What is a vegetarian equivalent to a pork tenderloin dinner?

October 8, 2015 10:16 AM

Bear with me: can you help me identify a go-to vegetarian meal that would be satisfying to a dinner guest and meet the criteria sketched out below? I know there are many vegetarian meal threads here but I'm really fixated on finding a single utility dish that functions for a vegetarian the way pork tenderloin could for a meat eater.

Last night, I made pork tenderloin for a friend.

I cook for myself all the time, I'm 33 years old, but this is really the first time I've cooked meat for myself or a friend. It was totally foolproof and great - it was a meal I was actually kind of proud to have made for another person. I felt like it was something I could pull out of my hat and just make for anyone at any time and feel pretty good about.

However, I don't like to eat much meat, and most of my friends are vegetarian, and I don't have an equivalent vegetarian meal in my arsenal. So I'm wondering whether folks can think of a pork tenderloin-equivalent vegetarian meal.

The ideal meal would meet the following criteria:

* From raw material to the plate in 30 minutes or less, though I'm flexible here.

* Never get old - I could prepare it all the time, anytime.

* Flavorful and moist.

* Can occupy the central part of the plate (maybe even more so than meat since I try to not have meat be central)

* Is customizable with spices, sauces, etc. - for example, there are a million ways to season or rub a tenderloin, which change the basic end product.

* Is more filling than a salad, maybe a lot of surface area or density.

Other notes:

* I'm open to processed or packaged foods like tofu or tempeh but favor elemental foods like potatoes and beans.

* Ideally this wouldn't just be a kind of salad - usually I have a couple salads or prepared single vegetables on the plate.

* One great aspect of the tenderloin was that it was somewhat charred because of the rub and the fact that I seared it before putting it in the oven.

I don't know if I'm looking for a unicorn here but am interested in people's thoughts.

posted by kensington314 to Food & Drink (41 answers total)

You might look into the classic nut roast. Here is Felicity Cloake's take on the veggie holiday mainstay.
posted by Kitteh at 10:20 AM on October 8, 2015

Probably because I equate pork tenderloin with fall, I'd probably look into a basic roasted stuffed squash, like this. Once you get the basic idea down, it's endlessly versatile .
posted by General Malaise at 10:24 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was a vegetarian for about ten years, and I still eat lots of tofu because I actually like the texture and learned to cook reasonably well with it over the years.

Baked tofu is an interesting way to go.

It certainly lends itself to customizability with spices, sauces, etc., in the same way a tenderloin does. The "style" of those sauces can dictate the sides/serve-withs.

Haven't tried this one, but here's Mark Bittman's tofu escabeche for a different take on doing it baked.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:25 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I always think of portobello mushrooms (not all vegetarian recipes, but a start) filling that sort of role.
posted by jaguar at 10:26 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]

Oh! kitteh totally just reminded me of one of my veggie-days mainstays - it was the lentil nut roast recipe from Roz Denny's Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook. To be honest, the recipes in there always were a bit bland as written, so I would add heat or garlic as needed.

For this lentil nut roast, I added lots of extra curry powder and garlic, which made it waaaay better.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:28 AM on October 8, 2015

If you have a pressure cooker, you can make all kinds of amazing bean things in half an hour. (Or just used canned.)

My veggie staple meals are:
-a good thick lentil soup or minestrone or veggie chili
-ratatouille with eggs poached on top

All are filling, good, and have a zillion variations.
posted by the_blizz at 10:29 AM on October 8, 2015

Roasted veggies - toss with olive oil, garlic and some spices, lemon zest, vinegar - lots of options. Roast in hot oven for ~1 hour. Serve with a grain. Actual work time - however long it takes you to cut up veggies. I like a mix of onions, sweet and yellow potatoes, peppers, tomato, mushrooms, eggplant - lots of options.
OR
pasta with a tomato sauce - saute veggies like eggplant, summer squash or mushrooms and add to a good marinara sauce.
OR
curry + rice + raita - or biryani plus raita
OR
Good refried beans (start with canned beans, add garlic and chiles. Toast tortillas, some salsas, sour cream, guacamole.

So choose a base - beans + rice, or pasta + sauce - many of these adapt to lots of cuisines, don't have to include dairy or wheat or soy depending on the needs of your guests. Mostly reasonably quick - especially if you have some basics on hand.
posted by leslies at 10:29 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I might go with a quiche or an adjusted Yorkshire pudding. I based mine loosely on this one but I scatter it with grated parmesan or crumbled goat cheese and include a sauteed vegetable or two. I make the basic recipe in a pie pan or a heavy nine inch cake pan.

It puffs up beautifully in the oven and will impress people no end.

