Summer prepare-ahead meals for 12-14 (including vegan and gluten free!)

[Foodplanner]

So we have a gang of people coming to stay at a family holiday cottage this weekend. 12 or possibly 14, including 4 kids, 2 vegans, 1 gluten free.

i don’t want to spend the whole time cooking and not seeing anyone! That has happened before!

any great recipe ideas? I’d like to prepare ahead this week. Happy to do vegan / gluten free versions (so two dishes). BBQ one night but salads etc could be fiddly. Veg lasagnas, shepherds pie, bolognaise easy to make ahead and I’m in my comfort zone there, but not very summery!!! Any suggestions? Thanks!

(might just do Cook one night!)

Salade Niçoise, cook new potatoes and green beans and hard boil eggs ahead of time, add tomatoes olives and good quality tinned or jarred tuna. For the vegans, leave out the eggs & tuna and add puy lentils or mixed bean salad.

Pasta primavera ( make with gluten free pasta). Use an interesting mix of green vegetables, Romanesque cauliflower, asparagus etc.
Although it can't be cooked ahead, the vegetables can be prepared ahead, and the cooking time is brief.

lol, you’re totally right @Ithinkwedbefriendscomelittlebabe !

I guess I can’t think of summery food I can prepare ahead and freeze. Also by the weekend, it’s gonna be 18-20 ish I reckon (Dorset).

it might have to be barbecues and salads. But I can’t bear the idea of the fiddling about with making salads and tzatziki… might have to just suck it up.

any cook ahead summery ideas v welcome!

https://glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk/recipe-index/

Loads of excellent GF recipes here and they can be adapted to other for requirements very easily.

@ThursdayTomorrow ooh lovely. Thanks. Just the kind of link I’m after 👍
Thanks, @AdaColeman . That pasta sounds great.

look at bish bash bosh https://www.bosh.tv/collection/summer

summer ideas range from noodle (rice noodles for celiac) salads and all recipes are vegan

https://elavegan.com/vegan-mushroom-stroganoff-gluten-free-recipe/#recipe-video

or this recipe

A pillow pie or two would freeze:
Puff pastry sheet is often vegan as made with oil not butter
One sheet of pasty on a baking sheet
Top with mix of fried onions and mushrooms, some spinach, well seasoned (or whatever filling you like)
Pastry sheet on top and seal edges
Brush with oat milk or such, cut steam holes, bake.

Sorry that's not gluten free. For quick to prepare vegan and gluten free I go for
Put lentils, sundried tomatoes, olives, herbs
Quinoa kisir- quinoa cooked in stock, cold with cucumber, spring/red onions, peppers, whatever

Thank you @Zumbador . This reminds me of a puff pastry nut wellington I did in March for veggie friends. We loved it! Definitely an idea!

Well, they’re staying 3 night, some for 5! So I’ve got a lot of planning to do! And they can’t really bring with…

the lovely vegan couple are keen to cook one night for all of us (and he’s a chef) but I want to be organised before they come! I might need to get DH to talk to them (they’re his old friends)

im thinking a bit of Waitrose catering / Cook is going to be needed, actually 😂

Thank you. This looks brilliant

I'd make it all gluten free as so much food is naturally GF anyway. That reduces work and makes cross contamination less likely. Check every single ingredient as gluten is everywhere. Prepacked veg from Morrisons being an example unless it's changed recently. Stock cubes are another. Jars of pasta sauce. Etc. Salads are a good call as there is so much you can do. A base to which people can add their own extras is always a way of catering for mixed meat/vegan as long as you separate things. Cous cous (not GF as standard but GF version available) works as you can have veg with it and then optional chicken, beans, tofu or whatever.

Should add, with the salads I'm thinking you take pre prepped ingredients (bagged salad, rotisserie chicken etc (watch that for gluten though)) and just put it all in a bowl or bowls to serve. I'm not envisioning you spending the holiday chopping lettuce.

@Ithinkwedbefriendscomelittlebabe hmm, good question! 😂Did ragu for about 18 including a veg version at Easter, but with moral support from grown up nephew and it was only one meal.... 😆
I'm ok putting together meals for 6 or 8... tray bakes etc...
But I've not really cooked for vegans much... hmmm

I’ve currently got bbq pork in my slow cooker I’m cooking it for the week! So one day jackets, one day in a roll, one day with rice. One day bread and dips.

you get the picture

Veggie / vegan you can do pulled bbq mushroom (it’s what I will have with it)

@ALovelyCupOfNameChange I'm liking your thinking!

@DrCoconut some very helpful suggestions here - thank you.

Lol, I guess I should have thought all this through before inviting people left, right and centre!😁I've more been focusing on where everyone will sleep and what party games we will play... eek!

If pork’s a no go shed loads of chicken thighs do the same job

Agree with making it all gluten free, so much easier (be mindful soy sauce isn’t gluten free!).

Mushroom stroganoff (use oat cream)
Tacos (use corn tacos), get everyone to chop stuff up, and people can help themselves
Paella - prep it all and cook outside on the bbq
Roasted root veg chili (roast in the oven with spices, then transfer to a pot with tomatoes and beans to slow cook, no standing over a hob!)
Make your own salad - similar to the tacos, get everyone to prep a dish and help yourselves
Vegetable tagine, rice, buy some dips

Thanks, @Shibr - great ideas here.