14 Zero-Waste Recipes To Make At Home
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14 Zero-Waste Recipes To Make At Home

After finding out that more than half of the 24m pumpkins carved for Halloween this year won’t be eaten, we went to some of the country’s top chefs to find out how to make the most of this autumnal vegetable – as well as their general tips for eliminating food waste in the kitchen. From a macaroni cheese packed with hidden carrots to a cocktail recipe that uses a whole pineapple, here are the zero-waste recipes to try.

How To Use A Whole Pumpkin: Oddbox Co-Founder Emilie Vanpoperinghe

THE FLESH

Pumpkin is sweet, nutty and robust and pairs well with warming, autumnal flavours such as chilli, woody herbs like thyme and rosemary; punchy, earthy spices like cumin and coriander; and cinnamon and nutmeg. Here’s what to do with yours:

  • Roast it simply by slicing your pumpkin into wedges (you can keep the skin on) and drizzling with oil, a little honey and cumin seeds. Roast until golden and tender at 200°C.

  • Roasted pumpkin is great in colourful warm salads, for example with kale, chopped nuts and an orange dressing.

  • Make pumpkin hummus. Roast your pumpkin as above, then leave to cool. Scoop out the flesh (if you didn’t remove the peel first), then blitz in a blender with tahini, lemon juice, a bit of garlic and cumin. 

  • Mash your pumpkin by chopping the flesh into small chunks (make sure to remove the skin first) and boil until tender. Drain and mash it well with a knob of butter or a bit of oil and a splash of milk or dairy-free milk. Serve as a side or on top of a veggie cottage pie, or turn the mash into Sunday brunch pumpkin pancakes with a pinch of autumnal cinnamon and nutmeg. 

  • Make a purée from the flesh and add to homemade pumpkin spice lattes.

THE PEEL

Save yourself the trouble of removing the peel and keep it on unless you’re making a mash, hummus or purée. If you do remove the peel, save it by roasting it into crisps: sprinkle with salt, drizzle a small amount of olive oil and bake it for 25 minutes on the top rack of a 200°C oven until crisp. Here’s what to do next:

  • Store your pumpkin crisps for a snack on the go.

  • Serve up with pumpkin hummus for a zero-waste nibble.

  • Crisp butty: make yours saintlier by squashing your pumpkin crisps into a sarnie with roasted veg and a layer of hummus.

THE SEEDS

Save your pumpkin seeds by roasting them to add to your favourite dishes. Rinse the seeds of the fleshy, stringy bits and dry in a clean tea towel. Place on a baking tray and coat with olive oil or coconut oil and a pinch of salt and chilli flakes (if you like), then roast for about 10 minutes at 180°C. Here’s what to do next:

  • Shake up your seeds with your usual homemade or shop-bought granola mix.

  • Scatter them onto soup or into salads for a nice added texture.

  • Stir through rice, couscous or other grains along with dried fruit and serve as a jewelled side to curry.


 

Oddbox
Oddbox
"If you do remove the pumpkin skin, save it by roasting it into crisps: sprinkle with salt, drizzle a small amount of olive oil and bake until crisp."
Emilie Vanpoperinghe

THE WHOLE THING

There’s no need to peel or carve up your pumpkin at all. Roast it whole and stuff it with any leftover bits you have in the fridge. Simply slice off the top and hollow it out by removing the seeds and stringy bits, then drizzle with oil and a bit of salt and roast at 180°C until tender. Stuff it with one of the following, then return to the oven until cooked through and bubbling:

  • Leftover bean stew or ragu, topped with a crumbling of feta.

  • Freekeh and fennel filling.

  • Any combo of cooked grains, dried fruit and nuts.

THE SCRAPS

At the centre of your pumpkin, you’ll find a bunch of seeds attached to stringy flesh. When you remove and clean your seeds, keep those leftovers to add to your next soup or veggie fritters. You could even freeze it until you’re ready to use it. If all else fails, use the stringy flesh for composting and the pumpkin itself as a planter.
 

Visit Oddbox.co.uk

Inspired? Here are six further zero-waste recipes using entire fruit & veg to try…

A Whole Cauliflower: Halibut, Cauliflower Couscous & Brown Butter

Jorjon Colazo, Aquavit

This recipe uses two ingredients in their entirety, the cauliflower (florets, stem, leaves) and butter (whey and sediments).

Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
4 portions of halibut, skin on
2 large cauliflowers, with leaves
100g of lingonberry jam
250g of butter
250g of double cream
Salt
Method
Step 1

To make the brown butter, put a pot on low heat and melt the butter. Remove the whey and sediment to get the clarified butter (the liquid part). Put the clarified butter in a pot and heat until you get a golden-brown colour, you should smell a nutty aroma.

Step 2

For the cauliflower, detach the cauliflower leaves and stems and put to one side, chop the cauliflower florets into small pieces and put into a pan with a bit of oil. Add the leftover butter (whey and sediments) and cream and cook on a low heat until tender. Pass through a blender and season with salt to make a puree.

Step 3

To make the cauliflower couscous, add to a blender with the stems and blend until you get a fine couscous texture.

Step 4

Season both sides of the halibut and pan sear. In the same pan, on a high heat, cook the leaves and the cauliflower couscous until tender.

Step 5

To plate, start with the cauliflower puree on the bottom of the plate then add the couscous and top with the halibut. Garnish with the charred cauliflower leaves and lingonberry jam. Warm up the brown butter and drizzle over the fish and the leaves.

