We have a block party every year geared toward adults (no bouncy houses, etc). It’s all about the food and adult beverages. We close the street line up tables down the middle and eat and drink for several hours.
I generally make a vegetarian entree to share. I’m looking for suggestion but I have lots of caveats: no pasta, no mushrooms, no tofu or seitan, preferably in season vegetables, I’d like it to be served hot/warm but also be good at room temperature. It’s next weekend so it will be warm ish out here in Philadelphia and there will still be end of summer veggies.
Last year I made this https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012858-eggplant-tomato-and-chickpea-casserole?unlocked_article_code=1.Mk4.7pKO.jOdxUcwKhaf3&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
And had lots of happy neighbors. Could make it again but I hate repeating…
Thanks for any ideas!
Vegetarian moussaka or stuffed eggplant (Papoutsakia). Can be served at room temp.
This is a good thread:
I love vegetables. Ideas for a vegetarian dinner. Not a big production
How about a galette?
Or a phyllo pie of some sort and you could serve it a seasonal salad?
Or a large kale salad with apples/pepitas/ feta/delicate squash? Round out with a basket of fresh bread.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/07/hummus-heaped-with-tomatoes-and-cucumbers/ (I use Solomonov’s easy hummus)
Serve with Alexandra Cooks homemade pita. Super easy!
I would probably make a japanese-style curry with a kabocha pumpkin. I’d transfer it to a crockpot to keep warm.
I’d do a warm lentil salad - my favorite combo is roasted butternut squash, red onions and fennel, mixed with pardina or du puy lentils and dressed with an herby vinaigrette. You could dress it up with toasted walnuts, too, and add some feta or goat cheese if it doesn’t need to be vegan.
In warmer weather, I’d likely make a big slaw ramen salad. Or spanikopita if temps are cooler and/or you want a warm dish
Caponata. Bit of a PITA but will be hugely successful. Baba ganoush would be another idea.
Both can be served hot or room temp, but given how nice it’s gonna be next weekend, you may not want a hot dish, after all.
You could also make a light, French-style potato salad with olive oil & RWV, shallots, mint, parsley, scallions, and capers.
How does one score an invite to the block party… bring a dish? 
j/k
Coincidentally, both caponata and baba ganoush go very well with PITA! 
Well done, sir, well done! 
Shakshuka
Panzanella
Fried rice
zucchini slice
works well hot or room temp.
We’ll be outside so no where to plug in
What’s a zucchini slice?
I’m not anaxgorous, but I believe this is what they had in mind:
I make them frequently. They are delicious warm or cold. Drain your zucchini well to avoid a soggy slice.
recipes/layered-eggplant-zucchini-and-tomatocasserolerecipes/layered-eggplant-zucchini-and-tomato-casserole
As long as it’s hot at the beginning, it’ll stay warm for hours in the crock. There’s a lot of thermal mass.
Thank you!
If eggs are considered vegetarian in your crowd (they are not in mine), a slab quiche or kuku could work well. With kuku you can also have pita, hot sauce, and yogurt on the side for sandwich-making.
I often make french-style lentil salad for these types of things, adding quinoa to bulk it up a bit.
I like @Phoenikia’s vegetarian moussaka suggestion — it used to be one of my mom’s regular party dishes, always a hit.
A similar option is vegetarian shepherd’s pie, using beans or lentils or eggplant as the base.
Or ratatouille if you don’t want a carby topping.
@adawks Phyllo pie suggestion reminded me of a Serbian friend’s cheese pie / gibanica (also made with spinach or meat) — like this.
Another easy crowd-pleaser is chana (chickpea) masala — serve with slider buns or crostini or over a base of basmati rice (chana pulao would be a biryani-like variation).
