Wildernessties

My son and dil are not eating meat so I am looking for some meal ideas I might be able to use when we have them for dinner. My husband and I as well as children are fine with meat so maybe a casserole that can be made either way would work. I don't mind making one of each. I have had quiche with spinach and mushrooms, pasta with shrimp in spaghetti sauce, mac and cheese, etc. We have them once a week and I don't want to get into anything too complicated but am open to any ideas or suggestions. Thank you.

lfty298

Meatless chili (substitute bulgar for hamburger) or black beans and rice are favorites here. Many soup recipes are
simple to make vegetarian friendly by simply substituting a vegetable broth for meat stock - it won't work great for
chicken soup and rice ;-)

suern3

One simple idea is vegie lasagna. I have made it just using Ragu chunky vegetable sauce with layers of cheese. You could always add more vegies chopped up if you wish, like zucchini, broccoli and eggplant, but you don't have to, it's good just from the jar. I find that if you just add some good bread and a salad to almost any meal, it will work. There are so many vegetarian recipes available now in most magazines and websites, like Allrecipes.com and Myrecipes.com. Our daughter-in-law is vegetarian, was raised that way, so it was not a choice or an option for her. She can usually make do with whatever we fix, I just try to be sure that I do extra vegies, like frozen corn and as I said, bread and a hearty salad. She also enjoys bean dishes. There are really so many possibilities.

DogHouseMom

Keep in mind that a lot of vegetarian main dishes will incorporate either beans or eggs as a protein substitute. Quiche works well for this reason, and you can add what ever veggies they like. (This is assuming they do eat eggs!). And Quiche is so easy that it's easy to make two - one with and one without meat.

I made this stuffed pepper recipe this past summer when we were inundated with a bumper crop of peppers and I was running out of ideas!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed...l.aspx?evt19=1
Some other meatless main dishes ...

Eggplan Parmesean
Minestrone
Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

notmorecraft

My mother in law is veggie, and I have everyone for Christmas for years and always make her a separate dish, sweet potato and chickpea curry, filo baskets filled with courgette,aubergine, mushroom, pepper tomato and topped with a cube of cheese. Sweet, potato, and polenta stack, with layers of mushrooms sautéed with garlic. In the UK we tend to use sweet potatoes in savoury rather than sweet dishes. Also vegetables in a dauphinois sauce, I use carrots broccoli cauliflower, sweet corn and green beans. Also nut roast, curry loaf - which is a packet of bachelors savoury rice cooked and mixed with chickpeas, onions mushrooms and peppers, three eggs and a teaspoon of curry powder, bake in a loaf tin for about 30-40 mins and slice like a regular meat loaf. Hope some of these give you ideas.

citruscountyquilter

My husband and I are vegan (vegetarian with no dairy or eggs). There are tons of recipes out there. It is easier to cook vegetarian rather than vegan mainly because of the cheese. Dairy and eggs are easy to substitute. Why not cook a vegetarian meal for everyone on the times they are over and have your meat other times. You might find that you really like some of those meals too. Ground beef substitutes are easy to find in the freezer section of the grocery store so anything like spaghetti, chili and such is easy to make with little alteration. There are so many recipes on line to choose from. Gardein brand meat substitutes are wonderful. Those are in the frozen food section of most grocery stores. I make a stir fry "beef" and broccoli that is so good that guests think they are eating beef when I fix it. The texture is there and with the seasonings it works. It's much easier to do than most people think.

Stitchnripper

My daughter in law was vegetarian for some time and she just "ate the sides" as she would say. Is that unusual or do they want a special meal or you want to provide it?

Jo M

Here's a super easy one for you. Serve this with a nice salad and garlic bread...who needs meat?

Mostaccioli Al Verde
1 box mostaccioli (or bow ties)
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (Portobellos are especially good)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite size pieces (use the stem too)
Parmesan cheese to taste

Steam broccoli until tender crisp (not soft/mushy) and keep warm. Sauté mushrooms and garlic in olive oil and a little butter. Cook pasta as directed & drain. Toss veggies with pasta and drizzle with a little olive oil, then add parmesan cheese and toss again. (Start with 1/4 cup and adjust to your liking). Serve immediately. Put a little bowl of parmesan on the table too, if anyone wants more.

I've been making this for years but never had a recipe for it so I've given you my approximate amounts. I have a spinach & ricotta stuffed shells in an alfredo sauce recipe also. PM me if you'd like it.

moedersaar

I make a stir fry spagetty.
any kind of spagetty noodles, fix like it tells you to do on the package.
depending on how many people are eating, you increase the ingredience.
1lrg onion,garlic ,3stalks of celery,2 roma tomatoes,2 zukkini,or head of brockley
you can realy use both if you like,portabella mushrooms. or you can use shrimp or chicken.or all.
rough chop onion,celery,tomatoes,and vegatables,slice mushrooms,and cut the chicken in bitesize pieces,
in a large skillet saute onion and garlic,now add chicken,all the other ingrdients that you choose to use,add alittle pepper and chicken boilion,stirfry only to aldente,dont overkook,add spagetty and toss,
I use olive oil and white pepper. PS save some of your water from the spagetty if you dish turs out a little dry add some spagetty water. enjoy .you can also ad a little pesto hmmmmmmm good.

Wildernessties

Thank you to everyone for the responses. You offered some great ideas and I plan to try most of them. My son and dil do eat dairy so that helps a lot. The vegetarian is something they recently started so whether it will last or not, I have no idea but I want to respect their choices.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond and offer me all this help. A big thank you!!