Vegetarian Picnics - Recipes & Meal Ideas

Any vegetarian knows that you can have a delicious, filling meal without meat - but many are at a loss for fresh, new meal ideas to pack for a picnic. Variety is the cornerstone of vegetarian cuisine, and sometimes the old combo of potato salad, cole slaw and mac n' cheese just doesn't sound appealing. Luckily, today's picnic backpacks, shoulder bags, coolers and thermoses provide the ability to tote along meals that would not traditionally be considered appropriate for picnics, since they have insulated compartments that can keep food cool or hot. Here are a few drool-worthy vegetarian picnic recipes to help you get started:

Roasted Vegetable Baked Ziti - FoodNetwork.com Casserole dishes such as baked ziti are convenient for picnics because they can be made a day ahead of time, and don't require any kind of last-minute prep. Plus, they taste just as great cold as they do fresh out of the oven. You could heat this up before you leave for your picnic, pack it in a tupperware container and stick it in the insulated food compartment in your picnic pack so it will still be warm and fresh when you are ready to eat. Serve it up with some crusty French bread and a crisp salad.

Cucumber, Mustard and Dill Salad - Epicurious.com This cool, refreshing salad uses only a few simple ingredients and is very fast and easy to prepare. You could throw this together the day or morning before you leave, to let the cucumbers marinate and become even more delicious. This no-fuss salad complements simple tea sandwiches, portabella mushroom wraps and the simple, tried-and-true combo of a fresh baguette & brie especially well.

Southwestern Succotash - Epicurous.com Spice up your picnic menu with this flavorful, exotic recipe. This vegetable-centric dish would be a perfect companion for seasoned rice, or some simple nachos. You could fry up some cheese quesadillas and cut them into triangles to eat with salsa along with this succotash for an exciting, unusual meal.

For more vegetarian and vegan picnic recipes, take a look at VegWeb.com, which is an excellent source of reader-submitted recipes. Recipezaar makes finding vegetarian picnic meal ideas easy with a very wide selection of exotic recipes as well as tried-and-true favorites, and you can narrow down your search results easily by special dietary considerations, main ingredient, course, and more. Check out our Picnic Tips and Helpful Hints to make sure you'll have everything you need to make your picnic perfect.

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