There’s nothing better than having friends over for dinner (Corona permitting). Enjoying good food in good company - what more could you need?
If looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, choosing a vegetarian menu for your next dinner party will be right up your street - not only will the meal save carbon, but it's also bound to be a good conversation starter. Getting people thinking about their own carbon footprint is just as important as reducing your own!
If you’ve never thrown a vegetarian dinner party before, here are my top tips to help you out!
Tip #1: If you’re cooking for meat-eaters, serve a hearty meal
There’s no denying that some meat-eaters are wary of vegetarian food, so if you’ve got non-veggie guests coming, you might be a bit nervous about how they’ll react.
The best way to convert them - not to vegetarianism necessarily, but just to being able to eat a vegetarian meal without wincing - is to serve something hearty and delicious. A big plateful of rabbit food just isn’t going to convince a militant carnivore that vegetarian food is any good; they’re more likely to go away feeling hungry and unsatisfied.
Instead, make sure you cook something with plenty of protein and carbs to fill them up. Beans and lentils are a great option, as they’re less ‘alien’ than some other vegetarian foods - even someone who’s never eaten a meatless meal in their life will have eaten beans at some point (beans on toast, beans in chilli, etc!). They’re the perfect mixture of protein and carb, meaning your guests will go away feeling satisfied.
Plus, lentils and beans lend themselves really well to hearty, comforting dishes like casseroles and stews, which are hard for anyone to resist!
Tip #2: Avoid meat substitutes
As a long-time vegetarian, I actually do enjoy meat substitutes for a quick and easy dinner (is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t enjoy nuggets and chips?!). However, I think there’s a time and a place for them, and a dinner party probably isn’t it.
In reality, vegetarian food is so much more than just ‘fake meat’. Fill your meal with fresh vegetables, hearty beans and lentils, and plenty of herbs and spices, and you’ll be showing your guests the best that vegetarian food has to offer.
Plus, using fresh whole foods rather than processed foods should minimise the amount of plastic waste your meal creates and focusing on seasonal ingredients will reduce the amount of carbon it costs.
Tip #3: Go big on flavour with international cuisines
If you’re not sure how you’ll make your vegetarian food flavourful enough to please guests who are veggie-sceptic, think international! There are all sorts of cuisines from around the world that lend themselves really well to a vegetarian dinner party, as they’re big on flavour, and easy to make meatless.
For example, if you’re cooking Mexican food (or Tex-Mex, if you’re less concerned with authenticity!) it’s really easy to make beans the focus of the meal - black beans, especially. Add plenty of spice, and pile them up in some soft tortillas or taco shells, with all the trimmings, and you’ve immediately got a satisfying, flavourful meal.
Thai curries and Indian dals are also great options, allowing you to pack huge amounts of flavour into simple dishes that won’t leave anyone feeling unsatisfied.
Choosing a particular cuisine to inspire your dinner party menu is a great way to make your meal feel cohesive, and will also make your food feel a bit more special and memorable!
Tip #4: Make life easy on yourself by pre-cooking as much as you can
As with any dinner party, it’s important to plan ahead to help your night go smoothly, and to make sure everyone has a chance to relax and enjoy each other’s company - even you, the host! So make sure you don’t cook a meal that means you’ll be stuck in the kitchen all night while your guests are having fun without you.
For example, it might seem like risotto is a great dinner party meal - it’s delicious, it’s easy to make, and it’s a real crowd-pleaser - but actually, it’s quite labour-intensive. Risotto needs to be stirred pretty much constantly while it’s cooking, which usually takes at least half an hour. Not ideal if you want to spend time with your friends!
Instead, why not choose a dish that you can prepare in advance. Most oven-baked meals can be prepped beforehand and then just popped in the oven when your guests arrive, so it can cook itself while you relax with a glass of wine! Stove-top stews and casseroles are also great options, as they can just bubble away on the hob until you’re ready to serve.
And if you’re feeling really well-prepared, why not try using a slow cooker to create something really satisfying? Slow cooking uses less energy than other types of cooking, so you’ll not only ensure your dinner party is stress-free, but you’ll also be helping the environment (and your energy bills!) too. If you don’t own a slow cooker, and you won’t be using it much, try borrowing from a friend to avoid unnecessary embodied carbon.
‘Slow cooking a meal’ and ‘sharing items instead of buying them new’ are both challenges in the Pawprint tool. Check it out to see what the carbon saving is:
Tip #5: Let everyone build their own meal
If you’re cooking for guests with a variety of dietary preferences, it can be hard to figure out how to please everyone without cooking multiple different meals. If this is the case, my favourite solution is to make a ‘help yourself’ dinner - just lay out all sorts of bits in the middle of the table, and let everyone serve themselves whichever dishes they fancy. You could go for a Mediterranean-style mezze, Tex-Mex tacos with several different toppings, or an Indian-inspired feast, with a few different curries, dals, rice, etc.
Serving your meals ‘family style’ means that everyone can dig into the dishes they like the look of, while quietly avoiding those they don’t fancy, with no offense caused! Your guests will be happy to end up with a plateful of food that suits their dietary requirements and taste buds, and you’ll be happy that you didn’t need to spend ages plating up everyone’s meal in the kitchen!
I also love the atmosphere that this style of dinner party creates. It feels a lot less formal than presenting everyone individually with their own, perfectly presented plate - everyone gets stuck in, serving up dishes for other people, passing plates around the table, and chatting about the food. It’s a great ice breaker, especially if you have guests who don’t know each other well.
Do you have any top tips for creating the most amazing vegetarian dinner party? Leave a comment below if you do. If not, just follow my advice and you’ll end up with a fun and relaxing dinner party that leaves everyone quite content!
