Cooking for vegetarian friends - recipe suggestions needed!

[merlottime]

I have some friends over for dinner next weekend, and one is vegetarian. I don't really know what to cook for her. If you are veggie, what would you like to eat? What would you rather not eat? I'm not sure yet whether I will cook veggie for everyone, or also do a meat or fish option. I'm considering doing a curry, but I don't know if that is too lazy/boring? I'd love your suggestions, thanks.

I'd avoid mushrooms or goats cheese as many don't like them but they're the go to options often in restaurants at the moment (especially mushroom risotto)

I'd enjoy curry, but then for a veggie I'm easy. Chilli is easy/safe too and easy to do a veggie pot and a meat pot with accompaniments.

Curry is usually always a good option.

Agree that mushroom risotto is what veggies always get in restaurants and can be a bit boring.

Stir fried noodles? Gnocchi? Spinach and ricotta gnocchi? Aubergine parmigiana? Veggie lasagne? Bean enchiladas?

That second gnocchi was meant to be cannelloni

Mexican is often good if you want to have a meat option too. You can have tortillas, cheese, salad, guacamole, sour cream, a bean and rice mix and a meat mix all laid out and everyone helps themselves.

I'm not veggie but I'm trying to cut back on my red meat consumption, so instead of cooking a lamb for Easter this year, I'm going to attempt a leek and Parmesan tart that I've seen on the Waitrose website.

Don't do risotto! Or mushrooms pasta or risotto or goats cheese salad. Didn't like fake meats.
I was a veggie for years got so fed up with the above, mind you I am talking restaurants, I'm grateful for anything that anyone cooks for me.
Mexican is a good choice, tarts with salad and new pots - Delia has a very easy tomato and fresh goats cheese(no goaty flavour) puffed pastry tart - no soggy bottoms. Thai/South Indian curry. Homemade lasagna with salad. Mezze with falafels, humous, peppers stuffed with preserved lemon, feta, mint and pine nuts, baba ganoush, carrot salad - the list of dishes for this option is endless.
Jamie's sweet tomato and aubergine rigatoni, is a big big hit in our house and it can be made into a bake but we prefer the mozzarella just starting to melt.

If you are veggie, what would you like to eat?

Weirdly enough - we all like different things. Surely you know your friend well enough to ask 'what don't you like?' We are not going to be able to answer this for you.

I Iove a good risotto - so not a tasteless, watery pure with grit from badly prepared porcini! I also live goats cheese and beetroot.

I've been veggie for almost 30 years and remember the cheese salad days (that was all you ever got offered back then!).

Check any cheese or sauce is veggie (ie Worcestershire has anchovies).

Curry and chilli, quiche, pasta, anything with pastry!

Ask what they like and if there's anything they don't eat.

The Gousto recipe for Chickpea Tikka Masala is amazing. Everyone who tries it whether meat eater or vegetarian loves it and wants the recipe!

I wouldn’t! I’m allergic to tomatoes and don’t eat rice.

That said I’m having a similar dilemma about cooking for guests next weekend. 6 meat eaters plus me.

Thanks everyone who has made suggestions, some lovely ideas here.

(And to the rude poster who assumed I was treating all vegetarians as a collective, the whole purpose of this post was to ask what you as individuals like/dislike to give me some ideas. I think it would be more insulting to be asked to design your own menu when going out to dinner, rather than the host put some effort in).

The 'Vegetarian Collective' sounds like a union!

Curry a good idea! There are good recipes for paneer cheese curry which are delicious and meat eaters will find it satisfying too. Or how about a nice pasta dish? Like pasta alfredo or a carbonara but with sautéed leeks rather than ham or bacon.

And to the rude poster who assumed I was treating all vegetarians as a collective, the whole purpose of this post was to ask what you as individuals like/dislike to give me some ideas. I think it would be more insulting to be asked to design your own menu when going out to dinner, rather than the host put some effort in

It is not rude to point out that we have no idea what your friend will eat.

It is rude to think that all vegetarians are the same.

Just ask your friend what they like/don't like to eat. It is not difficult.

I'm amazed how many people do the like risotto or goat's cheese! You are all mad!

We're trying a Jamie Oliver black bean burger tonight. Having it with salad and wedges. You could do meat burgers for the carnivores!

If you go for a meat and veggie dish pick something that can have the same sides. I.e curries, chillies, tagine, lasagne etc

I don't think risottos are tasteless and I've eaten them in restaurants that pride themselves on making a good one and while it's been very edible, it's never been impressive...

I've had some horrible ones out - not a lot of taste and gritty!

I like polenta if it's not runny.

I had an amazing mushroom risotto once inside a baked squash. I still dream about it.

My 'go to' is aubergine and tomato casserole or something like iman bayildi.

Quiche is quite easy and you could have different ones. If you are doing meat and veg and want a 'meat substitute' you could do a 'special' fried egg.

Break an egg into a bowl, pick out the yolf and lightly whisk the white with one or two other ingredients, grated cheese, spring onion (salmon bits for a non vegi) herbs or peppers, heat a frying pan, pour the white in, make a hole in the middle and put the yolk in, fry as you would a fried egg.

There are lots of different rice ball recipes, from Italian arancini to Japanese onigiri.

My 'go to' is aubergine and tomato casserole

Literally my worst nightmare. 🤢

imho all goat dishes taste of goat!

I had a vegan family member from abroad stay for 6 weeks recently.

So every day cooking for seven people. OH and DD love meat.

It was a steep learning curve, but I totally cracked it.
Rather than doing options I would make the whole meal vegan, with meat add ons for those that want it.

So a curry meal may be:

Vegetable madras
Tarka Daal
Chapatis
Rice
Poppadoms
Pilau rice
Chicken tikka kebabs

A Moroccan meal:

Vegetable Tagine
Stuffed Aubergines
Jewelled rice
flatbreads
Spiced chickpeas
Salad
Harissa spiced lamb chops

Similar for Italian/Spanish Mexican/Chinese etc.

Obviously the omnivore also tuck into the vegetarian food, but have the meaty bits too.

I like to do a baked butternut squash filled with a vegetarian curry/tagine/rice. That’s then a substitute for whichever bit of meat or fish I’m serving, so everyone gets the same side dishes.