Also, a really lavish polenta with a quick tomato or mushroom sauce would work - plenty of either cheese or nutritional yeast-plus-olive-oil in the polenta.
posted by Frowner at 10:30 AM on October 8, 2015

I think it's hard to come up with a pork tenderloin analogue because good vegetarian food doesn't try to be good meat-eater food. You don't typically have the same type of slab-of-protein/starch/vegetable trifecta in a vegetarian meal - the best veg dinners I cook (and eat) are usually one-bowl type of things. With that in mind, there are endless options on the bowl theme by combining four elements:
- grain (rice, pasta, quinoa, millet, etc.)
- protein (beans, tofu, tempeh)
- vegetables (broccoli, greens, etc.)
- sauce

The sauce is obviously going to be the key that ties the whole thing together and the thing you can have the most fun with. Isa Moskowitz has lots of ideas for these in her books Appetite for Reduction and Isa Does It, if you are looking for inspiration.

Were it not for your time constraint I would recommend a good vegetarian casserole or lasagna as your go-to, but that's going to take a lot more time than the above suggestions.
posted by something something at 10:30 AM on October 8, 2015 [4 favorites]

Lasagna, curries (Thai and Malaysian are favorites, hm coconut milk), stews, risottos, hot pots, the possibilities are literally endless! I'm a meat eater but I find it easy to cook vegetarian, it's harder to cook paleo. I prefer to frame this as cooking with plants, not as a limitation or a "how to substitute meat."
posted by TheGoodBlood at 10:31 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

Biscuits and gravy would be another option - biscuits are very quick indeed once you've made them a few times, and a mushroom/onion/garlic/thyme gravy is very easy - add a little white wine. You can top this with a little steamed or sauteed broccoli to good effect.
posted by Frowner at 10:33 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]

I find that many people forget that eggs can be a wonderful thing to base an evening meal around. Frittatas and omelettes are endlessly customizable and very quick.
posted by gaspode at 10:35 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

Also, they take a little longer, but adjusted tattie scones are good - I make mine bigger and thinner than he does, and I often mix in some curry paste. Any simple sauce or even good quality sour cream works to top these.
posted by Frowner at 10:36 AM on October 8, 2015

Dried beans are glorious in a slow cooker.

Since I read this, I've experimented with various bean-and-other ingredient variations in the slow cooker, and all have been hearty, delicious, and mainly vegetarian.

White beans are my go-to for these, and using vegetable stock and white wine as the cooking liquids really helps make it.

With a nice bread on the side, these dishes are one-bowl meals.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:42 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

Nut loaves are great but they do have a meatloaf aspect to it. That is, they are tasty but not that ... dramatic even though they're delicious. I think for me the things I make that would qualify are

1. Baked stuffed squash - acorn squash do great with this and you can even make veg and non-veg options if you have people who do either. It scales well, it's as easy to make ten as it is to make four.

2. Spaghetti squash "lasagna" - you can stuff a lot of veggies in this and top with cheese and have a great pan of sliceable stuff in it which tastes like comfort food. You can also make it fussy or a lot less fussy.
posted by jessamyn at 10:51 AM on October 8, 2015

Baked sweet potato.
posted by SemiSalt at 10:52 AM on October 8, 2015

Mine is fried chickpeas. If using tinned chickpeas, rinse, then heat them on a low heat without oil for 10 minutes, then add oil and let them fry in olive oil for another ten minutes until crispy. You can add sunflower seeds, a bit of salt, and even chopped apricots towards the end. Works well in pittas, on pasta, etc. It makes a good greasy fried treat alternative to Yet More Humous.

I've read this is something Leonardo da Vinci ate but I can't find any link to back me up on that.
posted by BinaryApe at 10:54 AM on October 8, 2015 [4 favorites]

This mustard tofu recipe will get you close-ish to a pork tenderloin in texture. It is definitely filling, especially with the broccoli and the potatoes in the recipe, and fits most of your criteria.

I think the Blue Apron site displays a pop-up every time the page loads, so just click the background of the page to see the recipe.
posted by minsies at 10:56 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I like to make vegetable wellingtons--the result looks fancy, but doesn't require a ton of effort. Prep time might be more like 20-30 minutes, plus cooking time, but I think that depends on how fast you chop.

Here's a recipe I use for mushroom wellingtons:
Mix of baby bella/button and shitake mushrooms, roughly chopped (approx 8 oz button, 4 oz shitake)
1/2 onion chopped (or 1/4 bag frozen chopped onion)
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
white wine
5 oz box/bag of baby spinach or spinach/arugula blend
a dusting of flour
1 box puff pastry (2 sheets)
5 oz shredded gruyere cheese (or blue cheese or goat cheese)
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 425F

Saute onion in 2 Tbsp oil briefly in pan to soften. Add mushrooms, salt & pepper, and sauté until thoroughly cooked. Add a few ounces of white wine and continue to cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from pan to cool.

