This Christmas Nut Roast loaded with butternut squash, nuts, and chestnuts and garnished with a festive cranberry topping, is a delicious meat-free recipe for the holiday season.
Hello, everyone. I hope you’re doing well. I’ve got something super festive and delicious today – this Christmas Nut Roast. Honestly, I never had a nut roast until this year. Indeed, I wasn’t even paying attention to those recipes. Perhaps, I wasn’t just impressed with photos – I would treat a nut roast as something boring and certainly not festive.
I must admit I was wrong!
This Christmas Nut Roast turned super delicious, and it’s very easy to make it look stunning.
What’s a nut roast? It’s a vegetarian loaf, rich and savoury (or savoury & sweet), consisting of nuts (Surprise!), seeds, legumes, vegetables and many other options. I had watched a couple of videos on YouTube and combined those ideas in this recipe. For this Christmas Nut Roast I used:
- Butternut squash (It’s a perfect “glue” for the loaf;
- Mixed nuts – feel free and use whatever nuts and seeds you fancy;
- Cooked and basically mashed lentils (Perfectly hold the roast, too);
- Minced and cooked mushrooms (Bring deep flavour);
- Chestnuts (It’s the Christmas time, babe!);
- Herbs and spices like sage, rosemary, and nutmeg (holiday vibes)
As I wanted to make this Christmas Nut Roast look festive, I made a simple cranberry sauce to serve with the roast. Also, sour cream or plain yogurt is an excellent addition (The roast can be slightly dry for someone’s taste, and sour cream adds that missing moisture.) This Christmas Nut Roast would be an excellent choice for your dinner or lunch. I enjoyed a large slice of this cold Christmas Nut Roast (with a generous dollop of sour cream), with my morning coffee, and it was so good.
And the best part? This recipe is super versatile. Add whatever nuts you fancy. Want a sweet & savoury combination? Add some dried cranberries, apricots, or even dates. Feeling extravagant? Think the combination of pistachios and cranberries. In fact, I was considering adding some smoky prosciutto; however, that wouldn’t already be a nut roast.
As you see – plenty of options and always a delicious result.
Cheers for now.
Ingredients
Nut Roast:
- 1 small butternut squash + oil for greasing + salt and pepper
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 to 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 200 gr. brown mushrooms
- 200 gr. cooked and peeled chestnuts (I used vacuum-packed_
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- a pinch of chilly flakes
- 1/2 to 1 nutmeg, freshly grated
- salt & pepper
- a handful of fresh sage
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 cup cooked red lentils (Canned would work too)
- 250-300 gr. mixed nuts, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp. almond meal (optional)
- 2/3cup fresh bread crumbs (I used small ciabatta)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1 to 3 eggs
Cranberry Sauce:
- 300 gr.fresh or frozen cranberries
- juice of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup water
- cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, a pinch (optional)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. Brush with a little of olive oil, season with some salt and pepper, place the garlic inside, and roast in the preheated to 180 degrees C (360 degrees F) oven for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your squash. It should be firm and sliceable – but quite softened.
- Remove from oven and let cool until easy to handle. Peel and cube (If some parts are soft, that’s fine. Just scope it out).You will need about 3 cups – reserve the leftovers for other recipes.
- In the meantime, heat the butter and olive oil and cook the onions and garlic, 5 minutes.
- Mince the mushrooms (In a blender or just finely chop), add into the pan, and cook 5 minutes.
- Add the chestnuts (roughly crumbled). Season with spices, add the herbs, cook 5 minutes. Off heat and cool a bit.
- Stir in the cooked and drained lentils (slightly mashed), nuts, almond meal (If using), bread crumbs, cranberries, and squash. Try and season more if necessary.
- Add 1 to 3 eggs, depending on the texture (If it’s moist enoug, 1 egg would be enough) and mix well.
- Line a medium loaf tin with baking paper and lightly spray. Preheat oven to about 180 degrees C. (360 degrees F).
- Transfer the mixture into the loaf pan and press well (If you have some leftovers, place the mixture into a small dish or muffin tins).
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes (If the top is browning too fast, cover with some foil).
- Remove from the oven and let rest for about 20 minutes then flip the tin and gently remove the loaf.
- For the sauce, combine all the ingredients (spices are optional), bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes, until it has thickened.
- Serve with the cranberry sauce or sour cream, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Lynne is nearly completely vegetarian. So I’ve got my own go-to Christmas Nut Roast recipe but I must admit that I don’t put chestnuts in it. How silly, I mean it’s Christmas isn’t it so they should be there! Thanks for this nut roast version it looks packed with flavour!
Neil recently posted…Creamy Parsnip Soup
I’ve never had a nut loaf and the name doesn’t make me want to try it. But the ingredient list is calling my name! I love everything you included here–this would be such a great option for vegetarians during the holidays! Great idea!
Interesting! I’ve never even heard of a nut roast before. We always make a beef tenderloin roast on Christmas Day, and I’m certainly not going to break with tradition there. However, I am intrigued by this recipe so I think it needs to appear sometime during the holidays for sure. Also, I second your thought of smoky prosciutto here. Sure, it’s not a vegetarian nut roast then, but oh well. It sounds delicious to me!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta