Easy three-course dinner party menu (vegetarian)
A relaxed three-course vegetarian menu: spiced carrot soup, herby roasted aubergine tray-bake with halloumi and lemon couscous, finished with lemon posset.
This three-course vegetarian menu is built for relaxed hosts: do the posset first and the oven and hob will carry most of the work while you sip something chilled. It looks fussier than it is — bright flavours, simple technique and easy plates to pass around.
Start with a silky spiced carrot soup, move on to a herby roasted aubergine, courgette and mushroom tray-bake with golden halloumi and lemon couscous, and finish with a glossy lemon posset that you can make hours ahead.
Ingredients
- 60 ml olive oil
- 2 brown onion — medium
- 6 garlic cloves — crushed
- 600 g carrots
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml ground coriander
- 900 ml vegetable stock — for soup and couscous
- salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground
- 100 g crème fraîche — to serve with soup
- 40 g pumpkin seeds — toasted, for soup
- 15 g fresh coriander — leaves roughly chopped, for garnish
- 1 aubergine — large, about 400 g
- 2 courgette — medium
- 300 g chestnut mushrooms
- 250 g halloumi
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml dried thyme
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 3 lemons — zest and juice used across dishes
- 200 g couscous — regular dry couscous
- 400 ml double cream — for lemon posset
- 100 g caster sugar — for lemon posset
- 150 g raspberries — to garnish posset
Equipment
- blender or hand blender
- baking tray
- ramekins
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional.
Make the lemon posset first so it has time to set. Put the double cream and caster sugar into a medium saucepan and gently bring to a simmer. Once simmering, keep at a gentle rolling simmer and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the zest and juice of 2 lemons, then pour the mixture into four ramekins. Allow to cool slightly, then chill in the fridge for 120 minutes to set.
Prepare the vegetables: slice the aubergine into 1 cm rounds, cut courgettes into half-moons, halve the chestnut mushrooms, and leave the cherry tomatoes whole. Slice the halloumi into 1 cm slabs.
Place all the prepared veg and halloumi on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 30 ml olive oil, sprinkle over the dried oregano, dried thyme and smoked paprika, add the zest and juice of the remaining lemon, and season with salt and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
Roast the tray-bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender and slightly caramelised and the halloumi is golden.
While the veg roasts, make the soup. Finely chop the brown onions and roughly chop the garlic and carrots. Heat 15 ml olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until soft.
Add the ground cumin and ground coriander to the pan and cook for 1 minute to release their aroma, then pour in 600 ml vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are very tender.
Blend the soup until completely smooth (use a blender or an immersion blender). Return to the pan, adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper and keep warm on a low heat.
Cook the couscous: bring 250 ml vegetable stock to the boil, pour over the couscous in a heatproof bowl, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, drizzle with 15 ml olive oil, add the remaining chopped fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice, then season.
To serve: ladle the spiced carrot soup into warm bowls, add a spoonful of crème fraîche, scatter toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh coriander. Pile the roasted vegetables and halloumi onto a bed of lemon couscous and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and an extra grind of black pepper.
Finish the posset: remove ramekins from the fridge, top each with a few raspberries and a little lemon zest, then serve chilled.
Tips
- Make the lemon posset first — it needs a full two hours in the fridge and keeps well for up to 24 hours.
- Don’t overcrowd the tray-bake. If the veg are piled up they’ll steam; give them space to caramelise for proper flavour.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan for 2–3 minutes and shake often — they burn quickly.
- If you want a gluten-free option, swap the couscous for quinoa (see substitutions).
- Prepare the soup base while the tray-bake is in the oven to make best use of time.
Substitutions
couscous → quinoa, same weight (200 g), cooked according to packet instructions
Stays closehalloumi → firm tofu, 250 g, pressed and pan-fried until golden
Noticeably differentdouble cream → single cream will not set the posset reliably; for a lower-fat set, use 300 ml single cream plus 100 ml full-fat Greek yoghurt (blend before setting)
Noticeably differentpumpkin seeds → toasted walnuts, 40 g, roughly chopped
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 1170
- Calories
- 28 g
- Protein
- 70 g
- Carbs
- 86 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 28 g
- Sugar
- 1200 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make any of this ahead?
Yes — make the lemon posset up to 24 hours ahead. You can also roast the vegetables an hour before and reheat gently in the oven; couscous is best made just before serving.
How do I know when the posset is set?
It should be wobbly but holding shape when chilled for 2 hours. If it’s still liquid after 2 hours chill for longer.
My halloumi browns too fast in the oven — what then?
Either move the tray to a lower shelf for the last few minutes or remove the halloumi pieces and give them a quick 1–2 minute sear in a frying pan to finish.
Can I make this vegan?
Not as written — replace halloumi with firm tofu and swap the posset for a vegan lemon set using coconut cream and agar-agar (different technique and timing).
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