Easy Vegetarian Recipe: Tasty Quorn Casserole with Ginger, Coconut and Lemongrass

Pretend Chicken with Ginger, Coconut and Lemongrass:

 Easy Low-Fat Casserole Recipe

quorn casserole with broccoli and potatoes

This is a cheap and low-fat vegetarian recipe that is ready to eat in about 40 minutes. Quorn is high protein meat substitute that is healthier and cheaper than chicken. This whole dish cost me only £3 for 4 servings and at only 172 calories per portion, great for weight control. I use it often in my 5:2 diet regime. 

Healthy Cooking for Vegetarians

Nothing can be easier for the lazy cook - like me - than casseroles. Not only are they quick to prepare and can be left to their own devices while they cook, they tend to be economical and healthy.

I love to experiment and this is one I came up with that turned out to be a huge success with friends and family, so much so, they left nothing behind although I had cooked enough for two evening's dinner. Still, it is gratifying when people like your cooking so I wasn't too upset.

I'm a vegetarian, have been for over 30 years. I always try to incorporate some form of protein in each dish I make and one I use a lot is quorn. It is a mushroom derivitive (I think) and comes in all sorts of forms like - meat, chicken style pieces, sausages etc. If you are looking for a healthy alternative to meat - have you tried the huge range of quorn available? I've put a link below and it is presently being endorsed by athelete Mo Farrow. Quorn cooks quickly, takes a marinade really well and is very low in fats and very high in protein.

This recipe includes quorn chicken pieces. Of course if you are not veggie - use chicken pieces instead.

What is Quorn?

As I said quorn is a meat substitute made from vegetable protein which I believe is called micro-protein. In effect it mimics meat and poultry and you can buy it as minced beef, chicken pieces and cutlets, or in sausages. I think some veggies like it precisely because it is so like meat but that doesn't apply to me personally since one reason I became vegetarian is because I hate the texture of meat. I do tolerate the mince, chicken pieces and sausages though can't quite take the cutlets.

Even if you are not veggie you might think about adding quorn to your diet. It is practically fat free and much more healthy than red meat that is full of saturated fat. And - it is way cheaper. For this dish for example, the quorn cost me £1.50 - enough for 4 people - to buy the chicken equivalent would cost about £4 using chicken breast fillets.

peeled sweet potato

• Prep time: 15 min
• Cook time: 30 min
• Ready in: 45 min
• Yields: 4

Ingredients for Pretend Chicken Casserole with Ginger, Coconut and Lemongrass

• 225 g of quorn chicken pieces
• 3 medium sized sweet potatoes - peeled and diced
• 1 onion - chopped finely
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger - peel and shredded
• 50 g fresh coconut flesh - cut into thin cubes
• 1 teaspoon lemongrass
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
• 3/4 pint of vegetable stock or broth
• grated cheese for topping

“Lemon Grass” by antpkr

Instructions: Easy no-fat method 

I add no fat to mine but if you prefer you can pre-sizzle your vegetables in a frying pan before you add them to the casserole. 

1. Prepare all your ingredients
2. Place in ovenproof casserole dish
3. Top with grated cheese
4. Cook in a medium hot oven (180c) for 30 minutes until top golden brown
5. Serve with salad or green vegetables

1. ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR FUSSY COOKS:

1. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to a saucepan, frying pan or wok.
2. Fry onions until transparent
3. Add ginger and herbs and cook for one minute
4. Add chopped sweetpotato and cook for 5 minutes - cover with a lid and "sweat' them.
5. Transfer to oven-proof casserole dish
6. Add coconut and stock
7. Top with grated cheese
8. Cook as above

Nutrition and Cost - estimated values and this is what it cost me from my local Aldi store at time of publishing.

ingredient	calories	fat	protein	carb	fibre	vits	cost
Quorn chicken pieces	180	0.8	28g	2g	10g		£1.50
onion	45	0	1g	0	1.5g	Vit C, Calcium, Iron,	8p
Sweet Potato x 3	324	0	20g	26g	7g	Vit A, Vit C,  calcium, iron, potassium,	60p
herbs	0	0	0	0	0		25p
garlic	3	0	2g	1g	0	Vit A, Vit C, Calcium, Iron	5p
Ginger	1	0	0	0	0	Vit C, Vit B6, manganese, potassium, zinc	15p
Coconut x 1 tablespoon	100	9g	1g	2.5g	1.5g	Manganese, potassium, copper, calcium, iron, Vit C, Vit K, Vit E, Thiamin, niacin,	25p
Vegetable Stock	34	0.6g	0.5g	2g	0.29		14p
Per  4 servings	687	10.4	52.5	33.5g	20.29g		£3.02
Per serving	172	2.6g	131g	8.3g	5g		75p