25 Vegetarian Memorial Day Recipes You'll Want to Make All Summer
These meatless dishes make the most of seasonal produce to awaken your summer palate.
Whether you're looking for a hearty vegetable-driven main or a fresh and fulfilling side, we have a slew of great vegetarian recipes to serve this Memorial Day weekend and repeat all summer long. Get the party started with one of our stellar dips, such as beer cheese made with pale ale, then move to a crisp, deeply flavorful salad along with grilled delights like halloumi burgers with citrusy olive tapenade and tofu given the Korean barbecue treatment. Here's inspiration for fresh plant-based summer dishes to enjoy all season.
Double Ginger Salad with Chickpeas and Peanuts
Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Punchy, crispy slaw-like salad gets its piquancy from a combination of fresh and pickled ginger. Fresh cilantro and spicy jalape?o echo the bright flavors of ginger, while peanuts, sesame seeds, and fried garlic and chickpeas add crunch and deep, nutty flavors.
Beer Cheese
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans
Salvage stale or flat beer with this spicy, tangy spread that's ready in 10 minutes and can accompany fresh vegetables.
Grilled Vegetable Flatbread with Smoked Almond Muhammara
This showstopping vegetarian main combines grilled zucchini, peppers, and squash on sangak, a gigantic Persian flatbread. The vegetables are marinated after grilling, which gives you time to whip up the smoky, tangy muhammara and grill the sangak until golden.
Grilled Halloumi Burgers with Citrus Tapenade
Grilled or sautéed halloumi develops a charred crust that yields to soft cheese inside. Here, we cut it across the equator for the centerpiece of the burger and season it with cumin, salt, and pepper. It's then topped with a citrusy olive tapenade with just enough crushed red pepper flakes to lend a touch of heat.
Charred Avocado Salad with Cilantro Mayo
This smoky salad from chefs Christopher Kostow and David Guilloty at The Charter Oak in St. Helena is pure California magic. Searing transforms the firm-ripe avocado into a creamy treat with a hint of char.
Nina's Potato Salad
"One of our first — and favorite — Horn side dishes is our potato salad," says chef Matt Horn, of his wife Nina's popular recipe. "This is our take on the classic recipe that goes perfectly with barbecue!" The crowd-pleasing side is neither too rich nor too light, hitting the perfect balance of tart and creamy.
Sweet Corn Succotash with Shiitakes and Sugar Snaps
This summer-perfect side from 1998 F&W Best New Chef Katy Sparks comes together in just 15 minutes. She swaps in sugar snap peas for the traditional lima beans and adds shiitake mushrooms for meaty depth of flavor. It pairs wonderfully with anything grilled.
Charred Cabbage Salad with Pecan Dukkah and Chile-Lime Butter
At Otra in San Francisco, chef Nick Cobarruvias seasons charred cabbage with chile-lime butter, which is mildly spicy from árbol chiles and bright from lime zest. The pecan dukkah adds earthiness from the cumin and pops of citrus from the coriander, plus a lovely nutty flavor and texture from the toasted pecans and sesame seeds.
Texas Caviar
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Texas caviar mixes black-eyed peas, tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers, jalape?o, and onion with a bright and tangy dressing, all rounded out with a bit of honey and cilantro for balance and a fresh finish. Served with tortilla chips, it's infinitely snackable.
Korean Barbecued Tofu
Chef Bill Kim uses his Korean BBQ Sauce as a marinade for tofu, adding a jolt of spice with sambal oelek and light fruit flavors with kiwi and Asian pear. The Blackening Seasoning goes on before it's grilled and balances chili powder with sweet paprika.
Grilled Corn Salad with Coconut-Peanut Chaat
Bursting with flavor and texture, this salad combines lightly charred fresh corn with a make-ahead chaat featuring garlic-and-ginger-laced roasted peanuts. It's salty, nutty, crunchy, juicy, sweet, savory, and crisp all at once.
