Meals for everyone's dietary requirements?

[MrsCrouch]

I'm going on holiday to a self-catered cottage next week with DP, his parents, his brother and his gf (6 of us). We'll eat out a few nights but me and DP have to cook dinner one night and there are a lot of dietary needs. I'm panicking about what to make that's quick, easy and won't cost a fortune meeting everyone's needs.

So:

• DP only eats very plain food. Staple dinner is meat + mashed potato/chips/rice + veg. He'll also eat pasta.
• BIL is gluten free, but will eat most things otherwise
• Me and BIL's gf are both vegetarian
• In laws will be pissed off if there's no meat option for dinner and don't really like vegetables (think veg is poor people's food?!)

Help. Any ideas?

Two Lasagnes - one veg and one meat. Add in Gluten free Garlic Bread, salad and chips if you must!!
Can be prepared using jars and prepping the meat and veggies separately. Layer up and cover with veggie cheese/normal cheese or not - you choose.
Leave in the fridge and cook when you come in from a day out - cooks in about 30-40 minutes

Veg tray bake, add a tin of chickpeas and add quinoa for the veggies, chicken for the omnivores.

Is there a bbq?

Kebabs with meat OR halloumi and mushroom

How about this with decent gluten free vegetarian sausages?

https://savvybites.co.uk/sausage-traybake/

Mexican? Tortillas with chicken breast sliced up, guacamole, salsa, rice, peppers, sweetcorn, halloumi, maybe bean chilli?

DP can have plain chicken, rice/wraps and pepper (can't get much plainer than that!), veggies catered for, gluten free can avoid the wraps but rice + protein + veg so should be fine, there is some meat for the in laws.

I'd do one meaty shepherd's pie and one veggie. And use gluten free gravy.

We have a similar range of dietary needs in our family! When we were all away together the meals we had were -

Spag Bol - one meat & one veggie with Gluten Free pasta
Shepherd‘s pie - one meat & one veggie
Chilli & rice - one meat & one veggie
Jacket potatoes with a range of fillings
Sausage/ Veggie sausage with mash & veg

Just be very careful of hidden gluten in the ingredients - things like stock cubes are often not gluten free.

Im GF and married to an Italian - Rummo do a threat Italian range. What about a pesto gf pasta for everyone (spaghetti) with mozzarella/ burrata on the side to add in case people can't have dairy. You could also steam some broccoli and serve on the side alongside some high quality sausages?

Two different tray bakes are your friend here, easy to prep and cook both together.

Chop a lot of Mediterranean veg - peppers, onions, garlic, and a few toms (not millions as I don't like it too wet). Can add baby potatoes too, just make sure they're small enough to cook through or par-boil. Put into two trays with olive oil, seasoning, Italian herbs (I'd usually say fresh herbs but on your holidays it's ok to just shake a jar!) or paprika actually is nice.

Then one tray gets chicken thighs, the other gets halloumi, or veggie sausages. All you really need to adjust is timings, the chicken thighs will need a bit longer than the halloumi obviously.

Easy as pie, naturally gluten free, plain enough for everyone yet really nice.

I would do Greek/turkish, feta olives, roasted Mediterranean veg, cous cous, pittas, hummus, lamb meatballs/kebabs etc and everyone helps themselves to what they want. This is what I do when catering for a range of people with different tastes on a self catering holiday.

Everyone grows up and stops being so fussy?
(unless BIL is coeliac)

It sounds very simple to me.
mashed potato/chips/rice + veg.
and
meat for the meat eaters
and
some other high fat thing for the non-meat eaters, maybe veg samosa or cheesy pasty or veggie curry

Sausage/veggie sausage and mash plus veg etc would seem to work - just make sure the meaty sausages are gluten free

A roast dinner?

Gluten free pasta one with a tomato sauce and one with pesto and some chicken/meatballs/sausages on the side.

Worked very well for a large groupe of 16 which had 3 vegetarians and 2 fussy children.

2x Tray bake of potatoes, root vegetable, peppers (at the end). One with added halloumi and pesto and the other plain with a side of sausages.

Why would vegetarians need a 'high fat thing'? And mash with samosa?

Lasagne with jarred sauce? Needs gluten free pasta and gluten free white sauce as well as adapting the sides. Doable, but much easier to make something that isn't usually packed with gluten and requires you to sub half the ingredients.

Traybakes are a good call - the Rukmini Iyer roasting tin recipes are very adaptable (the carb base layer for pretty much all the savoury ones can be changed to rice or potatoes instead of something with gluten) and quite a few are online.

And baked potatoes with a selection of toppings are easy for everyone to take/leave bits according to preference.

What would you normally cook with potatoes or rice in your household?
That seems like it would fit everyone's requirements?

Otherwise, as roast, with a meat and veggies centerpiece that everyone can help themselves in the proportion they desire.

Mexicin or Indian with a choice of meat /veggie additions.

This. Make them at home and freeze them and then take with you.

They are also quite forgiving if you have the temperamental oven that's often found in SC accommodation. Some green veg to have on the side.

The Hairy Bikers' Indian Cottage Pie is a good one and a little bit different for vegetarians.

Thanks everyone, I was thinking of GF fajitas but the in-laws will hate it. They won't want to make their own wraps and will say we've made them sandwiches for dinner 😅 They also don't do any sort of spices or flavourings (can see where DP gets it from!)

I reckon a couple of sausage tray bakes could be a good call. One veggie, one meaty. Will get GF meat sausages. Also pre making cottage pies and freezing them is a good idea @ChicoryDip. Although not sure if it will taste as good reheated?

Also yes BIL is coeliac, ideally neither meals should contain gluten to avoid any contamination.

What a very dull palava to have to think about. Can you not just order a takeaway on your evening? Or get a variety of Cook meals to suit everyone?

And as a (mainly) vegetarian, the thought of a sausage bake of either variety makes me want to vom. Sorry.

GF pasta
Tomato and basil sauce

Sides - meatballs, cheese, garlic bread, salad, olives, veggie balls

Same. In laws do not understand vegetarianism at all and think it's something I choose because I want to be differenet and awkward. They're in their 70s, they will never change now. DP will be in charge of the meat.

Stir fry? Cashews or tofu in the veg one, chicken or prawns for the omnivores?

Most of these ideas sound lovely but will be far too exotic for the fussy eaters and vegetable dodgers.

I think the safest and most practical options are the two types of cottage pie. There will be no risk of cross contamination for the coeliac and they will reheat beautifully.

Do you and your DP cook separately at home @MrsCrouch?