Catering for vegetarians at large party

[SevenKingsMustDie]

DH is turning 40 this summer and we are having a party in the garden (as long is the weather is ok!).

We DO NOT want to be tied down to a BBQ and not be able to mingle, so I am buying a heap of bread rolls, and making slow cooked beef, pulled chicken and pulled pork for people to fill the rolls, with sauces and 'naice' salads.

Am looking for suggestions for a veggie alternative - needs to be ok being kept warm in a chafing dish for a while...

TIA for your ideas!

I agree. I've had this when catering for meat eaters who say things like "I don't eat vegetarian food" and I had thought I had therefore catered plenty of veggie/vegan food.

Aldi have a great, and reasonably priced frozen range, which are ideal for parties.
Our favourites include...

Crispy Battered No Beef Strips
Battered No Chicken Balls
Buffalo No Chicken Wings
No Hoisin Shredded Duck
No Pulled Pork

You can find them all here...
https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/vegan-range

They've made it vegan again!! Yay!

Would (and have in the past) done a dryish vegetarian chilli - onions, peppers, beans, tomato... no need for meat substitutes, served as sloppy Joe in rolls, with some sour cream and cheese.

As a vegetarian, I think jackfruit is risky as is anything that is attempting to replicate meat.

I think you need to have something that contains some protein. So, one or two of quiche, frittata, cheese board, bean salad, hummus, chickpea salad, falafel etc.

While I love roast veg, a roast veg roll without any protein is pretty bloody depressing and rarely filling.

Agree, you generally need 2x the vegetarian dishes you think you need as everyone will eat them

Some sort of veggie chilli, pizza, quiche, plus the usual pasta salad, potato salad, houmous, cheese etc

And for the veggies that don’t like the taste or texture of meat?

I'm not the most adventurous cook, so I tend to stick with dishes that are Tomato/Cheese/Mushroom based. So things like pizza, pasta, or even something as basic as jacket spuds.

This is why I pretty much self-cater everywhere.

I would avoid mock meat and keep it more natural. If you want something warm then maybe a mild veg curry, or something like falafel and pita bread with cucumber, tomatoes, grilled aubergine on the side. Coleslaw. Potato salad. And lots of cheese!

Jamie Oliver’s Feta and Spinach Filo Pie is easy to make and works for most veggies.

Portobello mushrooms, roasted
Slices of aubergine marinated in spices and oil and roasted
Slices of fried halloumi
Falafel

BUT be aware every meateater will also have "just a couple" of bits from the veggie section and your vegetarians will go hungry unless you massively overcater the veggie options.

Jackfruit is disgustingly vile, so not jackfruit!

I’d go with pregrilling halloumi or something like Jamie Oliver’s spinach & filo pie.

I arranged my 50th and relied on a supermarket's catering. I used Morrisons for sandwiches, cakes, all sorts of stuff including vegan and vegetarian. I turned up at the shop in the morning, loaded the car, got home, changed and put everything out before my guests arrived.

My DH is vegetarian and he loves a kebab with a cherry tomatoes, button mushroom, Quorn, and peppers. Smothered in a sauce. He also likes a cheese and onion quiche that goes well with salad. Plenty of rice salad, potato salad and pasta salad he'd be happy. A plate of Quorn burgers would be ok too.

My go to recipe on here is

Parboil chunks of pumpkin. Allow to cool.
Make an Italian tomato sauce.
Slice the pumpkin and layer in a casserole with the sauce like a lasagne. Add Greek feta or bacon bits for a salt hit scattered through.
Top with cheese and breadcrumbs and into oven until brown.

It’s filling, easy, forgiving. Make ahead. Freezes well, stays warm well.

Someone on here made it around Christmas and came back to say it was really good. I was so chuffed.

Some great veggie ideas here. I’d second the avoidance of fake meat and go with straightforward real recipes.

Don’t think anyone has mentioned so far the need to keep the veggie food separate from the meat dishes and with their own serving spoons. Emphasise to guests that veggie food is for vegetarians- anyone else to keep to their food only!

We’re a large family of 50:50 carnivores and vegetarians so are well versed in providing for both.

Sauted peppers and onions with herbs to put in the buns. People also like Linda McCartney sausages when I used to work in catering and we would do parties.

I have vegetarians to cater for. The meat eaters love to eat the vegetarian food as well as their meat! I always do extras. My mainstays are garlic mushrooms, cheese and garlic bread, cheese and broccoli quiches, cheese and onion pasties and cheese straws.

@Yogatoga1
Flora buttery is now vegan, changed last year.

Falafel, houmous, salad and wraps.

Just make sure the veggie food is separate and they can get their food first. I always find the meat eaters eat the veggie food…

I always do veggie kebabs, corn on the cob and halloumi. Regardless of who is at the barbie they always get eaten. I vary what is on the kebabs so if people don't like onions/mushrooms/tomatoes they can pick one without that on. If you have veggies or vegans though, make sure you offer the platter to them directly before putting it down for the group to make sure that they get fed!

Macaroni cheese. Trust me. I was offered this as a meat alternative to pulled pork and served with garlic bread. All the meat eaters wanted it too though! So good!

I'm a vegetarian and jackfruit is vile. A Fattoush salad always goes down well, a rocket, halloumi, Parmesan & pistachio salad is easy. Don't buy falafels as unless they are freshly made they're horrible. A tomato and red onion salad with vinaigrette & micro herbs.. pasta salad with olives and walnuts.

I would love:

butternut squash and feta salad
Lots of dips
Nice bread
Cheese
Fruit
Sone kind of mini pasties/pastry’s eg spanokopita