Vegetarian lunch party ideas!

[Parry5timesbeforedeath]

Good morning!

I am in a book group and it's my turn to host next time.

All the clubbers have a healthy bent and all are excellent cooks. I am a good cook also, and am newly vegetarian. I'd like to make an easy 3 course vegetarian meal that would suit 10 people. I have some ideas but love reading the ideas from MNetters. There are no food requirements at all and no-one will be upset at the lack of meat.

For the pudding I will probably get a really nice shop-bought tart of some sort and serve that with cream, but for other ideas I would be very grateful! Personally I am not a huge fan of soup as a starter but probably could do a nice buttenut squash soup if the main is really tasty.

Thanks in advance.

caprese salad followed by lentil bolognese/ vegetable lasagne/ other tasty pasta or a porcini mushroom risotto

A mezze style lunch with hummus, muhammara, pita, salad, falafel, olives etc

Vegetable pakora/samosa, a chickpea curry/dhal

Guacamole, nachos, salsa, mexican stuffed peppers, followed by butternut chilli, 5 bean chilli

a really good vegetable chilli with some sides like corn bread, corn on the cob and a green salad with avocado and grilled courgette could be easy and delicious.

I’d start with a beetroot and feta salad, maybe with some roasted squash and pine nuts.

so many options when you have no dietary restriction!

I'd go for some sort of lovely vegetarian pasta dish as your main, unless your book club is on a Saturday and quite formal and you therefore have time/inclination to make something more fiddly. Slow roasted tomatoes and chopped avocado, served on home made pesto/pasta with goats cheese or feta cheese is one I like a lot. Or I do spring greens lightly steamed then stir in home made pesto and creme fraiche and serve on gnocchi (although pasta worsk ftoo) topped with mozzarella or burrata.

Fig, rocket and blue cheese salad to start with a sweet dressing of some sort. Or a salad I used to do quite a lot was roasted butternut slices, which I'd then add to baby spinach leaves, add roquefort cheese and caramalised walnuts or toasted hazlenuts and a lemon honey mustard dressing.

Great ideas thank you all!

@JadziaD I used to do an almost identical salad to your butternut squash and roquefort one. I like the idea of that alot.

Lasagne also a good idea and am very tempted to go the chilli route as well.

I keep seeing people talk about spanakopita on here and it makes me hungry!

I also love having a choice of food at a dinner party and the option to say, a little of each please.

So I would probably do some salads, spanakopita, beetroot or red onion tart, a quiche.

For starters i cant help much as I always default to soup or seafood to start as i LOVE them. Though if I am going light I do like some homemade bread dipped in olive oil/reduced sticky balsamic, olives, sundried tomato's, roasted peppers, salt and pepper nuts etc.

Bruschetta with peas, broad beans, mint and whipped feta could be really nice and then follow it with vegetable moussaka with a salad on the side and crusty bread.

when I can get myself together, I bulk prepare individual spanakopita (in triangles like a samosa) and freeze them, uncooked. Then I have spanakopita which take about 7 minutes in the airfryer, from frozen, whenever I want them.

Makes note: must do this again soon as haven't for a while!

@JadziaD that sounds amazing!

Thanks so much everyone.

I am considering the following

-warm spinach, walnuts, pear and roquefort salad.
-roasted vegetable lasagne and breads
-sorbet and fruit salad as a lighter finish

or

-roasted butternut soup with loads of nutmeg and cream (I know i said I don't like soups much, but I do make a reasonable butternut squash soup)
-fettucine with with a creamy walnut sauce and a green salad on the side with avocado and roasted balsamic asparagus
-a fruit tart / treacle tart

I'll probably change my mind a millions times however!

I made this recently (without the anchovies) and it was amazing and easy to make.

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/baby-aubergines-tomato-sauce-anchovy-dill-yoghurt

I paired it with this

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/tabbouleh-extra-greens-pomegranate-molasses

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-olive-oil-cake

This is so easy and delicious and can make in advance.

:)

I made a veggie Moroccan style tangine in my slow cooker for a recent family gathering. It was so tasty - apricots, chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes etc etc. it was so easy to make and it looked after itself. I served it with flavoured couscous, salad, and fresh bread. Cheated a bit as I used Gourmet Pouches and added lots of other stuff. Really delicious and enjoyed by all.

Costco.
Hummus and similar items from that section of the chillers.
They have bread too or wraps.