Easy healthy vegetarian lunch ideas for visitors

[Jellybel]

Hello - please could I get some ideas for easy vegetarian lunches? DH and I eat a lot of meat and aren't particularly healthy. We also have a 1 year old DS so I need to cook quick and easy meals. DH's family tend to come over to ours to see our DS around every other weekend and I always get super stressed about sorting lunch! They are vegetarian and really healthy too and don't eat anything processed so I'm always stuck for ideas and can't serve up salad every time. Not the best cook but I'd like to show I've made some effort. TIA x

Actually ignore the bit I said about making an effort...just need ideas for anything foolproof that won't turn out to be a disaster

Cheese sandwich. Sprig of parsley to garnish.

Quiche and salad, pizza, wraps with hummus and cheese, soup and crusty bread?

BBC Good Food website is your friend! Spinach and Feta pie (spanakopita), veg/lentil soup, fresh pasta and home made pesto/green beans (we have with prawns but you could leave out), lasagne, baked gnocchi with roasted veg, curries…

Aubergine parmigiana, loads of nice prepare ahead salads that are more exciting than lettuce - Ottolenghi inspired. I make a Jamie Oliver spinach and feta filo pie for lunch visitors.

Spanish omelette and chips.

Big pan of veggie soup with nice bread and cheese?

Pasta pesto with roasted vege?

Jacket potatoes with choice of toppings?

Veggie chilli?

Make cheese sandwiches wuth 6 slices of bread and add some strips of jarred red pepper to them. Cut them into quarters and stick them in an oven dish, cut sides up, iyswim. Cover with 2 eggs beaten with 250ml milk and leave to soak in a bit. Sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese if you can be bothered and bake at 180 for half an hour. Eat with salad.

Lentil soup and coronation chickpea sandwiches.

Quick and easy - spaghetti with goats cheese (or diced smoked tofu) and peas, dress with a little bit of olive oil.

www.recipetineats.com/wild-rice-salad/

I love this with quiche (I do HM but supermarket would be fine)

Veggie based soup or a chickpea curry are both really easy. BBC Good Food website is great.
Or jacket potatoes with various toppings (hummous, cheese, chickpea curry, vegetable chilli).

Puff pastry tarts are the easiest thing in the world if you buy ready made pastry. Then you need only need a topping. I like mozzarella, cherry toms and pesto as well as goats cheese and red onion marmalade. Feta would also be nice. Not the healthiest I suppose, but very lovely with a rocket /spinach salad.

@CallmeIT

Puff pastry tarts are the easiest thing in the world if you buy ready made pastry. Then you need only need a topping. I like mozzarella, cherry toms and pesto as well as goats cheese and red onion marmalade. Feta would also be nice. Not the healthiest I suppose, but very lovely with a rocket /spinach salad.

There's an excellent one in the Green Roasting Tin book. Basically you spread puff pastry with grainy mustard, top it with sliced shallots, cover in cheese and bake. Not the healthiest but so easy and tastes as if it took ages.

Pesto isn't vegetarian...

@sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea

Pesto isn't vegetarian...

It is if you buy the vegetarian one!

Moroccan cous cous salad is really easy. It’s good with ready made falafel and yoghurt.

Forgot the recipe.
This is basically what I follow but usually leave out the grated carrot and often don’t have pomegranate or all the herbs in.

www.bosh.tv/recipes/quick-and-easy-moroccan-couscous

But basically pasta. Pasta with a sauce. Bonus points if the sauce doesn't include goats cheese or aubergine. Tomato & mascarpone is ridiculously quick & easy if you add it to fresh pasta like tortellini - you can have it done in under ten minutes. Carbonara with veggie bacon is a bit more of a faff, but again, it's easy.
A flavoured microwave rice pouch takes two minutes, and you can bung in a bag of pre prep salad, some extra veg and cut up cheddar or feta to make it more of a meal, or do the same with cous cous.

That tart @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie recommended really is tasty. In fact the Green Roasting Tin book might be a good investment for you @Jellybel.

This smoky bean & halloumi stew is lovely and you could batch cook the sauce to make it even quicker. Serve with some greenery and crusty bread/rice/couscous.

Frittata/quiche/tart with salad.

Vegetarian tray bakes are your friend, pretty much just prep in advance and stick in the oven.

The BBC good food site has some great recipes that should give you some inspiration and impress the ILs

Veggie chilli?

Aldi have got loads of vegetarian food in their frozen aisle. Buy something and just pad it out with salads/potatoes or bread

@PurpleDaisies But mostly only vegetarians know to check if pesto is veggie! Most people assume no obvious bits of meat = veggie. Which is why people serve up veggie soup made with chicken stock, or say 'can't you just pick the bits of meat out?'

[quote sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea]@PurpleDaisies But mostly only vegetarians know to check if pesto is veggie! Most people assume no obvious bits of meat = veggie. Which is why people serve up veggie soup made with chicken stock, or say 'can't you just pick the bits of meat out?'[/quote]
Well yes, people need to check that pesto is vegetarian but veggie pesto is widely available. It’s not right to say that pesto isn’t vegetarian.

Stuffed peppers: boiled rice or couscous mixed with onions, garlic, coriander, salt, pepper, mushrooms, vegan cheese - this mixed, put into peppers , topped with vegan cheese, baked and served with a salad of chopped apples, lettuce, grated carrots, chopped cucumbers and mint.