The Perfect Home-Grown Vegetable Recipes

If you read our recent post about what vegetables grow best in which seasons, we can only assume you’re now ready to make some delicious vegetable themed recipes yourself! 

Below are our four favourite vegetable recipes that you can make at home when your plants are fully grown.

Green bean risotto

Rich and creamy, when cooked right, risotto is a hearty Italian dish that can be made in quantity.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 pack of button mushrooms, halved
• 250g of green beans
• 300ml of hot vegetable stock
• 1tsp of thyme 
• 1tsp of sage
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning 
• 20g of parmesan cheese, grated 
• 1 cup or 120g of arborio rice

Instructions:

1. In a deep pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and fry the onion and mushrooms until soft.
2. Pour in the arborio rice and fry everything for two minutes. 
3. Lower the heat and add 1/3 of your vegetable stock, stirring frequently for 10 minutes.
4. Continue to add stock to your pan as needed and then add the green beans, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper.
5. Once all the stock has been absorbed and your rice is soft, serve with the parmesan cheese.

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Eton Mess

A traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, meringue, and whipped cream, Eton mess has been a favourite English dessert for over a century.

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• 150g of caster sugar
• 400g of strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 500ml of double cream
• 1 tbsp of icing sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 100C and line your baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Whisk your egg whites in a bowl with an electric whisk until they reach stiff peaks. Add the icing sugar in thirds, once again whisking to stiff peaks each time.
3. Spoon the mixture into separate dollops onto your baking tray and cook on the bottom shelf of your oven for one hour.
4. Put 1/3 of your strawberries into a blender and blitz them until it creates a runny texture.
5. In a bowl, add your remaining sugar and double cream and whisk until it holds its shape.
6. Crush your meringues and add them to your whipped cream. 
7. Add the chopped strawberries and stir.
8. Drizzle your strawberry sauce over your meringue, then serve in bowls with crushed meringue on top.

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Caramelised Onion and gorgonzola tart

Nothing beats the smell of frying onions… except caramelised onions. Mix with the distinct flavour of gorgonzola and you’re in for a real culinary treat with this tart.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
• 100g of unsalted butter
• 1tbsp of brown sugar
• 600g of white onions, thinly sliced
• 100g of gorgonzola, crumbled
• 4 thyme sprigs

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Roll out your pastry to the size of your lined baking tray and prick with a fork. Then chill for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt your butter in a saucepan at a medium heat. Add in your onions and cook for 10 minutes until they start to caramelise. Add in the sugar and cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Spread the onions over the pastry and sprinkle with gorgonzola. Then season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, serve, and enjoy.

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Roasted carrot soup

Who doesn’t love some good soup with a crusty bread roll? This recipe is perfect for making in bulk and saving for a rainy day.

Ingredients:

• 10 large carrots, peeled and cut into batons
• 3 large white onions, peeled and quartered
• 5 garlic cloves, skin on
• 1L of vegetable stock
• 1tsp of sea salt
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp of Olive oil
• A small knob of plant-based butter
• A drizzle plant-based cream
• 1 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 tsp of basil

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Put your carrots, onions and garlic on a roasting dish and drizzle over your olive oil. Season and toss them all together, then bake for 50-55 mins or until tender and golden. 
2. When the vegetables are done, remove the garlic from their skins and add them along with the carrots and onions to a saucepan. Cover this with your vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Blend your soup with a food processor or hand blender and add in your butter.
4. Serve with a drizzle of cream and enjoy.

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And there you have it. With these tips under your belt, you should have all the knowledge you need to make some fantastic vegetable recipes in your home. Of course, you can get even more adventurous as you get better at growing and make even more spectacular culinary delights!

If you enjoyed our recipes, then we have plenty more in the inspiration section of the blog, as well as tips and tricks on how you can enhance your experience in the kitchen.