What about fixing some meatballs in spaghetti sauce to go with the lasagna? Chicken Parmesan would be good too.

If the vegetarians are purists, they won't eat ricotta cheese. Since they are the minority, buttered noodles. Oh wait, they won't eat butter. Gets complicated.

Brushworks, good point. Fortunately they are not "purists" and do eat dairy products.

Instead of lasagna, how about stuffed jumbo shells. You could stuff some with cheese and another dish with meat.

Jumbo Stuffed shells with cheese:

1 pkg. Jumbo shells, 1 lb. (2C) ricotta or cottage cheese, 1/4 lb. mozzarella, 3/4 C. seasoned bread crumbs, 1/4 C. Romano, grated, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4, C. chopped parsley 1 egg, slightly beaten. Cook shells according to directions on pkg. Combine next seven ingredients. Fill par-boiled shells immediately with mixture. Pour 1/2 mariner sauce on bottom of baking pan. Arrange shells in single layer. top with remaining sauce.. Bake 350 20 min.

Stuffed shells with meat

1 1/2 lb. ground chuck, 3/4 C. Italian bread crumbs, 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 onion chopped, 1/4 C. Romano cheese, 1 egg. Mix together and stuff cooked Jumbo shells. Cover with marinara sauce. Bake 350 45 min.

Can use your favorite jarred mariner sauce but I like to make my own.

1/4 C. olive oil, 4 cloves garlic sautéed, 3 28 oz cans peeled Marzano tomatoes crushed through colander or tomato mill, discard pulp just use juice, 2 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. oregano, 2 tsp basil, 1 T. sugar, 1/8 tsp pepper, handful of chopped parsley. Cook rapidly uncovered until thickened about 30 -45 min.

Serve with tossed salad and garlic bread. Think about banana splits for dessert.....so easy and everyone is surprised because they haven't had them in years. I like strawberry, chocolate and pistachio. I usually use a heaping cookie scoop.

I also have a roasted vegetable lasagna recipe if you're interested but I must admit, it's a little time consuming to make.

No need to serve meat. Lasagna with a salad and bread is typically a very filling meal. If I felt more was needed I would offer a veggie like asparagus or green beans.

That said, you could serve an appetizer of prosciutto wrapped asparagus.

Also could make a meatless lasagna and serve meatballs in sauce on the side for meat lovers.

Brushworks, you're confusing vegetarians with vegans. Vegetarians usually eat cheese, vegans don't. If they're vegan, there is non-dairy cheese available though I don't know if it would be suitable for lasagna. It's easy enough to find out from a vegan cooking site.

Why not make a meat lasagna for meat eaters? This way everyone gets lasagna. Saute fresh green beans with shallots and garlic as another side for both.

I would do meatballs and Italian sausage cooked in a separate pan of sauce.

I would add garlic bread.

I would add garlic bread too and if you want to have meat, do meatballs in sauce as a side. Delish!

I agree with CindyMac. There's no need to add meat at all.

I wouldn’t do 2 lasagnas. The suggestion for either meatballs in sauce as a side dish would be ok, but just the vegetarian lasagna would be fine. The salad plus a good garlic bread plus dessert will be fine.

I wouldn't do anything with meat. Our favorite lasagna is meatless and we make it frequently. It's fillng and with salad, bread and dessert, it's a great meal. And the cheeses in lasagna should be enough protein.

Agreed on the comments about not needing to add meat. People don't need meat in every meal. I think veggie lasagna and salad and bread would be a great meal.

If you wanted some starters, you could do a vegetarian minestrone soup or bruschetta appetizer that everyone can enjoy. I also have an amazing artichoke crostini recipe that I serve with sliced baguettes that I can share if you're interested.

Jim, would you mind sharing your lasagna recipe?

A lot of men want meat with a meal, so I'd provide it for those who do. You can always freeze the meatballs and sauce and have spaghetti for another meal.

I do a meatless lasagna that many can't tell is meatless. My meat loving DH enjoys it, and a friend who swore blind that her family would only eat lasagna with meat emailed me for the recipe after I catered her birthday party and included the meatless lasagna, which her friends raved over. You don't _have_ to have meat at every meal.

Meatless lasagna is fine for many but many others can't grasp a meatless meal. I'd do a tray with and without meat. Also salad and garlic toast or a crusty french loaf. Dessert I'd stay away from chocolate with pasta. Something lighter with lasagna..like a hollowed out orange shell filled with lemon sherbet and topped with some fresh rasberries. Taste fresh and looks lovely. That being said I had chocolate cake with lasagna recently...LOL.

Oops forgot...add a tiny very thin and crispy ginger cookie along with the orange cup.

Elmer,

I'm not confused. A vegan is a strict vegetarian. Or purist.

The term “vegetarian” is really a misnomer, since vegetarians eat
more than just vegetables. Vegetarian simply means a plant-based diet.
There are several kinds of vegetarian diets, defined by what types of
foods are consumed.