Kashke Bademjan (Iranian Kashk and Eggplant Dip)
A little thicker and saltier than yogurt, kashk is an Iranian dairy product that gives this aromatic eggplant dip its luscious texture and tart flavor. Floral saffron, fried dried mint, and more kashk dot the top, adding beautiful color. Serve this Kashke Bademjan with fresh vegetables and toasted flatbread for dipping.
Carnitas Jackfruit Tacos
Chef and cookbook author Jocelyn Ramirez uses cumin, chile flakes, and salt to capitalize on the pulled-pork texture of jackfruit, transforming it into a plant-based taco filling that tastes like carnitas. Served with tart, creamy avocado salsa and lemon wedges, the spicy, crispy seared jackfruit tacos make for a satisfying vegetarian meal.
Masala Grilled Vegetables with Spicy Mint Chutney
This vibrant grilled veggie dish with a chile-spiked herb dressing makes for a stunning side or light main course. It can be served either warm or at room temperature, so it's a great option if you'd like to cook the vegetables in advance.
Ultimate Veggie Burgers
Made with whole foods rather than a commercial meat substitute, these veggie burgers hit every satisfying, savory note with a hearty mix of pearl barley, chickpeas, mushrooms, and crispy panko. For the sturdiest patties, evenly distribute the panko by stirring the patty mixture until very well-combined.
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Calamansi Mayo
Chef Sheldon Simeon's recipe for a Hawaiian version of Mexican elote features grilled corn slathered in a creamy, cheesy calamansi mayonnaise, which gets its acidic twang from a sour citrus fruit native to the South Pacific. Japanese chile flakes (ichimi togarashi) add heat; aonori (dried seaweed) flakes add umami oomph and island style.
Halloumi and Vegetable Skewers with Pomegranate-Tahini Sauce
Pomegranate's punchy, sweet, earthy notes add long-cooked depth of flavor to cheese and vegetable skewers in just 30 minutes of marination, with pleasantly bitter tahini rounding things out. The pomegranate-tahini marinade goes the extra mile as a final drizzle for the skewers; thinned with fresh orange juice, it supplies the perfect, sweet-savory finish to the dish.
Tahini-Tofu Dip with Chili Crunch
Chef Stephanie Izard's cool, creamy dip is incredibly easy to put together — simply roast a head of garlic and whiz it in the food processor with tofu, tahini, tamari, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil. Chili crunch gets swirled on top. Serve it with whatever dippers you'd like.
Farro Salad with Radishes, Snap Peas, Olives, and Pecorino
Sweet, earthy farro adds a terrific hardiness to the fresh, crunchy vegetables and salty olives and cheese in this salad, and it can be cooked ahead to assemble day of.
Esquites-Style Poblano Pasta Salad
Transform esquites into a pasta salad loaded with charred corn, zucchini, scallions, and poblano chile. Add a bright crema-mayo mixture flavored with lime and cilantro, and sprinkle Cotija and ancho chile powder on top.
Summer Tomato Salad with Jicama and Avocado
Though Memorial Day might be a little too soon to start reveling in peak tomato abundance, we guarantee no one will complain if you whip up this salad with cherry or grape tomatoes. Chef Traci des Jardins dresses her take on a classic with a simple lime dressing that gets a hit of fresh, herbal brightness from plenty of cilantro leaves.
Mushroom Flatbread with White Miso
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Top store-bought flatbread with oven-roasted mushrooms and a a two-ingredient miso for umami, heavy cream sauce, and a blend of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses for a quick crowd pleaser.
Virtue Cornbread
Slightly sweet and buttery, this classic Southern cornbread is a must-order at Virtue, Erick Williams' flagship restaurant in Chicago, where he celebrates the food of the Great Migration.
Anu's Noodle Salad with Crunchy Fruit
Restaurateur Anu Mahendro combines crisp bell pepper, juicy grapes, pineapple, chewy egg noodles, carrots, and fresh apples dressed with a homemade vinaigrette in this textural, refreshing, chilled salad.
Fried Zucchini Chips
Drizzled with balsamic vinegar and tossed with fresh basil and mint, this crunchy zucchini dish is a lovely addition to all kinds of summer spreads.
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