Whether you’re a seasoned veggie, this is your first Christmas as a vegan or you have a vegetarian or vegan guest for Christmas, there’s no reason the main dish can’t be as flavoursome and impressive as a classic turkey version!
We’ve gathered together three recipes which we think would make a impressive centrepiece to your Christmas dinner which feel super festive and are packed full of flavour, proving that plant-based eating needn’t be bland.
If you want to learn how to cook mouth-watering vegetarian and vegan recipes or know someone who’d love to learn, look at the classes we have on offer here>
Vegan Wellington Recipe from Olive magazine
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
250g kale, tough stalks removed
250g cooked beetroot pack, thinly sliced
3 roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and halved
For the pastry
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
210ml olive oil
7 tbsp aquafaba (chickpea water), see notes below
For the stuffing
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
150g swede, coarsely grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped
Grated nutmeg
200g pouch of ready-cooked puy lentils
1 apple, coarsely grated
30g hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped
50g breadcrumbs
Zest of 1 lemon
For the glaze
1 tsp marmite
For the gravy
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
100ml brandy
1 tbsp pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
3 tbsp vegan gravy granules, see notes below
50ml soya cream
Cooking Instructions
- To make the pastry, mix the flour with 1 tsp salt then stir in the olive oil and 5 or 6 tbsp of aquafaba until it comes together as a dough, then knead lightly for 30 seconds. Cut 1/3 of the pastry from the block, then wrap and chill both blocks for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and swede for 5-10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, thyme and nutmeg, and cook for a further minute. Tip in the cooked lentils, apple and hazelnuts, and cook for 1 minute before stirring through the breadcrumbs and lemon zest. Cool.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and cook the chopped garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the kale and a splash of boiling water and cook until the kale has wilted and the water has evaporated. Season and cool.
- On a lightly floured piece of baking paper, roll out the 1/3 of pastry to a 25cm x 15cm rectangle, then slide onto a baking sheet. Spoon ½ of the stuffing onto the pastry in an even layer, leaving a 1cm border. Add ½ of the kale mixture, ½ of the beetroot slices and all the pepper slices, so that you have clear layers. Spoon the remaining stuffing mix on top of this, then repeat with the remaining beetroot and kale.
- On another lightly floured piece of baking paper, roll out the remaining pastry to a 35cm x 30cm rectangle. Carefully flip the pastry onto the wellington and peel off the baking paper. Use your hands to mould the pastry round so it is tight to the filling. Use your finger and thumb to crimp the edges of the pastry so it’s completely encased, then trim any excess. Roll out any excess pastry and decorate, if you like. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Mix the Marmite with 1 tbsp aquafaba and use this to glaze the entire wellington. Put into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden.
- To make the gravy, heat the vegetable oil in a small pan and cook the shallot for 5 minutes until soft. Tip in the brandy and pink peppercorns. Mix the gravy granules with 350ml water and pour in. Simmer for 5 minutes until thickened slightly, then stir through the soya cream. Keep warm but do not boil. Cut the wellington into thick slices and serve with the gravy.
Vegetarian Squash & Stilton Toad in the Hole from delicious magazine
Ingredients
- 1 coquina or butternut squash, deseeded, cut into wedges
- 2 small red onions, cut into chunky slices
- 3 whole peeled garlic cloves, bashed with the flat of a knife
- 4 rosemary springs (leaves from 2 of them finely chopped)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 225g plain flour, sifted
- Pinch baking powder
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 300ml whole milk
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 150g stilton, crumbled (or cheddar or a soft goat’s cheese)
- 3 tbsp redcurrant jelly
Cooking Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Put the squash, onions, garlic cloves and the 2 rosemary sprigs (torn into smaller sprigs) in a roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the oil and roast for 30 minutes until tender and starting to caramelise.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs, then pour in the milk. Use a balloon whisk to mix to a smooth batter (you should see bubbles start to appear). Season, then whisk in the chopped rosemary and mustard.
- Discard the rosemary sprigs from the roast squash, then transfer to a 1.5 litre baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp oil, dot the cheese and redcurrant jelly over, then pour in the batter to fill the gaps. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the batter is puffed, golden and cooked through (it will pull away from the sides). Serve with a green salad or with steamed broccoli and the gravy.
Chestnut & Sage Stuffed, Roasted Cauliflower with Cashew Nuggets from Waitrose
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower (approx. 800g)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 5 tbsp breadcrumbs
- Handful of parsley, chopped for garnish
For the stuffing
- 100g cashew nuts
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100ml sunflower oil
- 25g pack flat or curly leaf parsley
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- 150g vacuum packed cooked chestnuts
- Juice of 1 lemon
For the nuggets
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium carrot, unpeeled, washed and coarsely grated
- 100g cashew nuts, toasted
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only, roughly chopped
- 5g fresh sage, leaves only, roughly chopped
- 150g of breadcrumbs (or gluten-free alternative)
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp tamari
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C or gas mark 6. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and carefully remove the stalk, ensuring the whole cauliflower head holds together. Fill a large saucepan with about 8cm of salted boiling water. Add the whole cauliflower, cover and cook over a high heat for 7-8 minutes. Remove carefully and set upside down on a baking tray to cool.
- Meanwhile, blend all the stuffing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a narrow nozzle. Alternatively, make a small cut in the end of a disposable piping bag. Gently pipe between all the cauliflower florets and the base, filling any gaps with stuffing, using a skewer to help separate the florets as you go. Turn the cauliflower the right way up, season well, then brush with oil and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden.
- To make the nuggets, sauté the onion and garlic with 1 tbsp of oil for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly until translucent. Add the carrot and a pinch of salt, and sweat for 5 minutes more, stirring regularly, then remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, finely chop two-thirds of the roasted cashews in a food processor. Add this and all the remaining ingredients, other than the oil, to the carrot mixture with 1-2 tbsp water and mix well. Season to taste and shape into 10 golf ball-sized rounds, then flatten slightly into nuggets.
- Add 1½ tbsp of oil to a non-stick frying pan and fry half the nuggets on each side for 1-2 minutes until brown and crispy. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the oil and nuggets. Serve with the cauliflower, scattered with parsley to garnish.
Cook’s tip
The nuggets can be cooked up to 24 hours in advance, then cooled, covered and kept in the fridge until needed. Simply reheat in the oven until piping hot throughout before serving.

Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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