to ask for help to cook for 3 vegetarians

[OnlyWantsOne]

Ignoring that these people have invited themselves to dinner tonight when I'm poorly self employed and it's the fucking holidays with the kids

I have to cook some thing really amazing for 5 adults tonight. 3 vegetarians... I'm a good cook, have well stocked cupboards and can go to local town for ingredients

What are your fail safe meals for entertaining?

Chilli bean wraps.

Curry, curry, curry. Veggie curries are lovely and simple, you can do loads of sides for choice and if anyone wants meat they can have a chicken breast or lamb skewer on the side of their plate.

And you can make them bring a side order each to save cost.

Some sort of tart or quiche?

How fancy do you want it? I would probably do something like lasagne (with either roasted vegetables or soya mince) and salad as that can all be prepared in advance and needs minimal attention once they arrive, but if you want something a bit more 'dinner party' then baked aubergine with tomatoes and mozarella, roasted veg en croute or anything with either dauphinoise or hasselback potatoes.

Do the warm chickpea and aubergine salad here - obviously leave out the ham! It's amazing.

Butternut squash, mushroom & sage risotto. Easy & tasty.

Veggie chili with home made salsa, guacamole etc.

Starter
Tricolore salad: ripe tomatoes, avocado and mozzarella with basil. Easy peasy. Just slice up ingredients and arrange them on a plate. Salt, pepper, scattering of fresh basil leaves (leave them whole and tuck them in the layers) and then drizzle good olive oil over. Serve with crusty bread or not. Always a crowd pleaser.

Mains
Vegetarian pasta. Again, easy if you have good ingredients. Don't bother getting "fresh" pasta in the supermarket but get good quality Italian dried, like DeCecco (sorry if you already know this, or are Italian).

here are some good combos:
Aubergine, red onion, garlic with rosemary and parsley (the more substantial option but I adore aubergine)
or
Broad beans, artichokes, asparagus sauted in garlic, tossed with lemon and parsley. (lighter in taste - more summery perhaps?)

Pudding
Fresh fruit (take your pick with so much in season) with good ice cream.

Hope this helps.

Spinach and ricotta lasagne, with salad and garlic bread!

However for friends, in those circumstances, it would be, 'sorry, manic day, let's have a takeaway and chill out!'

Curry is good if you can do a good selection with all the trimmings but tbh a great indian meal is pretty labour intensive.

I'd do mushroom risotto topped with blue cheese (put separately on the table so can be added to taste - gorgonzola works really well and really elevates it into something a bit more special) with good bread and salad or
Vegetable tagine or
a sort of mezze - falafel, hummus, pitta, salads, pickled chillies etc
All of these very easy to shop for.

Thinking of you - hope the kids are co-operative!

Made this at the weekend, was fab! We served it with ham boiled in coke, but serve with a salad for vegetarians.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cheese-courgette-pesto-pudding

Mushroom, Leek and goat's cheese risotto. Not many ingredients and not very expensive. Looks posher than it is!

Tell them to bring their own food if they invited themselves. You can't be a parky eater, invite yourself somewhere and expect to be catered for to your requirements.

One thing I make that people request when they come over is spinach and feta filo pie.
Mix cooked spinach, feta, egg, herbs and spices. Use filo to line a cake tin. Put filling in. Cover with more filo and bake.

I'd make my moussaka, but with finely chopped mushrooms rather than lamb mince (I think I did the same weight, as the mass decreases when you gently fry it first) or I'd second the aubergine/tomato/mozarella dish mentioned up-thread. At this time of year, several nice and interesting salads and things like quiche work well: personally, I find vegetarian food harder when it's cold, as I find meat warming and filling.

I'd do either:

A big quiche, plus garlic and rosemary roasted new potatoes and salad

Veggie chilli and all the trimmings

A couple of different curries and all the trimmings (but would buy the breads, bhajis and samosas ready made)

Or I do a v nice baked risotto, with asparagus, artichokes, broad beans and peas - that with a rocket and red onion salad.

Plenty of menu suggestions upthread. Do check that any cheese you use has 'Suitable for vegetarians' on the label, and also that any processed food (eg ice cream) is marked similarly. It's easier to find that on the supermarket versions, as the labelling is more consistent. Some vegetarians are more easygoing than others about that kind of thing, but it's frustrating to go to a lot of trouble and then find your efforts being rejected due to uncertainty about the origins of some ingredients, like whey powder and certain colouring agents, or even eggs from caged hens. DS2, a recent convert, tells me that Tesco are poor for the latter.

Chickpea, cauliflower and coconut curry is divine

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked chickpeas)
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked rice or naan for serving
Instructions

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the spices and cook until they're fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, and cauliflower. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 minutes more, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Veggie chilli made with green/brown lentils in place of mince. Rice, tortillas and toppings.

(Cheap and easy).

Brecon, why would cheese be unsuitable for vegetarians? Genuine question.

Cingolimama, it's because a lot of cheeses use animal rennet (from cows stomachs) to split the curds and whey in the cheese making process.