3-Ingredient Entrees

The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet is filled with recipes using 5 ingredients or less!

Barbecue-Flavored Tofu and Potato Kebabs
Thai Broccoli and Tofu
Hearty Pasta and Pink Beans

A main dish with few ingredients takes the frantic quality out of preparing a meal. Preparing a simple main dish is almost by definition fast and easy, but without the pressure—you can ignore a recipe’s promise that dinner will be on the table in 15 minutes, 20 minutes, whatever. Permit yourself to make these super-simple entrees at whatever pace pleases you. I often opt for a sim ple main dish, in fact, not because I’m in a burning rush, but because I want to devote time and energy to another part of the meal. Creating a special salad, preparing several different kinds of vegetables for my family to sample, or making a homemade dessert become more feasible when the entree is a cinch.

When the main event is simple, your best route to maximum flavor are complex sauces—ones that someone else has made. Stock your pantry with good-quality salsas, stir-fry sauces, pasta sauces, and such, and splendidly simple meals will always be at the ready.

BARBECUE-FLAVORED TOFU AND POTATO KEBABS
Serves: 4

Served with good Southern corn-on-the-cob and coleslaw (made from pre-grated cabbage, if you prefer, and dressed as you’d like), this meal recalls outdoor summer barbecues.

4 medium-large red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and microwaved until done but still firm
16-ounce tub extra-firm tofu, well-drained and blotted and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2/3 cup (or as needed) natural barbecue sauce

Preheat the oven’s broiler. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1-inch chunks. Starting with potato, alternate the potato and tofu chunks on metal skewers. There should be enough for 8 average-length skewers. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and brush the kebabs generously with barbecue sauce.

Broil for 5 minutes, then turn to the other side very carefully, wearing a long oven mitt. Broil for another 5 minutes. If desired, turn once again and broil for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve at once.

SALSA GRAIN-AND-BEAN PILAF
Serves: 4 to 6

This is a flexible recipe that I frequently rely on when I want a simple, nourishing main dish. I vary the combinations each time I make this, so it’s never the same way twice. Serve with sautéed green and/or yellow squash or baked winter squash. Round out the meal with a green salad.

4 cups cooked grain of your choice (quinoa, bulgur, rice, couscous, or other)
1 16- to 20-ounce can beans of your choice (pinto, black, or pink beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, or other), drained and rinsed
1 cup prepared salsa, or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and heat slowly until well heated through. Serve at once.

THAI BROCCOLI AND TOFU
Serves: 4

Serve with long noodles (such as udon, soba or linguine) simply seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce and some sliced red bell pepper strips.

2 large crowns broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
1 pound well-drained firm or extra-firm tofu, diced
3/4 cup spicy Thai peanut sauce, preferably reduced-fat

Steam the broccoli florets in a covered wok or stir-fry pan with about 1/2 inch of water at the bottom, until tender-crisp.Very gently stir in the tofu dice and peanut sauce. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Add salt to taste and serve at once.

HEARTY PASTA AND PINK BEANS
Serves: 6

Use hearty pasta from the frozen foods section for this filling dish. All you need to complete this meal is a bountiful tossed salad and some fresh bread.

16-ounce bag frozen tortellini (ricotta, tofu, or vegetable-filled), ravioli, ricotta cavatelli, or gnocchi
Two 16-ounce cans pink beans, drained and rinsed
28-ounce jar good-quality chunky marinara sauce

Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook the frozen pasta according to package directions. Just before draining, add the beans to the water and cook briefly to heat them. Drain the mixture well and transfer to a serving container.

Stir in the marinara sauce and serve at once.

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