6 European-Influenced Vegetarian Dishes You Have to Try ASAP
Whether because of personal convictions or to improve your health, there are many reasons to become vegetarian or start eating more meat-free meals. A plant-based diet can improve your heart health, lower blood pressure, and prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. Hundreds of studies show eating fruits and vegetables reduces risk for certain cancers. Swapping out meat for plant-based alternatives also benefits the environment.
It can be hard to follow a vegetarian diet. You need be a little more creative to obtain the required dietary guidelines for protein (about 56 grams per day for men and 46 grams for women). However, you will enjoy coming up with different meal ideas on a weekly basis. To get an idea about the history and variety of plant-based meals, let’s take a look at six popular international dishes with European influence.
1. Tombet (Spain)
A baked eggplant dish with a variety of other fresh ingredients, tombet is eaten as a main dish in the Mallorca region of Spain. It can also be served as a side to fish or meat. This traditional dish, when plated, resembles a crustless pie filled with decadent and flavorful bell peppers and fried tomatoes. Potatoes are often added to the dish when it is prepared as a main dish.
Tombet is simple to make — it’s usually even easy for those without much cooking experience. After slicing and lightly salting the eggplant, allow it to sit for about an hour to draw out the moisture and leach the bitterness. If using potatoes, slice and fry them until they are browned lightly on both sides. After that, arrange them in a single layer in a baking dish. Then fry the eggplant and place on top of the potatoes before frying and adding the bell peppers.
In a saucepan, heat chopped tomatoes with minced garlic and marjoram for eight to 10 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour it over the vegetables before baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Orzo Pasta Salad (Greece)
Orzo salad is a popular Greek vegetarian dish usually served as a side, but it can also be a hearty lunch option by including chickpeas. It features a variety of fresh and popular Greek recipe vegetables, including cucumbers, red onion, and Kalamata olives along with orzo, a rice-shaped pasta.
This dish is also quite easy to prepare. Simply cook the orzo according to package directions and toss it together with all the vegetables and a prepared Greek salad dressing. In addition to the vegetables, you can add feta cheese, fresh basil and mint leaves, and ground black pepper. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own dressing by mixing red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sea salt, pepper, and oregano.
3. Ćoravi gulaš (Croatia)
Some popular vegetarian meals are borne out of necessity and stick around due to either their unique flavor or the feelings of nostalgia that they conjure. That’s the case with ćoravi gulaš, a hearty Croatian potato stew that became particularly popular during the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s due to a scarcity of meat. The dish’s name is translated in English to blind goulash.
In addition to sliced potatoes, the dish usually features carrots, peas, onions, and tomato juice. It’s spiced with ground paprika, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Some recipe variations use flour to thicken the stew.
4. Karelian Pie (Finland)
Karelian pie is a Finnish pastry typically eaten for breakfast or lunch. It is particularly popular in the Eastern part of the country. It’s been made for centuries and can be found at marketplaces, cafes, and gas stations. This rye-crusted pie is filled with rice porridge, lightly browned in a wood-burning oven, and usually served with a spread of eggs and butter. It can also be topped with cheese.
5. Krokiety (Poland)
Krokiety, or Polish croquettes, feature a mixture of mushroom and cabbage filling inside nalesniki, a Polish crêpes. Once wrapped, the croquettes are dipped in an egg wash and breadcrumbs before being fried in hot oil. They are often served with Polish red borscht.
6. Pizza Margherita (Italy)
Italian meals are delicious vegetarian, whether it’s pasta or pizza. If you’re in the mood for pizza, skip the pepperoni and choose pizza margherita, a traditional Neapolitan pizza named in honor of Queen Margherita of Italy. First served around the turn of the 19th century, pizza margherita is the simplest version of pizza. It’s topped with three things: tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves. The colors (red, white, and green) represent the colors of the Italian flag.
