Recipes Holidays + Events Memorial Day 20 Vegetarian Memorial Day Recipes You'll Want to Make All Summer By Alison Spiegel Alison Spiegel Website Alison Spiegel has been a writer and editor in the food media world for 10 years. In her work, she enjoys building communities and covering everything from cooking tips to dining trends. Also, ice cream.Experience: Alison Spiegel holds a Professional Culinary Arts degree from the International Culinary Center (ICC) and has worked at numerous publications, including the Huffington Post, Tasting Table, Food & Wine, and most recently, Milk Street, where she launched a global network of chefs and culinary leaders, hosted a monthly cookbook club, and oversaw content on a website and Instagram account that were named finalists for the 2021 IACP awards.Alison currently runs digital content at Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and writes about cooking on the side. She began writing for Simply Recipes in the summer of 2021. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 23, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Whether you're looking for a vegetable-driven main or a fresh and fulfilling side, we've got a slew of great vegetarian recipes to serve this Memorial Day and repeat all summer long. Here's inspiration for plant-based summer holiday menus. 01 of 20 Ultimate Veggie Burgers Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis 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. Get the Recipe 02 of 20 Charred Avocado Salad with Cilantro Mayo Victor Protasio 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. Get the Recipe 03 of 20 Nina's Potato Salad Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis "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. Get the Recipe 04 of 20 Grilled Vegetable Flatbread with Smoked Almond Muhammara Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This show-stopping vegetarian main combines grilled zucchini, peppers, and squash on sangak, a gigantic Persian flatbread (if unavailable, lavash is a worthy substitute). In an unsual twist, the vegetables are marinated after grilling, which gives you time to whip up the smoky, tangy muhammara and grill the sangak until golden. Get the Recipe 05 of 20 Charred Cabbage Salad with Pecan Dukkah and Chile-Lime Butter Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Nick Cobarruvias draws on his Mexican heritage for the menu at San Francisco's Otra, layering complex flavor combinations into dishes like this crisp-tender cabbage salad. At the restaurant, he seasons the charred cabbage with chile-lime butter, which is mildly spicy from árbol chiles and bright from lime zest. The pecan dukkah adds earthiness from cumin and pops of citrus from coriander, plus a lovely nutty flavor and texture from the toasted pecans and sesame seeds. Get the Recipe 06 of 20 Grilled Corn Salad with Coconut-Peanut Chaat Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman This salad combines sweet, lightly charred fresh corn with a topping that stars ingredients including flaked coconut, curry leaves, and peanuts. It's a side dish or main that's bursting with flavor and texture — salty, nutty, crunchy, juicy, sweet, savory, and crisp. The chaat can be made in advance and stored at room temperature for up to one week, so it makes day-of prep easy. Just prep the scallions, grill the corn, and toss everything together. Get the Recipe 07 of 20 Kashke Bademjan (Iranian Kashk and Eggplant Dip) Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis 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, inspired by Naz Riahi's love of California-based Mission Ranch Market with fresh vegetables and toasted flatbread for dipping. Get the Recipe 08 of 20 Carnitas Jackfruit Tacos Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell For her jackfruit tacos recipe, Jocelyn Ramirez, cookbook author and chef at Todo Verde in Los Angeles, 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 are a satisfying vegetarian meal. Get the Recipe 09 of 20 Grilled Flatbreads with Mushrooms, Ricotta, and Herbs © Ken Kochey This easy grilled flatbread — topped with sautéed mushrooms, fresh herbs, and ricotta cheese — is perfect for outdoor entertaining. Get the Recipe 10 of 20 Grilled Corn on the Cob with Calamansi Mayo Victor Protasio Chef Sheldon Simeon's recipe for a Hawaiian twist on 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 (you can substitute Key Limes in a pinch). Japanese chile flakes (ichimi togarashi) add heat; aonori (dried seaweed) flakes add umami oomph and island style. Get the Recipe 11 of 20 Halloumi-and-Vegetable Skewers with Pomegranate-Tahini Sauce Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Pomegranate molasses is the secret ingredient in this simple marinade. Its 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. Get the Recipe 12 of 20 Farro Salad with Radishes, Snap Peas, Olives, and Pecorino Eva Kolenko Farro has a sweet, earthy flavor and delightful chewy texture; it adds a wonderful hardiness to the fresh, crunchy vegetables and salty olives and cheese in this salad. If Meyer lemons aren't available in your area, use regular fresh lemon juice and increase the honey to balance the dressing. Get the Recipe 13 of 20 Sugar Snap Peas with Soffrito, Hot Pepper, and Mint © Dave Lauridsen "It's hard to improve upon a perfect sugar snap pea," says chef Travis Lett. "The question for the chef is, how do you not screw it up?" Lett's answer is to keep things simple, by cooking the sweet peas with fresh mint, crushed red pepper and soffrito (an aromatic Italian mix of sautèed minced vegetables, usually used to flavor soups and sauces). Get the Recipe 14 of 20 Esquites-Style Poblano Pasta Salad Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Esquites is the creamy corn salad version of elote, the beloved Mexican street food where corn on the cob is slathered with mayo and sprinkled with chili powder and Cotija cheese. Here, we've taken esquites and turned it into a pasta salad, loaded with charred corn, zucchini, scallions, and poblano chile. A crema-mayo mixture flavored with lime and cilantro adds a bright finish, and Cotija and ancho chile powder seal the deal. Get the Recipe 15 of 20 Grilled Halloumi Burgers with Citrus Tapenade Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn When grilled or sautéed, halloumi develops a charred crust that yields to soft cheese inside. Here, we cut the halloumi 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 it a touch of heat. A lemony aïoli complements the citrus in the tapenade and natural tang of the halloumi; roasted red peppers add a vibrant, vegetal flavor and meaty texture. Get the Recipe 16 of 20 Celery, Grilled Grape, and Mushroom Salad © Con Poulos "Celery is a vegetable people either love or hate, and we try to get people to love all their vegetables," says chef Amanda Cohen. She sets off celery's bitterness and crunch with meaty oyster mushrooms and grapes that have been grilled until almost bursting. Get the Recipe 17 of 20 Virtue Cornbread Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall 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. Get the Recipe 18 of 20 Anu's Noodle Salad with Crunchy Fruit Jennifer Chong A joyful romp of textures, Anu Mahendro's refreshing salad combines crisp bell pepper, juicy grapes, pineapple, chewy egg noodles, carrots, and fresh apples dressed with a homemade vinaigrette. To maintain the textures, serve it chilled. Get the Recipe 19 of 20 Grilled Fruit with Honeyed Lemon Thyme Vinegar © Con Poulos For this super-simple summer dessert, chef Dan Barber infuses honey with lemon thyme vinegar, then drizzles it over grilled summer fruit. Get the Recipe 20 of 20 Summer Tomato Salad with Jicama and Avocado Aubrie Pick 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. Traci des Jardins' take on a classic, produce-forward summer salad features juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and lightly sweet slices of jicama. The simple lime dressing gets a hit of fresh, herbal brightness from plenty of cilantro leaves. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit