“When I’m feeling the vegan vibe, this is my go-to recipe to replace the meat and stuffing. I serve it with vegan gravy, roasted vegetables, and all of the Christmas trappings. Cranberry sauce is a must!” – Mike McEnearney
73 meat-free menu ideas for your Christmas lunch
Whether you’re vegetarian yourself, have vegetarian guests coming or just want some amazing vegetable-based recipes in your festive cooking arsenal, we’ve got you covered with our best meat-free menu ideas. Here are 73 vegetarian and vegan recipe ideas for a vegetarian Christmas!
You won't believe how good this vegetarian gravy is
With full flavor and half the guilt, this vegetarian gravy is the perfect substitution from the store bought, packet stuff.
Roast cauliflower with bacon and parmesan cream
Who ever said the roast centerpiece had to be meat? Definitely not us. Get in an extra serve of vegetables with this impressive and awe-inspiring cauliflower.
Roast mushrooms with charred onion
Shannon Bennett's mushroom medley will add hearty flair to any meal, as a main or a stunning side.
Gluten-free eggplant parmigiana lasagne recipe
Gluten-free, vegetarian friendly, and utterly, utterly delicious.
Baked cauliflower with haloumi, burnt honey and za'atar
If you're entertaining, this side dish from Ben Sears is a necessity.
Onion tarte tatin
Looking for something quick and easy to whip up before guests arrive? This easy tarte tatin is the perfect thing. Use that frozen puff pastry at the back of your freezer and the onions you have lying around to make this delicious French savoury snack. Ready in just a few steps, this onion tart is sure to become your next staple.
Yotam Ottolenghi's butternut pumpkin lasagne pie
This comforting dish lands somewhere between a lasagne and a pie. Thinly sliced butternut pumpkin and broken dried lasagne sheets are all tossed together in one bowl with cheese, spices and a red pepper sauce, then pressed into a cake pan before baking, at which point everything softens and cooks together into imperfectly perfect layers. A simple bechamel topping is made while your pie is in the oven. Recipe note: You’ll need a 24.5cm springform cake pan.
Whole roasted cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts and burnt butter
The humble cauliflower becomes a roast with the most, adorned with burnt butter and raisins.
Roasted turnips with miso butter
“Turnips can sometimes be overlooked, but they shouldn’t be! They’re tasty raw or cooked, plain or pumped with flavour like they are here." - Hayden Quinn.
Pumpkin nam jim skewers
These hearty vegetable skewers are bursting with flavour and can easily be made vegetarian friendly.
Jamie Oliver's roasted brassica salad with lentils and haloumi
Jamie Oliver's hearty salad is the perfect combination of warm, roasted veg with haloumi and lentils – the crowning side to any family feast, or a meal on its own.
Broad bean goat's curd tart
“Light, easy and simply delicious. You could bake one large tart or make it in mini form." – Cynthia Litster, owner of The Waratah, Sydney. This recipe is by chef Joey Astorga.
Tandoori cauliflower recipe
These tandoori cauliflower make for a filling and flavour-packed vegetarian dish. Who said vegetables had to be boring? This recipe is an extract from I Love India by Anjum Anand (Quadrille Publishing, RRP $39.99).
Peach mostarda with green bean and fennel salad
The peaches in this mostarda can be replaced with nectarines, apricots, apples or pears. It’s a great way to use over-ripe fruit. It’s lovely as a salad dressing, but also delicious served as a sauce with duck, pork, chicken or salmon.