Our easy, fun guide to throwing a fancy vegan backyard dinner party that will impress even the pickiest of omnivores

I can’t possibly be the only person who sees commercials where everyone is having a blast at a dinner party and thinks, “that’s not real.” You know the fancy adult kind of dinner party where everyone is slender, dressed up, and constantly smiling? Sure, you can have a bowl of chips at your party. But have you thought about maybe placing those chips on a stained wood slab you bought from Home Goods for $20? Now we’re talking fancy.

Obviously all the aspirational images out there are equally magical and unattainable, but I planned a perfect backyard dinner party that will impress vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. You got this!

Let me introduce myself: I’m Stephy, also known as The Tiny Herbivore! I’m a lifestyle blogger focusing on plant-based recipes, DIY projects, and ways to live a happier life. I have been vegan for over 5 years now and it’s been the best decision I have ever made — aside from choosing to never wear socks with my sandals. I live in a quaint little town of the Berkshires situated in Western Massachusetts. No, it’s not Boston.

I live in a three bedroom apartment with my boyfriend, James, and our cats Norman, Ophelia, and Penelope. I first went vegan for my health, focusing on the “high carb low fat” diet. Then, after watching a lot of documentaries about animal agriculture on Netflix and feeling sufficiently traumatized, I realized I could never go back to eating animals. While I still love the occasional buddha bowl, I function on tacos, pizza, and ice cream. I create recipes that are simple, healthyish, and absolutely delicious — like the lasagna that I served at my very own dinner party.

I created a simple menu that’s delicious, could feed at least 4–6 people, and was really easy to source and make! There’s a common misconception that vegan food has ingredients you have to trek through a dark forest to attain, but that’s not the case here. I veganized three simple dishes and even DIY’d a backyard game to keep my guests entertained. And you can do it too!

For general snacking before the main event, I created a vegan charcuterie board. I still have trouble pronouncing it so I’ve been calling it a fancy snack platter. I did a lot of searching on Pinterest and really just took inspiration from several photos, but here is a blog post where I got most of my inspiration from for this platter. Served on a beautiful live edge cutting board, we have:

• Miyoko’s cheese wheel
• Green olives
• Garlic bagel crisps
• Tabbouleh salad
• Balsamic hummus
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Slices of french bread
• Pitted dates

I placed the olives, hummus, and tabbouleh salad in little bowls, which I highly recommend. This serving platter is, by far, the fanciest thing I have ever created. I actually bought bread at the bakery part of the grocery store like the fancy lady I aspire to be. I feel like I should start wearing hats and gloves now.

I wanted to provide something special to drink, so I made an absolutely delightful white sangria. I can’t even express how delicious this sangria was. If there is anything you take away from this piece, please, make it the sangria. You can find the recipe here. This recipe is so simple to make that you’ll want to make your own sangria every week this summer.

I made this the night before which really allowed the fruit to infuse more into the sangria, but if you forget that step it can be made just couple of hours before. Be careful, though — there is nothing more difficult than having sangria in the fridge you’re not allowed to drink.

The main event of the night was the beautiful lasagna. Packed with delicious, hearty veggies and this tofu ricotta recipe, it was a huge hit!

Veggie Lasagna

serves four to six party guests

• 1 box of ready-to-bake lasagna noodles
• 2 large jars of your favorite marinara sauce
• 2 medium zucchinis, slices and halved
• 1 package white mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups of Spinach
• 1 cup of Gardein beefless ground crumbles or another frozen beef substitute
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• Sea salt, to taste
• Optional: 1 package of shredded vegan cheese (I used Daiya)

1. If you want to use a simple homemade tofu ricotta, make that first. I followed this amazingly simple recipe!
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
4. Once oil is hot, cook the garlic until fragrant.
5. Add the chopped mushrooms and zucchini and cook until softened, 5–6 minutes.
6. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 3–4 minutes.
7. Add some sea salt, to taste.
8. Add the beef crumbles and cook until hot, 5 minutes.
9. Mix the garlic powder and more sea salt and stir well. Keep tasting the veggies to make sure there’s enough salt.
10. In a large lasagna dish, add some marinara sauce to the bottom.
11. Next, add three lasagna noodles length-wise and one width-wise at the end. I had to break the noodle so it would fit.
12. If using tofu ricotta, add a thin layer now.
13. On top of the ricotta (or the noodles, if you’re skipping), add the veggie & meat mixture, a generous amount.
14. Add marinara sauce on top of this layer.
15. Repeat your layers until you’re out of veg, then top with a last layer of noodles.
16. Add marinara sauce on top of the noodles.
17. If using, sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly on top.
18. Cover the dish with aluminum and bake for 45–50 minutes. Ovens may vary, so check the noodles for softness and cook it longer if you need to.

The best thing about this lasagna is how versatile it is. Don’t like mushrooms? Don’t add them! You can put whatever vegetables you want in your lasagna and it will still come out amazing. Lasagna will never let you down. People should be more like lasagna.

Dessert was this absolutely delicious apple crisp recipe. I have never made a crisp before, but I specifically chose it because it was simple and could serve at least 6 people easily. The dessert was made about 20 minutes before I wanted to serve dinner. Since the crisp needed an hour in the oven, I wanted it to be cooking while we ate. About 10 minutes after we were done eating, it was ready to be devoured with vegan vanilla ice cream. I served the apple crisp dessert with lattés in glass mugs. If you ask me, everyone should own glass mugs.

In between courses, I entertained my guests with this adorable DIY project! You can find the full tutorial here. This took me about 20 minutes to create and I got all of the supplies at the dollar store. I also would like to point out that I was the only person who actually got a ring on one of the bottles, and everyone accused me of rigging the game like the secret carny I am.

The party was relaxed, cozy, and intimate. It was really nice to make such tasty vegan food that my friends could enjoy with me. I have fulfilled my dream to throw my own dinner party that looks like we’re all having a painfully good time — because we actually were!

This summer, I seriously recommend throwing at least one party like mine and inviting your favorite people over. I thought I would be tired and stressed from cooking for so many people, but as soon as everyone was enjoying themselves, it was worth it. Please enjoy your friends, the summertime, and the copious amounts of lasagna you’ll be consuming. You’re welcome.