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7 min
05/02/2026
This article looks at easy mixed vegetable stir-fry recipes that make weekday dinners quicker and less stressful. It explores simple vegetable combinations, quick sauces and easy cooking methods that help you put together tasty meals using everyday ingredients, even on the busiest evenings. Dive deeper to know more.
After a long day at work, cooking needs to be simple, flexible and forgiving. Stir-fries tick all these boxes. They use high heat, cook quickly and depend on basic flavours from your cupboard, which means you can use whatever vegetables you have without following a strict recipe. Instead of thinking of stir-fry as just one dish, you can look at it as a cooking method. Once you understand which vegetables go well together and how to build flavour quickly, weekday dinners become much easier. Read this article to know how you can make your weeknight dinners simple with these easy-to-make mixed vegetable recipes for quick meals.
This is a reliable, everyday stir-fry that is ready in minutes and goes well with rotis or rice. Heat some oil in a wide pan and add sliced garlic and green chillies. Once they smell fragrant, add finely sliced cabbage and carrots cut into thin strips. Stir-fry everything on high heat until the vegetables soften a bit but still have some crunch. Season with salt, a splash of soy sauce and a dash of vinegar or lemon juice. If you have spring onions, toss them in at the end. The vegetables stay crisp and light, and the garlic adds a lovely warmth. This stir-fry works well as a light dinner on its own or as a quick option for packed lunches.
This combination is perfect when you want something light but satisfying. Heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic and black pepper. Add sliced mushrooms and cook them on high heat until they release their moisture and start turning golden brown. The mushrooms will shrink down quite a bit, which is normal. Add fresh spinach and toss it quickly until it just wilts. Season with salt and finish with a small knob of butter or a drizzle of olive oil for extra richness. The earthy mushrooms pair beautifully with the soft spinach, and the black pepper gives it a gentle kick. Serve this stir-fry with toast, rice or use it as a filling for wraps and sandwiches.
This colourful stir-fry works well as a side dish or as part of a bigger meal. Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions. Cook them until they turn soft and lightly golden. Add chopped green beans and stir-fry for a few minutes until they lose their raw taste but still have a bit of bite. Add sliced capsicum (bell pepper) and cook briefly so it stays crisp and colourful. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes or paprika. The sweetness of the onions and capsicum balances the earthy beans, and the colours make the dish look fresh and appetising. This goes especially well with dal and rice for a quick meal.
This recipe is brilliant for using up leftover vegetables sitting in your fridge. Heat oil in a pan and add grated ginger and garlic. The aroma fills the kitchen immediately. Add a mix of vegetables like broccoli, carrots, baby corn and bell peppers. Stir-fry everything on high heat until it is cooked enough, and the vegetables should still have some texture. Add soy sauce and a little water to coat the vegetables lightly without making them soggy. Cook for another minute and turn off the heat. The ginger adds a fresh, zesty note while the soy sauce adds a savoury touch to it. Serve this with plain rice or noodles for a complete weekday dinner that is satisfying and not heavy.
When you use a wide pan, it helps to cook vegetables evenly without steaming or getting soggy. Adding vegetables in stages based on how long they take to cook prevents some from turning mushy, while others stay raw. Sauces should always go in towards the end to keep flavours fresh and textures intact. If you chop your vegetables, garlic and ginger in advance and keep them ready, you can cut your cooking time in half on busy days. Even keeping them prepped in the fridge for a day or two makes dinner much less overwhelming.