Vegetarian Christmas dinner?

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I'd be really grateful if the vegetarians here could tell me what they're cooking and eating on Christmas day or Boxing Day please, with links to recipes if at all possible.

We're normally a meat-eating family but my son has become vegetarian at university and I'd like to do meat-free meals while he's home, especially on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Thanks for your help. 🙂

Thank you!

We are a family of 5 - 1 vegan, 2 veggies and 2 meat eaters. DH does celeriac dauphinois and a vegan version prepped the night before which is a big hit. We ll have a fake roast from Morrisons for the veggies and vegans. Everything else is the same.

Half of us are veggie, so we do a small chicken (rather than turkey) and I make gravy plus pigs in blankets for the meat eaters, then all the veg and sides are meat free - no goosefat potatoes, no pancetta with the sprouts etc - and usually the non meat eaters have vegetarian sausages with onion gravy. I have done various nut roasts in the past, both home made and bought in, but there's so much else it hardly gets eaten.

Veggie haggis here too, I'm having an M&S one this year.

I usually buy a ready made nut roast but the one last year from M & S was so full of sugar (I'm diabetic) that I'm making this: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/veggie-stuffing/ I will make this my "main" and it can be the stuffing for everyone else. I'm happy just eating the veg usually to be honest and I never use meat/poultry fat for cooking so it's only the meat/pigs in blankets I can't eat anyway.

Definitely see what he'd prefer, I dont like fake meat so if at inlaws they make me veggie stuffing (I secretly like paxo more but theirs holds up well with fried eggs for boxing day!) and a big cauliflower cheese which the meat eaters have as a side, plus the rest of the veg.

At home I sometimes make a nut roast or veg Wallington/pie but honestly it's no better than cauliflower cheese so I often dont bother.

Boxing day i will normally do sliced ham with fried eggs and bubble n squeak for meat eaters and have the best bits of the squeak and an extra egg for me.

Also make sure thete is a nice mushroom pate to go with crackers/cheese, and plenty of good bread and a veg quiche so that if we have a second leftovers meal boxing day there is something good for me while everyone else finished the pork pie!

Quorn roast, stuffing, all the usual trimmings (I cook potatoes etc in vegetable fat). I might try to pick up a mushroom wellington or similar as we have extended family visiting on Boxing Day.
If I was catering for Vegans then I'd just do all the same, minus the quorn but making either a seitan roast, or a nutloaf of some form.
I can't say that I find it particularly difficult, but in general I do have a reasonably small family to cater for.

I’m vege and just prefer extra yorkshires / stuffing and califlower cheese. I would maybe check if your DS has a preference as a Quorn loaf or mushroom wellington would be wasted on me

like a pp, I do a celeriac dauphinoise too and a banging cauliflower cheese. If I’m feeling particularly indulgent I make a Brie and squash gratin with crunchy breadcrumbs and seeds 🤭 but I’m not fussed by fake meats and am a big veg lover

DD has a nut roast (she requests every year), with everything else from the roast, but veg sausages rather than pigs in blankets. We also do a veg Wellington on Boxing Day.

I’ve been veggie for 35 years so I just like the veg and all the (vegetarian) trimmings, but I’ll go nut roast or wellington if pushed.

This looks amazing! I'm a reasonably competent cook but have never made a roulade and I'm wondering how tricky it might be?! Love the idea of the Christmas flavours of parsnips and stuffing being included.

This is lovely and not difficult https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/parsnip-cranberry-chestnut-loaf

Glad there are some sensible replies on here. Can’t believe people still approach vegetarianism like it’s some weirdo niche diet - you really don’t need to make wild wacky stuff. Christmas dinner can be perfectly vegetarian and filling by just leaving off the meat (obvs no meat gravy or anything cooked in animal fat).

Nothing more disappointing than when I’m expecting lovely roast potatoes, stuffing and veg and then someone has gone to loads of trouble making something alternative like stuffed aubergine or worse, something morrocan with apricots and cous cous or curry (yes, this has happened loads of times!) I love those things but not when everyone else is eating roast! Just keep it simple.

And also get your son in the case - surely if he’s old enough to be away at uni, he can give you some ideas, or god forbid, help you out?

I'll make a nut roast and mushroom gravy, then eat the normal veg

Just veg would piss me off, I like a good bit of protein

But the best and easiest is Sarah Brown’s layered cashew nut and mushroom roast. It goes really well with all the other Christmas Day components. I have the original recipe book but if you google it you should find a link, it’s old school but very popular.

My favourite is the roasties and the Yorkshire puds, not bothered about anything else. I don’t need protein in my Christmas dinner.

Lots of great recipes here, but you can't go wrong with a Quorn roast. I find it delicious. There is a Quorn gammon roast too, but I've never had it. I imagine it's lovely too like most Quorn products. Xx

My DD is veggie and she just prefers to have the non-meat part of Christmas dinner including veggie yorkshire puddings and then Quorn fake chicken. Then Christmas pudding and cream. We also have a veg pie and veg box from the farm shop.

I‘m doing a mushroom, nut and cranberry wellington alongside a small turkey crown for the meateaters. All the sides are non-meaty and shared. I made the mushroom filling weeks ago and it’s currently in the freezer, so i just need to roll it in pre-made pastry and bake.

I’ve not read all the replies yet, so not sure if already mentioned. We have a tofurkey roast. And also a Vbites (either gammon/turkey/beef) roast alongside it. These are available online, and in our local health food shop. We also get the veggie pigs in blankets. We have a mixed veggie/meat household so do both on the day so that everyone has a nice Xmas dinner.

My mums vegetarian I do her a Wellington but using a quorn roast and cranberry sauce.

Veggie pigs in blankets and Jamie Olivers vegan gravy (I split it so then use roasting juices for the meat eaters)

I'm a vegetarian and for Christmas dinner with this isn't chicken thighs and vegetarian pigs in blankets.
Boxing day I tend to have leftovers or a buffet or cheese and crackers, there are lots of vegetarian party food options. Christmas dinner is easy, it's just a vegetarian meat alternative.