First Steps In Vegetarian Food
I first cooked this recipe for nut roast in the 1980s when I started to try out vegetarian dishes. I had a couple of vegetarian friends and the vegetarian restaurant Cranks was gaining in popularity. Cranks had their own version of nut roast in the cranks cookery book
Nut roast may be the archetypal vegetarian dinner, but it is easy to prepare, very nutritious and delicious. Packed with protein and nutrients, it is very satisfying
And it is so easy to prepare! All you need to do is to mix the ingredients together and place in a 2lb loaf tin. Perhaps it should really be called nut loaf!
Not Just For Vegetarians
Nut roast is often seen as an option for vegetarians and in fact is possibly regarded as almost synonymous with vegetarianism. It is probably one of the most well known vegetarian dishes. It is certainly a great alternative to a meat roast dinner – and it is especially popular for Christmas dinner.
As well as being tasty, it supplies plenty of filling protein and can easily be served alongside roast potatoes and other vegetables so it is easy to cook as a vegetarian option to a meat dish.
Nut roast sometimes has a bad reputation – may be because it is seen as the archetypal vegetarian dinner. There are certainly many variations and once you have cooked it a couple of times, you can adapt it to your own tastes. It is very easy to prepare and makes preparing a roast dinner a breeze.
It is, of course, true that there are now many other tasty vegetarian dishes that are substantial, delicious and easy to prepare and could be cooked as an alternative to a Sunday roast. Creamy Leek Croustade for example or Lentil Roast.
My Own Easy Nut Roast Recipe
You can vary the ingredients for your nut roast – especially the nut mix. I use a variety of mixed nuts – almonds, brazil nuts, pecans and walnuts. You can use any combination of nuts that you like. You can buy nuts already chopped or buy whole ones that you will need to put through a food processor. If you do buy whole ones, do make sure they are unsalted.
My recipe also contains carrots, cheese and onions. The carrots and onions bring sweetness and flavour as well as softening the texture. It is a substantial meal that even the most confirmed carnivore will find filling and very flavoursome.
Leftover nut roast is easy to use up too. It can be kept in the fridge and reheated or even taken as part of a packed lunch, eaten cold. Another idea, particularly if there is not enough for portions for everyone, is to crumble the nut loaf into a pan of sautéed vegetables – such as onions, carrots, peppers and sprouts. Stir well and serve with mashed potatoes and some gravy. Who said that left overs are boring!
Like many recipes, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the nut roast was truly born, but it is likely that it first appeared as a standard recipe in the early 1900s. It seems this is the time it first appeared in a recipe book.
Nut Roast
Equipment
- 2lb loaf tin
Ingredients
- 150 g mixed nuts chopped (brazil, pecan, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts)
- 1 large carrot
- 125 g cheddar cheese grated
- 1 small onion chopped small
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
- 55 g oats
- 200 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 1 egg beaten
- 1-2 tomatoes. sliced
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C
- Place the nuts, carrot, 2/3 of the cheese, onion and herbs in a bowl
- Stir to mix
- Add the oats and stir
- Add the tomato purée to the stock and mix
- Pour the stock onto the mixture and stir
- Stir in the beaten egg to bind
- Spread in a 2lb loaf tin - lined with greaseproof paper (so you can lift it out by the paper)
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese
- Top with sliced tomatoes
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes
Could we freeze this in portions before baking?
I’ve never tried. It may be too moist to hold together in individual portions unless you have something you could freeze it and then bake it in the same container – ie an individual baking tin. If you try it do let me know.
Love this recipe, can it be frozen?
Yes it certainly can. Defrost thoroughly before reheating
This is a first class, easy to construct recipe. I have tried quite a few (always looking for the easy way out) and this beats the band. I live alone – so the quantity the recipe produces is rather too much, even ‘tho it keeps in the fridge for days. Now I reduce the quantities by half and bake flat in an oiled tin foil tray – quiche-style. Eats just as well, cooks rather more quickly.
This is a great recipe, thanks for sharing it Penny. It so easy to make and full of flavour.
Do you think cranberry sauce will be nice on the top instead of tomatoes?
Yes I do but I would put it on in the last 5 minutes or so of cooking so it doesn’t dry out. Let me know if you try it!
Hello and where has my favourite nut roast recipe gone?
Claire
It is still there but there are adverts so you need to scroll a little further. I have asked my ad agent to ensure recipes don’t get split like this. I will also update it so you can jump straight to the recipe. Thanks for pointing this out
This is the most fabulous nut roast recipe ?
Thank you – I think it’s difficult to find on the mobile version but easy on a PC. It is definitely my favourite nut roast and I have looked for years for one that wasn’t either too squidgy or to dry – and it is soo easy to cook it’s almost like fast food – albeit it takes a while in the oven – but the prep time is a doddle. A good one for Xmas too.
This recipe is a firm favourite – my husband prefers it to sausages! As we can’t eat oats, I use some gluten free bread. To avoid a soggy middle (maybe because of the substituted ingredient) I make lots of individual bakes using a muffin tin. Takes less time to cook, looks good on the plates & also when eaten cold in packed lunches. Thanks
I’ve made this quite a few times for family dinners and friends, and all agree it is the best nut roast they have ever tasted. I made two over this Christmas, it is so delicious, very simple to make unlike my previous recipe, and economical to make too. Even the meat eaters in my family are more than happy to eat this loaf. Goes so well with all the usual Christmas accompaniments.
I have made and enjoyed the Cranks nut roast recipe in the past. I like your idea of adding the sweet carrots and onions, which the Cranks recipe doesn’t have. Also your recipe doesn’t include the dreaded Marmite (which is not available in the US anyway).
I had never heard of a nut roast until I found your site but this sounds so yummy! I am always look for new and fun vegetarian dishes to try (we do vegetarian four to five days a week). Thanks for sharing!