7 Vegetarian Party Recipes That Will Please Any Crowd

Between keto-obsessed, CrossFit-loving friends and gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian family members, it can be more challenging than ever to throw a summer barbecue or an intimate dinner party and ensure everyone will have something tasty and satisfying to eat.

Enter the crowd-pleasing recipes in Jessica Oldfield's simple, stylish Vegetarian Party Food: Delectable Vegetable-Forward Bites for Entertaining ($20, amazon.com). The collection–with colorful, smart photography by Beatriz da Costa–eliminates all the guesswork of feeding a group with over 80 tasty dips, snacks, and bites to share.

Better still: All the ingredients are easy to find, no fancy kitchen equipment is required, and there's even a whole section for vegans. Here, seven recipes you're definitely going to want to try.

Preparation: 5 minutes

Cooking: 15 minutes

Serves 4

1 piece focaccia (9 oz.) cut in half horizontally

2 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb 2 oz. asparagus, trimmed

1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced

Small handful of thyme

½ lemon, sliced into thin rounds

5 ¾ oz. labneh or vegan sour cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425º F. Drizzle the cut sides of the focaccia halves with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and toast until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. Toss the asparagus with the remaining olive oil, garlic, and several thyme sprigs. Season well and roast with the sliced lemon for 15 minutes, or until tender and slightly charred.
3. Spread the focaccia halves with labneh or sour cream. Arrange the asparagus over the bread, top with the remaining thyme and charred lemon, and slice into squares to serve.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Serves 2

For the Green Chili Oil:

8 green chilies, stalks removed and roughly chopped

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

For the sandwiches:

1 Tbsp. Green Chili Oil

2 tsps. rice vinegar

½ tsp. salt, plus extra for sprinkling

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced on a mandolin

2 slices of soft white sandwich bread, halved, crusts removed

1 oz. raw peanuts, roasted and roughly chopped

2 eggs, soft-boiled in boiling water for 5 minutes, cooled, then peeled

1. To make Green Chili Oil ahead of time, bruise the chilies in a mortar and pestle, then transfer to a 2-cup sterilized jar and cover with olive oil. The oil will intensify in flavor over time. Store sealed in the refrigerator for up to six months.
2. Whisk 1 Tbsp. Green Chili Oil, vinegar, and salt together in a bowl. Add the cucumber slices and coat well in the dressing. Lay the four pieces of bread out, arrange cucumber slices in rows on each piece, then sprinkle over the peanuts. Carefully halve each egg and arrange on each sandwich. Sprinkle an extra pinch of salt over each sandwich and serve.

Preparation: 50 minutes

Serves 4

For the Fennel, Mint, and Caraway Tzatziki:

​​​​​​​9 oz. plain Greek yogurt

Small bunch of mint, leaves picked and coarsely torn, plus extra to garnish

1 cucumber, de-seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly toasted

1 tsp. caraway seeds, lightly toasted

½ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

For the Jeweled Pilaf Cups:

3 ¼ oz, brown rice, rinsed, cooked and cooled completely

½ tsp. salt

Seeds from 1 pomegranate

2 ½ Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for baby gem (bibb) leaves

1 oz. almonds, roasted and roughly chopped

8 baby gem (bibb) leaves

4 Tbsps. Fennel, Mint, and Caraway Tzatziki

Mint sprigs, to garnish

1. To make the Fennel, Mint, and Caraway Tzatziki, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a bowl and mix well. Drizzle with the oil, then scatter extra mint leaves on top to garnish.
2. Mix the cooked rice, salt, pomegranate seeds, olive oil, and almonds together in a bowl. Rub a little extra olive oil over the lettuce leaves and divide the rice mixture among them. Top each filled leaf with the tzatziki and serve garnished with mint.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Serves 6

1 piece of naan bread

2 avocados

Salt

Juice of 1 lemon

⅓ cup light tahini

Seeds from ½ pomegranate

1 ¼ oz. coconut flakes, toasted

Large handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle (optional)

1. Toast the naan until golden. Peel and pit the avocados and mash to a loose chunky purée. Season with salt and half the lemon juice.
2. Whisk together the tahini and the remaining lemon juice, then whisk in ½ cup ice water until smooth. Season with salt.
3. Spread the naan with the tahini sauce and top with the pomegranate seeds, coconut, and cilantro. Drizzle with olive oil, if liked.

Preparation: 5 minutes

Cooking: 40 minutes

Serves 4

14 oz. sushi rice

1 Tbsp. sushi rice vinegar

1 ¼ oz. sesame seeds, toasted

Matcha powder, to taste

2 Tbsps. pickled ginger, thinly sliced

6 umeboshi (pickled plums), thinly sliced

Salt

1. Cook the sushi rice according to the packet instructions and season with the vinegar.
2. Using wet hands, shape the rice into balls, each about the size of a small egg.
3. Roll the balls in sesame seeds, season with matcha, or top with ginger and umeboshi plum as desired. Sprinkle with salt before serving.

Preparation: 40 minutes

Serves 4

For the Peach Salsa:

4 ripe yellow peaches, halved, pitted, and grilled or broiled

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped

1 small red onion, finely diced

Juice of 1 lime

Handful of cilantro, plus extra to garnish

¼ tsp. Tabasco sauce

For the crostini:

8 small slices of baguette

2 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil

5 ½ oz. goat cheese, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Chop the grilled peaches into small pieces and combine with the remaining Peach Salsa ingredients. Season with salt to taste and mix well. Garnish with more cilantro.
2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet, drizzle over the olive oil, and bake on the upper rack for about 4 minutes. Remove, turn over and bake for another 4 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Put the goat cheese in a small bowl, add the milk, and mix well. Spread one side of the baguette with ½ Tbsp. of the cheese, place a heaped spoonful of salsa on top, and season to taste.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Serves 4

1 small watermelon, cut into ¾-inch thick rounds

1 ½ Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil

2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced

Handful of edible flowers, such as broccoli

Small handful of mint sprigs, leaves picked

Seasoned salt of choice

1. Brush the top of each watermelon round with olive oil.
2. Scatter cucumber slices, flowers, and mint leaves on top.
3. Season with salt to taste and cut into wedges.

Excerpted with permission from Vegetarian Party Food: Delectable Vegetable-Forward Bites for Entertaining by Jessica Oldfield, published by Hardie Grant Books September 2018.