Vegetarian brunch dishes

September 21, 2024 7:29 AM

Need ideas for simple vegetarian sides-- salads, canapés, something store-bought that you love? for tomorrow's brunch.

I'm not the most experienced chef. I make a mean batch home fries, and the friend I'm cooking for LOVES deviled eggs, so those two and fruit salad are all I've got on the menu so far (and I'm open to reconsidering). I'd love to be able to have everything prepped/cooked in advance so I'm mostly not in the kitchen.

What are your favorite brekkie/lunch/brunch sides, or your tips to make this special for my friend? I imagine us grazing over these dishes for a few hours while catching up and sipping mimosas. Leftovers are great!

She doesn't love olives or mushrooms. I eat everything veg. No allergies between us. Today I will be able to access probably any ingredients I might need (brunch is tomorrow). I'd be so grateful for your suggestions, thanks!

Previously and previouslier

posted by shocks connery to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

Hummus and crudites! Last time I made this I did up carrots, celery, and cauliflower as the crudites (I quartered the carrots and halved the celery stalks and cut both into "sticks" about 3 inches long, and cut the cauliflower into similarly bite-sized florets).
posted by heatherlogan at 7:55 AM on September 21

Frittatas are easy and they're good hot, warm, room temperature or cold, and very riff-able. I've made this one a lot, and I've often left out the bacon.
posted by gigondas at 8:06 AM on September 21 [2 favorites]

Brunch is a great meal for vegetarian stuff, and your current menu sounds like it's almost enough, honestly. Before I studied what you already have planned, I was going to suggest home fries with rosemary (or baked sweet potatoes with paprika or pumpkin pie spice), quiche, and baked French toast. You can prep all of this the night before and bake it in the oven in the morning. But that overlaps with what you already have so you're already in good shape.

Your current menu didn't mention coffee or tea, so you might make sure you have everyone's favorite warm beverage plus whatever creamer and sugar / honey / whatever that they like.

Given everything else, I think something not-filling to snack on while you chat would be great, so the idea of hummus with fresh cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots would most appeal to me.

Brainstorm of other ideas: bread for toast, avocado to slice (with lemon and salt available), caprese salad (or just a nice balsamic), muffins or scones, selection of cheeses, chia seed pudding or Greek yogurt to put the fruit in, quinoa salad, or kale salad all come to mind. Hope you have a lovely time!
posted by Spokane at 9:29 AM on September 21

If you both like cheese, a small cheese tray. A nice cheese or two, some jam and/or honey, crackers or small toasts, maybe some nuts.

Or roll with a selection of dips for your crudites - babaganoush, a cream cheese or sour cream based dip, a warm dip like spinach artichoke can all go alongside hummus nicely.
posted by EvaDestruction at 9:30 AM on September 21

Frittata is my go-to, and my easy-fancy version is rough-chopped canned or jarred artichoke hearts, "Italian blend" shredded cheese bag, and then gently float slices of tomato on top and dust generously with more bag cheese or grated parm. (This is my favorite use of flavorless grocery store tomatoes, as the roasting and the cheese drag out what little flavor they have, and it looks rustically pretty. Obviously if you can get your hands on a decent tomato, that's even better.)

This was better when I could find artichoke bottoms, but I haven't seen them in stores since maybe before the pandemic. And it really wants a soft salad on the side - spring mix, or baby spinach.

One of my emergency party buffet/brunch fillers is simple flatbread pizzas on naan, tortillas, or focaccia from the grocery store. The tomato-and-parm trick works here too, and you can use really anything for the sauce/base - cream cheese or boursin/Laughing Cow, salsa, garlic and olive oil, anything tomato-ey, just cheese.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:43 AM on September 21 [1 favorite]

A savory bread pudding is a nice go to. Here's one recipe, but it's pretty versatile. Stale bread, eggs, milk/cream, and the vegetable & cheese mix of your choice.
posted by brookeb at 10:11 AM on September 21

I absolutely love stuffed vine leaves/dolmades. Not sure if that's a brunch thing, but it's nice and can be store-bought.

Maybe supply some Greek yogurt and honey alongside the fruit.
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:11 AM on September 21

Your brunch is missing baked goods. Can be savoury, neutral, or sweet. Eg toast (even avocado toast), muffins, scones, croissants. For an additional veg side, grilled tomato. I will also just serve sliced tomato and avocado with brunch.
posted by shock muppet at 10:14 AM on September 21 [2 favorites]

I love hummus, almost always have some on hand, and I can't put out any sort of party spread without it. But we vegetarians are very aware that hummus is the default for us.

Maybe a white bean dip instead? There are lots of variations and hits some of the same notes as hummus but it feels fancier because it's not hummus. (Note: I would not turn down hummus.)

I'd also be charmed by a "classic" spinach dip (like the sort that used to be served in bread bowls but you don't have to go that far).

There are some good vegetarian sausages out there (I like Field Roast but any vegetarian link sausage would work) and I'd be excited by vegetarian pigs in a blanket (recipe is just for the process).
posted by edencosmic at 12:28 PM on September 21

Puff pastry makes for an easy, fancy appetizer. You can add asparagus and tomato for a savory option, or sliced fruit for a sweet one.
posted by mezzanayne at 12:37 PM on September 21

Mushrooms, grilled or sautéed.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:00 PM on September 21 [1 favorite]

Bruschetta! (for example)
posted by piyushnz at 8:35 PM on September 21

Edouard de Pomiane's Tomates a la Creme
posted by mumimor at 10:11 AM on September 22