Is this a good idea? Any tips? Any vegetarian alternatives to Parmesan cheese?

[Xanco]

Hi peoples.

I'm 17, I'm a vegetarian, and I want to start to properly cook. On Saturday I'm cooking dinner, so I have decided to cook; soft tofu and shell pasta, covered in a tick Parmesan cheese and mushroom sauce served with a chunk of warm crusty bread.

I'm buying pasta and tofu from the supermarket, I'm not making pasta and tofu by hand just yet. I am going to make the sauce nice and thick, and enough of it so that it covers the pasta and leave a small amount of soup at the bottom - hence the warm crusty bread. Do you think that my meal is OK? Would you make any changes?

I know that Parmesan cheese isn't really vegetarian, due to how it's made. I wouldn't really mind how it's made, but my mum wouldn't it it (she's a really strict vegetarian). Can you suggest an alternative?

Thanks,
Xanco

[jennyema]

There are plenty of cheeses in the supermarket that are made without rennet. Most of them, actually.

Id actually suggest choosing one that isnt a hard grating cheese like parm. Hard cheeses like that are hard to melt into a sauce.

[Whiskadoodle]

Salad or a vegetable on the side for contrasting flavor, color and it's good to serve.

[Xanco]

Originally Posted by Whiskadoodle

Salad or a vegetable on the side for contrasting flavor, color and it's good to serve.

Good idea! I'll try to incorporate some green vegetables into the sauce.

[CharlieD]

Cheese is not vegetarian by any stretch. But there are vegan "cheeses" in Whole Foods. Not sure what kind, but what us more important? Completely vegetarian or type of cheese?

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by CharlieD

Cheese is not vegetarian by any stretch. But there are vegan "cheeses" in Whole Foods. Not sure what kind, but what us more important? Completely vegetarian or type of cheese?

Lots of vegetarians eat cheese Just not the kind made from animal rennet.

And the OP is in Liverpool (presumably England) where I doubt there is a Whole Foods.

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by Xanco

Good idea! I'll try to incorporate some green vegetables into the sauce.

Rather than mixing vegetables into the sauce, I'd suggest adding them to the tofu and pasta for color and texture.

Peas, spinach, rocket, cherry tomatoes ...

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by jennyema

Lots of vegetarians eat cheese Just not the kind made from animal rennet.

And the OP is in Liverpool (presumably England) where I doubt there is a Whole Foods.

Lots of supermarkets besides Whole Foods carry soy-based "cheeses."

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

Lots of supermarkets besides Whole Foods carry soy-based "cheeses."

For sure.

But if you are a vegetarian that eats cheese, as the OP does, there's no need to venture into the world of soy cheese. It's not very good.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by jennyema

For sure.

But if you are a vegetarian that eats cheese, as the OP does, there's no need to venture into the world of soy cheese. It's not very good.

Didn't say it was. I was just responding to your statement that there is probably not a Whole Foods in Liverpool. If the OP wants non-dairy cheese for his/her mother, they don't need a Whole Foods.