Vegetarian sides, but no main course.

[Jorado89]

My turn to do dinner for my roommates and I. We have a vegetarian with us this time around and I am simply at a loss on what to do for a main course.

I can make a decent potato salad, and figured a simple dinner salad (tomato, mixed greens, blue cheese) would make for a good pair of sides, but what to do for a main course? Not too experienced at all this so nothing too complicated, please.

[Fisher's Mom]

We eat meatless meals most days of the week and one of the easier ones is pasta with a red sauce (we like linguine). If you add a loaf of bread that you split, butter and put under the broiler for a couple of minutes, it will be a lovely meal along with your salad. If you want dessert, a dish of sherbet would go nicely, too. I know others will come along with some more suggestions. HTH

BTW, welcome to DC, Jorado! Let us know how dinner turned out.

[GotGarlic]

Spinach manicotti is a hearty veg meal, as long as your guest isn't vegan, i.e., eats eggs and cheese: Spinach Manicotti Recipe with Ricotta and Parmesan Cheeses.

Or stuffed shells.

Or pasta primavera.

Or eggplant parmesan.

HTH.

[larry_stewart]

Mexican: Cheese enchilada, bean burrito, guacamole taco, veg chili
Italian: Pasta, stuffed shells, cheese lasagna
Sandwiches: Grilled portabelo mushroom fresh mozzarella tomato, provolone + lettuce+tomato+onions + good seasons dressing
Indian : Matar paneer ( peas and cheese), palak paneer (spinach and cheese), chana masala (chickpeas)
Felafel, grilled veggie wrap, mac and cheese ( not from the box)
soups: mushroom barley, vegetable, split pea
chinese : veg stir fry, lo mein, chow mein

Most of these are relatively easy to make, although some may require a decent amount of spices u may not have on hand, or hard to get ( depending where u live)
I just tried to show you the variety you have to select from, in other words, vegetarians dont only eat tofu and sprouts ( or at least I dont anyway). SO if any of these appeal to you, I can elaborate and find recipes. (make sure they are not vegans, or else some of these recpies dont apply)

Good luck,

larry

[larry_stewart]

oh, i forgot pizza:
Classic sauce and cheese, white, salad, eggplant, white with garlic spinach.
cheese calzone
broccoli or spinach /cheese stromboli...

[Jeekinz]

Or eggplant parmesan.

HTH.[/quote]

Stole my thunder.

Eggplant parm.

Bowtie pasta with roasted red pepper, olives and artichokes in a creamy pesto sauce.

[quicksilver]

Pasta seems to be the consensus. So some ideas:

Rigatoni w/ricotta, roasted garlic, sun dried tomato & basil.
Linguini Scampi w/w.o. shrimp
Angel Hair w/pesto sauce
Cheese/squash Raviol w/sage butter
Spaghetti Primavera
Fettucini Alfredo
Linguini Ala Puttanesca w/w.o. anchovies
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Penne Alla Vodka

or a killer

4 Cheese Baked Macaroni

Boy, I'm hungry now! Oh, ...and don't forget the crusty bread.

...... and garden salad

[Jeekinz]

How about fish and seafood?

Broiled filet of whatever, roasted clams, shrimp scampi, etc.

[urmaniac13]

If eggs are in, frittata or Spanish tortilla with potatoes, onions and cheeses (just an example... options for fillings are infinite...) would make a lovely, hearty centrepiece of the meal!!

[CharlieD]

All of the above is great, but how vegetarian is your friend? Some do not eat eggs and dairy. So the meal would have to be planed acordingly.
Stuffed portabella mushrooms might be a great idea.