So you have a vegetarian friend or family member and you never know what food to make them, other than salad, when they come over. You google some ideas and everything seems so complicated and requires so many ingredients that you don’t own, but you choose a recipe anyway. You go to the grocery store and spend a bunch of money on your vegetarian guest’s meal; and then, because you and your family want a hearty, meaty meal for dinner, you end up making two separate dinners. The vegetarian dish you have, maybe successfully, made is enough for an entire vegetarian family so there is a ton of leftovers. So, because you know you or your family won’t eat the meat-less leftovers, you casually try and pawn them off on your guest and lose a tupperware container in the process. Trust me… there’s an easier way!
Before sharing some easy meal ideas for your vegetarian guest I should mention, just to avoid any confusion, the most common definition of a vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat. This means they don’t eat any beef, pork, poultry, or fish. Unless your vegetarian guest has told you differently, this is most likely what you need to avoid when you cook them a meal. The meal ideas for this article are aimed towards this common definition of a vegetarian and contain no meat of any kind. Preparing two different meals can be quite difficult which is why you might also consider buying a meal kit. Check out https://mealfan.com/reviews/sun-basket/ if you want to learn more about them.
** There are other types of vegetarians, such as pescetarians, who only eat fish but not other meat. There are also some vegetarians who choose not to eat meat and eggs (lacto-vegetarians) and there are some who do not eat meat and dairy products (ovo-vegetarians). Furthermore, a vegan diet is different from a vegetarian’s in that they do not eat any meat, dairy products, eggs, or any foods containing animal products at all.
Let’s get started!
There are a lot of meals out there where the meat is optional or its can be added in later, making a delicious meal for you and your vegetarian guest. This lessens your workload and uncertainty when making dinner because you can avoid making two entirely different dishes for one meal. Plus, your vegetarian guest will feel included in the dinner discussion, as everyone talks about how delicious the meal is, and like less of an inconvenience to you.
Spaghetti is a fantastic example of a meal that can be either meatless or meat-filled. Everyone makes spaghetti differently. Maybe you make your spaghetti sauce with ground beef or add meatballs on top. If this is your choice of dinner on the day your vegetarian guest comes over, you will have to make two separate sauces, but only one pot of noodles. Much better than two entirely different meals. If you plan on making both the spaghetti sauces, feel free to add in some mushrooms, carrots, peppers, or onion, plus whatever spices you usually use, to the vegetarian sauce. If you are lazy like me and you buy your spaghetti sauces, just make sure you buy a meat-free jar for the vegetarian meal. My favourite store bought spaghetti sauce is the CLASSICO DI SIENA – Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic. It has tons of flavour and it tastes as good as homemade sauce. As for the meatballs, you can leave them off your vegetarian guest’s plate or you can buy frozen meatless meatballs (Gardein brand is my personal favourite). Add some toasted buns with butter, some garlic bread, or a fresh salad and you’ve got a delicious meal planned for both you and your vegetarian guest.
Other Pasta Dishes can be served for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians in the same manner as spaghetti. For example, chicken and broccoli fettuccine Alfredo with the chicken cooked separately can easily be a delicious vegetarian broccoli fettuccine Alfredo. With lasagna or casseroles, you have to add the meat in before you cook it. For these dishes, try making a one-serving dish for your vegetarian guest alongside your large meaty lasagna or casserole. The best part is that you can add the exact same ingredients to both, just leave out the meat in the smaller dish. For the small vegetarian dish, it could turn out to be really simple or you can get creative. For example, You could end up with a basic cheese lasagna, or you can get creative by adding a variety of vegetables such as zucchini, spinach, olives, broccoli, peppers, etc. Whatever pastas you usually make at home, try turning it into a meatless meal for your guest!
Stir fry is another meal that can contain meat, or be totally meatless and still taste delicious. To please your vegetarian guest, you can cook the meat of your choosing separate from the vegetables. Then, add the meat to the meat-eaters’ plates after you have served everyone their rice/noodles and vegetables with sauce. You can put so much into a stir fry: broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, green beans, cauliflower, onion, corn, snow peas, peanuts, almonds, water chestnuts, etc. For a super easy vegetarian stir fry, I use Minute Rice and Irresistibles’ frozen “WOK” vegetables, topped with some delicious VH teriyaki sauce. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add some extra firm tofu. It can usually be found near the produce section of your grocery store. It’s inexpensive and relatively easy to cook (there’s directions on the back of the package). Basically you just have to dice and fry it up for a stir fry.