• A strict vegetarian, a vegan, avoids all foods of animal origin, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs.
• Lacto-vegetarians include dairy products in their diet. Lacto-ovo- vegetarians also eat dairy products and eggs.
• Pesco-vegetarians eat fish, dairy products, and eggs along with
  plant foods. (We believe this is the healthiest diet for most people).
• Finally, there are semi-vegetarians, who cheat a little and eat a
  little poultry along with fish, as well as dairy products and eggs. Most
  veggie lovers are not strict vegans.

Colleenoz-could you take the time to share your recipe as well,please?

i agree with others that meat is not required at every meal. OTOH, men like some kind of meat with their meal especially since this is a holiday meal.

meatballs is a good suggestion but then u r making 2 gravies. Ugh... unless u make ahead!

you could do a spinach/mushroom lasagna.

shrimp parm. we have this on New Year's Day.... DELICIOUS!! this solves the meat/ protein issue...

i would def. have a big salad with it along with some sort of bread, garlic-italian or garlic toast....

dessert: whatever works...

didn't notice size of your gathering. i'd make 2 but the meatless one would be smaller?!?

I would make vegetarian lasagna and expand the horizons of anyone who
thinks they must eat meat every meal/day. I wouldn't cater to meat
eaters just because they think they gotta have it. Vegetarian food like
lasagna can be hearty, is often more delicious than meat filled and is
healthier.

If you don't put mushrooms in your sauce, I'd do a mushroom side dish
(or maybe a mushroom appetizer), along with a green salad and great
bread.

Roasted mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme

My Italian husband loves meat, but also loves meatless meals. I made stuffed shells (meatless) and haricot verts with roasted pecans for Christmas dinner. We're having leftovers tonight. So that'll be two meatless nights this week. Good chance there will be another before the week is done.

You don't have to announce it's meatless. Just serve it and if anyone asks just say it's the recipe you always use and then stop talking about it. No one is forcing anyone to eat it.

Meatless Lasagne

Here's a copy of the email I sent my friend:

What I do is take my favourite bolognese sauce recipe and substitute
heaps of vegetables chopped up into small dice or shredded. I generally
use a mixture of diced zucchini, capsicums, onions, celery, shredded
carrots, and sliced mushrooms, though I think we omitted the mushrooms
from yours as either you didn't care for them or had an allergy.

For one batch of sauce I'd probably use a really large zucchini or a couple
of smaller ones, skin left on, a large brown onion, a red and a green
capsicum, three stalks of celery and a carrot or two. Saute them in a
little oil with one or two minced cloves of garlic until soft, add a
teaspoon each of dried parsley and mixed herbs, two tins of diced
tomatoes and enough tomato paste to make it thicker but still pourable,
about the same runniness as the white sauce. (Or you can cheat and use a
jar or two of your favourite pasta sauce instead of the herbs, tomatoes
and tomato paste :-).)

Make about two and a half cups of white sauce/bechamel.

I don't bother cooking the lasagne sheets, just oil the dish well, smear
about 1/4 cup of sauce on the bottom, put a layer of the uncooked sheets
in, a thinnish layer of sauce, a bit of white sauce and then keep
building it up until the pan is full. Top the last layer of lasagne
sheets with a thicker layer of white sauce to cover and some grated
cheese (some mozzarella and Parmesan for preference).

Bake in a 350F/180C oven until golden brown on top and bubbly. Let it rest in
the pan for a few minutes before you cut it, so it can set up a bit.

I think Vegetarian lasagna is good by itself. As someone who never eats meat, I find it hard to believe some people have it with every meal. Not healthy. BUT if you think some will want it, just do a side order of meatballs in sauce and those people can have that. I think the lemon sherbet dessert sounds yummy.

Well, unfortunately the vegetarians are going to need to know it's meatless, so it's hard to be quiet about it unless you take them aside to assure them it's vegetarian. And surely someone who knows they are vegetarian might question what you're serving to them, even if the vegetarians have been clued in. I really think it's ok to let the carnivores "man up" and eat a delicious veggie meal.

What goes with lasagna? My fork.

Hi Rob,

Need any trimmings ... or are ya **really** hungry?

(Can I assume that ya don't eat the fork?)!

o j

Ooo. I'm all for trimmings too. Is there tiramisu and cappuccino for dessert?

I'm also in the camp of two lasagnas. One meal and the other not. It's not that much extra work as everything but the sauce is the same. And garlic brea and a really nice salad.

Garlic bread and a Ceasar (crap, I always spell that wrong) salad.

I am definitely an omnivore, but I love a good meatless lasagna. And a good one doesn't just ditch the meat, it adds mushrooms, spinach, and/or broccoli... or perhaps other veggies.

"What Goes With Lasagna?"

A knife, fork, and a bib???

Not a big deal IMO. Jist make lasagna without meat sauce. Make a meat sauce separately for those that want it. Serve it “on the side”. No harm, no foul.