blog post for ideas!)

Instructions

• Add the flour to a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the centre.
• Combine the eggs and milk in a separate bowl, and briefly whisk together.
• Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour a little at a time, whisking until smooth (don't worry if a few small lumps remain, you won't notice them in the finished pancakes). The batter will be fairly thin.
• Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan, then pour it back into the pancake batter, whisking to ensure no lumps are formed.
• With the pan over a medium heat (I used setting 5 out of 9), add a ladleful of the pancake batter. Lift the pan, and gently swirl the mixture around the base of the pan until it forms a thin layer all over. Return to the heat, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the underside of the pancake is lightly golden brown.
• Flip the pancake carefully, and cook the other side for a further 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate while you cook the remaining pancakes. You can spray a little oil into the pan in between pancakes if they’re showing signs of sticking – I didn’t need to.
• When you’ve cooked all fo the batter, serve the pancakes with your choice of sweet or savoury topping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.3g | Protein: 7.7g | Fat: 4.5g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2.6g | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg

Love my traditional British recipes? Why not have a vegetarian full English breakfast the next morning!

* This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post How to Make Traditional British Pancakes appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, pretty much every vegetable is improved by roasting*. Some roasted veggies can form the bulk of your meal, whereas others, like roasted garlic, are just great at adding an incredible flavour to your food.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make roasted garlic, this is the post for you! We welcome you aboard the roasted garlic train – it’s smelly but delicious here. And at the very least, you won’t have any trouble with vampires for a good 24 hours after eating.

* I was going to say this doesn’t apply to cucumbers, but then I Googled it and it turns out roasted cucumbers is actually a thing! Who knew…?!

What’s the difference between a garlic clove and a garlic bulb / head?

First, I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page when I’m talking about garlic cloves / garlic bulbs.

A clove of garlic is just one of the small pieces that you pull out of the bulb. In a recipe, you’d usually aim for 1-2 of these cloves per portion, depending on their size (and how much you like garlic!).

A bulb (or head) of garlic is the whole thing, made up of around 6-10 individual cloves.

Here’s a beautiful little graphic I made, just in case I’m not being clear:

How to make roasted garlic

Ideally, you want to make roasted garlic in bulk. It seems a little pointless to just roast one or two cloves at a time – I promise, you’ll eat your way through this stuff in no time, so don’t be afraid to make a lot!

It takes about the same amount of effort to roast one head of garlic as to roast 3 or 4 (or more!), so you may as well do that. This time, I roasted 3 full heads.

Step 1: Remove the papery skins

To begin, remove most of the papery skin from the outside of your head of garlic. It doesn’t matter if some bits remain (it won’t burn or anything), but later on it will be easier to remove the roasted garlic from the skin if there aren’t too many extra papery bits flapping around.

Step 2: Cut the top off the garlic

Next, use a sharp knife to cut the top off the head of garlic. The stalk in the middle can be a little tough to get through – sometimes a bit of a sawing motion can help!

Obviously you don’t want to lose too much of the garlic flesh, but you do want each clove to be cut open so that you can remove the beautiful roasted garlic from them later.

Step 3: Drizzle with oil

Place the cut heads of garlic in a foil-lined dish. If your garlic is awkwardly shaped, and you’re having trouble getting it to stand upright, try using a muffin tray instead! The little cups will help the garlic to sit up straight.

Drizzle each head of garlic generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I’m not entirely convinced the salt and pepper makes much of a difference, since it’s only sitting on a tiiiny proportion of the bit of garlic you’ll actually end up eating… but it’s nice to feel like you’re doing something.

If you have some fresh thyme to hand (or any other woody herb, like rosemary, oregano or sage), you can also stick a few sprigs under the garlic. As everything roasts, the herbs will infuse the garlic to make it extra tasty. But don’t worry if you don’t have any herbs! Roasted garlic is still incredible on its own.

Step 4: Wrap it up

Wrap up the garlic in foil, creating a little parcel. The foil doesn’t need to be tight around the garlic, but you want it to be pretty well sealed. Any steam that’s produced, as well as the beautiful aroma from the thyme, will stay in the packet to keep your roasted garlic moist and flavourful.

Step 5: Roast!

There’s no hard and fast rule for how long you need to roast your garlic for. Anything from about 30 minutes onwards will be tasty – I find that with my oven, about 45-50 minutes is ideal. Check your garlic every ten minutes or so from the 30 minute mark onwards, until you’re happy.

The longer you roast your garlic for, the softer it will get, and the sweeter and more intense the flavour will become.

Step 6: Squeeze out the roasted garlic

When it’s cool enough to handle, you can squeeze out the soft roasted garlic from inside each clove. Depending on how long you roasted it for, sometimes it will pop out of its skin in one whole piece, and other times it squeezes out in a ready-made garlic puree (it gets softer the longer it cooks).

You can also use a small fork or spoon to scoop out the garlic if that’s easier!

It’s up to you how you serve your roasted garlic – depending on what you’re planning to use it for, you can either leave the cloves whole (if they came out that way), or mash all of the roasted garlic up together to make a paste.

What can I use roasted garlic for?

Roasted garlic obviously isn’t a meal on its own (although…), but instead it’s a versatile ingredient that can be used to add an amazing flavour to all sorts of other dishes.

Here are some ways to use roasted garlic:

• spread it directly onto toasted bread or slices of crusty baguette
• mix it into mashed potatoes, with plenty of butter
• serve whole cloves of roasted garlic on a platter with olives, cheese, crackers, etc.
• spread it over a jacket potato instead of (or as well as!) butter
• mix it through pasta with butter and a little grated cheese
• puree the roasted garlic to use in dressings and marinades
• blitz it into hummus and dips
• mix it with mayonnaise for perfect garlic mayo
• stir it into scrambled eggs
• make your own garlic butter for garlic bread!
• or just use it instead of regular garlic in any of your favourite recipes

How long can I store roasted garlic for?

If you don’t use all of your roasted garlic straight away, you can store it in the fridge to use later.

There are a few options:

• Store the roasted garlic in its skin in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
• Store the cloves (already removed from the skin) in a little pot in the fridge, fully submerged in oil, for up to a week.
• Freeze individual cloves of roasted garlic in ice cube trays, covered in oil.

Just remember to always use your common sense, and if it looks like your roasted garlic has gone bad (if it’s become more brown or mushy, or smells funny), then don’t eat it.

You can find more details about the different methods for storing roasted garlic here.

Have you ever tried making roasted garlic?

Print

How to make roasted garlic

Have you ever wondered how to make roasted garlic? It's a seriously easy way to add incredible flavour to all sorts of dishes!

Course Miscellaneous

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 1 head

Calories 38kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Small bunch fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano or sage (optional)

Instructions

• Peel most of the papery skin from the head of garlic, and cut off the top, exposing the garlic inside each clove. Place inside a foil-lined dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you have some woody herbs to hand (e.g. thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), adding a few sprigs underneath the garlic can add extra flavour.
• Fold the foil up around the garlic, and scrunch or fold it tightly to seal.
• Roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). After about 30 minutes in the oven, check the garlic every 10 minutes or so, and take it out when it’s cooked to your liking. I find about 45 minutes is perfect.
• When the roasted garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze each clove out of its skin. You can serve the cloves whole, or mash them thoroughly to make a roasted garlic paste.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5head | Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.8g | Fat: 2.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0mg

Roasted garlic would also be amazing in risotto! Here’s my simple formula for how to make an easy risotto in any flavour:

The post How to Make Roasted Garlic appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.