Any Leftover Veg: Zero-Waste Vegetable Soup

Ligia Lugo, The Daring Kitchen

Serves
Serves 6
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
35 Minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp of olive oil
½ large onion, finely diced
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 tbsp of tomato paste
2 tsp of dried thyme
1 ½ tsp of sea salt
½ tsp of ground black pepper
6 cups of water or vegetable stock
3 tbsp of uncooked rice
1 cup of spinach
2 cherry tomatoes
A few broccoli spears
Crushed red pepper flakes
Method
Step 1

Using a large Dutch oven or similar pot, sauté the diced onion in gently heated olive oil. Sauté until the onions are translucent.

Step 2

Add the carrots and continue to cook until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the spices and water or stock.

Step 3

Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the rice and cover the pot for about 10 minutes. Add the spinach, tomatoes and broccoli and cook for another 10 minutes.

Step 4

Remove from heat and serve. When serving, add red pepper flakes, if desired.

Any Leftover Veg: ‘Anything Goes’ Leftover Slaw

Ryan Holmes, Compass Group

You can substitute anything into this recipe, savoy cabbage, courgette, parsnip, squash – whatever you have left over will work.

Serves
Serves 6
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
15 Minutes
Ingredients
1 carrot
2 broccoli stalks
3 ends of red onion
Leaves and stalks from 2 cauliflowers
Tops from 4 spring onions
Handful of white and red cabbage leaves
A few herb stalks of coriander, parsley and basil
25g of mayonnaise – I use an aquafaba version, but normal mayonnaise can be used
½ lemon
Pinch of salt and black pepper
Method
Step 1

Basically, anything goes here. Finely shred all the ingredients and place in a bowl.

Step 2

Add the salt to extract the water from the veg.

Step 3

Mix with the mayonnaise.

Step 4

Add a squeeze of lemon and pepper and mix well.

Step 5

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Whole Carrots & Any Leftover Veg: Quick & Healthy Mac 'n' Cheese

Maryanne Hall, Vegan Recipe Club

This sauce is really easy to make and so cheesy... the main ingredients are potatoes and carrots. There are lots of ways you can add your favourite bits if you fancy poshing it up. You can use the sauce anytime you need a cheesy sauce e.g. pasta bake, cauliflower cheese, jacket potato, nachos...

Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
25 Minutes
Ingredients
300g of macaroni, plus water for cooking (use gluten-free if necessary)
For the cheese sauce:
225g of carrots
650-700g of potatoes
170ml of olive oil
170ml of water
40g of nutritional yeast
2 tbsp of lemon juice
3 tsp of salt
Method
Step 1

Bring the macaroni to the boil and then simmer according to the instructions on the packet.

Step 2

To make the cheese sauce, peel the potatoes and carrots and cut them into small chunks. In a large saucepan, bring them to the boil and then simmer until soft (around 15 minutes).

Step 3

Drain the water and then add them to the blender.

Step 4

Add all the other ingredients to the blender and then blitz until really smooth.

Step 5

Add the cheese sauce straight onto the pasta and stir through until fully covered.

Step 6

Add any of the optional extras or enjoy the dish on its own... it's great either way.

Optional extras/ideas: wilted spinach (just add to the pasta a few minutes before the end), fried cherry tomatoes, mixed seeds, fresh rocket, fresh basil, vegan parmesan, steamed broccoli, fried mushrooms, garden peas (add to pasta 5 minutes before the end) and mixed chopped nuts.

Visit VeganRecipeClub.org.uk

Whole Cucumbers: Lacto-Fermented Baby Cucumbers

Nicholas Friar, Hypha

Here is a simple recipe for gherkins. These sweet and sour pickles are great as a snack, sliced on burgers or tempura battered and fried for a naughty little side dish.

Serves
Makes one large jar
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
2kg of baby cucumbers
Filtered water (measurements in method)
Good-quality salt (measurements in method)
3g of fennel seeds
10g of fresh dill
1g of black peppercorns
20g of fresh garlic
Method
Step 1

Add all ingredients (except the water and salt) to a deep vessel which is easy to loosely cover.

Step 2

Fill the vessel with water and weigh the total volume (excluding the weight of the original vessel).

Step 3

Get your calculator out and work out 3% of the total weight of all the ingredients including the water. This is the amount of salt you will need.

Step 4

Strain some of the water off and dissolve the salt into it. This method will allow you to accurately weigh the correct proportions without having to compensate for displacement.

Step 5

Return all ingredients back to the fermentation vessel and ensure everything is submerged. You can buy fermentation weights for this but any sterilised weight will work.

Step 6

Allow to ferment for 7-10 days in a dark spot and refrigerate when the pickles are sweet, sour but still have a little snap.

Step 7

Once you have mastered this technique, you can apply it to a wide range of fruits and vegetables that need using up.

A Whole Pineapple: The Royal Toast Cocktail

Bombay Sapphire

An exciting sustainable recipe for the at-home cocktail enthusiast, this drink works best with a homemade syrup/cordial which is both simple to make and delicious. Using the whole pineapple means this serve really is zero waste, with the resulting by-products used to maximise taste.

Serves
Makes 1
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
5 Minutes
Ingredients
25ml of Bombay Sapphire gin
25ml of Pineapple cordial
25ml of Martini Fiero vermouth
A slice of jam on toast
For the pineapple cordial:
1 pineapple
250g of sugar
250ml of water
Method
Step 1

First, make the cordial. Cut the top, bottom and skin off the pineapple and slice into 2-inch cuts. Grill the pineapple slices for 5 minutes or so, turning regularly, then cut the cooked pineapple into chunks.

Step 2

Separately make a sugar syrup on a low heat using 250g sugar and 250ml of water.

Step 3

Combine the hot syrup and pineapple chunks in a mason jar or sealed container. Leave to infuse for 24-48 hours. When ready, pour the syrup through a tea strainer, bottle the syrup and use within 3-5 days.

Step 4

When you’re ready to make the cocktail, combine all the ingredients. Shake and strain into glass.

Step 5

Garnish with a corner of toast with jam.

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