Vegan Main Course

I think a nut roast with maybe a vegan Madeira sauce with the vegetables that everyone is having.

I have made the BBC Good Food one but with fresh cranberries not dried.

Some great recipes here: www.veganfoodandliving.com/features/the-best-vegan-christmas-recipes-featuring-58-festive-recipes/?utm_campaign=3947522_VFL_RECIPES_24.11.25&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_recipe&dm_i=7PPD,2CLXE,225OKJ,4M2X7,1#google_vignette

I think you can make nice stuffings for butternut squash. I was looking up Vegan recipes recently and this seemed a good one- though I can't remember where I saw it, sorry.

www.bosh.tv/recipes/bosh-classic-mushroom-wellington

We always have a mushroom Wellington from Bosh , their nut roast is lovely too.

Shelled and roasted cashew nuts are excellent protein and delicious delicate but meaty taste. A packet of those mixed with savoury rice would be nice . The cashews don't need cooking.

When I’ve cooked for vegans , I often do a whole roast cauliflower with lots of seasoning , and slice it into thick slices and serve with the veg . I roast potatoes and parsnips in oil rather than goose fat obviously. And make a veg gravy and nut stuffing.

Chop an onion finely and sauté in oil till tender. Put in a blender with a can of chick peas, two teaspoons of ground cinnamon, a handful of fresh coriander, a pinch of salt, a dash of lemon juice.

Blend to a firm mush adding a bit more oil if necessary.

Shape into patties.

Put in the fridge and cover. They’ll keep for a couple of days.

When you want them brush with oil and bake them for about 30 minutes when you’re browning the potatoes.

To look festive put two half cherry tomatoes on the top before you bake. Then serve with a couple of sprigs of the fresh coriander to give a kind of red and green holly effect😬

You can put other spices in if you know they like them, like mild chilli powder or garam masala. It’s the kind of recipe that you can fiddle about with to taste.

Sorry. I meant pistachio nuts ---not cashew nuts

Oh, I knew I’d find some help here. Thank you all so much for the excellent suggestions.
I am hosting the family Christmas ‘do’ this weekend so once that is over I’ll have a go at some of your ideas in the run up to the big day, they sound so delicious I’m sure we will enjoy testing them too!
You’ve helped me over my initial panic, thank you so much for taking the trouble to reply.

One year I had a lovely Turks Head squash I had grown n the garden, round with a round top like a Turkish turban. I scooped it out, filled it with a vagetariaan/vegan stuffing, placed the top of the turban on and put it on a dish garlanded with ivy. You could add tealights.

As in the photo at www.food.com/recipe/stuffed-turban-squash-106888

I have the Cranks recipe nut roast each year for myself. I do however cook the traditional dinner for everyone else. One benefit that might be useful is I cook the vegan roast on Christmas eve. All it needs on the day is less than a minute in the microwave. It tastes exactly the same as fresh from the oven. One less thing to do on the day.

Wow, I will definitely be trying some of these delicious recipes, totally not what ‘vegan’ conjures up in my mind, thank you all so much.
Can I be very cheeky and just ask, how would I make vegan gravy? And if it was to go with a nut roast would a mushroom gravy (if there were such a thing!) go with it? Good point about roasting the potatoes in oil and I will have to remember not to butter the other veg. Anything else I’ve missed?

schoolnightvegan.com/home/vegan-gravy/

Perfect, thank you!!

My DiL is gluten free vegan, so I always make her my tried and tested gluten free mushroom pie, she loves it as she doesn’t usually make homemade pies,. The rest of the veggies and roasties are fine as I cook them all without using any animal fats and go well with the pie.
Dessert wise, dairy free trifle, gluten free Xmas pudding and dairy free cream for her and real cream for the rest of us.

This is a really good idea. Could you give us an idea on the seasoning used? Just salt and pepper or do you add any herbs or spices?

Hobbs1 - would greatly appreciate your recipe if you wouldn’t mind sharing. Do you think I could add chestnuts/butternut squash to it or would that not work? Haven’t given a thought to her puddings yet, didn’t even know you could get vegan cream, is that with the other creams in the supermarket? So many questions, sorry!

We make a mushroom and sherry sauce to go with nut roast.

Ooohh, vegansrock that sounds delicious. Can I ask if you have a recipe for your sauce that you wouldn’t mind sharing.

I always include something for my vegetarian daughter-in-law which probably won't be much use for a vegan but might give others reading this thread some ideas.

Variations on mushroom dishes
Baked feta
Spicy fried tofu
Vegan hack-stuffed red cabbage leaves (a recipe I found one year.)

Have already asked this year and we have gone for a cepe quiche.

She eats the same as everyone else otherwise - I make sure only to boil veggies in water and serve with butter (oil for a vegan) and my gravy powder is plant-based.

Heres the mushroom and sherry sauce recipe its from Sarah Brown’s Vegetarian Kitchen . Very easy and you can make it the day before and just reheat.

Obviously you use vegan marg not butter in the above recipe

I make thisformy son’s partner. Looks and tastes good, not difficult
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/jewelled-squash-chestnut-mushroom-wreath

Some more brilliant ideas, a huge thank you for taking the time and trouble to reply.
vegansrock - I think I might have that book tucked away in a box somewhere! If I remember correctly there was a tv series that accompanied the book and I straight away thought of a Red Dragon Pie that was made with aduki (?) beans. Or have I totally dreamt this?!!