What is Nut Roast?

If you’re unaware, a nut roast is a hearty loaf made from nuts, vegetables, and whatever other tasty ingredients you like, mixed together and baked to golden perfection. It’s a British recipe, and here in the UK, it’s been a vegetarian favourite for decades, and sometimes it’s probably unfairly considered to be a bit old-fashioned. But I say it’s time to bring back this old favourite!

It’s really hard to beat a nut roast that contains so many wonderful textures and flavours – a soft crunch from the nuts, aromatic herbs, plenty of vegetables, and little pops of festive sweetness from the dried cranberries. It’s wonderful.

What Makes this Nut Roast so Easy to Make?

Many nut roast recipes call for a long list of (in my opinion) unnecessary steps: pre-cooking vegetables, boiling lentils, blitzing up breadcrumbs…

My version, on the other hand, is all about simplicity. There’s absolutely no pre-cooking required, so no hassle… just deliciousness. It’s such an easy recipe – if you can mix ingredients, you can make this easy nut roast.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• nuts – I used cashew nuts and peanuts (which happened to be red peanuts, but any type will do!). Nuts can be quite expensive, so honestly, I would just choose whatever nuts make sense to you. If you can find another kind of nut more cheaply, that’s totally fine.
• vegetables – I used carrot, mushrooms, and red onion. Make sure you chop your veggies nice and finely (or grate them, if appropriate), so that the nut roast holds together nicely.
• tinned lentils – using a can is so much easier than boiling dried lentils (but you can do that instead, if you prefer).
• rolled oats – a quicker, and more nutritious, alternative to breadcrumbs.
• grated cheddar – use a nice mature cheese for extra flavour.
• eggs – to help hold everything together.
• fresh sage – brings a Christmassy flavour. Use dried sage if you prefer, though I do like having the whole leaves to garnish the nut roast.
• dried oregano (or any other dried herb you like)
• garlic – I used minced garlic from a jar because it’s quick and easy, and I hate chopping fresh garlic.
• dried cranberries – you can skip these if you’re not a fan, but they really do bring a nice touch of sweetness to the nut roast.

This recipe is quite versatile, so you could swap out some of the ingredients, if you’d like to. For example:

• Most other kinds of nuts will also work just fine – use whatever you like. Walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc. will all be great. You don’t have to only choose two. I used plain, unroasted and unsalted nuts, but roasted nuts will also work. If yours are pre-salted, don’t add any additional salt to the nut roast.
• You can swap out the vegetables I chose (mushrooms, carrots and red onion) if you like – just make sure you chop everything quite finely, as big chunks of vegetable may stop the loaf from holding together strongly. Grated parsnip, chopped bell peppers, or finely chopped broccoli should all work okay. I’d avoid anything too wet, like tomatoes or zucchini (courgette), or you might end up with a soggy loaf.
• The herbs can be swapped for any other herbs (fresh or dried) you have on hand. Nut roast is a great opportunity to use woody herbs, like thyme or rosemary, but fresher herbs like parsley will also work well.

How to Serve this Butternut Squash Salad

This salad could function as either a side dish, or as a meal in its own right.

If you’re using it as a side, this recipe would easily serve two people, alongside a tasty vegetarian protein option, or some pasta, or any other meal that needs a little something extra.

Alternatively, it makes a great light lunch – it makes a generous plateful for one person. It’s probably not filling enough to be your main meal of the day, but it was a lovely lunch to munch on while I was working.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• butternut squash – I chopped up about half of a medium-sized fresh squash. You can buy it pre-chopped if you’re short on time.
• red onion
• arugula (rocket)
• pine nuts
• hard cheese – I used a hard goat’s cheese, but any similar cheese would be great, e.g. a vegetarian parmesan-style cheese.
• dried oregano (or similar dried herbs – whatever you like best)
• garlic
• lemon (I used fresh lemon, but a bottle of lemon juice will also work)

