Need help with vegetarian meal.

[jalopy]

Not a cook.

Need to make a fantastic, tasty, fail-safe vegetarian meal.

Minimum prep.

Am I asking for the impossible?

Thanks to anyone for their suggestions.

[ILikeyourHairyHands]

No! It's as easy as making a meaty meal! How many people? How many courses?

[jalopy]

7 people. No starter. Just main and pud.

Thank you.

[jalopy]

Sorry - For 6 people!! Duh, not a good start!

[Veterinari]

Chilli with lentils or quote instead of meat
Veg curry
Veg fajitas with all the sides
Thai green curry

[Ihatesandwiches]

Veg crumble - boil casserole veg. Drain. Add cheese sauce, top with breadcrumbs and bake.
Mixed berry pavlova. Bought base, whipped cream and berry on top.
I want this for tea!

[BlouseAndSkirt]

Delias Mediterranean Veg Lasagne. Double the quantity, probably. With a lovely salad.

It is very easy. Oh: you can omit the grated mozzarella which makes it too rich, IMO.

[maxelly]

What are the eating preferences of the people, e.g. are they traditional 'British'/plain familiar food type lovers or would they enjoy something more spicy or adventurous? Is this for a dinner party or special occasion or more of a homely simple meal?

My simple/easy favourites to cook for a crowd are a veggie curry (spinach, chickpea and tomato my current favourite) which you can either serve very simply with rice or more fancily with all the indian trimmings, naan, poppadoms, pickles, raita etc. Or a three bean chill, again either simple rice or you can do as a serve your own taco/burrito station with lots of different fillings, cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole etc. Or a veggie tagine with 'jewelled' couscous and perhaps some middle eastern sides. All of these can be prepared in advance and reheated on the day and you can adjust the spice levels to suit the tastes of your guests.

However if my guests were not fans of any spice/'exotic' at all, I might go for something more like a lentil shepherd's pie or veggie lasagna. And if I was trying to really impress I'd do a mezze feast with lots of different dishes, hummus, muhammara, baba ganoush, olives, flatbreads, bulgar wheat salad, spinach and feta pastries, halloumi, tomato salad, fattoush salad, stuffed peppers and aubergines, perhaps a persian 'kooku' frittata. All of that can be prepared in advance except the halloumi but looks super impressive as there's so many different dishes to fill the table - can be hard to eat if you are going for a sit down though so it lends itself to more informal serving.

Happy to share any recipes if helpful?

[jalopy]

Thank you for all your suggestions. Like the idea of a fruit pavlova.

If I made a chickpea curry, what ingredients & spices would you recommend?

Thanks.

[Stupiddriver1]

Chickpea, sweet potato and spinach stew. Something like this recipe (though I've never used aubergine)

www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/d/deliciously-ellassweetpotatochickpeastew0.html

[AdaColeman]

What about a vegetable paella, all cooked in one pan, it's a bit like an exotic risotto, and very easy.

[ItsChristmaaaaaaaaas]

How posh are we talking here? I’ve made risotto (mushroom and pea or beetroot), pizzas, quiches (a couple of types and let people loose on them), curry, lasagne, moussaka...

What do you like?

[PurpleDaisies]

Don’t use quorn unless you know your guests are ok with it.

This is a super quick and easy curry.
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/sweet-potato-chickpea-amp-spinach-curry/

If you want something more impressive, you could do a whole baked cauliflower with a curry sauce (you could cheat and use a jar) with a daal as well.

www.veganricha.com/2013/06/gobi-musallam-whole-roasted-cauliflower.html

www.tinnedtomatoes.com/2013/10/spinach-and-coconut-dal.html?m=1

Add bought naan, bhajis, samosas, chutneys etc and you’ve got a very impressive looking spread.

[ItsChristmaaaaaaaaas]

Oh yes, quorn (especially the mince) can cause horrible tummy problems.

I love a potato and pea curry, and Dahl with yoghurt and mint/garlic (I forget what it’s called). You’ve got to make the rice nicely though!

[maxelly]

So for the spinach and chickpea curry I'd use a ready made spice paste (not sauce). Do whichever you like, I favour madras or rogan josh because it goes well with the tomato but if you like a milder spice go for it...

I use Jamie's recipe, it's nice and simple, sometimes I leave out the sweet potato and still works fine.

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/sweet-potato-chickpea-amp-spinach-curry/

[ItsChristmaaaaaaaaas]

I don’t think I’ve ever made a successful chickpea curry - they come out like bullets.

[maxelly]

Do you use tinned or dried ItsChristmaaas? Dried I find very hard to use unless they are boiled for ages first (just soaking doesn't seem to solve it for me), but for tinned so long as they get a nice long slow cook (some recipes massively underestimate, I think they need at least 30 mins) they are soft. If you are still having difficulties try jarred chickpeas as they are usually softer?

[myrtleWilson]

I have a lovely Meera Sodha chickpea curry or if you want something a bit different Dishoom's chickpea bhatura is lush but does require a bit of pre planning. If you google Meera Sodha she has a vegetarian recipe book Fresh India and a column in the Guardian. Sabrina Ghayor has recently published her vegetarian book which is also very good.
If you want more relaxed communal eating then Anna Jones' black bean tacos with all the trimmings are a great kitchen supper style dish.

[ItsChristmaaaaaaaaas]

I use the ones that come in the cartons. I was imagining that there was some secret spice I was missing that softened the offending peas! In reality it’s probably my greed at wanting to have my curry NOW!

[PurpleDaisies]

I’m not organised enough to use dried chick peas. I use the cheap ones in the world foods section of most supermarkets.

[christmassymcchristmas]

Chickpea curry is dull

Lasagne, really nice salad with garlic bread

[PurpleDaisies]

Lasagne, really nice salad with garlic bread

That’s on every vegetarian menu ever written. The epitome of dull.

[BertrandRussell]

Nigella’s Moroccan HotPot Never met anyone who didn’t love this

[christmassymcchristmas]

*Purple
*
I'd happily eat lasagne every day. Surely chickpeas and daal are on every menu too? Awful foodstuffs

[mumwon]

tagine in a slow cooker: onions sweet pot/&/or butternut squash a tspoon each of cumin & paprika & ground coriander place a tablespoon oil in slow cooker add above &a little more oil on top & salt & pepper , cook for an hour mixing from time to time to check it doesn't stick. add half a box of aldi sized passata & some apricots (or prunes or sultanas) mix &let cook for another couple of hours &stir from time to time. add tinned chickpeas & herbs let it warm & serve with rice or pitta bread & side salad(you can add a dash of tabasco to taste) measurements approx.!

[arethereanyusernamesleftatall]

Lasagne, really nice salad with garlic bread

That’s on every vegetarian menu ever written. The epitome of dull

It's popular as it's delicious IMO. And good and hearty - great for this time of year. A well-made butternut squash vege lasagne is gorgeous IMO, can't go wrong.

Much nicer and liked by more people than chick pea curry. I'm vege and I'd tolerate chick pea curry, but not look forward to it. Vege lasagna would make me happy :) It's easy for meat eaters to eat also.

www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/m/mary-berry-s-butternutsquashandspinachlasagne.html