This delicious vegan nut roast wreath makes a hearty and beautiful centrepiece.
This delicious vegan nut roast wreath makes a hearty and beautiful centrepiece. I like to serve it with roasted vegetables and some cranberry sauce.
It is made with some simple seasonal vegetables: carrots, butternut squash, carrots and mushrooms. It gets its hearty texture from nuts, lentils and chickpeas. Spiced with smoked paprika and thyme, it is bound to delight non-meat-eaters and meat-eaters alike.
It is perfect for Christmas, but you can also serve it the rest of the year for a Sunday roast.
Two essential things to remember: cook the vegetable and lentil mixture until most of the liquid has been absorbed, and make sure you leave the nut roast to cool down before serving it. This will ensure the nut roast does not crumble when served.
How to make this vegan nut roast wreath
This is a very straightforward recipe. Just make sure the vegetables are chopped finely and watch for any extra cooking liquid!
First, you will need to fry together in stages, the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, butternut squash and chestnut mushrooms.
The lentils are then added to the mixture and cooked with vegetable stock and seasoning. Once the lentils are cooked, make sure there is as little liquid as possible left. If there is too much liquid, the nut roast will be wet and will not hold together when you serve it.
While the vegetables are cooking, you can prepare the dry ingredients. Using a blender, the mixed nuts need to be ground into a chunky yet fine mixture. The nuts are then mixed with breadcrumbs and milled chia seeds. The chia seeds will help bind the ingredients together. Vegetarians can replace the chia seeds with two beaten eggs.
When the vegetable mixture is ready, add the dry ingredients and crushed chickpeas to the saucepan along with the orange zest and orange juice.
Carefully spoon the mixture into the lined cake mould, pressing to pack it down as much as possible.
Once the nut roast is cooked, you will need to let it cool in the tin for 15 mins before turning it out. This will help to keep it firm. An additional 5 to 10mins cooling down while you are decorating it, will improve the texture even more.
Here are more Christmas recipes you may like to try:
- BRUSSELS SPROUT PANZANELLA [VEGAN]
- MINI LEEK & POTATO GRATINS [VEGETARIAN]
- ASIAN MUSHROOM WELLINGTON [VEGAN]
- WINTER VEGETABLE COULIBIAC WITH PORCINI MUSHROOM SAUCE [VEGAN]
I hope you enjoy this vegan nut roast wreath recipe as much as we do. If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
Vegan Nut Roast Wreath
Equipment
- large saucepan
- cheese grater
- Blender
- 27 cm fluted ring cake tin (dimensions L x W x H 27 x 8.5 x 27 cm)
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 celery sticks
- 250 g carrots
- 150 g parsnips
- 250 g butternut squash
- 175 g chestnut mushrooms
- 125 g red split lentils
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 200 g mixed nuts
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp milled chia seeds
- 400 g can chickpeas
- zest and juice of 1 large orange
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Start by preparing the vegetables. Chop the onion finely. Grate the garlic cloves. Chop the celery finely. Chop the mushrooms finely. Using the coarse side of a cheese grater, grate the carrots, parsnips and butternut squash.
- Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan Add the chopped onion and grated garlic. Fry gently until soft.
- Add the chopped celery and grated carrot. Fry gently for 3-5 minutes until soft.
- Add the grated parsnips, grated butternut squash and chopped mushrooms. Fry gently for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add lentils, vegetable stock, thyme, smoked paprika and tomato paste to the vegetables. Mix well until all the ingredients are blended. Cover with a lid and cook for around 20 mins until the lentils are cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir from time to time to avoid the vegetable mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the lentils are done, if you feel that there is too much liquid, carry on cooking without the lid to eliminate as much liquid as possible (if there is too much liquid, the nut roast will be wet and will not hold together when you serve it).
- While the vegetables are cooking, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Pulse the mixed nuts in a blender to a chunky yet fine mixture.
- Transfer the ground nuts to a bowl. Mix with the breadcrumbs and milled chia seeds.
- Drain the chickpeas. Crush them roughly with a fork. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/gas 6. Line a fluted ring cake tin with some parchment paper.
- When the vegetable mixture is ready, add the ground nuts, breadcrumbs, milled chia seeds and crushed chickpeas to the saucepan. Mix well. Add the orange zest and orange juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the mixture into the cake mould, pressing to pack it down as much as possible.
- Cover with foil and place in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and carry on cooking for 25-35mins until firm and brown.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins before turning it out. Allow to cool for another 5-10mins while you are decorating it.
- Serve with roasted vegetables and cranberry sauce.
Nutrition
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