Vegetarian meal ideas

[Franklin2000]

I’ve got some friends coming round for dinner, my turn to host and I’d like some tried and tested ideas for delicious vegetarian meals suitable for entertaining. I’ve already done a curry night in the past so wanted something different. Thanks!

Vegetable risotto is nice, and fairly easy to prepare.

I have made vegetarian fajitas using chestnut mushrooms, onions, garlic, red, green, and orange peppers. I serve it with tortillas, salsa, refried beans, sour cream, grated cheese, cilantro, pico de gallo (chopped onion, tomatoes and cilantro), and guacamole.

For the fajita seasoning
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt
Black pepper
1.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper

I add the juice of a lime before serving.

Or you can cheat and use the smoked BBQ fajita packs from Aldi which are excellent.

Aldi also do a very good Thai green curry kit which I use the same vegetable mixture to. Their Thai red curry kit makes a good base for massaman, I just add a potato to the vegetable mixture, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cardamon, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter.

Caramelized red onion tart turns out well too.

I use a 9 inch quiche dish and line it with shortcrust pastry.
Slice about four large red onions and fry over a low heat for 35 minutes. Stir in a dessert spoonful of brown sugar and sprinkle the onions generously with balsamic vinegar and cook for another five minutes. Put halve the onions into the quiche dish and cover with a thick layer of grated cheddar. Put another layer of onions and cover with grated cheese again. Beat three eggs and add enough milk to bring them up to 300 ml and pour over the onion/cheese. Bake in a fan oven at 170C for 30 minutes.

I usually serve it with baked potatoes and salads.

You'll be needed a mezze: lots can be made in advance and lots can be served at room temperature.
Mix some simple 'out of jar' things with some Ottolenghi dishes to make a feast.

Finish with figs poached with rose syrup, chopped nuts and yogurt

It's a lovely choice for this time of year so that people can mix and match the lighter and heavier dishes based on their preferences.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/burnt-aubergine-veggie-chilli

This is SO good.

Depends how much effort you want to go to. As PP have suggested, a feasting menu type approach is lovely - if you have the time / energy / money / inclination!

ideas for that that haven’t been mentioned yet:

Spanish - ottolenghi vegetable paella, Spanish omelette, Patatas bravas, garlic mushrooms etc
italian - antipasti, fresh pastas, tiramisu
Mexican - homemade tacos with a couple of fillings, frijoles, guacamole, pico de gallo etc.

if you want something simpler a tart / quiche with salads and potatoes, or just the paella with maybe some almonds, olives and Paxton peppers as nibble before.

Bosh ultimate chilli - we do this for my husbands large family when they come round, as many are veggies. Serve with big bowls of guacamole, rice, nachos, sour cream, salsa, grated cheese, and everyone can help themselves - it always gets raving reviews from meat eaters too.

www.bosh.tv/recipes/ultimate-chilli

Stuffed peppers with green salad and crusty bread https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/quinoa-and-halloumi-stuffed-ramiro-peppers-with-salsa-verde.html

The Mary Berry veggie lasagne is wonderful

Nigella's recipe for involtini is divine . It's aubergine slices stuffed with feta, mint and pine nuts, made into Little rolls and covered in a tomato sauce topped with mozarella. Super tasty and can be prepared in advance ready to go in the oven when guests arrive.

Everything from the green roasting tin cookbook is good! They don't always look that inspiring but haven't done a bad one yet

Freebie ones here https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/books/the-green-roasting-tin/

Escalavida is good this time of year https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/escalivada/

The main thing to think about with veggie food is texture - meat/fish are usually the most interesting part of a meat meal, with veg you want to avoid everything being a uniform mush. So nuts, crunchy stuff, leaves, seeds, cheese, fresh raw bits etc

Hasselback halloumi always goes down well with veggies and meat eaters and very easy to prep in advance. Serve with charred courgette, lemon and caper orzo and a big green salad

Are you serving any meat or will it all be vegetarian?
Either way, what about tapas? Lots of naturally vegetarian dishes you could make, and easy to add a couple of meat dishes if you wish. Jugs of Sangria.

We had a family dinner for veggie DD1's 18th. Helpfully she also doesn't like eggs or mushrooms, or life would be much easier.

I made this:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roasted-carrot-whipped-feta-tart

and this:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cauliflower-cheese-steak-cannellini-bean-gratin-with-sage-crumbs

And served them with new potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Which veggie lasagne in particular Lastqueen, I've found she has a few different ones?

If you’re open to spending a bit more time on a dish I’d really recommend Ottolenghi Aubergine dumplings - I serve these with tenderstem and green beans. It tastes amazing and looks great in the middle of the table. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/apr/20/yotam-ottolenghi-dumpling-recipes-aubergine-ricotta-gnocchi-rum-currant-speculaas

For something quick I’d recommend this Mary Berry tart which I serve with potatoes and tzatziki. https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/mary-berry-roasted-pepper-beetroot-feta-tart/

I’ve also done a mexican dinner party with the below recipes before
Mushroom tacos with slaw and guacamole (these are amazing!) https://www.thelastfoodblog.com/mushroom-tacos/
Ive paired them with tortillas, salsa, grilled corn etc. This salsa is really great too - https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/how-to-make-pineapple-salsa/

Wow these are all great thank you! I’m going to go through them today, there’s lots I’d like to try myself. I’m edging towards tapas, for some reason veggie tapas never occurred to me. But those aubergine dumplings look 😋. I’m always keen to show how delicious vegetarian food can be as the ones who are coming are very much meat eaters!

She’s got one with about 750 different types of cheese in it! I can’t find it now. I’ll have to raid my recipe books when I get home :)

I make a lovely sausage plait with vegan sausages - serve it with a variety of salads and interesting bits and pieces!

Thanks Last!

Any chance of a recipe, please?

Vegan Sausage Plait - 1 box of ready made shortcrust pastry. Most of them are vegan but check.
Unroll it onto a large baking tray - short side nearest to you. Keep the grease proof that it’s come on underneath it.
Imagine it split up into 3 long rectangles. Leave the middle strip intact to put the sausage mix into, and use a sharp knife to cut angled strips from the middle strip to the edge of the pastry.
Grate 1 onion and one red apple
Thinly slice a pkt of vegan sausages - use Cauldron ones.
Mix together the onion, apple, sausage meat. Better with your hands!
Add salt and pepper, a few tablespoons of Paxo stuffing mix and some pickle - Branson or similar.
Mix with your hands - it will be quite moist.
Mould it into the middle section of the pastry.
Fold the pastry strips, using alternate sides, over the mixture and it will make a sort of plait.
Brush with soya milk or similar and bake. Mine takes about 40 mins on 160.

Aubergine parmigiana
Lentil loaf with mushroom sauce/gravy
Lentil cottage or Shepherd's pie
Mushroom bourguignon
Spinach and gorgonzola quiche or any other quiche combination without bacon or fish
Beetroot tart tatin with whipped goat's cheese

All of which could be served with a green salad or tomato and basil salad and/or gratin dauphinois

Starters could be a seasonal soup (hot or cold)

Puddings a fruit pavlova or crumble or summer pudding or a panna cotta/creme brûlée or even Cranachan

Just remembered watermelon, feta and mint salad &
Greek salad

Those Ottolenghi dumplings are incredible.

Another Ottolenghi recipe, that I’ve only been given so haven’t made myself, is the curried cauliflower cheese filo pie. It’s familiar enough to be comforting, different enough to feel special and it’s so good. Maybe more wintry feeling, but I’ve been served it as a vegetarian at dinner parties a few times now, and each time, many of the meat eaters found it their favourite dish too.