Burgers, hot dogs, and sausages are popular foods for barbecue get-togethers, but what will your vegetarian guest eat? Just like tofu, many meatless meat products are sold near the produce section of grocery stores. This includes vegetarian burgers, hot dogs, and sausages. Some of these products may have to be pan-fried, but most can be done on the barbecue. Check the cooking instructions on the package before you cook the product. Most vegetarians aren’t picky about having their food cooked on a meat contaminated grill; however, you can ask your guest just to make sure. If your guest would prefer his/her food to not be cross-contaminated with meat products, you can cook their burger, hotdog, or sausage on a piece of aluminium foil on the barbecue. The problem with store-bought vegetarian food items is that you get more than just one serving (at least 4-5 servings). Most products can be frozen, but only up to one month. You can send the extra servings home with your guest, or; the other option is to make from scratch Instead. There are a ton of different vegetarian hot dog and hamburger recipes online to experiment with, but beware the amount of ingredients they entail.
Tacos! Uh oh, it’s Taco Tuesday and you have a vegetarian guest coming over. No worries! You can make hard or soft tacos for them too! All you have to do is provide a vegetarian friendly option to add to their taco while you stuff your taco with ground beef (or whatever meat you usually use). You have a few options. You can buy meatless ground beef in that special meatless meat section next to the produce at a grocery store. Just add the taco seasoning to that and heat it up. You could also replace the meat with rice, black beans, chickpeas, refried beans, potatoes, tofu or quinoa.
Quesadillas are a personal favourite of mine. They can be made so many different ways, including vegetarian, and they’re so easy to make. You’ll need some tortillas, of course, and lots of cheese (I like marble the best). For you and your meat-eating family or friends, you may want to add chicken, pepperoni, steak, ham, or ground beef to the quesadillas. You chop up the meat of your choosing nice and small and load it onto a tortilla, with cheese everywhere- under, in, and on top of the meat. Add a second tortilla on top and cook them in a greased pan/skillet on medium heat. You can also fold the one tortilla in half for a small portion. They only take a couple minutes on each side to get a deliciously golden colour. For your vegetarian guest, skip the meat and consider adding peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, spinach, avocado, zucchini, olives, tofu or anything else that you think might taste yummy in there. I even put hummus in mine!
Pizza is a usually a safe food that you can serve anyone for dinner and they’ll enjoy it. Of course, if you have a vegetarian guest for dinner, you may want to offer something other than an extra large meat-lovers pizza. Whether you’re ordering pizza, buying it frozen, or making it from scratch, cheese pizza is the safest option out there. Then, there’s vegetarian pizza, with the rainbow of vegetables laying on delicious bed of cheese and sauce. If you want to explore some really good vegetarian-friendly frozen pizza, I recommend Ristorante. It goes on sale somewhat often for about $3.00. The best part is that it’s a thin crust pizza and it’s enough for one or two people to eat. There is assorted kinds that suit your vegetarian guest’s tastes; including, Pizza Spinaci (spinach), Pizza Vegetale (vegetable), Pizza Formaggi & Pomodori (cheese and tomato), Pizza Quattro Formaggi (four cheese), Pizza Mozzarella, and Pizza Fungi (mushroom).
Shish kabobs are probably the most fun meal to make from scratch, if you get creative. Not only do you get a tasty meal, you get to take your frustrations out by skewering any food item you can find. Seriously, ANY food item. You could serve a full course meal all on skewers. Start by stabbing some meat and potatoes. For your vegetarian guest, you could add some tofu or meatless meat instead (Gardein brand has frozen meatless chicken and beef strips). Gradually, your shish kabobs can get crazier. Salad kabobs are hilarious. Watch your guests try to eat lettuce, cucumber, croutons, cheese, baby tomato, and boiled egg off of a skewer. Finally, dessert to end the shish kabob night.. fruit kabobs, with chocolate brownies and marshmallows too.
Subs, sandwiches, and wraps don’t make the most sophisticated meal, but they sure are scrumptious casual lunch options, especially if you have a vegetarian in the house. There’s so many things you can put inside a sub, sandwich or wrap (besides meat). Think about tuna subs, egg salad sandwiches, grilled cheese with tomato, and various salad wraps. Don’t forget about that meatless sandwich meat that exists- ham, bologna, turkey, salami, etc. Yum!
There you go! You now have some easy meal ideas for the next time you have a vegetarian guest, besides salad. Salad is great because there are so many kinds, but you always worry about if it’s filling enough for your guest. Now you don’t have to worry. Your vegetarian guest’s will be full and satisfied by the time the meal is over. If you have any other super easy, barely-need-a-recipe vegetarian meal ideas, feel free to share!