My MIL is in the hospital with diverticulitis ( home soon) so I am in charge of Christmas dinner this year. She’s not supposed to eat any raw fruits or vegetables for a month (!!) and I would love some ideas for a starter for our meal. I’m making a traditional Italian sausage lasagna and had planned to start the meal with Caesar salad. What should I make instead? I was thinking some sort of vegetable soup but don’t want them meal to be all soft food…..any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
What about an antipasto?? (Minus the raw fruits and vegetables)?? Can MIL have marinated veggies??
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Unless you obliterate the veg, i.e. cook them to death and puree, which doesn’t sound like something you want to do, they’re not the greatest idea for your MIL. You want to avoid any fibrous veg for the time being.
I would maybe go with potato, carrot or zuke soup if you’re hung up on the soup idea, otherwise, why not go with a traditional Italian app like Vitello Tonnato? Shrimp cocktail is also low-fiber and delish 
Burrata with skinned, grilled red peppers might also be an option.
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Because it’s vile almost beyond belief. Once was enough!
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That’s adorable. It’s probably one of our top 5 Italian antipasti.
MOAR for us, John 
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I would think a nice cream of spinach soup to which you could add crunchy garnishes for the rest of the family and a very small amount of chopped skinless seedless tomato to hers (seasonal color). I am a fellow sufferer and would be able to tolerate that. If your lasagna has any spice, onion or garlic it’s probably not indicated for her although of course everyone is different. Very small meals tend to be much easier on the innards. The blog A Veggie Venture has been incredibly helpful to me over the years to understand what low fiber vegetables there are. For me, in the recovery stage, a small cup of spinach soup and maybe 2 or 3 cheese ravioli in plain tomato sauce (so I could be eating sort of what you are eating) will be the most I could manage without pain. As I say though everyone is different.
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I’d roast some vegetables, asparagus, carrots, onions, etc., which is technically antipasto? So a platter, maybe add some protein, deli cuts or shrimp, or maybe make a roasted veg salad of some sort. Make sure it’s cooked, all microbes killed, but still crunchy.
Sounds delicious! But the issue for recovery from diverticulitis is fiber, which is to say, little or none. No spice either. And nothing remotely farty. The innards have been terribly inflamed and most likely scarred and damaged. They are incredibly sensitive and not up to any work. So it’s a month of soft, non-fibrous, non-spicy food in very small amounts. Very boring but the pain keeps one on the straight and narrow. Flavor enhancers like (strained) lemon juice, fish sauce (Red Boat), soy sauce, grated Pecorino keep me from going crazy. And extra fat to keep things moving despite the lack of fiber. In other words, pretty much the opposite of what we are told to eat. It truly sucks.
ETA: eggs and fish are your best friends during this time.
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Ask her if there is anything that sounds good to her
Along the lines of MIL I’m planning a Caesar salad and a lasagna for Christmas dinner. I know these things aren’t on your lock foods list right now. I is there something that you would like.
Perhaps a creamy potato soup or a vety creamy risotto?
She will probably just be thrilled to be out of the hospital
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Escarole has a lot of fiber.
Edit: I’ll erase my recs. No cooked greens (you are correct. I didn’t think cooked spinach or cooked escarole were a problem and they are )
Not my experience.
you are correct
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Spinach has a lot of fiber as well.
I am feeling a bit protective of MIL here because I have felt her pain many times.
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Our very close family friend has diverticulitis and I know she has to avoid all nuts and seeds, and most raw veg.
I didn’t know she has to avoid cooked spinach. Now I do. She has become a very plain eater. A lot of cottage cheese and cooked pineapple. Of course pineapple also has fibre.
That’s why the whole idea of making a vegetable app — unless it is low in fiber or cooked to death (as per my initial comment) is a non…-starter 
Actually spinach is quite low-fiber. Big Spinach has taught us otherwise. I am able to tolerate small quantities of well-cooked spinach quite well which is why I suggested cream of spinach soup. But everyone is different and you have to learn what works for you.
I am out now. If anyone wants to learn what has worked for me the last 10-15 years managing this rotten thing, please DM me.
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I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. After needing surgery for an acute attack he almost could’ve died from 20+ years ago, my PIC has been able to eat relatively “normally.” You see how often I make salad for us 
That said, he complains about being pinchy every morning 
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