Dinner idea to suit meat eaters and a vegetarian

[Bubble77bee]

We’ve got a group of friends coming round for dinner in a couple of weeks, including one vegetarian. Can anyone please suggest something I can cook that I can easily adapt to suit the vegetarian? Trying to avoid having to cook two separate meals. It’s more of a casual dinner than a formal dinner party. Thanks

Cook veggie for everyone?

Veggie chilli. Or curry.

Or a pasta dish.

Or mexican, with everyone digging in and taking what they want (easy to also do a meat dish for this one if you've got guests who can't cope with one fully veggie meal).

Veggie lasagne, with Quorn mince and a lovely side salad and garlic flatbread. Easy to prepare beforehand, so you’ll have more time to spend with your guests.

Fajitas or something where everything is on the table and people help themselves.
You could make the fajita base with black beans, onions, peppers, tomato and the fajita mix/spices, then just remove some for the veggie person. Then add chicken to the rest.
All other sides are the same, guacomole, rice, grated cheese (check for rennet), salad leaves, jalepenos etc.

Could you cook just a vegetarian meal?

https://pin.it/6TlXd2J

This lasagne is nice, and you could serve it with a rocket salad.

Most puddings are vegetarian.

Will you do a starter if it’s informal?

I'd say avoid Quorn myself, i think it's an acquired taste. I'd go for fajitas too.

I would do like the Mexican suggestion, so everyone can do their own. Or a selection of meze and some flatbreads. I’m veggie and if I cater and it’s not Indian food this is what I do. I get some sliced cold meats for those who really can’t cope without meat.

as a vegetarian, please don’t do fake meat. Quorn is indigestible stuff and most veggies don’t actually miss meat that much to eat a fake UPF version. I would force it down to be polite but it would make me feel grim afterwards.

I would do a vegetarian meal for all; curry, lasagne, fajitas or meze style. It's more inclusive and easier than two meals .

Thanks for all the ideas.

As a veggie I definitely second the Mexican idea. Alternatively make a few different curries, sides and breads. Easy to please everyone with either of these ideas

I would be wary of using fake meat. I'm veggie and don't eat fake meat if it can be avoided. You could do a lentil lasagna, rather than quorn.

What I do when I have friends over is make something that can be veggie or meat (dh makes the meat version) so maybe a curry/chilli and do the base together and then take some out for the veggie before the meat goes in and add paneer to the veggie and meat to the other one. There is generally more stuff to go in so I just divide it proportionally between the pots.

Or fajitas as others have suggested. Last time I had people over it was lebanese meze but in fairness, that was a lot of work.

Could you sit things out like a sort of buffet type dinner. Have a couple of meat dishes and the rest vegetarian with it all labelled so they’d know. My favourite vegetarian meals just now are probably a goats cheese tart or feta and Mediterranean vegetable pastry. You could have crusty bread, a pasta dish, salad etc

Aubergine parmigiana.

I'm a vegan and dh and the kids are meat eaters. Things that work for us:

Stir fry - prawn version and a separate tofu or just veg version.

Spag bol - beef mince version and vegan mince version.

Chilli con carne - see above.

Burgers (beef & veggie) with sweet potato wedges.

Loads more!

Agree with make vegetarian for everyone, much easier. Don't use Quorn, it gives me a bad stomach ache every time I eat it!

Vegetarian for everyone. Simple.

I’m veggie. I frequently do a gammon roast with roasties and veg, then do sliced halloumi as well, which works very well.

Look up the Bosh jackfruit chilli - it’s so tasty! Serve it with rice, nachos, sour cream etc.

PP’s fajita idea is good. I’m veggie and cook Quorn fillets for my fajitas - not the diced chunks, they’re not so nice. The fillets can be sliced.

Or two lasagnas - one meat, one veggie. I did this once when we had guests round and my guests were digging into the veggie one too as they said it was nice.

Something I do often in the same situation is dhal, vegetable pilau, salad and grilled chicken thighs.

Each person just takes whichever part of the meal suits them.

Salad for all,
Dhal and pilau for veggie
Add on chicken for the meat eaters
Just chicken and salad for those on a diet

🤣obviously the gammon isn’t for me or anyone veggie, but I think they’re both good with veg and roasted potatoes!

If you’re doing vegi, please do not use meat substitutes as they are all rank imo and I’m allergic to some of them. However I’ve had a vegan lasagne that was absolutely brilliant and much better than a meat one. I think the base was puy lentils, mushrooms and all the other standard stuff for a lasagne including vegan sauce and vegan cheese. Cathedral City do a very good vegan cheese.

I'd do a really luxurious macaroni cheese or a baked camembert with crudités

Mexican dishes are the way to go. My vegan partner and me (enthusiastic meat eater) love Mexican food.

I'd make a big vegetable curry, take one large portion out for the vegetarian and then add some cooked chicken into the main pot.

Long pointed peppers with feta on top

Big peppers stuffed with spicy or non spicy rice and finished with coriander and feta on top.

I would look for a vegetarian meal that you could add meat to, rather than a meat dish to adapt.

Something like this https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/baked-feta-with-burst-tomatoes-chilli-honey . It’s super easy, adaptable (I add red pepper and olives) and all it needs is some crusty bread. A side dish of sautéed chorizo would keep the obligate carnivores happy.

Appetisers could be some olives, almonds, stuffed vine leaves etc.