Christmas dinner ideas for vegetarians: 2022 easy and delicious recipes to wow vegetarians!
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Vegetarian dishes should not be underestimated at the Christmas table. If you know that some of your guests are vegetarians, you should know it’s very unpleasant when the host hasn’t thought enough about people who don’t eat meat. As a result, they are expected to feed themselves with sides when there are no main meat-free dishes. However, this seems like ignoring some people’s preferences, so it’s best to think about everything in advance. We will help you with a few Christmas dinner ideas for vegetarians, so that everyone at the table is happy and fed!
Christmas dinner ideas for vegetarians
Looking for Christmas dinner ideas for vegetarians? We have prepared several ideas for vegetarian starters, main dishes and desserts. They are so delicious that we are sure that even meat lovers will not be indifferent to them. It is a good idea to prepare them in larger quantities! Without wasting any more time, we’ll start with the vegetarian starters suitable for the Christmas table.
Christmas vegetarian starters
Starters are usually light foods, sometimes spicy, to stimulate the appetite and prepare us for a meal. You may not want to overdo the number of starters – one, two or maximum three are quite enough. Let’s see our suggestion for a vegetarian starter to serve at the Christmas table!
Cauliflower, potato and chili cheese croquettes
Everyone would love a delicious and crunchy croquettes! Make them out of cauliflower, cheese and potatoes. Roll them in panko breadcrumbs and fry them up! Prepare your favorite dip for croquettes to complement their taste! Here’s the detailed recipe!
Ingredients:
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
- ½ cups (100g) cheddar, cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cups (60g) all-purpose flour
- vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 356° F / 190 °C.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and prick them a few times with a fork. Put them in the oven for about 1 hour or until done.
- Let the potatoes cool enough to scoop out the insides. Then, place them in a large bowl.
- Put the cauliflower in a large saucepan and add water to cover it. Bring the water to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain it very well and let it cool.
- Mash the cauliflower with a handheld masher or fork. Add it to bowl with potatoes.
- Mix everything together. Sprinkle in chili flakes, cumin ground powder, salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add the cubes of cheese and stir until evenly combined.
- Form croquettes of approximately the same size. Coat them in the plain flour, then in the egg, and finally in the panko breadcrumbs.
- Let the croquettes chill in the fridge for minimum 30 minutes or until you are ready to fry them.
- Fry them using a large saucepan or deep-fryer until golden brown.
- Place the croquettes onto kitchen paper to remove the excess fat.
- Serve with dip of choice!
Christmas vegetarian main dishes
The main dish for vegetarians at the Christmas table should be present by all means! As already mentioned, you can’t just rely on meatless starters and side dishes and be sure that vegetarians will be fed with them! Prepare a delicious meat-free main dish and make your guests feel special! Here’s our idea for a vegetarian main dish!
Spinach, chestnut and blue cheese en croûte
What you’ll need:
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50g) butter
- 1 ¼ pound (500 g) leek, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 8 ounces (240 g) baby spinach
- 500 ml chestnut puree
- 3 eggs, plus 1 for glaze
- ½ tbsp nutmeg
- 7 ounces (200 g) chestnuts, halved
- 11 tablespoons (80 g) fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 cup (220 g) blue cheese, cut into small cubes
- ready-rolled puff pastry
Instructions:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add garlic and leeks and stir. Put a lid on the pan and cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally every few minutes to prevent burning. Once cooked, take a large bowl and transfer the mixture there.
- Then put the spinach in the same pan and wait for it to soften and reduce in size. When it’s ready, let it cool and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
- To the leek mixture, add the chestnut puree, chestnuts, eggs, spinach, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, cheese and spices. Mix everything well. Refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 428 °F (220 °C) with a fan. Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry and transfer it to a large baking tray. Spread the filling in the middle of the pastry, then roll up. Brush the roll with egg and prick it with a fork in several places to let the steam escape during cooking.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden.
Christmas vegetarian desserts
Here comes the sweetest part of the evening – the dessert! We have chosen a very easy and at the same time terribly delicious recipe for raw cocoa balls! We’re sure everyone will love them, and here’s how to make them!
Raw cocoa balls
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ tbsp cacao powder
- ¾ cup (170 g) dates
- raw walnuts, almonds or other nuts of choice
- 1 cup (80 g) oats
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions:
- Put the oats, cocoa and nuts of your choice (almonds, walnuts) in a food processor. Blend all the ingredients.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water and dates to the mixture. Pulse until everything is a thick and sticky mixture.
- Form balls of the mixture and place them on a baking sheet. Then refrigerate them for at least 12 hours.