Vegetarian dinners from what is in your fridge

A vegetarian fridge is often fuller than it looks: vegetables in various states, eggs, a block of cheese, yogurt, a jar of pesto, some tofu or halloumi. The hard part is not finding ingredients. It is turning them into a dinner that feels like a complete meal rather than a plate of sides.

What makes a vegetarian dinner satisfying

A vegetarian dish feels like a meal when it has the same three things a meat dish does: protein, richness and depth.

• Protein keeps you full: eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, paneer, halloumi, cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts.
• Richness comes from fat: olive oil, butter, cheese, coconut milk, tahini, nuts, avocado.
• Depth, the savoury taste, comes from browning and a few pantry helpers: well-browned onions and mushrooms, soy sauce, miso, tomato purée, parmesan-style hard cheese, smoked paprika.

Finish with something sharp, such as lemon, vinegar, pickles or yogurt, and something fresh, like herbs or leaves, and even a simple vegetable dish tastes complete.

Eight vegetarian dinners from what is usually there

Frittata or Spanish omelette

Eggs plus almost any vegetable and a little cheese. The best way to use up half-vegetables.

Chickpea and spinach curry

Onion, garlic, ginger, spice, a tin of tomatoes or coconut milk, a tin of chickpeas and whatever greens are wilting.

Halloumi or tofu traybake

Roast peppers, onions, courgettes (zucchini) and potatoes, then add sliced halloumi or cubed tofu for the last 15 minutes.

Mushroom and bean chilli

Finely chopped, well-browned mushrooms give a vegetarian chilli the body usually supplied by mince.

Pasta with greens, garlic and cheese

Any greens cooked down in olive oil and garlic, tossed with pasta, lemon and plenty of cheese.

Vegetable fritters with yogurt

Grated courgette, carrot, sweetcorn or leftover potato, bound with egg and flour, fried until crisp, and served with garlicky yogurt.

Shakshuka

Eggs in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce. Add feta or spinach if you have them.

Fried rice with egg or tofu

Yesterday's rice, any vegetables, soy sauce and either eggs or crumbled tofu.

Vegan too

Most of the above works for vegans with swaps: tofu or chickpeas for eggs, coconut milk or cashews for cream, nutritional yeast or miso for the savoury hit of cheese, and a tahini or coconut yogurt sauce instead of dairy yogurt.

How Make Do helps

Choose vegetarian or vegan and every recipe Make Do suggests will be one. Photograph your fridge, check the list it reads, and get five dinners from what you have, with the vegetables closest to going to waste used first. Each recipe names what it uses up.

It also knows the difference between a side and a meal. Its recipes are written to be good food first, not just to use everything in the drawer. Tell it the cuisine you fancy, from 19 options, and how long you have, and it works within that.

For the method behind improvised dinners, read what can I make with what I have? For end-of-week vegetables, see ten dinners from odds and ends.