In same pan, sauté garlic briefly in 2 Tbsp oil and then add spinach, cook for 2-3 min over high heat until completely wilted. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from pan to cool (or place in strainer to ensure it is not too wet).

On lightly floured surface spread puff pastry out. Cut each sheet into 6 rectangular pieces. On baking sheet lined with parchment paper, set out 6 bottom pieces, and then layer with filling (leave 1/4" border all the way around): spinach, cheese, mushrooms, cheese. Brush border of each with egg, then stretch top pieces over and press edges together with a fork. Brush tops generously with egg.

Bake for 20 min or until golden.

You can use this same concept and change the filling to anything you want. I do another version where the filling is pesto, goat cheese, and sauteed asparagus and red bell pepper. The key is to season the vegetables well when sauteeing (with wine, balsamic vinegar, etc.), and pick a strong-ish cheese. That way, the flavors stand against the buttery-ness of the pastry.

Bonus, these freeze and re-heat well. Just cook as above, let cool to room temp, then freeze. Defrost on the counter, then warm on low in the toaster oven. Homemade frozen dinner!
posted by msbubbaclees at 10:58 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

My go-to for all *vores is a vegetarian version of Peruvian locro. Really easy if you can get pre-cut squash.

Pork tenderloin can be prepared in thirty minutes? Huh.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:13 AM on October 8, 2015

this chickpea cutlet is vegetarian and *delicious*. it is not gluten-free (soy, wheat gluten as binder). you can sub tamari for soy, and egg for binder (not great but ok). still not vegan because eggs, yo.
posted by j_curiouser at 11:17 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

Welsh Rarebit!
posted by Poldo at 11:19 AM on October 8, 2015

Vegan since 1993 reporting in.

For a mixed omnivorous group, a "roast" of seitan with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans is usually familiar enough for people to put down their vegetarian panic and just eat. Plus homemade seitan is delicious, a good conversation starter, and very, very easy if you have a bread machine.

For an already veg-friendly group, I totally love rich, nut-cheesy pasta dishes: stuffed shells, lasagnae, spaetzle, dumplings, you name it. It's a format that's open to a lot of play and personalization.

I realize both of these have make-in-advance components (the seitan, the nut cheeses), but it's a nice cooking habit to make some staples once or twice a month so you're stocked and ready to roll when you want that 30 minute meal on a Wednesday night. Both can be purchased premade, though.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:41 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

If by Pork tenderloin you mean the crumbed & fried version then I'd suggest doing the same thing with slices of eggplant, drizzle a little marina sauce on it (jarred is fine) top with cheese & then in the oven until the cheese melts. You can do the same with the pork for the meat eaters.
posted by wwax at 11:41 AM on October 8, 2015

I would go with flatbread. You can find endless recipes for varieties of flatbread w/ toppings ("flatbread" "pizza" "tart" etc). Classic margherita pizza, french onion, grilled veggie and hummus, apple and brie, mushroom and goat cheese, asparagus gruyere, tomato and potato, etc. You can buy premade pizza dough or puff pastry. If you make it tarte tatin style, it seems even more impressive, and it's not really any additional work.
posted by melissasaurus at 11:51 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

You can quickly make an amazing tofu scramble a hundred different ways with lots of types of flavorings. By using different types of tofu and preparation methods (pressing, freezing, etc.) you can also experiment with many types of textures.
posted by homesickness at 11:58 AM on October 8, 2015

On behalf of your vegetarian friends, I beseech you to make your main inclusive of a significant amount of protein. God bless them for trying at all, but whenever someone's like, "Ooh, I made you a special veg*n feast!" it's almost always just a huge pile of roasted vegetables, and while it's certainly delicious, it also means I'm going to be starving again in about half an hour while everyone else is patting their bellies after the meat feast that has just transpired in my absence.

With that said, seconding PPK chickpea cutlets for sure. They are so savory, moist, and delicious, simple enough to customize with any kind of spices you like, fantastic with a wide array of sauces, and so very easy to make.

Seitan scaloppine is another solid option, very tender and flavorful with a totally neutral flavor if you leave off the sauce.

Otherwise, these steamed sausages are fantastic. Here's a big list of spice blends portioned out for that particular recipe, so you can customize them to match your favorite type of cuisine. You can also make a big turkey-esque loaf, but that's a much more significant time sink (like 2 hours) between baking and steaming, although the ingredients come together very quickly.
posted by divined by radio at 12:03 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

Chickpea curry. Saute onions in olive oil, add a can of chickpeas, a can of tomato puree, and your preferred blend of curry powder. Serve over rice, or add potatoes. Add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream if you like. There are far better recipes out there, but this outline works.

