These Vegetarian Recipes Deliver Major Flavor in Just 15 Minutes
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Photo courtesy of Erin Scott
Write what you know: It’s well-worn advice that has guided Caroline Chambers over the past decade. The Carmel Valley–based recipe developer published her first cookbook, Just Married, a few years after tying the knot with her husband, George, helping couples establish culinary traditions of their own. Then, a few months later, she gave birth to their first child, and time became instantly more precious. Drawing from her experiences as a new mom, she launched a newsletter, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, featuring comforting fuss-free meals. A bestselling cookbook by the same name followed a few years later—as did two more kids—and the book’s practical format, with recipes organized by total prep time, resonated with busy cooks from all walks of life.
Now Chambers is back with her third cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast (August 11). Packed with clever shortcuts and ingredient swaps for every palate, this newest collection of recipes promises even more kitchen efficiency, with many dishes coming together in about 15 minutes. “Giving yourself that break and not trying to follow some elaborate recipe or make some elaborate meal when you’re really not in the mood to cook lets you come back around to it,” says the mother of now four boys.
Here, Chambers shares three vegetarian recipes from the book—ideally suited for those days when speed is essential.
Dinner in 15
Hot Honey Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas with Couscous
“When I’m cooking for just myself—if George is out of town and maybe I’ve made the kids a simpler dinner—I always want just a huge sheet pan of roasted vegetables,” Chambers says. Enter this wholesome, riffable veggie bowl: It’s a tasty reason to dig up the forgotten can of chickpeas in your pantry or the produce languishing in your crisper drawer.
Spicy Saucy Tofu with Quick Slaw and Sesame Rice
Chambers frequently leans into the convenience of preprepped ingredients—coleslaw mix, precut squash and sweet potatoes, even hard-boiled eggs—then dresses them up in simple but flavorful ways. “Is slicing your own cabbage hard?” she says. “No, but it does take time, and sometimes that time is the only thing standing between you and the delicious, nutritious home-cooked meal.” Here, preshredded cabbage acts as the perfect textural counterpart to tofu that’s blanketed in a punchy gochujang sauce.
Tiny Tomato Pasta
Garnering rave reviews in Chambers’s newsletter a few years ago, this banger of a dish is summer cooking at its finest. Use Sungold tomatoes—a tangerine-colored variety sought out for its sweetness—if you can find them, but everyday cherry tomatoes will also do. Then cook them down into a velvety sauce and toss with angel hair pasta and a healthy dose of Parmesan for satisfying weeknight sustenance.