You could easily add extra ingredients to this butternut squash salad, or swap out any of the ingredients you’re less keen on. Since the butternut squash and red onion are roasted together for this salad, any other vegetables that can roast up at the same time would be an easy addition. For example:

• mushrooms
• eggplant (aubergine)
• bell peppers
• canned chickpeas

You could also add any other raw ingredients that sound good – this really is an adaptable recipe! Some pecans, diced apples, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, or any other fun mix-ins would all work well here.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• pumpkin seeds. If you’re using shop-bought seeds, just skip the first few steps of the recipe.
• oil (to help them get nice and crispy)
• your choice of spices – I used smoked paprika, chilli powder and salt.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• cauliflower – you’ll need a whole, large cauliflower so you can cut two thick steaks from the centre. However, you will end up with some loose florets left over, which you can use for another recipe (I can recommend cauliflower wings!)
• spices – I used cumin and smoked paprika
• honey (or agave, if you want vegan cauliflower steaks)
• cilantro (fresh coriander)
• lemon juice
• garlic

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• black beans. Canned black beans ensure this recipe is quick and easy. If you prefer, you can cook dried beans from scratch beforehand, then follow the recipe as written.
• onion – I used half an onion, because I find a whole large onion is too much in this recipe. If you’d rather not have half an onion left over, try to just use a small one instead.
• tomatoes (try to use good quality ones)
• tomato paste
• garlic – I used minced garlic from a jar, but fresh garlic would also be fine.
• smoked paprika
• ground cumin
• fresh chilli (or chilli flakes, if you prefer) – I always choose a small, mild chilli. I do like things quite spicy, but adding too much spice can spoil a meal very quickly! If you’re not sure how hot your chilli is, start with just a small amount – you can always add more later.

What Is Tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh is a salad that originated in the Eastern Mediterranean, that’s usually made from bulgur wheat, parsley, mint and tomatoes. It’s super simple, but with heaps of flavour.

The traditional tabbouleh recipe is undoubtedly delicious, but I decided to make this version even more tasty by adding a few additional ingredients, like chickpeas, olives, cucumber, and halloumi cheese. They make the salad more hearty too, so it can function as a whole meal on its own.

What is Bulgur Wheat?

If you’ve never had bulgur wheat before, you’re missing out! It’s similar to couscous, in that it’s tiny pieces of wheat-based grain, almost like tiny pieces of pasta. It’s mild and nutty, and just like other grains, it can take on any flavour profile you want it to.

Bulgur wheat is a whole grain, so it’s really good for you too.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• bulgur wheat. If you have the choice, go for a fine bulgur rather than a coarse one. Quinoa or couscous would also work, if that’s what you have on hand; check the cooking instructions on the packet if you’re using an alternative grain.
• canned chickpeas
• olives. I used a mixture of whole green olives and sliced black olives, which gave a nice variety of texture and flavour.
• halloumi cheese. The halloumi will be served cold in this salad, and can become a little ‘squeaky’. I personally love this, but if you’re not a fan of cold halloumi, you could easily swap this for crumbled feta or any other cheese.
• pine nuts (or an alternative nut or seed)
• lemon juice (I used fresh)
• fresh parsley and mint
• tomatoes. Use good quality tomatoes with lots of flavour – the ones that smell like a greenhouse!
• cucumber
• vegetable stock. I used a stock cube, which I crumbled into hot water. You can use liquid stock if that’s what you have – just heat it up before adding to the bulgur.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• salad leaves – I love to include rocket (arugula) in my salads, because it has a wonderful, peppery flavour. It can be a little intense on its own, so I like to use a mixture of different leaves – this time I used a bagged salad that included rocket, spinach, baby red leaf, and mizuna leaves.
• fresh mozzarella
• fresh peach (make sure it’s a nice ripe one)
• bread – to make homemade croutons. One large slice, or two small slices, is plenty, and it’s totally fine to use slightly stale bread.
• cherry tomatoes (or plum tomatoes, or similar)
• pumpkin seeds
• balsamic vinegar

If you’d like to use different ingredients, try to swap like for like, so you retain the balance of crunchy, sweet, tangy, etc. For example:

• pumpkin seeds could be swapped for pine nuts, chopped walnuts, or cashews.
• fresh mozzarella could be swapped for crumbled feta, cubes of marinated tofu, or halloumi cheese.
• fresh peaches could be swapped for diced plums, apples, strawberries, or a similar juicy fruit.

