Here’s an easy way to cook vegetarian meals

Vegetables, beans and grains stocked in your kitchen are much like Woody, Slinky Dog and the other well-loved toys in the movie “Toy Story.” They may not be as flashy as Buzz Lightyear, the new plaything in the house, but these old-fashioned characters reliably work together to make their human happy. (That’s you.) Greens, beans and grains do the same thing in this one-pot technique by cooking together to create vibrant, sustaining vegetarian meals.

The combination of snappy vegetables, creamy proteins and fluffy grains is not only delicious, but affordable and healthful. “Whole grains, greens and beans are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet,” writes Gena Hamshaw, a certified nutritionist, in her forthcoming book “A Grain, a Green, a Bean” (Ten Speed Press, 2025). “And when these foods are combined, they become even more powerfully nourishing.”

This streamlined and adaptable technique makes it easy for a cook to get into a groove of preparing homemade meals. Beneath the lid of a covered pot, grains simmer and the steam swirling from them slackens vegetables just until they’re vividly green, while already-cooked beans and their seasonings wake up from the residual warmth.

To start, pick any grains you like. For a mix of textures, use multiple grains that cook for the same amount of time. Long-grain white rice and quinoa, a seed that acts like a grain, are the fastest combination; sorghum and wild rice take longer but offer great nuttiness and chew. You can cram more flavor into the grains by adding ground spices or chopped aromatics to the cooking liquid, which can be stock or coconut milk instead of water.

When the grains are nearly ready, layer bite-size pieces of green vegetables on top and cover again. The steam’s gentle heat will soften the vegetables while maintaining their natural sweetness. Asparagus, green beans, frozen peas and other spring vegetables should go in during the last 3 to 5 minutes of the grains cooking, dark leafy greens should be added in the last 5 to 7 and broccoli florets in the last 10 to 15.

As for the protein, choose any cooked legumes, including beans, lentils and soybean-based options like tofu, tempeh and edamame. Before you scatter them into the pot, coat them with a little fat. A sauce like peanut sauce or Jamaican jerk seasoning paste, or even a drizzle of olive oil with garlic provides personality and sheen.

You can eat this grain bowl hot, warm or cold, on its own or brightened with just a squeeze of lemon. You also can garnish it wildly with crunchy toasted nuts or seeds, cooling yogurt or another sauce, fresh soft herbs or briny olives or pickled peppers.

It’s easy to repeat this pot of beans, greens and grains without tiring of the dish because of its flexibility. After all, the combination has sustained the globe in classics like Hoppin’ John and collard greens, chickpea saag with roti or rice, Persian greens, bean and noodle soup, tofu fried rice, green rice and beans, minestrone, and Spanish chickpeas with spinach and breadcrumbs.

We’ve got a friend in the trio of greens, beans and grains. Even when they appear asleep on the shelf, they can surprise us: Switching up your routine can be as simple as cooking dusty staples in a new way, and this one-pot technique does just that.

Serves 2 to 4.

Many filling, flavorful and flexible meals are within reach with this technique: It produces fluffy grains, just-soft-enough greens, and creamy and garlicky beans all in one pot. Customize your mix based on your cravings and your pantry: Use any dark leafy greens and any cooked legumes. Use quinoa, rice or a mix of the two for a variety of textures; for other grains, refer to the cooking instructions on their package and add the greens in the last 5 to 7 minutes. You can infuse the grains with flavor by stirring ground spices or other seasonings into the pot. Add brightness with lemon and garnish wildly — or not at all. This meal can be eaten warm or cold, which means lunchtime grain bowls are now easier to pull off. From Ali Slagle, the New York Times.

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, bring the water, quinoa and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper to a boil over high. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 13 minutes.

While the quinoa cooks, drain and rinse the beans, then transfer to a small bowl. Finely grate the garlic over the beans, then add the oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Set aside. Remove and discard any tough stems from the greens, then roughly chop the leaves.

After 13 minutes, arrange the greens on top of the quinoa and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the quinoa is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. (When the quinoa is tender, it’s also translucent and has a thin white tail.) Remove the pot from heat, scrape the beans over the greens, then cover the pot and let sit for 5 minutes.

Finely grate some of the lemon zest over the beans and greens, then cut the lemon into wedges. Eat the beans, greens and grains with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and any toppings you like.

Serves 4.

One pot is all you need to make custardy tofu, fluffy rice, crisp vegetables and a spicy sauce for dinner. Toast rice with ginger and garlic for a fragrant base, then partway through steaming the rice, add broccoli florets. Once the rice is tender and the broccoli bright green, use the rice’s resting time to warm the tofu on top. The tofu’s marinade of peanut butter, soy sauce and chile crisp adds a punchy, creamy complement that completes the meal. If you want to use another vegetable instead of broccoli, you may need to adjust when it’s added to the pot: Add sturdier vegetables like sliced carrots and winter squash with the rice, as they take longer to cook, and more delicate asparagus or spinach with the tofu. From the New York Times.

Directions

Finely grate the garlic and ginger into a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the rice and sesame oil, set over medium heat and stir until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in 2 ½ cups water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), or ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or fine sea salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

While the rice cooks, stir together the soy sauce, peanut butter and chile crisp in a medium bowl. Add the tofu and stir to coat; set aside.

After the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, working quickly, scatter the broccoli on top of the rice and season with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until the rice is tender and the broccoli is bright green, another 10 to 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, then scrape the tofu and sauce on top of the broccoli, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve topped with more sesame oil, soy sauce, chile crisp and cilantro as you like.