The New Vegetarian: What to cook when company's coming

Plus, two easy and impressive fruit desserts

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May 25, 2026 8:03am EDT

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America's Test Kitchen: The New Vegetarian

A fresh approach to vegetarian cooking.

May 25th, 2026

Pasta primavera is a celebration of flavors and colors.

What to cook when company is coming over

Jack Bishop

Author, editor, and vegetable enthusiast

When planning meals for friends, I keep three things in mind. What do my guests like? Will the dishes look nice on the table? (Yes, we do eat with our eyes.) And how can I make it really simple? Fancy-ish doesn’t have to be hard.

Pasta primavera is a classic Italian American dish popularized by a famous New York chef in the 1970s. Spaghetti with Spring Vegetables is a streamlined version. Rather than cream, the sauce starts with zucchini cooked down to a coarse puree (you can do this step an hour in advance). Add asparagus and peas to the zucchini while the spaghetti cooks. Toss the drained pasta and sauce with marinated cherry tomatoes for a hit of freshness and acidity. Add Cheesy Garlic Bread and a simple green salad. Now that’s Italian American!

PRO TIP

I prefer to toss delicate salad greens with really good olive oil and then season them with coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, and good sherry, red wine, or balsamic vinegar. Coating the lettuce with oil in effect waterproofs it, allowing a few drops of vinegar to flavor an entire salad without overpowering it.

Sheet-Pan White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Cakes

Veggie burgers are notorious for falling apart. Cannellini and sun-dried tomato cakes avoid this problem because they aren’t flipped. How smart! Start by roasting the chilled patties on a hot baking sheet (to create an impressive crust on the underside) and then slide them under the broiler to crisp up the tops. Roast sliced red onion and feta on the same pan and then toss them with baby spinach and lemon juice for an easy side salad. The shaped patties and an herby yogurt accompaniment can be refrigerated for several hours.

PRO TIP

I always buy sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil. I prefer flavorful olive oil to bland vegetable oil. And sun-drieds packed in olive oil can be used as two separate ingredients. Lift the tomatoes from the oil and chop as directed. Then, use the packing oil to add sun-kissed tomato flavor to sauces or dressings.

Quinoa Bowls with Snap Peas, Strawberries, and Basil Vinaigrette

What could be more seasonal than pretty quinoa bowls with strawberries and snap peas? All of the components for this one-dish dinner can be prepared in advance. A blender basil vinaigrette bursts with color and flavor. And a mix of toasted slivered almonds, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds brings the crunch. Start the evening off with crudités and a yummy dip like muhammara or skordalia.

Take the plunge. Text, call, or email friends right now before you change your mind. Keep the party small and don’t complicate the menu. You’ve got this!

P.S. Have you picked up your copy of The New Vegetarian: 500+ Recipes for a Lifetime of Great Meals? I’m confident this mammoth cookbook will become a trusted kitchen companion..

Featured Recipes

Spaghetti with Spring Vegetables

Sheet-Pan White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Cakes

Quinoa Bowls with Snap Peas, Strawberries, and Basil Vinaigrette

Vegetarian for Any Occasion

A good party needs a great ending. These two fruit desserts are easy and impressive.

Fruit Crisp

I love this clever take on an old-fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. Panko amps up the crisp factor in the brown sugar streusel. Cooking the fruit on the stovetop drives off excess liquid (no soggy crisp here). Add the topping and slide the skillet into the oven. Bake this crisp an hour or two before guests arrive and reheat when it’s dessert time. Serve with vanilla ice cream, please!

Coconut Sticky Rice

Thai sticky rice with mango is a refreshing way to end a meal. Think coconut rice pudding but with more rice than pudding. Most of the sweetness in this gluten-free, vegan dessert comes from the mango. And there’s just enough salt in the coconut sauce to perk things up.