What would you make a vegetarian family on Christmas Eve?

[Jezebelz]

I like to plan in advance but stuck for ideas. It will be 6 adults and 3 kids and they don't eat fish.

Do they eat eggs?

Yep they eat eggs. Not vegan thank goodness!

What sort of meal? Sit down, buffet etc?

Baked potatoes, various toppings, bean chilli, egg mayo, cheese etc with salads

Quiche, new potatoes & green beans

Vegetable curry with rice & naan bread

Pizza, chips, garlic bread & salad

Stirfry veg with cashew nuts & rice or noodles

Cheesy pasta bake

Sort of assuming you're avoiding a roast as everyone is likely having one the next day.

I'm doing homemade pizza for Xmas this year (DS not a fan of traditional Xmas fayre) and that'll be a vegetarian meal - tomatoes, cheese, onion, jalapenos, peppers, mushrooms, maybe spinach.

Maybe pancakes for pudding.

Or are you keen on a festive feel? Red cabbage with clementines, mushroom & chestnut roast, vegetables, that kind of thing?

Buffet is a good idea, it doesn't have to have a festive feel but I want it to be a bit fancy seeing as it's Christmas.

I'm veggie, and would love a nice curry with all the extras, or a really nice veggie lasagne/moussaka or similar with garlic bread etc. I wouldn't be too impressed with quiche or a jacket potato for Xmas eve though! Or a good Mexican theme - I love food with lots of 'bits' like Indian or Mexican. You could make it a bit buffetish or a proper sit down.
I've done a big slow cooked pot of curry or chilli before for Boxing Day, goes down well with meat eaters too.

Or a butter bean/chick pea Spanish style stew with veggie sausages or a veggie paella. Could always have some meat/fish on the side if you wanted. I'd definitely try and stick to a one pot type meal though, much easier for a lot of people.

inappropriateraspberry thanks for the tips! I am liking the Mexican / Spanish theme so a paella and some kind of bean stew with rice and sides.

Could throw in a macaroni cheese with garlic bread too for the kids.

A good buffet with a harvest pie as a centre piece. Christmas cheeseboard, salads, pickles etc

As it's Christmas I would involve many cheeses. And nuts.

We usually have curry plus sides for Xmas day so would this work for your Christmas Eve?
DH and DS hate most veg and potatoes so our options for eating together are very limited.

Curry as a 'help yourself' buffet does sound good. My favourite curry dishes and sides include mushroom bajee, onion bajee, dhal, chickpea curry, a vegetable korma, various flatbreads and rice.

Veggie tagine, with Cous cous and flat breads. Serve with a dish of yogurt with pomegranate seeds on top. Is delicious and looks really festive

Indian buffet. Pakoras, bhajis, samosas, parr’s, lovely flat breads, dhal, two or three vegetable curries, a biryani then ice cream and mango salad.

Patra not parr’s

Goodwill pie! Quite a bit of effort but incredibly worth it. I’ll find the recipe. It’s the absolute nuts. (Though doesn’t contain nuts).

It was the showstopper last year, did us several meals, hot and cold.

annajones.co.uk/recipe/goodwill-pie

@AnneLovesGilbert that looks amazing! Centrepiece for vegetarian DH for this year sorted. Am thinking that I’ll prep all the veg and then assemble and bake on the day, otherwise the pastry will disintegrate at the bottom. Any top tips?

That pie looks AMAZING.
I might do that for Christmas Day.

Veggie tagine. If you sprinkle it with nuts and pomegranate seeds it will look festive and jewel like.

Personally I always think veggie paella is a bit boring.

Butternut squash risotto would be nice and festive - you could crumble some chestnuts on top.

You could also look up recipes for a squash wellington.

Lentils represent good luck in Italy and are traditional around new year, so I normally make a veggie lentil dish over the festive season. They’ve very nice with roasted root veg and goats cheese.

A really good homemade quiche is a delight.

I’d be tempted to do a Greek mezze: feta baked in pastry, courgette frittatas, something nice with aubergine, stuffed vine leaves (the latter bought-in).

Yotam's veggie paella is to die for, and really easy (provided you pre-chop!)

ottolenghi.co.uk/multi-vegetable-paella-shop

Better link!

hammertown.com/2012/06/multi-vegetable-paella-from-yotam-ottolenghi/

The pastry for the pie is a doddle, comes together really easily and is delicious. Roll it out bigger than you think it should be as you fold it haphazardly over the top of the filling. Also don’t overlap the pastry too much as it needs to cook through properly.

The recipe works well as written. I use strong cheddar, great flavour throughout.

The greens look too much in the pan but they squish down into a lovely layer.

It’s a delight. I’ve made it twice and i can’t wait to do it again.

I love nut roast or veggie haggis as veggie Christmas mains too but they’re not as pretty.

You want a centrepiece people can hack bits off for seconds like you would with a turkey or a ham.

Other idea is a roulade. Delia’s parsnip roulade is another winner. A big dish that looks good and can be sliced. I don’t bother with the nuts or stuffing but the roulade itself is great and very versatile. I sometimes fill it with a spinach and mushroom filling. Great hot and cold.

I’m hungry

That looks amazing MrsBertBibby, olives and saffron, gorgeous.

It’s a very hardy pastry HelenaJustina and won’t come to any harm if it sits a bit before cooking. None of the layers are wet when they go in. It needs a big tin so I cook it the day before then just heat it up before eating.