Vegetarian BBQ Dishes
When the sun is shining, there’s no better way to celebrate than with a barbecue feast. If you’re trying to eat less meat, or following a vegetarian diet full-time, putting together a crowd-pleasing garden party menu doesn’t have to mean missing out on gorgeous grill-style flavours.
From zingy, appetising salsas to tantalising salads and juicy fresh-from-the-grill mains, our slimming-friendly recipe ideas will keep everyone at your next barbecue extremely happy – vegetarian or not!
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Pineapple Salsa
While the barbecue is heating up and you’re getting organised, it’s handy to have an appetising treat on offer that’ll keep guests out of your hair. Our eye-catching Pineapple Salsa doesn’t just look great on the table, it tastes amazing too.
An easy combination of sweet fruits, fresh veg and fragrant herbs, it’s quick enough to rustle up on the day, or you can refrigerate it a couple of days ahead so there’s one less thing to do.
You’ll want to prepare this one at least a couple of hours in advance anyway, so that all of those terrific tropical-style flavours have time to mingle.
Take low-salt tortilla chips for a dip, or you can create your own dunkable triangles using low-calorie tortilla wraps. Simply slice a tortilla wrap into shapes, spritz with low-calorie cooking spray and bake them in the oven at 190°C for 10 minutes – or until golden brown and crisp.
Tabbouleh
Far more exciting than your average side salad, our Tabbouleh is brimming with vibrant Middle Eastern inspired flavours. A taste bud tingling combination of lemon, mint and parsley, it’s ideal for summery barbecues, picnics and mezze-style dinnertime spreads.
We’ve used plenty of bulgar wheat to soak up the citrusy flavours and keep every spoonful satisfyingly fresh, fluffy and filling.
You’ll find bulgar wheat next to rice and pasta at the supermarket (or on Amazon), but the way you ‘cook’ it is very different.
Add boiling water, cover and leave for 20 minutes to fluff up while you’re flipping veggie burgers at the grill – there’s no need to use your stove top!
Coronation Coleslaw
You can’t have a barbecue without a side of slaw. We’ve experimented with lots of scrummy Coleslaw recipes over the years, but there’s something extra-special about our Coronation Coleslaw.
Seasoned with mild, Indian-style spices and cut through with oh-so-juicy pineapple chunks, it’s too good to leave on the sidelines – use it to fill sandwiches, top jacket potatoes or take veggie pattie loaded burger buns to the next level.
If you’re someone who likes their food with a kick of heat, don’t be shy with adding extra curry powder when you’re mixing the yoghurt, spices and chutney together.
Not ready to stop there? Try our Buffalo Coleslaw recipe too.
Halloumi Fries Salad
Vegetarian or not, it’s easy to be obsessed with our Halloumi Fries Salad. With breadcrumb-coated halloumi fries, a bed of fresh, fruity-sweet salad and a fiery chilli-infused dressing, it’s not hard to understand why.
Ready in less than half an hour, it’ll work nicely as a leafy centrepiece for a lighter barbecue-based meal, or as a popular part of a larger selection of grilled delights.
Halloumi isn’t always the most slimming-friendly choice, but we’ve baked our cheesy fingers instead of deep-frying them.
Why not finish their cooking time with a few minutes on the grill for an irresistible smoky, charcoal-style flavour?
Jewelled Giant Couscous
Upgrade your veggie-friendly barbecue spread in an instant with a serving platter of our Jewelled Giant Couscous in the middle of the table. It’ll make it nice and easy for everyone to add a scrumptious scoop to their paper plate.
While we’ve used carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pomegranate seeds and peppers for our recipe, the flavours here are so versatile that there’s nothing to stop you making the most of what’s in your fridge (grapes or watermelon are a yummy alternative to pomegranate).
Minty Halloumi and Vegetable Kebabs
When we’re talking about kebab recipes (vegetarian or otherwise!), our Minty Halloumi and Vegetable Kebabs are hard to beat. You’ll thread squeaky halloumi chunks, sliced peppers, onions and courgettes onto skewers, and bring it all together with a dreamy homemade mint-infused dip.
The trick with wooden skewers is to soak them in water for around 20 minutes, before you go in for the grill.
That way, while you’re turning your kebabs to make sure that they cook evenly, they’re far less likely to catch or burn on their way to juicy perfection.
Mexican-style Corn on the Cob
You can’t miss our rainbow-like Mexican-style Corn on the Cob, and you don’t want to! A crunchy taste of grilled heaven, this Mexican street food inspired side comes with a luscious chilli-infused blend of yoghurt and feta.
To guarantee that you’ll be going back for seconds and thirds, finish each cob with a delectable dusting of paprika, fresh coriander and a zesty squeeze of lime.
If you can’t get enough of Mexican-inspired flavours, you can take a scroll through our top fiesta-worthy dishes here.
Spiced Halloumi Burgers
It’s not a barbecue without burgers. Best served with sunshine, our Spiced Halloumi Burgers were made for glorious, garden-party days.
To ramp up the flavours and keep things slimming friendly, we’ve coated our halloumi ‘patties’ in a simple, homemade spice rub and let the flavours mingle for a minimum of 30 minutes (the longer, the tastier!).
Once they’re piled high with our crisp salad and lemony mint yoghurt dressing, it’s even harder to believe that they’re as light as 341 calories per serving – wholemeal roll included!
Chipotle Hasselback Potatoes
Add some serious flavour to everyone’s paper plate with our Chipotle Hasselback Potatoes recipe. Made with just 3 ingredients, including low-calorie cooking spray, their smoke-dried jalapeño flavours are more than impressive enough to accompany any veggie-style barbecue main.
Hasselback potatoes get their name from how they’re partially cut through. If they’re nice and thinly sliced, they’ll turn out crispier and soak up flavours from the chipotle-style spice rub like a dream.
Cheesy Avocado Salsa Wedges
It’s tricky to find a veggie side dish more satisfying and flavoursome than our Cheesy Avocado Salsa Wedges. Coated in a fiery spice mix, topped with melted cheese and served with a cooling dollop of avocado salsa, it’ll be no surprise when they’re the talk of the table.
Crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle, they’ll shine brightest alongside freshly grilled plant-based burgers, kebabs or steaks.
If you do make this picture-perfect recipe, please share a photo in our Facebook group and let us know your thoughts. We love to see your posts!
Strawberry and Kiwi Ice Lollies
If you’re not sure how to round off your vegetarian barbecue, look no further than our Strawberry and Kiwi Ice Lollies. A crowd-pleasing frozen treat, each fruity lolly comes in at just 37 calories each – that’s far lower than most shop-bought versions!
If you’ve never made lollies before, you’ll want to invest in a freezer-friendly lolly mould before you get started.
We’ve kept the ingredients list surprisingly short and simple with fresh kiwi, sweetener, water, xanthan gum and the all-important strawberry squash (no added sugar).
Our top tip for this recipe is to make a batch more than you need. They’re so good, there’s no doubt one or two guests will be coming back for seconds!
Have a read through this blog for even more slimming-friendly vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes.
Ready, set…grill!
We can’t wait to see which of our slimming-friendly vegetarian dishes you’ll be cooking up next time the sun shines. Don’t forget, you can share your photos in our Facebook group, where we have almost 1 million lovely community members waiting to support you on your slimming journey.
It’s well worth taking a sneaky look in our Gallery when you’re on the lookout for inspiration. You’ll want to sign up to a free website account to upload and share your photos (it’s really easy, we’ve got a step-by-step guide you can follow here!).
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