To ask for vegetarian inspiration?

[AlternativePerspective]

Have friends coming to visit at the weekend and one of them is vegetarian. Now I never was nor never will be a vegetarian, so am eager for some ideas.

So far I have:

Vegetable stir-fry,
Mushroom risotto,
Potentially pasta in tomato sauce
Vegetable soups of varying kinds.

Thing is, when I look at the recipes they don’t look particularly filling given that if I did the same stir-fry I would add chicken or similar for instance so there would be more of it, iyswim.

I’m reticent to add tofu as I’ve heard that many people are intolerant to it.

Added to which, she doesn’t like peas or beans.

So MN collective, give me some inspiration as to how I can feed a vegetarian and send them home wanting more not because they’re still hungry but because I have met their expectations.

PS: I am a very good cook, just not a vegetarian one. :-)

If your friend can eat tofu I recommend recipes from Tofoo. The Goulash recipe and aubergine parmigiana are especially delicious.

Sorry if pps have already suggested these

I would do vegetable stir fry (like you suggested) but add Dopsu chicken or beef style pieces, Alt chicken or beef style pieces, or anything Plant Chef from Tesco
I would also serve with rice and a satay sauce or a katsu sauce

I like to made homemade pizzas and top them with Applewood vegan cheese, veggies (like mushrooms, tomatoes and olives) and also Quorn vegan pepperoni

I did actually consider mushroom wellingtons to go with roast dinner but PP’s suggestion that everyone serves mushroom stuff made me think twice.

But these are all excellent and have given me inspiration.

As well as having friends to stay I do a cookery podcast, so I could do a season on cooking for vegetarians and include some of these ideas…

Breakfasts: Cereal, porridge,Omlettes, Vegetarian full english etc. This is the easy bit.

Lunches: Sandwiches, Paninis, Soups, salads, Vegetarian tapas style lunch.

Dinners: Curry with rice and naan, Pasta with salad and garlic bread, Thai curry with rice and vegetarian crackers, Stir fries with quinoa or rice, Pizzas.

Substitute meat with egg if they eat eggs, Paneer, Tofu, Chickpeas or even Quorn

Chilli, curry, pizza, quiche... anything in pastry and I’m a happy bunny (so a mushroom pie). I have a recipe somewhere for a brilliant spinach and egg curry (I’ll see if I can hook it out), really lovely.

Just make sure you check the ingredients (in case of non veggie cheese etc.

I made this courgette risotto for veggie family members which went down really well

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-courgette-risotto

Aubergine parmigiana, lentil shepherds pie, chickpea curry, paneer curry, halloumi kebabs, butternut squash pasta bake

I'm mostly veggie and eat a lot of Indian food like chana masala, different daals, Palak paneer, saag, aloo gobi, with breads or rice.
Also tacos with black beans, marinated veggies.
Rice and peas & jerk jackfruit.
Fatoosh salad, tabbouleh, halloumi.
Husband and child are lactose intolerant so at lot of it is vegan/easy to make vegan too, by accident.

Mushroom wellingtons. Easy, can prep in advance, looks like you’ve slaved over a hot stove for hours

Also stir fry/soup udon noodles or steam rice with fried egg or marinated tofu, and fried veggies is a quick one.

Get in good condiments - hot pickles, hot sauces, tamari/soy, peri peri marinades, jerk paste. Also nutritional yeast flakes.

Potato bake is quite a nice one - potatoes, cream, stock, onion, spinach, broccoli

Bake for an hour :)

I suppose all veggies are different but I'd avoid meat substitutes as I really dislike meat so why would I want to eat a processed copy of it? It's true that mushroom risotto is ubiquitous but I'd take it any day of the week
You could do a gnocchi al forno (we love this with a tomato sauce and olives and a mozzarella topping with a good salad on the side but there's also a lovely butternut squash one we have). My DS had friends round last week and did roast chicken, olive oil roast potatoes, lots of veg and a vegan gravy and nut roast so suited everyone. A stir fry would be great as would a good veggie curry alongside a meaty one. I think most vegetarians are happy to have a version of the main dish being served and truly don't think they are lacking anything. Vegetarian food is lovely and satisfying and I'm sure your guests will be delighted you've catered for them.
Definitely do the podcast too!

We're not vegetarian but eat veggie meals most of the week. I really like some of the Happy Pear recipes. I make this pasta bake to have for lunches a lot: thehappypear.ie/recipes/roasted-veg-pasta-bake/

We love tofu so that does feature in a lot of our veggie meals but some non-tofu ones we make include:

• Roasted gnocchi
• Chickpea curry
• Halloumi fajitas
• Spicy bean burgers

I did a lovely veritable and lentil moussaka last week - aubergines, courgette, toms, onion, potato, feta cheese and lentils.

HAIRY Biker's Homity pie:
www.saga.co.uk/magazine/food/recipes/vegetables/hairy-bikers-homity-pie

When ds was veggie the two best recipes we liked were Jamie Oliver versatile veggie chilli, and Huevos rancheros. I always did the latter with loads of diced feta and chopped avocado at the end.

When I have vegetarian/vegan guests I make a version of what the main dish is that work for them. So if we have say chops and vegetables. I get vegetables that everyone can eat and then find a main that works for the Vegetarian (my 2 dds both love tofu so we often use this) sometimes I get goat cheese tartlets sometimes I get a dish specifically for them from cook. If I am making some sort of casserole I make a vegetarian version

If you’re stir frying, this is lush
www.bosh.tv/recipes/crispy-chilli-tofu

Nigel Slater’s lentil and spinach cottage pie is another excellent vegetarian recipe. The original is delicious, but you can vary the topping by adding cheese on top, mixing in buttered leeks with the potato, or using sweet potato mash.
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/12/nigel-slater-vegetarian-winter-recipes

VampirinaHauntley I tried your potatoe bake tonight, with cauliflower and spinach🥬 it was super yum! And so easy, thank you!💐

This evening we had roasted vegetables (peppers, courgette, aubergine, tomatoes, with rosemary, salt, pepper) topped with goats cheese and honey. Serve with crusty bread and a good white wine.
DS had sliced ham instead of goats cheese.

And no wine!

That sounds nice baronessbomburst.
Going to try that too - id like to eat more veggie but by the time it’s time to cook I’m too tired to think, there’s some great suggestions here, thanks for posting op!

Tofu is great! www.mydarlingvegan.com/tofu-steaks/

Recently got into this
www.themediterraneandish.com/foul-mudammas-recipe/
You can get the beans in ethnic shops and asda!