Dear Food52: I Don't Want to Serve Vegetarians Mush
How can I have a texture-forward meal when I'm hosting a vegetarian dinner?
ByMarian Bull
Published On

Dear Food52,
I'm looking for vegetarian dinner party/large group menus! When I try to come up with 3 or 4 dishes to serve together, it ends up being all scoopy bowl things or else just pasta and salad.
Signed,
zzzzzz

Dear zzzzzz,
Alas, poor mush, we know it well:
The roasted squash, the lentil stew,
the soft, the slick, the gooey goo.
The porridge, hummus, soft beans, too—
What’s a veggie host to do?
Don’t fret, dear reader, your options abound:
You just want something with a sound.
A crisp, a crack, a crackle-spout:
Things to make your good guests shout!

Let’s start with pizza: Why not that?
Make it thick or make it flat!
Make overnight dough, buy nice fresh cheese,
And pair it with a salad, please.
Your guests will love it, served on a stone,
and in cast iron, you’ll hear them moan,
Just one more! Give me one more slice!
For six guests, three pies will suffice.

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Tacos, too, are an excellent choice:
Tell me, who will not rejoice
at soft-crisp shells and fillings too?
Their quantity and style depends on you.

An interactive meal is twice as fun,
And we all like servings of more than one
You can get crispy taco shells,
But blistering soft ones sure are swell
And lastly, toast! Our faithful friend!
Take convention, give it a bend—
serve toast at a party, make the toppings fancy,
the ricotta creamy, the eggplant dance-y.

Okay one more idea, and it’s called a galette—
perhaps the best main dish on which you can bet.
It’s impressive! It’s pretty! It’s its own centerpiece!
And you can fill it with greens and MORE produce and cheese.
Make one or two, depending on numbers.
Make your crust in advance, then have a nice slumber.
A nice dry white wine will wash it all down;
At a Riesling I’m sure that nobody will frown.

What non-mush food do you serve vegetarians?