Chestnut and cranberry vegan nut roast

Do you love a nut roast?

Nut roasts - people seem to either love them or hate them.

To be honest there's just something about the name that conjures up images of a 1970s style vegetarian Christmas. Whether you think this is a good or a bad thing there's no denying that not all nut roasts are equal.

I'm sure that every vegan and vegetarian out there can remember a soggy, crumbly or tasteless nut roast, probably served with not enough roast potatoes and cold gravy.

Chances are you were served this nut roast as the only vegetarian on a work Christmas do. It doesn't have to be that way though!

It's time to rediscover the nut roast

My chestnut and cranberry nut roast recipe will transform your feelings about nut roast. It holds together beautifully and is packed full of festive flavours.

I've designed this recipe with Christmas in mind - hence the chestnuts and cranberries. But it can be eaten at any time - nut roasts are not just for Christmas after all.

What to serve with nut roast?

I think that roast potatoes are essential with nut roast as is a good vegan gravy.

I also like lots of vegetables on the side, like:

• roasted Brussels if it's Christmas
• sautéed cabbage or kale
• broccoli
• carrots
• braised red cabbage

And a large dollop of cranberry sauce on the side will complete your vegan Christmas dinner.

Can this nut roast be prepared in advance?

Yes. You can prepare this up to the end of stage 9 (in the recipe card below), allow to cool and store in the fridge overnight.

Alternatively you can cover at this stage and freeze. Be sure to defrost thoroughly before cooking.

Make sure it holds together

The key to making a successful vegan nut roast is to make sure that it binds together properly.

Here I've used flax eggs (you can also use chia eggs). Both chia and flax seeds are miracle vegan ingredients. As well as containing all sorts of nutrients that are good for you, when ground together and mixed with water they go all gloopy and make the perfect substitute for eggs.

When combined with a mashed vegetable - here I've used butternut squash - and breadcrumbs you're pretty much guaranteed to get good results.

Ingredients

To make this nut roast you will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 300 g butternut squash (about half a medium squash) peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chia or flax seeds
• 4 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves picked and finely chopped
• 180 g pre-cooked chestnuts crumbled or chopped
• 60 g ground almonds
• 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• 50 g wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 100 g dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make chestnut and cranberry vegan nut roast

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Place the chopped squash into a roasting tin, drizzle with oil and roast until soft.

2. Mix 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds (or chia seeds) with 4 tablespoons of cold water and set aside to thicken.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the chopped onion and celery until soft.

4. Add the chopped garlic and rosemary, stir and fry for a further minute.

5. Add the breadcrumbs, ground almonds, crumbled chestnuts, oregano, mustard, dried cranberries and nutritional yeast. Stir well.

6. Mash the roasted squash a little and add to the breadcrumb mixture with the flax eggs.

7. Mix well.

8. Prepare a loaf tin by greasing well and lining with baking paper. Transfer the mixture into the loaf tin, smooth over the top and bake for 1 hour, covering with foil halfway through.

If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.

Chestnut and cranberry vegan nut roast

Cook Veggielicious

Delicious chestnuts and cranberries are combined with tasty roasted butternut squash in this vegan nut roast recipe. Perfect for your Christmas dinner.

4.70 from 13 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine British

Servings 6

Calories 279 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS customary

 

1x2x3x

For the butternut squash

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 300 g butternut squash (about half a medium squash) peeled and chopped

For the chia/flax eggs

• 2 tablespoons chia or flax seeds (linseeds)
• 4 tablespoons cold water

For the nut roast

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves picked and finely chopped
• 180 g pre-cooked chestnuts crumbled or chopped
• 60 g ground almonds
• 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• 50 g wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 100 g dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

For the butternut squash

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C(fan)/200°C/ gas mark 6.
• Place the chopped squash into a roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30-40 minutes until soft. Stir once or twice.

For the chia/flax eggs

• Make your chia or flax eggs by mixing 2 tablespoons ground seeds with 4 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken.

For the nut roast

• Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan and cook the chopped onion and celery over a medium low heat until soft. Stir often. This will take 10-15 minutes.
• Add the garlic and chopped rosemary, stir, and cook for one more minute.
• Remove from the heat and stir through the chestnuts, breadcrumbs, oregano, almonds, mustard, cranberries and nutritional yeast.
• When the squash is cooked roughly mash and add to the onion and chestnut mixture along with the flax eggs.
• Stir well.
• Grease a 900g loaf tin and then line with baking paper.*
• Transfer the mixture to the tin and press down well.
• Bake for 30 mins. Cover the top with foil and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
• Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes then carefully remove from the tin and serve.

Notes

1. If you cut your baking paper so that it's longer than the tin and the edges overhang the short ends then it'll be easier to remove your nut roast.
2. This nut roast can be frozen. Once you've put the filling in the tin allow to cool completely then cover and freeze. Defrost thoroughly before cooking.
3. Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 6gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 51mgPotassium: 405mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 5315IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 2mg

Keyword vegan nut roast

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