There are tons of recipes for fried rice. Add scrambled eggs and veg. to make it a complete meal in 1 pot.

Curried squash soup. Make a roux - 1 Tb flour + 1 Tb olive oil, gently sauteed until golden. Add veg. stock, cooked squash, curry powder (or just ginger). Use a stick blender to make a nice consistency. Again with the dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

Rice noodles with peanut sauce. Green salad. I often make the squash soup and the noodles w/ peanut sauce as a vegetarian meal for company.

Pesto and pasta. Homemade pesto is so good and if you make several jars, you can stash some in the freezer for some evening when you don't want to cook. Add extra parmesan when serving. Do not skimp on the pesto. Having pasta with lots of lovely pesto is so delicious and feels extravagant, but isn't terribly expensive.
posted by theora55 at 12:10 PM on October 8, 2015

Though they don't fit all of your criteria, my first thoughts were parmigiana and shakshuka. Both the recipes I use include cheese, but I'm sure they can be modified.
Parmigiana
Shakshuka
Also: a ratatouille, with mashed potatoes and root vegs, and a green salad is a great three good things meal for me.
posted by mumimor at 12:10 PM on October 8, 2015

I think roasted cauliflower wedges would fill the role nicely.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 12:29 PM on October 8, 2015

Please no portobello mushrooms. Anyone who's been vegetarian/vegan for any length of time has been presented with so many terrible variations of those that even if yours are wonderful, they'll be facing a skeptical audience. And I'll second the plea for something with protein if you can manage it.

Depending on if you want vegetarian or vegan, there are many wonderful quiches and similar recipes (tortilla espanola, etc) you can use to fill the plate. I'm a vegan, so would recommend this recipe as a starting point (you can make these full sized and bake them in a crust or not).

Interesting bean preparations, like curries or even just white beans cooked down with sage, carrots and lots of olive oil, are also great (though less impressive looking). When it's warm out, bean dips are fantastic alongside salads and other veggies and make a pretty spread when all laid out on the table.
posted by snaw at 12:57 PM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

For lacto-ovo vegetarians, I think quiche and frittata are great recipe classes that come together without too much fuss, lend themselves to endless variations, and is certainly filling and "main course-y" even for non-vegetarians. Frittatas are ready a bit faster, while quiche may signal "this is a special dish" a bit more strongly.
posted by drlith at 2:55 PM on October 8, 2015

Nth-ing lasagna. Everybody likes it, it's a 'main' in the way meat is, it's flexible depending on what you have on hand, and once you do it once or twice it becomes very easy to repeat without a recipe.
posted by tofu_crouton at 3:20 PM on October 8, 2015

If you make a bunch of falafel ahead of time or can get some pre-made at a store along with pitas, falafel sandwiches. Find an appropriate ethnic market that specializes in these things and you'll be in heaven.
posted by XMLicious at 5:08 PM on October 8, 2015

Mark Bittman has a great recipe for braised lentils with onions and carrots, seasoned with Spanish smoked paprika. The smoked paprika gives it an almost bacony flavor. There are endless possible variations. Lentils cook quickly without pre-soaking, and you can add whatever veggies you have on hand. I'm not vegan but I make it pretty often, because it is so good.
posted by brianogilvie at 6:40 PM on October 8, 2015

Seventh Day Adventist Special K loaf! Moist, easy and can be endlessly customized. Reheats and freezes well too
posted by cat_link at 8:16 PM on October 8, 2015

My basic utility dish is Mark Bittman's Egg Noodles with Soy Broth. It's essentially noddles with kitchen staples (soy sauce, sriracha, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil) and I can mix in whatever I have on hand (vegetable protein, frozen dumplings, etc.).
posted by subgenius at 9:08 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

Halloumi

Essentially substitute it and use it like you would a pork loin steak.

You can sauce it up and marinade it, people just usually don't think to.

[ Sorry, just realised this isn't as commonly used in the US]
posted by Elysum at 8:37 AM on October 9, 2015

Seconding halloumi. Great on its own, works beautifully with grains, legumes, herbs, citrus, mushrooms, root vegetables, rice, bread, pasta. Doesn't take long to prepare or cook and hard to stuff up.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 4:15 AM on October 10, 2015

Tofu steaks, seitan, gluten, TVP and lentils. All are pretty easy and with the right sauces/accoutrements, are VERY satisfying comfort foods that I eat regularly as an omnivore.
posted by SassHat at 11:29 AM on October 15, 2015

I'm a big fan of the Cauliflower Steaks recipe from food52. It comes together pretty easily, is also fairly showy, and you can skip the cauliflower puree bit and serve it with the same sides you might serve with roasted meats.
posted by heeeraldo at 1:22 PM on October 18, 2015