What Type of Flatbreads Can I Use?

There are so many different kinds of flatbreads in the world – pretty much every country has their own version. Almost all of them will work for this recipe, so choose your favourite!

A few examples:

• tortillas
• pizza bases
• lavash
• pitta bread
• chapattis
• roti
• homemade flatbreads (only 3 ingredients!)

The ones I used this time were actually chapattis – the sort of thing I would usually serve to scoop up big mouthfuls of homemade dal. But bread is bread, and there’s no reason you can’t use it to make these tasty vegetable-topped flatbreads instead!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• flatbreads (see above!)
• vegetables – I used red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes. You can use different vegetables if you like, but make sure you use veggies that improve with a long cooking time, rather than becoming mushy (I wouldn’t use broccoli, for example). Other Mediterranean-style vegetables would be great, e.g. zucchini (courgette), eggplant (aubergine), or sweetcorn.
• sour cream
• fresh basil – or a dollop of basil pesto instead, if you prefer.
• soft goat’s cheese – if you don’t like goat’s cheese, you could use pretty much any other cheese you like, e.g. pieces of brie, grated cheddar, grilled halloumi, or crumbled feta.
• balsamic vinegar

Printable Instructions

Print

Feta and Roasted Vegetable Crustless Quiche

This tasty vegetarian crustless quiche is packed with roasted vegetables and chunks of feta cheese – so much flavour, and no pastry!

Course Light lunch

Cuisine French

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 317kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 red onion
• 1 medium zucchini (courgette)
• 2 bell peppers (I used red and orange)
• ~ 6 medium mushrooms
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 6 eggs
• 200 ml (~ 3/4 cup) single cream (see notes)
• 1 Tablespoon basil pesto
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 70 g (~ 1/2 cup) self-raising flour
• 200 g (~ 7 oz) feta cheese, roughly crumbled
• 1 teaspoon butter or oil

Instructions

• Cut the vegetables (red onion through mushrooms) into bitesized pieces (~ 2cm dice), and spread them on a baking tray.
  
• Toss with a little oil, and roast at 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F) for around 45 minutes, stirring once or twice as they cook. They should end up quite well roasted, so there’s not too much excess moisture going into the quiche.
  
• While the vegetables are roasting, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, and beat them with a fork or whisk. Add the cream and pesto, and mix again. I also added plenty of black pepper.
  
• Next, add the flour, and beat thoroughly until the mixture is fairly smooth. You can sift the flour through a fine sieve first if you have one – otherwise, just make sure you press any lumps of flour with the back of the fork to mix them in thoroughly.
  
• When the vegetables are well roasted, add them to the egg mixture, along with the roughly crumbled feta cheese (keep the chunks fairly big). Mix to combine – quite gently so you don’t break up the cheese.
  
• Thoroughly grease an 8-inch springform cake tin – I find it easiest to use a pinch of butter and my fingertips. Spray oil also works well. Pour the egg mixture into the tin, and make sure the vegetables are spread evenly around the tin.
  
• Bake for around 45 minutes, or until the quiche is golden brown on top, and no longer jiggly in the middle. If the eggs are browning before they’re fully set, cover the tin with foil and return to the oven (I didn’t need to do this, but it depends on how intense your oven is).
  
• Serve warm or cold.
  

Video

Notes

Different countries seem to offer different kinds of milk and cream, with different names. The cream I used, single cream, is 19% fat, so try to find an option that has a similar amount of fat, or a little less.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.3g | Protein: 14.7g | Fat: 21.5g | Saturated Fat: 9.7g | Cholesterol: 206mg | Sodium: 617mg | Potassium: 371mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 4.9g | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 3mg

Printable Instructions